This is the story of Elizabeth I's inner circle and the crucial human relationships which lay at the heart of her personal and political life. Using a wide range of original sources - including private letters, portraits, verse, drama, and state papers - Susan Doran provides a vivid and often dramatic account of political life in Elizabethan England and the queen at its centre, offering a deeper insight into Elizabeth's emotional and political conduct - and challenging many of the popular myths that have grown up around her. It is a story replete with fascinating questions.
What was the true nature of Elizabeth's relationship with her father, Henry VIII, especially after his execution of her mother? How close was she to her half-brother Edward VI - and were relations with her half-sister Mary really as poisonous as is popularly assumed? And what of her relationship with her Stewart cousins, most famously with Mary Queen of Scots, executed on Elizabeth's orders in 1587, but also with Mary's son James VI of Scotland, later to succeed Elizabeth as her chosen successor? Elizabeth's relations with her family were crucial, but just as crucial were her relations with her courtiers and her councillors.
Here again, the story raises a host of fascinating questions. Was the queen really sexually jealous of her maids of honour? Did physically attractive male favourties dominate her court? What does her long and intimate relationship with the Earl of Leicester reveal about her character, personality, and attitude to marriage? What can the fall of Essex tell us about Elizabeth's political management in the final years of her reign? And what was the true nature of her personal and political relationship with influential and long-serving councillors such as the Cecils and Sir Francis Walsingham? And how did courtiers and councillors deal with their demanding royal mistress?
By:
Susan Doran (Senior Research Fellow Senior Research Fellow Jesus College Oxford)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 241mm,
Width: 167mm,
Spine: 29mm
Weight: 818g
ISBN: 9780199574957
ISBN 10: 0199574952
Pages: 424
Publication Date: 09 April 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction ; PART I: KIN ; 1. Parents and siblings ; 2. Suffolk Cousins ; 3. Mary Queen of Scots ; 4. James VI of Scotland ; PART II: COURTIERS ; 5. 'Eyes': Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester ; 6. 'Lids': Sir Christopher Hatton ; 7. Her 'moste humble vassall': Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex ; 8. 'The women who serve' ; PART III: COUNCILLORS ; 9. 'Sir Spirit': Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley ; 10. 'Her Moor: Sir Francis Walsingham ; 11. 'Pygmy': Sir Robert Cecil ; Some Conclusions ; Bibliography ; Notes ; Index
Susan Doran teaches at St Benet's Hall and is a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. She has published numerous books on Tudor history, including most recently The Tudor Chronicles (2008). Her work has included consultancies for the media, and she has edited catalogues for three major exhibitions in London. She has regularly been interviewed for radio and TV programmes. She is married with two adult children.
Reviews for Elizabeth I and Her Circle
An erudite and scholarly look at the life of one of the most important monarchs in English History The Good Book Guide Excellent... a compelling panorama of personalities...the scholarship of Susan Doran shines through... Literary Review, Anna Whitelock immaculately-researched account of the last Tudor monarch's relationships with her courtly circle. Eastern Daily Press meticulously researched...This is a balanced, well-argued picture of Elizabeth Historical Novels Review
