Queen Elizabeth I follows the last Tudor monarch from a childhood marked by dynastic danger to a reign that stabilised the Protestant settlement and expanded England’s international ambitions. It examines the succession problem, court faction and the careful use of royal image and patronage.
The biography covers relations with Mary, Queen of Scots, conflict with Spain, the Armada and ventures in Ireland and overseas. It balances the cultural achievements associated with the Elizabethan age against war, repression and the financial strains of the final years.
