Empress Matilda

by Elisabeth van Houts, Simon Adams

Book 33 in the English Monarchs series.

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Simon Adams examines Elizabeth I as a ruler formed by the dynastic and religious dangers of the Tudor succession. The biography follows her precarious childhood, accession in 1558 and construction of a political identity that combined female queenship with the language and authority of a divinely appointed prince.

The book considers religious settlement, court faction, marriage diplomacy, relations with Mary, Queen of Scots, and war with Spain and in the Netherlands. Adams places particular emphasis on the people and patronage networks around Elizabeth, explaining how personal monarchy sustained stability while delaying difficult decisions over confession, war and succession.