Elizabeth I

Zusatztext “The most comprehensive! the most reliable and the most readable biography of Elizabeth.” – The New York Times Book Review “This is my favourite among the biographies of Queen Elizabeth I. Anne Somerset presents a convincing as well as complex character at the center of her lucid narrative. She breathes new life into old sources so that we live the story again and see it afresh.” –Antonia Fraser “An ample! stylish! and eloquent life of the queen.” – The Washington Post Book World “Finely crafted! abundantly detailed. . . . Few biographies have explored the depth found here.” – San Francisco Chronicle “An excellent book. . . . Somerset is in some respects the most balanced and impartial of all Elizabeth’s biographers.” – Sunday Times (London) “I am completely captivated by [Somerset’s] Elizabeth I . . . . The writing . . . is a delight.” –Peter Gwyn! Weekend Telegraph “A gorgeous tapestry. . . . Even readers unfamiliar with the dynamic personalities of the Tudor era would do well to start their quest for knowledge here.” – Booklist “[Somerset] is an experienced biographer! a thorough researcher! an admirable writer and a reliable judge of character.” – Financial Times “[Somerset] gives us a portrait . . . with so much fidelity that the effect is just and exhilarating.” – The Spectator “Totally captivating. . . . A wry! convincing portrait of a complex character.” – Publishers Weekly Informationen zum Autor Anne Somerset was born in England in 1955 and educated in London, Gloucestershire, and Kent. After studying history at King’s College, London, she worked as a research assistant for various historians. She is the author of The Life and Times of William IV, Ladies-in-Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day, Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I , and The Affair of Poisons . She is married and lives in London. Klappentext Glitteringly detailed and engagingly written, the magisterial Elizabeth I brings to vivid life the golden age of sixteenth-century England and the uniquely fascinating monarch who presided over it. A woman of intellect and presence, Elizabeth was the object of extravagant adoration by her contemporaries. She firmly believed in the divine providence of her sovereignty and exercised supreme authority over the intrigue-laden Tudor court and Elizabethan England at large. Brilliant, mercurial, seductive, and maddening, an inspiration to artists and adventurers and the subject of vicious speculation over her choice not to marry, Elizabeth became the most powerful ruler of her time. Anne Somerset has immortalized her in this splendidly illuminating account.CHAPTER 1 "As toward a child . . . as ever I knew any" On 9 April 1533, a foreign diplomat named Eustace Chapuys arrived at Greenwich Palace to make a formal protest to Henry VIII about the King's behaviour towards Catherine of Aragon, his Spanish wife of twenty-four years' standing. Since 1527, Henry had been seeking to have his marriage to Catherine dissolved, but his wishes had been frustrated by Pope Clement VII's steadfast refusal to grant him a divorce. The Pope's obstinacy on this point was partly the result of pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, whose sense of family honour was too strong for him willingly to permit his aunt to be cast aside by Henry. In 1529 Charles had sent Chapuys to England as his ambassador, with instructions to uphold Catherine's interests at all times and to do all that was possible to prevent Henry VIII from discarding her. For the past four years, Chapuys had carried out this task with commendable resource and tenacity, but this was not a matter on which Henry was prepared to concede defeat. Recently there had been clear indications that the Ki...

Product details

• Authors: Anne Somerset
• Publisher: Anchor Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 07.01.2003
• EAN: 9780385721578
• ISBN: 978-0-385-72157-8
• No. of pages: 672
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 203 mm x 36 mm
• Subject: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Biographies, autobiographies