Elizabeth I (Penguin Monarchs): A Study in Insecurity

'The experience of insecurity, it turned out, would shape one of the most remarkable monarchs in England's history' In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. But this image is as much armour as a reflection of the truth. In this illuminating account of England's iconic queen, Helen Castor reveals her reign as shaped by a profound and enduring insecurity that was a matter of both practical politics and personal psychology.

Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England''s rulers in a collectible format

In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. The Virgin Queen ruled over a Golden Age: the Spanish Armada was defeated; English explorers reached the ends of the earth; a new Church of England rose from the ashes of past conflict; the English Renaissance bloomed in the genius of Shakespeare, Spenser and Sidney. But the image is also armour.

In this illuminating account of Elizabeth''s reign, Helen Castor shows how England''s iconic queen was shaped by profound and enduring insecurity-an insecurity which was both a matter of practical political reality and personal psychology. From her precarious upbringing at the whim of a brutal, capricious father and her perilous accession after his death, to the religious division that marred her state and the failure to marry that threatened her line, Elizabeth lived under constant threat. But, facing down her enemies with a compellingly inscrutable public persona, the last and greatest of the Tudor monarchs would become a timeless, fearless queen.

• | Author: Helen Castor
• | Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• | Publication Date: Jul 04, 2019
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9780141989945
• | ISBN-10: 0141989947