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A Crown for Elizabeth
"In this account of royal power and conspiracy, Mary M. Luke accurately portrays the plight of England's most famous heirs to the throne, the three children of Henry the Eighth, while focusing on Elizabeth I especially. Throughout the reigns of her brother and sister, Elizabeth's position was always very precarious, and she came close to execution several times, but escaped, gaining with each close call the shrewdness needed to survive the Tudor monarchy."
573 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
2 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Mary M. Luke
7 books18 followersMary Luke was a biographer who wrote about Tudor and Elizabethan figures. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. Luke, whose original name was Mary Munger, graduated from Berkshire Business School and worked in advertising in New York, and later for a documentary film company and RKO Studios in Hollywood.
Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.
In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of history, Mrs. Luke has made a notable contribution and one that will give much pleasure to its readers."
"The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey" (1986) told the story of Jane Grey's brief hold on the scepter in July 1553 and her subsequent martyrdom. Mrs. Luke also wrote a novel, "The Nonsuch Lure" (1976), and "The Ivy Crown: A Biographical Novel of Queen Katherine Paar" (1984).
She died in 1993 at 74 and lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.
In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of history, Mrs. Luke has made a notable contribution and one that will give much pleasure to its readers."
"The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey" (1986) told the story of Jane Grey's brief hold on the scepter in July 1553 and her subsequent martyrdom. Mrs. Luke also wrote a novel, "The Nonsuch Lure" (1976), and "The Ivy Crown: A Biographical Novel of Queen Katherine Paar" (1984).
She died in 1993 at 74 and lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 9, 2024
Enjoyed it - I love the older biographies where people gave details you would normally expect from fiction. Mind you, this book was a lot more about Mary than it was about Elizabeth….and while that context is critical to understanding the story (well, perhaps not the full description of Mary’s time in Wales!), I was looking primarily for details about Elizabeth.
December 7, 2018
Very good if you have the time to read a very long account of the birth,childhood and early years of Mary,Edward and Elizabeth,the children of Henry VIII.It’s a very sympathetic account of the each using letters and documents and her insight into their actions and motives.It was good to read the detail usually skimmed over in more general books.It lacks the power of Wolf Hall but is more traditional retelling of the machinations of Tudor nobles/politicians.What a scary time to live close to Power.
April 5, 2015
People don't often realize how like a soap opera history is, and Luke revels in the drama of the Tudor period for her book.
But that's the problem with the book. She did A LOT of research, as can be see by the sheer amount of detail. But, as a student of history, I didn't want a novelization of The Tudors. I wanted a book that was interested in facts and conveyed them in an entertaining way.
This book is so intent on making us feel sorry for everyone, that the depictions of people are completely unbalanced. Anne Boleyn starts the book as a nasty, grasping whore, but when the time comes to discuss her trial, she's a wronged victim. Just like everyone else in the book. The people that populated the Tudor court are not people with multiple facets, they're heroes and villains, nothing more.
What also really, really bothered me is that Luke seems to think she knows exactly what was going on in these people's heads. She knows what Elizabeth and Mary and Edward were feeling and why they did the things they did, even though there is no evidence. She just automatically assumes that what these people were thinking was obvious, so she can say with completely surety their motives and inner dialogues.
Every history book is written by an author trying to prove something. Luke's apparent contention is that everyone was put upon all the time and, as someone who is used to doing some critical thinking when reading history, this book had my hackles up from page 1.
If history is entertainment for you, go for this book. If you want to learn something, steer clear.
But that's the problem with the book. She did A LOT of research, as can be see by the sheer amount of detail. But, as a student of history, I didn't want a novelization of The Tudors. I wanted a book that was interested in facts and conveyed them in an entertaining way.
This book is so intent on making us feel sorry for everyone, that the depictions of people are completely unbalanced. Anne Boleyn starts the book as a nasty, grasping whore, but when the time comes to discuss her trial, she's a wronged victim. Just like everyone else in the book. The people that populated the Tudor court are not people with multiple facets, they're heroes and villains, nothing more.
What also really, really bothered me is that Luke seems to think she knows exactly what was going on in these people's heads. She knows what Elizabeth and Mary and Edward were feeling and why they did the things they did, even though there is no evidence. She just automatically assumes that what these people were thinking was obvious, so she can say with completely surety their motives and inner dialogues.
Every history book is written by an author trying to prove something. Luke's apparent contention is that everyone was put upon all the time and, as someone who is used to doing some critical thinking when reading history, this book had my hackles up from page 1.
If history is entertainment for you, go for this book. If you want to learn something, steer clear.
April 21, 2015
My brother gave me this book for Christmas in 1970, so I've read it several times, most recently this March. We've been watching the Tudors on Netflix and this was a good companion reading. A Crown for Elizabeth covers the childhoods of Henry VIII's 2 daughters and son. It also covers the reigns of Edward, who died as a teen, and Mary who lived into her 40's. It ends as Elizabeth becomes Queen. A great, readable read. Also verified that The Tudors was historically accurate for the most part.
August 30, 2016
I read this book right after reading Margaret George's An Autobiography of Henry VIII and that was a fabulous way to read them. This book provides a great sequel to George's book and dwells on Edward's and Mary's reigns. All the political chicanery of the day is richly detailed. As one might guess Elizabeth being crowned is the ending but oh, the problems leading up to that crowning.
July 8, 2021
Mary M. Lukeimagination and descriptions are truly credible and able to communicate effectively a sense of understanding of the subject that's described.
May 10, 2024
Great book!
Very informative yet written in such a manner to allow the reader to understand the Monarch Elizabeth I.
This book covers the early years of Elizabeth I and the danger she faced.
The best thing about this book is that even though the author is writing about Elizabeth I, others in that era were not written in such a way as to make Elizabeth look better. The relationship between Elizabeth and her half-sister, Mary I, was not acrimonious. (This is why I have always wished the Author would have written a book about Mary I before the author died.
I think this book shows Elizabeth and others of her era as real flesh and blood people and NOT as just the person the modern day reader has been told.
Very informative yet written in such a manner to allow the reader to understand the Monarch Elizabeth I.
This book covers the early years of Elizabeth I and the danger she faced.
The best thing about this book is that even though the author is writing about Elizabeth I, others in that era were not written in such a way as to make Elizabeth look better. The relationship between Elizabeth and her half-sister, Mary I, was not acrimonious. (This is why I have always wished the Author would have written a book about Mary I before the author died.
I think this book shows Elizabeth and others of her era as real flesh and blood people and NOT as just the person the modern day reader has been told.
January 11, 2026
I’ve read several other books on the children of Henry XVIII, but I am glad I picked this one up. It gives a very human side to the monarchs (Mary, Edward, Elizabeth and also Jane Grey) which I think is sometimes missed.
December 11, 2009
Great history of the path that brought Elizabeth Tudor to the throne.....the brief Edward Tudor reign (done really by The Protector), then Mary Tudor's sad reign (her life was just torturous, really), and then Elizabeth. There was very little about Elizabeth's actual reign. It was more about how she came to be on the throne. Very interesting piece.
March 12, 2017
I read this in high school during my fascination with Mary I of Scotland and Elizabeth I of England. My high school history books didn't include many women, so I made them the subject of all my research papers. And these queens had such a good history- accusations of murder and insurrection, Mary's dead husbands, and beheadings.
March 13, 2011
Mary M. Luke portrays the true story of Elizabeth I with a vividness that clearly evokes the Tudor era. The history has been meticulously researched, and brings the characters to life in many dimensions.
August 22, 2013
A historical recollection of the Tudor monarchy. I found this book fascinating.
Want to Read
October 12, 20121970. Hardcover. No jacket.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews