Gloriana: The years of Elizabeth I

by Mary M. Luke

The Years of Elizabeth I by Mary M. Luke

Genres: Biography, History, Tudor Period, Nonfiction, British Literature

734 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[Sarah W.]

This history provides one of the most detailed narratives of the reign of Elizabeth I, making for a long book (my copy was just under 700 pages) and one that felt slow moving at times. Nevertheless, the drama always managed to pick up at the right moment and I appreciated the author's efforts to provide detailed portrayals of not just Elizabeth, but also her family, her courtiers, her advisers, and her rivals. Still, this book does show its age at times, as some of the details about Mary, Queen of Scots, and the characterization of Bess of Hardwick would likely be contested by more recent historians. However, the detailed narrative this book provides is still makes for fascinating reading and one any 16th history fan would enjoy.

[Frrobins]

This biography of Elizabeth I chronicled her rise to the throne and her long reign. It was very readable and seemed more like a novel at times than a biography. Luke did a good job tracing how Elizabeth grew into her role as queen, her early mistakes and how she learned from them to become the great leader that she was. I also enjoyed reading about Elizabeth's religious beliefs. I had thought of her as Protestant, but according to Luke, while Elizabeth was a devout Christian she felt Protestant and Catholic were both window dressing and didn't matter, and that she supported the Protestants for political reasons. She also apparently did not care much for organized religion.

There were two things which detracted from my enjoyment. The first was that Mary, Queen of Scots seemed to usurp Elizabeth as the subject matter at times. Luke went into great detail about the events in Scotland, the murder of Lord Darnley, Mary's imprisonment in England, and her execution. Entire chapters were devoted to Mary, and while it is interesting reading, I wanted to read a biography of Elizabeth. I did appreciate hearing the arguments for Mary's guilt. The biographies of Mary, Queen of Scots, I have read maintain that she was innocent. Luke felt she was guilty, and since Elizabeth believed she was guilty it was interesting to see the evidence and arguments against Mary. Still, how thoroughly Mary took over the book was disappointing.

The other thing is that this book really suffers in light of what we know about sexual assault and sexual grooming in the Me, Too era. Given that this was published in 1973, it is only natural. Still, Luke's description of the affair with Thomas Seymour was cringe inducing, especially when you take into account that at one point her beloved stepmother held her down while Seymour cut her dress off. I'm not sure how a teenage Elizabeth who was an unlikely contender for the throne at that time was supposed to fight back effectively against that. We know a lot more about grooming behavior and predatory behavior among step parents, and it goes to show we have made some progress (but not enough) since 1973. This problem resurfaced when she discussed the incident where the Earl of Bothwell raped Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's biographer, Antonia Frasier, had a much better explanation of Stockholm Syndrome to explain the incident, Luke's is frankly disturbing.

I was also disappointed that there was nothing of her meeting with the Irish lord and pirate, Grainne O'Malley. Considering O'Malley was a powerful woman in her own right and a successful ruler at a time when most women were not given the opportunity to rule, it would have been interesting to read about the meeting of these two women, nemesis, but who also shared being powerful women in a man's world in common.

When the subject matter stuck to Elizabeth I was often enthralled with this book. Recommend for people who can't get enough of the Tudor monarchs, but if you just have a passing curiosity about them I would recommend a more modern biography.

[Helen Robare]

This book continues the series about the Tudor Monarchy. While her first book about Elizabeth I dealt with the early years of the young Queen-to-be, this book deals with the years of Elizabeth's reign.

Many historical characters appear in this book including princes, the members of her court, Queens, pirates, and various other people that lived in that era.

The writing (as with all of Ms. Luke's books) is crisp and clear. The acts of the day are presented with little or no bias. Best of all, Elizabeth is written with emotions, and her personality is clearly explained.

Most of this author's books deal with Rulers or the wives of the rulers of the Tudor Age but they don't really have to be read in any order. However, reading the first book about Elizabeth I called A Crown for Elizabeth is advised.

[Peter Burton]

Very good historical biography of her life and times.Many May know the story in outline but this provides such detail to fill out the tale.She was truly an amazing woman.Well worth a read but it’s long and detailed but how else can you encompass such a long reign.It’s also a serious read,not chick lit.

[Suzanne]

I've enjoy reading about the Tudor period in England. Elizabeth was an amazingly strong woman; free thinking. She was the most successful monarch in Europe during a time when it was practically inconceivable for women to reign. Elizabeth was attributed with saying, "I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a people. " This biography was well-researched and included many first-hand accounts of her relationships with Mary, Queen of Scotts, Robert Dudley, and other fascinating people of her era. This book's biggest strength is that it builds a very strong sense of time and place. The reader almost feels Elizabethan England come alive at certain points in the book.

[Peter McConnell]

At nearly 700 pages this is no light read, but Luke manages to narrate the life of one of history's most dynamic and personable rulers in a succinct but comprehensive study of character and biography, well fit to be included with any list of Elizabeth's historians. Though touchingly sentimental at times and certainly a little skewed in her facts (Elizabeth had no living uncles, yet the Earl of Nottingham and the Lord Admiral are repeatedly referred to as her uncles; they may more accurately be called close cousins), it is a reliable and accessible record of her life and a testament to Majesty.

[Anne]

this is a wonderful, readable Who's Who of the Court of Elizabeth I. Mary Luke somehow manages to make this serious history read almost like a novel. I'm going to read the first two books of the trilogy after this. But then, I'm someone of a Tudor nut.

[Burt]

Pretty in-depth but a fascinating read.