Queen Elizabeth I

by Susan Doran

Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558 to 1603 and is remembered not only as a powerful, often ruthless and successful monarch, but also as a virtuous, gracious and caring ruler. This biography reveals a tough and determined "Virgin Queen", whose education, wit and wisdom enabled her to succeed in the often turbulent world of her reign. Charting Elizabeth's childhood, education and family life as well as her relationships with her ministers and suitors, the author discusses her motivation and the personal qualities that sustained her as queen. In an era of political and religious upheaval, Elizabeth I emerges as one of the most skilful and formidable monarchs in history. Illustrated throughout with portraits, rare historical documents and letters in Elizabeth's own hand, this study provides an engaging and authoritative account of Queen Elizabeth I's life and times.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, Historical, Biography

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Dr Susan Doran is a British historian whose primary studies surround the reign of Elizabeth I, in particular the theme of marriage and succession. She has published and edited sixteen books, most notably Elizabeth I and Religion, 1558-1603, Monarchy and Matrimony and Queen Elizabeth I, part of the British Library's Historic Lives series.

She is currently a tutor and member of the history faculty at Christ Church, Oxford University where her specific area of interest is stated as being Early Modern British and European history. Previously, Doran was a reader in history, Senior Lecturer in History and Teaching Studies and Director of the History Programme at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill, part of the University of Surrey.

She is also a Director of Studies for history at Regent's Park College and Senior Research Fellow for History at Jesus College

Reviews

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you never read a single book about Elizabeth I, don't start with this one. It does a nice job of giving an introduction to Elizabeth's reign, but is by no means comprehensive all all-encompassing. Even Doran, who is quite biased in Elizabeth's favor, has written better (I recently read an ARC from NetGalley by Doran called Elizabeth I and Her Circle, much better though still quick to excuse Elizabeth's flaws instead of admitting they're there and leaving it at that.)

To me forever, Elizabeth will be a manipulative, spoiled, attention-demanding, tantrum-prone queen. Though Mary did herself no favors by constantly being involved or implicated in assassination plots, Elizabeth certainly laid blame everywhere but on herself when the execution order was acted on.

There won't be much new info here for those who are Tudorphiles, but I definitely don't recommend it as an intro to her reign. Perhaps it's best described as a handy volume as a quick refresher.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the short length of this book - it includes a lot of portraits, sources and discussion. But it also does cover a long period, and misses out some important events in detail like the death of Amy Robsart in 1560 and the extent of Elizabeth's relationship with Thomas Seymour and how that affected her decision not to marry. Nevertheless, an excellent introduction to those with only a limited knowledge of the period, and a good review for anyone wanting to recap what they learned at school or college.

[Jonathan Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the life of Elizabeth I, Susan Doran manages to provide sufficient detail without becoming bogged down in extensive analysis. She also naturally assumes that Elizabeth was an intelligent woman who was fully capable of ruling a nation during a time of great religious, economic, and social upheaval. Unlike many historians, Doran does not belittle Elizabeth's accomplishments by attempting to attribute them to the men behind the scenes. For this reason alone, Doran's biography stands out from the crowded multitude of Elizabethan biography.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible, fairly simple account.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um, it's about QE what's not to like? The short bio was an easy read and did reveal a few tidbits that I didn't already know. It's a good source for quick information.

[Courtney Stev · Rating 1 out of 5]

i didn't like this book at all and i thought it was dry and boring. the only reason i read this was for an english asignment and i would recomend it.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book, with lots of pictures and handwriting samples.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid biography

[Caroline Curry · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what this was it wasn’t bad, and Queen Elizabeth I was low-key a girl boss so I enjoyed it.

[Tandy]

Easy read but very summarized.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the beginning of this book. I have been very interested in the Henry the 8th and his wives and daughters. The historical part of this book was not as detailed as I would have liked it to be. I have definitly read better.