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Arbella Stuart: The Uncrowned Queen
In 1562, Elizabeth I, the last of Henry VIII’s children, lay dying of smallpox, and the curse of the Tudor succession again reared its head. The queen was to recover, but the issue remained: if the queen did not produce an heir, who was next in line to succeed? Enter Lady Arbella Stuart, cousin to both the English queen and James VI of Scotland, a woman whose parents’ marriage had been orchestrated to provide an heir to the English throne. Raised by her formidable grandmother, Bess of Hardwick, Arbella lived her life in Elizabeth’s shadow and, unfortunately, at her mercy. Through her story we discover a well-born, well-educated woman desperate to control her own fate, but who is ultimately powerless against those in the scheming Tudor court; and we explore the harsh reality that comes from being on the wrong side of the calculated revenge of a jealous queen.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published April 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 14, 2019
Arbella was the granddaughter of the formidable Bess of Hardwick and related distantly to Elizabeth I. When Elizabeth got too old to offer herself in marriage to keep foreign lands sweet, she dangled Arbella. This biography covers Arbella's life and goes a little way to explain her heritage and why she was so important. I found this interesting and the short chapters helped to make it feel not so overloaded with information. A good introduction to Arbella and her grandma.
June 17, 2019
The story of Arbella Stuart who probably had a better claim to the throne than Queen Elizabeth I. Because of this Elizabeth refused to let her marry as did King James I. Arbella was treated abdominally, sometimes left short of funds and completely sidelined, she led a tragic life and died tragically at a young age. An interesting read.
September 7, 2017
3.5* - Full review can be found on my blog: https://wheretheresinktherespaper.wor...
June 1, 2017
I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.
...I began the book, and ended it, finding the book’s title a bit off, but it’s understandable, given the complexity of Arbella’s situation! I think I preferred the title on Goodreads, as she certainly was an “almost queen”. Although I had previously researched Arbella’s life for my own books in the past, there were new things that I learned in this book. For example, it was amusing to learn that Arbella went to one of Shakespeare’s plays and saw him act in it and wasn’t impressed! Even though this book may suffer somewhat in comparison with the longer biography of Arbella by Sarah Gristwood, I nevertheless felt that it was well-researched and an enjoyable read. Armitage capably brought a fresh perspective of Arbella’s unhappy life – a life in which she was consistently denied so many things. Yet another supremely tragic Stuart figure.
Read my full review on The Seventeenth Century Lady:
...I began the book, and ended it, finding the book’s title a bit off, but it’s understandable, given the complexity of Arbella’s situation! I think I preferred the title on Goodreads, as she certainly was an “almost queen”. Although I had previously researched Arbella’s life for my own books in the past, there were new things that I learned in this book. For example, it was amusing to learn that Arbella went to one of Shakespeare’s plays and saw him act in it and wasn’t impressed! Even though this book may suffer somewhat in comparison with the longer biography of Arbella by Sarah Gristwood, I nevertheless felt that it was well-researched and an enjoyable read. Armitage capably brought a fresh perspective of Arbella’s unhappy life – a life in which she was consistently denied so many things. Yet another supremely tragic Stuart figure.
Read my full review on The Seventeenth Century Lady:
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews