The Favourite: Ambition, Politics and Love - Sir Walter Ralegh in Elizabeth I's Court

by Mathew Lyons

When the adventurer Walter Ralegh first encountered Elizabeth I he supposedly placed his cloak over a puddle and allowed the queen to walk across it. Thus began one of the most intriguing relationships between a monarch and her favourite. The Favourite explores the labyrinthine complexity of human emotion, ambition and ritual within the restricted confines of the Tudor court. Was the favourite a Machiavellian schemer who fooled the queen in her affections? Was Elizabeth willing to manipulate her courtier for her own ends? The Queen's affection for Ralegh would protect him but he would soon become the 'most hated man in England'. In The Favourite , Mathew Lyons reveals a new portrait of an immortal relationship and a fascinating exploration of the many layers of love between Gloriana and Ralegh - courtier, chancer and privateer. Reviews for Impossible Journeys : - 'Jocular but scholarly compendium of outlandish voyages.' Book of the Week, Time Out - 'Lyons's account is truly heartbreaking.' New Statesman - 'The book as a whole has a kind of understated magic.' Guardian - 'Presents the tales with great wit and wisdom, and an undercurrent of learning that makes the whole project very attractive indeed.' Independent on Sunday - 'Each story is told exquisitely and comes backed with exhaustive research.' Sunday Times

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

354 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't really learn all that much here that I didn't already know. I'm not a huge expert on Ralegh, but most of the information presented could be obtained from other sources or even just common knowledge. There were a few things that I didn't know much about, but the author should have done more to flesh them out - like Ralegh's involvement with the Earl of Oxford and his circle.

I also didn't like how the book ended at 1587, with a very wishy-washy message of "well they drifted apart after that". I still would've liked to get to the end of his career at court, or Elizabeth's death. I really thought when I finished that chapter there would be more, but that was the end. It's very strange for a biography to cutoff like that before everything is over or before one or both subjects are dead.

Overall, it was a decently written biography, but nothing special.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine book. Though I had difficulty getting through it. It was very wordy and had many run-ons. There were also some minor grammatical issues, though others may not notice this.
That said, the book was interesting and it was my first deep look into the relationship between Raleigh and Elizabeth. Well-researched and readers can go to the end and find all the sources to start their own journey.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Favourite is a well researched and meticulously detailed biography which explores the intriguing and fascinating relationship between an aging Queen Elizabeth I, and her “favourite”- Sir Walter Raleigh. Before reading this biography I knew very little about Sir Walter Raleigh other than he laid his cloak over a puddle so that Queen Elizabeth didn’t get her feet wet, but there was far more to this complex statesman than pure chivalry. Most certainly he was an adventurer with an opportunist’s eye for advancement but his affection for Elizabeth seemed to be genuine, and his influence on the Tudor court was significant. A larger than life character, Sir Walter Raleigh lived the life of a glittering celebrity, had he been alive today he would most certainly have been hounded by the paparazzi.
I found the book very readable, with a degree of informality that made the text interesting without being too arduous, and on a personal level maintained my interest and kept me intrigued until the end.

[Éireann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read much on Queen Elizabeth I over the years (including her letters), I was curious to see another side of her personality and that of a man who was so important to her. This book caught my imagination from the beginning, and I found myself easily picturing the relationship between Ralegh and the Queen.

Beautifully written and expertly researched, this book is a must for any aficionados of Elizabeth I or the era.

[Jane Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are hundreds of books around on Elizabeth I, but this is the first I've come across that deals with her relationship with Walter Ralegh. Well researched and well written, this is an engaging book. But it doesn't so much end as just stop, at what feels like an arbitrary point, and that lets the book down.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, lots of detail on Ralegh and his rise to prominence - although I did feel it rather rushed over his subsequent fall, as if the author ran out of time or space or maybe had just had enough and wanted to finish him off quickly.

[Jane Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off great. Really interesting, but got a little complex and hard to read by the end.
I did feel I learned more about her.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it