John Guy has chosen to concentrate his biography of Elizabeth I of England on the latter years of her reign. It is true as he states, that almost all the biographies of Elizabeth have dwelt heavily on the early romantic years of her life and reign. What Guy discovered was a treasure trove of original hand-written state papers that had been largely ignored allowing him to write an important book which gives us a much fuller picture of the real Elizabeth, someone much more complex and deep than the myth of "Good Queen Bess."
Elizabeth was 25 when she ascended the throne and she ruled for 44 years. Beginning with the famous Spanish Armada (there were actually four failed Armadas by the Spanish), Elizabeth's later years were constantly bedeviled by war and the need to raise the money to conduct these wars. Elizabeth's difficult childhood and adolescence primed her to be wary of all who surrounded her. Well it was for her to be so. She lived in an age where the bureaucracy was "heavily weighted against a woman ruler." Her life was a constant battle against a male dominated society. Early on she learned how difficult it was to be both feminine and show strength. Hers was a brilliant, difficult personality. She was vain, spoiled, snobbish and unpredictable. She was also intelligent, independent, and wise to the ways of court intrigues. She lived in an age of social and religious unrest. There were many plots to murder her and put a Catholic on the throne. She considered her best time to be after she reached age 50 and had no longer to fend off the many suitors for her hand. Guiding Elizabeth through this maze of plots and subplots was William Cecil, Lord Burghley, thoroughly loyal and the most important political mentor in her life. He advised Elizabeth since she was 15 years old and though they manipulated and bullied each other, they had deep and abiding ties.
As she aged, Elizabeth became more desperate to hold on to her youth. She dressed in what could only be extremely uncomfortable and elaborate costumes with high lacy collars which could hide her wrinkled neck, bedecked with precious stones and pearls. After the death of Robert Dudley (the love of her life), she strung along a number of hypocritical and fawning young men who hoped to make their fortunes through flattery. She was surrounded by spies and double agents. The very fact that she learned to use and survive in such danger is reason enough to regard her with awe.
The older Elizabeth had many challenges and failures. There was unrest among her subjects as it became clear she could not pay the soldiers who fought in the seemingly endless wars. Many starved or died of disease like typhus. A number of military leaders ignored her orders because she was a woman; most prominently Robert Devereux the Earl of Essex who was executed when she could no longer abide his drama and disobedience. Finally, toward the end of her life, she could see the reigns of power slipping away from the monarchy as her loyal courtiers began to age and die. It was the beginning of the growth of Parliamentary power. "She did not believe herself accountable to her people. The problem was that other now did."
This is an important book for all Elizabethan scholars and those interested in the history of the Tutors. It is well documented and interesting. If you have read anything of Elizabeth and her earlier years, this is a fascinating companion reading, and should be read to gain a more complete picture of this interesting woman and Queen. I highly recommend John Guy's book.
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