Most are aware of the current
monarch of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, but not so much about her 16th
century namesake, Elizabeth I. This is a short biography of the English monarch
by Hourly History.
It starts with how when Elizabeth
took over, the country was in turmoil. She took over from her half-sister Mary,
notoriously known as Bloody Mary for her aggressive push to reintroduce
Catholicism in England. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII from his
second marriage, to Anne Boleyn and many Catholics in the kingdom viewed her
claim to the throne lacking legitimacy, as they didn’t recognise the annulment
of Henry VIII’s first marriage. It goes on to talk about how Elizabeth had to
initially consolidate her power and at the same time, also maintain religious
harmony between Catholics and Protestants. However, she was faced with
succession battles from both internal and external forces, with the French
supporting Mary, the Queen of Scots (Elizabeth’s cousin) to succeed the throne
and many Catholics in England seeing her as the legitimate successor. It then
elaborates on her decision to not marry and keeping her suitors guessing and
also about her various military victories, most famously the Spanish Armada. It
also focused on her relationship with her cousin, Mary the Queen of Scots and
the eventual souring of the relationship, considering the latter’s constant
push for claiming the throne herself.
This book revisited English
history during the 16th Century, the constant question of succession
looming over Britain. The fact that there was a looming threat of political
instability throughout her reign was brought out well. Her ability to deal with
the nobles within her own kingdom and negotiate with other kingdoms, such as
Spain and Netherlands, was also well explained. Ultimately, this also fit the
time frame of one hour, as that was all it took to complete it.
The aspect that was lacking in
the book was that though it asserted that Mary and Elizabeth shared a close
relationship, it was never convincing, as, throughout, Mary had been plotting
to usurp the throne and mercy seemed to be only from Elizabeth’s side. Perhaps,
if the authors had substantiated one of the letters that had been exchanged, it
could have been brought to the fore better.
On the whole, this was a well
compiled biography and I would award the book a rating of seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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