Customer Reviews

Elizabeth & Leicester: Power, Passion, Politics

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sarah Gristwood's new book is good, especially for understanding Elizabeth's relationship with her chief favorite, Robert Dudley, later Earl of Leicester.

Gristwood tells the familiar story of Elizabeth's background and upbringing, and the not-so-familiar one of Dudley's. His father and grandfather were supporters of Edward VI and Henry VII, and were executed for their pains. The narrative picks up with earnest at Elizabeth's accession and appointment of Dudley as Master of the Horse. Rumors soon began about the queen's relationship with him, and Dudley's wife died in mysterious circumstances not too long after. Gristwood evenhandedly examines the possible explanations for her death, and with plenty of hedging, suggests that Cecil was the main beneficiary.

Immediately after his wife's death, Dudley fell out of favor with Elizabeth for some time. Reconciliation followed, as did many more fallings out and reconciliations. Her many suitors were a source of conflict (and Dudley was one of them), as were the ladies at court who caught his eye and that he secretly married or promised to marry. Nevertheless, Dudley was at Elizabeth's side through most of her reign, influential and supportive, resented and admired.

But this book is also disappointing in some ways. There are passages where so many rhetorical questions are used that the implications aren't clear; and awkward modern phrases occasionally intrude (e.g., regarding the birth of his long-awaited heir: "emotionally he must have been in the money"). Charts of family connections would also have been useful, especially for the Dudleys and Elizabeth's maternal relations.

This subject is timely, what with all the recent interest in Elizabeth I and her favorites (Leicester and Essex respectively in the two parts of the HBO miniseries with Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I; and Leicester and Raleigh in the two movies with Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth (Spotlight Series) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age). For an introduction to Elizabeth's life and reign, I prefer Christopher Hibbert's The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. I recommend Sarah Gristwood's book for thorough collectors of Elizabethan material, or for people specifically interested in Leicester himself (books about him are somewhat hard to come by, but Derek Wilson's The Uncrowned Kings of England: The Black History of the Dudleys and the Tudor Throne is an alternative).

With the primary documents basically known and castles and historic sites fully documented, 21st century writers are providing general readers with more focus on specific aspects of Tudor history and more interpretation. Recently I've read : The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire, Edward VI: The Lost King of England and After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England These books, like this one, are devoted entirely to a particular aspect of a Tudor reign (or as in the case of one, the end of the Tudor reigns).

Gristwood zeros in on the unique relationship of Elizabeth and Leicester who has been euphemistically called her "favorite". Griswold explores what this might be a euphemism for. There are lots of possibilities, but the author sticks with what is documented and what is credible. She also sticks with her focus, and brings in issues and people only as they relate to her main subject.

I did not know of Leicester's role in sending Mary of Scotland her second husband, nor his role in Elizabeth's French flirtations. I knew of the death of his wife, Amy, but nothing of the other two women in his life. While I had assumed his motives in this royal romance, I never considered his emotional state as he waited for Elizabeth with whom he had shared the experiences of having a beheaded parent. Gristwood, who has obviously poured over every word related to these two as a couple, interprets her findings in a wonderfully readable way.

I eagerly await the many more of these focused Tudor histories, that I presume are in the works. I'm guessing that the next generation of writing will provide more psychological analyis. Some of the topics are suggested by this book. They could be how the royals and their courtiers respond to the socially repressive dangers of the times or how their behavior or political posture results from the trauma in their respective families. One such interesting history could be a serious study of the Essex revolt through a psychological lens.

Elizabeth & Leicester is one of the best books I've read (and I've read a lot) about Elizabeth I. Gristwood brings together a satisfying combination of historical accuracy, engaging writing style, and common sense about human beings and their interactions with one another.

This book is well written and interesting. It compiles information from many different sources including private papers to provide a great insight into the relationship between Elizabeth and her ultimate favorite, Robert Dudley, without reading like a textbook. It provides a wonderful insight into the relationship that shocked contemporaries and impacted relations between England and many other countries. As the author points out, any courtship between the two lasted only a few months, but seems to have defined how most people think about this decades-long relationship. Much is done to redeem Leicester as a politician and a patriot and to counteract his reputation a scheming traitor.

Sarah Gristwood has published this same book under multiple titles, including Elizabeth and Leicester: The Truth about the Virgin Queen and the Man She Loved (which is a bit cheaper) and Elizabeth & Leicester. I made the mistake of buying multiple versions of the same book, thinking they were different books on a similar topic.

Gives the account of the ever-interesting relationship between Elizabeth I and her Master of the Horse, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. If you love Elizabeth, you will LOVE this analysis on her famous, and sometimes infamous relationship. Very interesting section analyzing Amy Dudley's death and her possible murder/suicide/accidental death...

A surprise to discover that this is the first biography on Elizabeth and Leicester (Robert Dudley) in so many years. One would think it would be a constantly revisited area, given the intense interest in all things Tudor and Elizabethan of late. But no - and this is a welcome surprise. I have enjoyed it and learned lots. It is the kind of `comfortable' history book that has a simple, ordered chronological sequence, taking things as they happened without trying to be too clever with changes of direction or emphasis. It is like reading a story, in other words - which is how I like my biographies to be. The author also manages to avoid digressing too much and pursuing avenues that are not entirely relevant to the subjects of Elizabeth and Leicester themselves - because, after all, there are lots of avenues to explore when it comes to this period of history. So much happened!
The two - Elizabeth and her life-long companion - faced a series of enormous challenges in their time together, and mostly traversed them successfully. But there are some sad moments, of course. The reader will know when they reach those. The nature of their relationship, sexual or not, is explored without diffidence or pre-conceived opinions. We are given the facts and allowed to draw our own conclusions.
A good, balanced approach. History neat and not too self-indulgent. Not afraid to explain things in simple ways when needed, or in detail when important.

For those who are fans of the Tudors and especially of Elizabeth I, this is an excellent, very readable look at the relationship of Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, her life-long friend. This relationship has been written about and also fictionalized in movies. (Most recently the fictional "Virgin's Lover" by Phillipa Gregory attempted to describe their relationship---though her books are notorious for not being very accurate historically.)

In this book by Sarah Gristwood,the accepted techniques of historical research are used: old letters, both between Elizabeth and Leicester, and also those of their contemporaries, as well as diaries and notes written by their contemporaries. Gristwood paints a picture of a true and intense friendship, and, possibly,a love affair...as an historian she cannot make the leap and state that they were definitely lovers, though the facts as known seem to lean toward that supposition.

Robert Dudley and Elizabeth had known each other since they were both about age 9 or so,and their friendship continued during the years that Elizabeth was still officially a "[...]" of Henry VIII and no one would have expected her to ever become Queen of England.

During the political confusion after the death of Henry VII's heir, Prince Edward, both Elizabeth and most of the Dudley family all were interred in the Tower of London at the same time. (Dudley's father and brothers were involved in the attempt to put Lady Jane Gray on the throne; one of Dudley's brothers was her young husband, chosen as a puppet by his father, who planned to be a power behind the throne, along with Lady Jane's parents.) Robert Dudley saw several of his brothers and his father beheaded, and waited for his own execution as well. Elizabeth did not know what her fate would be; but it is likely, as members of the nobility, they were able to communicate, and perhaps became even closer emotionally, during that time of terror and random death.

When Elizabeth became Queen,several years later, Robert Dudley was at her side, and remained so for his entire life. Her closest advisor and most trusted friend, he also took armies to war for her, and did anything requested of him in her service. Their contemporaries were sure, for many years, that they would eventually marry. But tragedy in Robert Dudley's life made that impossible....not to go into all of the details of the story, which in part reads like a novel.

Gristwood does go into greater depth about Robert Dudley, presenting him as a serious, loyal friend, and also a very devout Protestant--closer to what would become the Puritan type of Protestantism than the official Anglican form. His life was full of tragedies, and his obvious love for Elizabeth was always just out of his reach, in terms of his becoming a husband and consort. Some other interesting facts about him and his family presented by Gristwood-----On his mother's side he was descended from the Saxon kings of England, who reigned long before the advent of the Norman nobility with the conquest of William of Normandy. On his father's side he was related to the oldest, most powerful nobility in England, more ancient and more important than the Tudor family background. He was a wealthy landowner, yet spend most of his adult life at or around the Court, attending to Elizabeth, long after it was clear she would not marry him.

A postscript tells the story of Robert Dudley's descendents, which is in itself the stuff of a first-rate novel.

All in all a good book, which can't quite answer, with historical certainty if Leiscester and Elizabeth were lovers, but gives the reader all the known facts to make that decision. Highly recommended for history buffs and Tudorphiles.

Fascinating story, good thorough research and very readable.

Sarah Gristwood's portrayal of the lifelong romance between Elizabeth and Leicester is intimate, chatty, highly interesting, highly entertaining. She is rather like an auntie clucking away in the background. over the escapades of a favorite niece. You feel she just loves Elizabeth, and Dudley too. But she gets them down to earth emotionally so you feel that inside they are no different from countless other men and women in love, on the rebound or even in remission. The long long relationship is spread before you in all its vicissitudes.

Of course they were not ordinary but they had ordinary emotions. Elizabeth was Queen. Would Robert have loved her had she been a dairy maid? Not likely. She was the forbidden fruit he couldn't quite pluck although he tried all his life. Although his affection for her was undoubtedly very deep, I get the feeling he was not in love with her as a woman but as a symbol and personification of power he lusted to share. Was Elizabeth in love with him? Yes. She carefully saved his last letter to her sent just before he died in a little casket labeled "his last letter." There was only one "his" to Elizabeth Tudor. Leicester would have married her in a heartbeat, of course, but the reason the Queen did not marry Dudley was, Gristwood remarks simply, because she didn't want to. For whatever reason. (But she loved him).

The book is rich in historical detail written with Gristwood's knack for taking you right to the event. For instance she describes what it would have been like for the four Dudley brothers, including Robert, imprisoned in the Tower after the ascension of Mary I. The young men were crammed together in one small area. The youngest brother, Guildford Dudley, the husband of Lady Jane Grey, was executed just outside the Tower precincts, and his three remaining brothers would have been able to see the bloody cart bringing back his body and head (as would Lady Jane herself). They would also have a bird's eye view of the beheading of Lady Jane, literally right under their window on Tower Green. They would have seen her groping for the block after she was blind-folded, they would have heard the thunk of the axe.

This book is a woven tapestry of events and emotions and inter-relationships brought to you in stunning detail and with insight and compassion, too. Gristwood goes into a long discussion of the death of Leicester's wife, Amy Robsart, which has intrigued people down the ages. How could a young woman fall down a shallow set of stairs and thus break her neck and why did she send away all her servants to a local fair on that day? Was she planning to commit suicide because of Robert's defection to the Queen and due to the fact she possibly had cancer of the breast? Would anybody try and commit suicide in such a chancey way? Gristwood totally rules out the involvement of Robert in his wife's death, certainly this was no murder perpetrated by him. Some historians have pointed the finger at Cecil , but this seems unlikely too. Was she pushed? But except for one old lady there was nobody around. Gristwood will leave you dangling, she neither explains nor solves the mystery but the discussion is fascinating. Poor Amy.

Elizabeth's close brush with death from smallpox. Her rage over Robert's secret marriage. Leicester's agony over the death of his little son by Lettice Knollys, the Earl's only heir. Elizabeth's infatuation with the Duke of Alencon, her "Frog."

It's all here, told in a refreshing way."Elizabeth and Leicester" is a great read! Five stars.

Fun-to-read book about the romance of Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester. There seemed to be a lot of information compiled from many sources to make this a fascinating "tell-all" which is no small feat considering the limitations of digging up such old records which were often all but scarce. This book not only showed Queen Elizabeth I as a woman who could love, but also showed her intelligence in using her head as well as her heart to make her relationships work also to her advantage as queen and for love of her country and able to keep Leicester loyal to the crown until his death. The author did a great job.

Her path to power was a long and convoluted one. It was highly unlikely that Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, would ever amount to much considering the fact that the king was so disappointed that her mother Anne had not provided a male heir to the throne that he annulled the marriage. Elizabeth, as her sister Mary before her, was bastardized. Heads literally began to roll and the Tower of London became an unpopular retreat for those who fell out of favor, including her future purported paramour, Robert Dudley. She herself was imprisoned behind the walls of the Tower, but perhaps it gave her time to think. Elizabeth was smart, very well educated, shrewd and she wanted the reins of power. One by one the obstacles began to fall by the wayside. She would be queen

Sarah Gristwood, journalist and historical biographer, has yet come up with another mesmerizing winner, "ELIZABETH & LEICESTER: Power, Passion, Politics." Gristwood has thoroughly researched and written the ultimate in Royal biographies of one of the British Empire's most beloved and popular queens. She was supposedly a virgin queen throughout her reign, but many had their doubts. Robert Dudley, later the Earl of Leicester, who claimed to have met her when she was a young eight-year-old girl, most likely held her heart. The aura of mystery and intrigue surrounded and clouded their relationship. Robert, "the goodiest male personage in England," was a powerful man who would not be ignored. Did someone push his wife Amy down the stairs to her death to free him to marry Elizabeth? There are those who claim she bore his children. Was Arthur Dudley one of them? The author invites the reader, as the historian before him, to reach his or her own conclusions to the mystery of Elizabeth and Robert.

This is the type of book any royalty fan would appreciate, yet I, coining a phase the author used, as an "amateur of Tudor history," was fascinated by the many twists and turns the read provided. It was akin to watching an episode of Miami CSI without the solution to the mystery divulged at the ending. My only criticism, albeit a bit nitpicking, was that I would have liked to have a cast of characters in the appendix outlining their relationship(s) to Elizabeth as I had trouble sorting them at times. Sarah Gristwood has done a smashing job and readers will be more than willing to spend a little extra for a hardcover copy