Customer Reviews

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens

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Many have criticized this dual biography for not introducing new material, and simply re-hashing what has been written elsewhere. And clearly there is no shortage of excellent biogaphies on both of these queens. However, it is the format of Dunn's book that sets it apart and gives us an innovative perspective. Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots, were both fascinating monarchs in their own right, but equally fascinating is the complex relationship between them. Both women had a claim to the throne of England. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth's grandfather, Henry VII, who overthrew Richard III and founded the Tudor dynasty, was also the great-grandfather of Mary (born to King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise). Elizabeth was Mary's elder by only nine years. Both women were ambitious, passionate, and cunning. Yet despite their similar status as queens and cousins, these two women were also very different from one another.

Mary became Queen of Scotland only six days after her birth in 1542, upon the death of her father. In 1548 she was sent to France, to grow up in the court of her French fiance, the dauphin Francis. Her status was never in question, and therefore she never questioned it herself. Elizabeth, however, traversed a much more tumultuous path to her throne. When her mother was beheaded so Henry VIII could marry his third wife, the young princess was declared illegitimate and removed from the succession. Ultimately her place in the succession was reinstated, but this in no way guaranteed that she would ever become queen. First in line was her radically Protestant half-brother, Edward, who died young. Next came the devoutly Catholic Mary I ("Bloody Mary"), Elizabeth's half-sister from Henry VIII's first marriage, under whom Elizabeth even spent some time in the Tower of London. It was only upon Mary's death in 1558, when Elizabeth was 24 years of age, that she finally ascended the throne herself.

The relationship between Elizabeth and Mary was very multi-faceted (despite the fact that the two queens never met). For most of her life, Mary referred to Elizabeth as a dear sister, and actively sought her cousin's favor. Yet at the same time Mary coveted the English crown, and even on several occasions declared that she herself was the rightful Queen of England. Yet the Queen of Scots, by dint of her as-yet unthreatened sovereignty, could also be presumtuous to a fault. Her impulsive marriage to Lord Darnley, her second husband (who was shortly thereafter murdered), against the will and advice of many in both Scotland and England, marked the beginning of her ultimate downward slide. Elizabeth, while she displayed more pragmatism in matters of the heart, was also somewhat jealous of her cousin's romantic exploits. Elizabeth had realized early on that she could never marry her personal favorite, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, and that she must instead declare herself to be married to her country, but this did not erase her longing for romantic fulfilment.

Ultimately Elizabeth was forced to imprison, and eventually execute, her cousin and rival queen. Mary, fleeing from Scottish rebels, thought to run to Elizabeth for refuge and support. But Elizabeth insisted on an investigation into Mary's possible involvement in the murder of Lord Darnley, and therefore detained the Scottish queen in a remote castle. Despite Mary's repeated pleas, she refused an audience with her, fearing the Queen of Scots' reputation for beguiling charm. Mary's imprisonment became all the more serious when she was implicated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. The English queen had no desire to execute her cousin, despite pressure from her counselors. Only when irrefutable proof of Mary's involvement was produced did Elizabeth finally sign the death warrant, and even then she was plagued with guilt. In all, Mary spent nearly two decades as Elizabeth's prisoner, and was finally beheaded in 1587, still having never met her cousin and greatest rival.

The basic story is obviously the same. Indeed, I think it would be hard to introduce any new material on the lives of Elizabeth and Mary at this point, when we probably already know all we ever will about them. Yet Dunn's presentation here is fascinating. By placing the two queens side-by-side for comparison and contrast, and focussing on their relationship, we get to see both sides of the story simultaneously. This format emphasizes the inter-connectedness of their lives, and really shows how much each was dependent on the other. In many ways each served as the only person who could truly identify with the other, both being women rulers in a time when females were seen as incapable of effective leadership, and being each other's closest blood relatives (with the exception of Mary's son, James VI & I).

Dunn's writing style, while not the most engaging I have ever read, is nevertheless very accessible. She has clearly done her research, and paints a lovely dual portrait of these two women. I also liked the fact that, when using direct quotes, Dunn gives both the original text with its archaic and unstandardized spellings, and also the same quote written with modern spellings, which makes it easier to read and understand. My only real criticism of the text is that she skims over a few events that are considered "well-known," when the book would have been more balanced and informative if Dunn had written on all events with equal detail. After all, not all her readers will have read extensively on these monarchs before picking up this book. On a positive note, the book is equipped with numerous full-color pictures, including portraits of the queens, their family members, important members of their courts, and even some pictures of embroidery Mary completed while imprisoned in England. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, learned much from it, and would definitely recommend it.

Some have criticized Jane Dunn's history of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, for not covering any new ground. I find that the parallel biography format makes a new look at an old story well worth while. You may already know the histories of the two queens and their separate lives, but to read about them simultaneously makes vividly clear how intertwined their stories are.

Dunn's style is accurate and entertaining without being over-scholarly. The addition of details that other biographers have omitted is welcome. (She mentions that Elizabeth was nearsighted, for instance.) The narrative flows naturally from one queen to the other without seeming choppy. Just when you are starting to wonder what's going on with the other, the scene changes to keep you up to date.

I was somewhat disappointed with the way Dunn treats the murder of Riccio (spelled Rizzio in some accounts). While she discusses fully the repurcussions of the murder, she glosses over the actual sequence of events in one sentence, since the story "is well-known." I think a popular history such as this is the perfect place to include a full account, both for those who are new to the subject and to re-acquaint the rest of us with a dramatic event.

Dunn, like many biographers, is attached to her subjects. She gives everyone the benefit of a doubt. This is surely the most sympathetic account of Lord Darnley that I have read yet. (Especially on the heels of the recent Alison Weir history of Mary and Darnley.) But she backs up her assertions and conclusions with solid arguments and thorough documentation. And although she says that people still tend to divide themselves into Elizabeth admirers and Mary supporters, she seems to have an equal bias for each queen.

First, I would like to review the book itself, and then address some of its critics.

Two of history's most famous queens, one for her unexpected and remarkable greatness, the other for her inexplicably poor judgment and bad luck. But was their famous rivalry inevitable? Was Elizabeth always the popular, talented, dominant one while Mary remained in her shadow? Jane Dunn asks these questions, and I was surprised - and pleased - by some of her answers.

The first part of the book is essentially a point-by-point comparison of the two queens, detailing their very different youths and explaining how they would influence the women in later years. Essentially, Mary had a huge sense of entitlement, was overconfident in her own power and security, and was a much more 'traditional' woman - and Queen - of her day. Elizabeth, whose childhood was punctuated by dramatic changes of fortune, had a much more acute sense of how tenuous her position was, and how much she depended on the good will of her people to maintain power.

Dunn does beat the Mary-as-charming-but-spoiled and Bess-as-brilliant-control-freak comparison into us a bit, but it is a good way of looking at the very different natures of these two women. Her book isn't a full biography of either queen; rather it's a look at the intersection between them - their relationship with each other, their competition, rivalry, and common causes. As such it's a fascinating look at a unique time in European history, the so-called "Age of Queens".
Posterity-wise, Mary got the short end of the stick. History will always remember her as Elizabeth's paler shadow, a major annoyance and minor queen who had no one but herself to blame for her tragic end. Although Dunn does occasionally (perhaps unavoidably) slip into Mary-bashing and Bess-worship, on the whole she does a good job pointing out that that wasn't always the case - and, had a few things gone differently, we would paint a very different portrait of the two cousins. Her Mary and Elizabeth are fully human - flaws, quirks, charms, and all. It's the best way to explain the convoluted relationship between the two, and it provides a lot of useful character insight into all other aspects of these Queens as well. (I do wish Dunn had gone further into the possibility that Mary was bipolar. It's a fascinating hypothesis, and it would explain a lot.)

Mary's end - which also serves as the book's - is too rushed; twenty years are covered in a handful of pages and the account of the execution itself offers nothing new. But until that point, I thoroughly enjoyed this provocative and inspiring portrait of two very different women whom circumstances thrust into such fierce competition.

Now: Some reviewers seem to feel that Dunn was somehow "unfair" to Mary and that her comparison of the two queens is misogynist. I admit to being completely baffled by this point of view. It appears to stem from the argument that somehow Mary was a better "feminist" queen than Elizabeth, I suppose because Elizabeth "betrayed the sisterhood" by having Mary executed.

Further, Dunn's critics seem to argue that Mary was a better "feminine" role model than Elizabeth was, apparently because she ruled through emotion rather than reason. They complain that Elizabeth is too "cold" and "calculating" to be a good example of a female ruler, while waxing rhapsodic about Mary's "mercy" and "gentleness". Let me be blunt: this is the sort of idiotic, feel-good, p.c. claptrap that has set the cause of working women back 50 years. Yes, there is something to be said for women's differing management styles; you will get no argument from me that in today's world, women should not have to emulate uber-masculinity to succeed. But - newsflash! - this was the 16th century. Not only were the roles of men and women completely different - and thus incomparable - than they are today, have you ever actually tried to get anything done with the kind of dithering, vapid leadership exemplified by Mary and her ilk?

Attempting to repaint Dunn's dual biography as some sort of feminist management manifesto does a disservice, both to the author and her subjects. We should admire both Elizabeth and Mary for who they were and what they did, while admitting their flaws and shortcomings. But this is not the 1500s, and trying to appropriate their story to make a point about women today is grossly misrepresentative, self-centered, and intellectually careless. If you want to adopt antiquated delusions about women in the workplace, try reading Forbes online - not "Elizabeth and Mary".

The Crown of England was the focus of ambition for both Mary Queen of Scots and of Queen Elizabeth I. Both were regnant queens in an overwhelming masculine world, and it was their royal status that marked their destiny, regicide, or one queen killing another, and that sealed their fate.
This ambitious and powerful combined biography chronicles the defining relationship between the two women and their lives, the intersection of the great Tudor and Stuart dynasties, and their rival claims to the throne of England.

The monarch is the highest archetype of power, and Jane Dunn gives us deep insight into the relationship between women and power, the complexity of their relationships, and between powerful women and their subjects. Without Mary and Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, the axis of power in Britain would still be uniquely male, and it is these women and their reigns and politics that have given men and women an alternative. The book is riveting, complex, literary, and extremely well written. Don't hesitate to start reading it today!

This is a solid, and at times fascinating, biography of the intertwined lives of Elizabeth 1st and Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth I, one of the great English soverigns, has exercised a long shadow over historians over the centuries. To distinguish her effort from others, Jane Dunn has focused on the contrast between the protestant Elizabeth against her life-long nemesis, the Catholic claimant to the English throne, Mary Queen of Scots. It is an effective strategy as many tart and pertinent comparisons are made between the English courts where Elizabeth grew up as an illegitimate heir, and the uber-sophisticated French court where Mary grew up as the future Empress of France.

I had come to this book hoping to learn about the singular effect of Elizabeth I over the English Renaissance, which spawned, amongst others, William Shakespeare. Unfortunately, the book does not touch on the cultural life of England. Rather, the focus is on the inevitable antagonism between the two Queens, one Protestant, and one Catholic - both queens drew support from the rebels in the other's kingdom. Dunn makes the simple but plausible case that the brutal childhood of Elizabeth prepared her for a life for effective governship, whereas Mary was brought up to be a trophy Queen, which left her utterly unprepared to weild power in Scotland, when the time came. The biography paints a lively portrait of court life, and follows the multifarious shifting political allegiances across Europe. The scholarship here is excellent, as many fascinating quotations make the point.

However, there are structural flaws in the biography. Although Dunn can tell a story when needed, Dunn continually interrupts the narrative to repeat her main thesis, as other reviews have mentioned. Such a thudding repitition is tiresome, at best, but worse, interrrupting a story, in order to reiterate a theme, dispels any tension that the narrative had been accumulating. More than once, I almost felt like blurting aloud that I already got the point. But perhaps another greater flaw is that she can't get get a consistent reading of the two women in her biography. Due to the comparative nature of the work, she paints Elizabeth as the level-headed one and Mary as the passionate impulsive ones. But many times during the book, she reverses this position, and then, reverses it again. Given the constant reiteration of the main theme, this gives an overall muddled reading of the character of the queens. Maybe with some judicious cutting, and a clearer reading of the characters, this book could have really uncoiled like a great novel of characters.

I have read Jane Dunn's books since she began with "Moon in Eclipse," the story of Mary Shelley, the author of the tale of Frankenstein's monster and the lover of Percy Shelley, the English, tragic poet and friend of Lord Byron. She has grown as a biographer over these 30 years, from someone that dared not be public in her great talent to a mature writer who now has not only the courage to build a reputation for herself, but as someone who has taken a unique place in literature similar to Lyton Strachey, and with the potential of Virginia Wolf without the madness. This, her latest, rich volume will take its place in that tapestry that she sews - hopefully for many more adventures to come.
I certainly would not have known of this extraordinary relationship between two monarchs without Jane's efforts and ability to paint a picture that comes alive again in her telling.

The authors over determination to create parralells in the womens lives create an unending series of repetitions. Not only are the sequences of events repeated, the conclusions she makes are also said at naseum. Any possible flow to the story is replaced by poorly adjoined references.

A waste of reading time.

I picked up this book looking for something different. I didn't know hardly anything about Elizabeth Tudor or Mary Stuart. It is an interesting look at how, though never meeting, their lives were totally intertwined. It is a little bit of a slow read and a bit repetative but you can learn so much about the two women.

I could not put this book down. I would recommend this book to anyone. The author did her homework and the result was a detailed description on the life of these two amazing women. I couldn't get enough and in the end I was sad to end this book.

There have been many biographies of these two Queens. While I do not think Jane Dunn's dual biography of them provides any new historical information, she does provide a new way of looking at them by placing them together within the confines of one book.

For Elizabeth it was more important to be a monarch than anything else. Perhaps today's royals should take note. She said many times that she was wedded to her people. She played the marriage game with aplomb but knew that marriage would diminish her power as the selected male made a play for a share of her power.

Elizabeth was also haunted about the question of her legitimacy as one of Henry VIII's heirs. After all, Henry had bastardized her and the Pope had excommunicated her and encouraged Catholics to dethrone her.

Elizabeth's youth had been insecure at the extreme. She even spent time in the Tower. She suffered most under Mary I, as she became the focus of dissidents.

Mary Queen of Scots was Elizabeth's next heir if you strictly follow the genealogical charts. While she bore the title "Queen of Scots", she spent only a short time in her kingdom before being shipped off to France to be raised as the intended wife of the dauphin. She had a privileged childhood, married her prince (who had become king) and then everthing dissolved when he died and Mary had nowhere to go but Scotland.

The story of her antics in Scotland--including two disasterous marriages--contrasted with Elizabeth's placing power before happiness. In the end, she was booted out of Scotland and ran to England for protection. She became the focus of many plots and ended on the block. Before she died, however, she recreated herself as a martyr to the Catholic faith.

The contrast between the two women could not be more stark. So long as Mary was alive, Elizabeth could not rest easy. What would Mary have been like as Queen--probably a disaster if she thought to reimpose Roman Catholicism.

This is a well written book that anyone interested interested in British history should enjoy. It is not, however, a historian's dual biography. I would have preferred a bit more of that but perhaps most reader's would not.

I did enjoy this book and read it in 3 days. I recommend it!