A revelatory new biography emerges that captures the enigmatic life of England's greatest queen--the uniquely fascinating Elizabeth, who ruled for nearly 45 years, had intellect and presence, and exercised supreme authority in a world where power was exclusively male. Anne Somerset examines the monarch and the woman. 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations.
"Fascinating . . . Alison Weir does full justice to the subject."
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
At his death in 1547, King Henry VIII left four heirs to the English throne: his only son, the nine-year-old Prince Edward; the Lady Mary, the adult daughter of his first wife Katherine of Aragon; the Lady Elizabeth, the teenage daughter of his second wife Anne Boleyn; and his young great-niece, the Lady Jane Grey. In this riveting account Alison Weir paints a unique portrait of these extraordinary rulers, examining their intricate relationships to each other and to history. She traces the tumult that followed Henry's death, from the brief intrigue-filled reigns of the boy king Edward VI and the fragile Lady Jane Grey, to the savagery of "Bloody Mary," and finally the accession of the politically adroit Elizabeth I.
As always, Weir offers a fresh perspective on a period that has spawned many of the most enduring myths in English history, combining the best of the historian's and the biographer's art.
"Like anthropology, history and biography can demonstrate unfamiliar ways of feeling and being. Alison Weir's sympathetic collective biography, The Children of Henry VIII does just that, reminding us that human nature has changed—and for the better. . . . Weir imparts movement and coherence while re-creating the suspense her characters endured and the suffering they inflicted."
—The New York Times Book Review
Instead, Mary Stuart became the victim of her own impulsive heart, scandalizing her world with a foolish passion that would lead to abduction, rape and even murder. Betrayed by those she most trusted, she would be lured into a deadly game of power, only to lose to her envious and unforgiving cousin, Elizabeth I.
Here is her story, a queen who lost a throne for love, a monarch pampered and adored even as she was led to her beheading, the unforgettable woman who became a legend for all time.
How did she do it? Elizabeth I, CEO condenses Elizabeth's leadership wizardry into management lessons today's business leaders can employ in their own quests for excellence and supremacy. Written by Alan Axelrod, author of the national bestseller Patton on Leadership, this fascinating story of one woman's meteoric rise from illegitimate birth and imprisonment to the throne of the greatest nation on earth unfolds to reveal fresh insights into the art of leading people to business success.
Anyone in a leadership role will find much to emulate in Elizabeth's long, challenging, and highly successful reign, including leadership strategies for developing and communicating a vision of excellence, nurturing creativity, turning crisis into triumph, and creating common cause without tyranny.
Be inspired by the beloved monarch who built an empire and shaped the enduring destiny of a people ... and lead your own people to greatness.
Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has ever known, Queen Elizabeth I remained an extremely private person throughout her reign, keeping her own counsel and sharing secrets with no one—not even her closest, most trusted advisers. Now, in this brilliantly researched, fascinating new book, acclaimed biographer Alison Weir shares provocative new interpretations and fresh insights on this enigmatic figure.
Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and passion, intrigue and war, Weir dispels the myths surrounding Elizabeth I and examines the contradictions of her character. Elizabeth I loved the Earl of Leicester, but did she conspire to murder his wife? She called herself the Virgin Queen, but how chaste was she through dozens of liaisons? She never married—was her choice to remain single tied to the chilling fate of her mother, Anne Boleyn? An enthralling epic that is also an amazingly intimate portrait, The Life of Elizabeth I is a mesmerizing, stunning reading experience.
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