⇒ PDF Free Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy 9780670786022 Books

Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy 9780670786022 Books

Download As PDF : Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy 9780670786022 Books

Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy 9780670786022 Books

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) ruled England from 1558 until her death in 1601. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and the lovely wife he beheaded Ann Boleyn. Elizabeth was under threat of execution by her sister Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon who was Spanish born. Mary Tudor was a Roman Catholic while Elizabeth was a staunch Protestant in an era of religious conflict/.
In Dr. John Guy's new book "Elizabeth" he examines the last half of Elizabeth's long reign which has been dubbed by historians "The Elizabethan Age." What happened during her long reign is the subject of this well written popular history. The book also includes recently discovered papers and manuscripts written by Elizabeth and her contemporaries. Among developments in this great age:
a. The defeat of the Spanish Armada and eventual triumph over the Spain of Phillip II.
b. English exploration and the expansion of Empire led by such men as sea dogs Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake.
c. The squelching of several peasant revolts.
d. The execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 a Roman Catholic rival of Elizabeth I.
e. The love life of the aging Elizabeth with courtiers such as the Earl of Essex.
f. Increase in commerce and trade grow greatly during her reign.
g. Plague and Deflation struck London and the English nation.
h. There were several conspiracies to assassinate Elizabeth but none succeeded.
Elizabeth was vain and often cruel. She was a learned woman reading deeply in the ancient world classics. .


Tags : Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years [John Guy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b><b>COSTA AWARD FINALIST </b> <b> ECONOMIST</i> BOOK OF THE YEAR  FINANCIAL TIMES </i>BOOK OF THE YEAR  <b>Film rights acquired by Gold Circle Films,John Guy,Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years,Viking,0670786020,Europe - Great Britain,Historical,Biographies,Biographies.,Elizabeth,Great Britain - History - Elizabeth, 1558-1603,Great Britain;History;Elizabeth, 1558-1603.,Queens - Great Britain,Queens;Great Britain;Biography.,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography Historical,Biography & Autobiography Royalty,Biography & AutobiographyHistorical - General,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,England,Europe - Great Britain - General,GENERAL,GREAT BRITAIN - HISTORY - TUDOR AND STUART (1485-1714),General Adult,Historical - General,History Europe Great Britain General,HistoryEurope - Great Britain - General,MONARCHY AND ARISTOCRACY,Non-Fiction,Royalty,United States,Biography & Autobiography Historical,Biography & Autobiography Royalty,Biography & AutobiographyHistorical - General,Europe - Great Britain - General,Historical - General,History Europe Great Britain General,HistoryEurope - Great Britain - General,Royalty,Biography Autobiography,Great Britain - History - Tudor And Stuart (1485-1714),Monarchy And Aristocracy,Biography & Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography

Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy 9780670786022 Books Reviews

In his preface, John Guy suggests that biographers of Elizabeth I of England tend to have paid less attention to the later years of her life, often relying on the accepted story created by earlier writers. Guy has gone back to the original source documents, stripping back the accumulated layers of mythology surrounding her to reveal the complex and very human character beneath.

During the first part of Elizabeth's reign, she was under continual pressure to marry, partly to provide an heir but also because of the prevailing feeling that women were not suited to be monarchs. Having seen the unhappy and unsuccessful marriage of her sister Mary to Philip of Spain, not to mention the hardly idyllic marriage of her tyrannical father to her soon-to-be-headless mother, Elizabeth was always reluctant to reach a decision that would make her subordinate to a husband. However, marriage negotiations rumbled on throughout her child-bearing years.

But by the age of 50 when it was finally clear that the Queen would have no direct heir, Guy suggests she was for the first time really accepted, however reluctantly, as a monarch in her own right – a Prince or King as she often referred to herself – and felt herself freer to stamp her royal authority on those around her. These later years – the period covered in this book – were dominated by the interminable wars in Europe, concern over the succession, power struggles and conspiracies at home, and, of course, Essex, her arrogant young favourite.

As well as being a serious historian, Guy has a gift for storytelling which always makes his books a pleasure to read. It seems to me he has mastered the art of presenting history in a way that makes it fully accessible to the casual, non-academic reader without ever 'dumbing down'. He does masses of research, from original sources where possible, then, having decided what 'story' he is going to tell, he distils all that information down to those people and events that will illustrate his arguments. It's a simplification in presentation, but not in scholarship. As with all the best historical writers, he knows what information should appear in the main body of the text and what can be left to the notes at the back for people who wish to look into the subject more deeply. As a result, the cast of 'characters', which can often become overwhelming in history books, is kept to a small, manageable level, and the reader gets to know not just the principal subject but the people who most closely influence events.

So in this book, as well as a revealing and convincing picture of the ageing Elizabeth, we also get a thorough understanding of those who were most relevant to her at this later period an equally ageing Burghley, and the younger men, struggling amongst themselves to win her favour and the political power that came with it – Burghley's son Cecil, Sir Walter Ralegh, and Essex, who almost shares star billing with the Queen herself.

The first few chapters romp through the early years of Elizabeth's accession and reign, really just to give the reader a bit of background, then each subsequent chapter focuses on a particular person or event. As is my usual way, I found the sections relating to the wars least interesting, though Guy does a good job of explaining all the shifting allegiances and showing how the various campaigns led to the rise or fall of those leading them. He also shows the contrast between Elizabeth's concern for her aristocratic commanders and her casual disregard for the welfare of the ordinary soldiers, sometimes leaving them unpaid and with no way to get home from their campaigns. But throughout the period, as usual in these endless wars, those at the top were constantly changing sides or even religions, and no-one really ever seems to win or lose, and I just don't care!

Much more interesting to me are the power struggles at home and Guy gives a very clear picture of the personalities involved here. In the latter years of Elizabeth's reign, Burghley was ageing, while Walsingham's death left a vacancy Elizabeth found difficult to fill. But worse, she had also lost Leicester, the love of her life. She may have had disagreements with all three of these men at various times, but she also depended on them and trusted them to a degree that she would find difficult with the young men coming up. Guy makes clear that, while Essex was a favourite, he was no replacement for Leicester and Elizabeth was fairly clear-sighted about his weaknesses and unreliability. Burghley was keen that his son, Cecil, should succeed him as the main power in the government, while Ralegh and Essex looked to war and naval exploits to gain favour.

Once it was clear that Elizabeth would never have a child, her advisers wanted to settle the question of the succession. However, Elizabeth would never allow this to be discussed, partly through a dislike of thinking about her death and partly because she feared that a settled succession may lead to conspiracies to force her to abdicate or, worse, to murder her, thus making way for the new king. The obvious successor in terms of bloodlines was James VI of Scotland and he had the further advantage of having been brought up in the Protestant religion. Elizabeth's refusal to name a successor meant that, as she approached the end of her life, even her nearest courtiers were carrying on secret correspondences with James – Essex primarily for his own advantage and possibly to the point of treason, but also Cecil who, while looking out for his own interests too, seemed genuinely to want to avoid major disruption on Elizabeth's death.

Guy's portrait of Elizabeth feels credible and human. She seems to have been vain and capricious, temperamental, cruel when angered and vindictive when she felt betrayed. But as we see her age, with all her early advisors dying one by one, including Leicester, her one true love, and eventually also Kate Carey, her greatest friend, in the end she seems a rather lonely and pitiful figure. Another first-class biography from Guy – highly recommended.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Viking Books.
This is an amazingly researched book that will give the reader a better edge on the politics of Elizabeth the First's reign. It is a period of her life that I am fascinated with. He gives an excellent introduction to Elizabeth's life, but wastes no time getting into his topic the last ~20 years of the "Golden Age." Whether a scholar, an Elizabethan era performer, or just an admirer of the period, this book will be amazing for you.

Guy's writing style is scholarly but not dry. You may want a thesaurus nearby because Guy does not assume the reader is limited or stupid. He's a bit of a run-on sentence master, but you will never be lost.

Pro This book taps primary sources. It evaluates, debunks, supports, and demystifies secondary sources without being dismissive. There's a touch of snark in his narrative, but not too much and nothing that won't have the reader nodding in agreement. This book also fills a vacuum of knowledge as so many authors glance over this period, which Guy calls "the War Years." His rendering of Elizabeth fits far closer to those we see in movies such as Elizabeth R (Glenda Jackson,) Elizabeth 1 (Helen Mirren,) and the Virgin Queen (Anne-Marie Duffy.) He dodges the mythical Gloriana image and presents a complex and fascinating woman in an equally complex and fascinating time.

Con He doges the mythical Gloriana image. If you are someone who is in love with the Great Queen or are looking for a book supporting the image presented at nearly every Renaissance Fair, you may be thrown off by his approach. He does not hold back from presenting Elizabeth as a vain, sometimes indecisive, temperamental, aging woman in an era that dismissed all things female. Also, if you are a fan of the Cecil's and are expecting him to speak highly of Lord Burleigh, you will be shaken in your belief. He is harsh on Burleigh, citing letters and actions from primary sources that show Burleigh's disbelief in Elizabeth's ability and his manipulative nature.

I'll probably earmark, highlight, mark-up, and re-read this book.
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) ruled England from 1558 until her death in 1601. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and the lovely wife he beheaded Ann Boleyn. Elizabeth was under threat of execution by her sister Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon who was Spanish born. Mary Tudor was a Roman Catholic while Elizabeth was a staunch Protestant in an era of religious conflict/.
In Dr. John Guy's new book "Elizabeth" he examines the last half of Elizabeth's long reign which has been dubbed by historians "The Elizabethan Age." What happened during her long reign is the subject of this well written popular history. The book also includes recently discovered papers and manuscripts written by Elizabeth and her contemporaries. Among developments in this great age
a. The defeat of the Spanish Armada and eventual triumph over the Spain of Phillip II.
b. English exploration and the expansion of Empire led by such men as sea dogs Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake.
c. The squelching of several peasant revolts.
d. The execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 a Roman Catholic rival of Elizabeth I.
e. The love life of the aging Elizabeth with courtiers such as the Earl of Essex.
f. Increase in commerce and trade grow greatly during her reign.
g. Plague and Deflation struck London and the English nation.
h. There were several conspiracies to assassinate Elizabeth but none succeeded.
Elizabeth was vain and often cruel. She was a learned woman reading deeply in the ancient world classics. .