After Elizabeth : The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England

Leanda de Lisle

ISBN 10: 0345450469 / ISBN 13: 9780345450463

Editore: Random House Publishing Group, 2007

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nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Many volumes have been written about the long reign of Elizabeth I. Now, for the first time, comes a brilliant new work that focuses on the critical year her reign ended, a time in which England lost its childless queen and a Machiavellian struggle ensued to find her successor.December 1602. After forty-four years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth is in decline. The formidable ruler whose motto is Semper eadem (I never change) has become a dithering old woman, missing teeth and wearing makeup half an inch thick. The kingdom has been weakened by the cost of war with Spain and the simmering discontent of both the rich and the poor. The stage has been set, at long last, for succession. But the Queen who famously never married has no heir.Elizabeth's senior relative is James VI of Scotland, Protestant son of Elizabeth's cousin Mary Queen of Scots. But as a foreigner and a Stuart, he is excluded from the throne under English law. The road to and beyond his coronation will be filled with conspiracy and duplicity, personal betrayals and political upheavals.Bringing history to thrilling life, Leanda de Lisle captures the time, place, and players as never before. As the Queen nears the end, we witness the scheming of her courtiers for the candidates of their choice; blood-soaked infighting among the Catholic clergy as they struggle to survive in the face of persecution; the widespread fear that civil war, invasion, or revolution will follow the monarch's death; and the signs, portents, and ghosts that seem to mark her end. Here, too, are the surprising and, to some, dismaying results of James's ascension: his continuation of Elizabeth's persecution of Catholics, his desire to unite his two kingdoms into a new country called Britain, and the painful contrast between the pomp and finery of Elizabeth's court and the begrimed quality of his own.Around the old queen and the new king, swirl a cast of unforgettable characters, including Arbella Stuart, James's ambitious and lonely first cousin; his childish, spoiled rival for power, Sir Walter Raleigh, who plotted to overthrow the king; and Sir John Harrington, Elizabeth's wily godson, who switched his loyalties to James long before the queen's death. Courtesy of Leanda de Lisle's keenly modern view of this tumultuous time, we are given intimate insights into of political power plays and psychological portraits relevant to our own era. After Elizabeth is a unique look at a pivotal year-and a dazzling debut for an exciting new historian.

Codice articolo 9780345450463

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: After Elizabeth : The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England
• Editore: Random House Publishing Group
• Data di pubblicazione: 2007
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0345450469
• ISBN 13: 9780345450463
• Rilegatura: Taschenbuch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 203 L x 132 A x 21 P (millimetri) 203 millimetri di larghezza per 132 millimetri di altezza per 21 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 430 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

“[Leanda] De Lisle brilliantly captures the atmosphere of dangerous uncertainty and furtive intrigue that characterized the last years of Elizabeth’s reign.”—The Sunday Telegraph (London)

“Exciting and exacting . . . No fictional characters, of film or novel, can match the reality of the participants in this fascinating historical drama.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
December 1602. After forty-four years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth is in decline. The kingdom is also waning, weakened by the cost of war with Spain and the simmering discontent of both the rich and the poor. The stage has been set, at long last, for succession. But the Queen who famously never married has no heir.
 
Elizabeth’s senior relative is James VI of Scotland, Protestant son of Elizabeth’s cousin Mary Queen of Scots. But as a foreigner and a Stuart, he is excluded under English law from the throne. The road to and beyond his coronation will be filled with conspiracy and duplicity, personal betrayals, and political upheavals. 
 
Bringing history vibrantly to life, Leanda de Lisle unfurls a rich tapestry of scenes and players: As the Queen nears the end, we witness the scheming of her courtiers for the candidates of their choice; blood-soaked infighting among the Catholic clergy as they struggle to survive in the face of persecution; the widespread fear that civil war, invasion, or revolution will follow the monarch’s death; and the signs, portents, and ghosts that seem to mark her end. Here, too, are the surprising and, to some, dismaying results of James’s ascension and the lasting historical implications of this crucial period in British history.
 
Leanda de Lisle’s keenly modern view of this tumultuous time gives us intimate insights into the political power plays and psychological portraits relevant to our own era. After Elizabeth is a unique look at a pivotal year, and a dazzling debut by an exciting new historian.

Informazioni sull?autore

Leanda de Lisle earned a master’s degree in history at Oxford University before embarking on a highly successful career as a journalist and writer. After having three sons, she went on to graduate school and received a master’s degree in business administration. She has since held positions as the first columnist for Country Life magazine and as a columnist for The Spectator magazine and The Guardian newspaper. She returned to her first love, history, to write After Elizabeth, her debut book.