Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603) the "Virgin Queen" ruled England from 1553-1558 following the death of her half sister Mary Queen of Scots (reigned from 1553-1558). Mary won the nickname "Bloody Mary" due to her burning of Protestants at the stake. She was an ardent Catholic wed to Phillip II of Spain. Elizabeth was the daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn and the behemoth tyrant Henry VIII. As a young person she often lived in fear of being executed. She was at one time a prison in the infamous Tower of London. Elizabeth was vain but a good ruler guided by wise counselors. She never married but had close male friends.
Elizabeth is nearing death in 1603. The realm is near bankruptcy, the court is corrupt and Catholics are being persecuted. Elizabeth had to execute Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 fearing she will support a Catholic invansion of England. Elizabeth began her decline after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1558. A plot by her young favorite the Earl of Essex had been extinguished and he was executed.
Following the death of Elizabeth, James VI the King of Scotland and son of Mary Queen of Scots was crowned King of England. He was opposed by several factions which are described in great detail by the author. Scotland was a tough and brutal nation where bandits and clan warfare were the norm. The major foes to James' accession were:
1, Supporters of Arbella Stuart a relative of Elizabeth.
2. Jesuits and secular Catholic priests who wanted to restore the nation to the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholics were also busy fighting one another.
3. Supporters of the deceased Earl of Essex who wanted to bring the Tudor monarchy to an end.
One of the themes of this 300 page book is that the perception that James had an easy road to the crown is fallacious. Heads roled as conspiracies were discovered including that of the famous Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was charged with conspiring with Spain to bring down James.
DeLisle comes to the following conclusions about James I
(1603-1625).
1. He was a positive force in reforming the English church. During his reign the King James Version of the Bible was translated in 1611. The Protestant clergy was reformed with better educated preachers in pulpits. There was no offical toleration of Roman Catholicism. James favored the Protestant cause even though his wife Anne was a Roman Catholic.
2. He kept the peace.
3. James failed in his efforts to call an ecumenical council to reconcile Roman Catholics and Protestants.
4. James also failed to unite England, Ireland and Scotland into the Great Britain we know today. He, nevertheless, made an effort to achieve this worthy goal.
5. James may have suffered from cerebal palsy, attention deficit disorder and alcoholism. He was probably bisexual and had male favorites at court including George Villiers.
6. James had a brilliant mind but was often cold and standoffish. He did not get along well with ordinary people and was not liked by the English public.
7. He authored a book on the evils of tobacco and enjoyed music. The masque became popular during his reign. De Lisle says he was vulgar and was often crude in his conversations.
8. James believed in the Absolute Right of Kings and was anti-democratic.
This is a good first book by the English author/journalist L. De Lisle.
One looks forward to her future books.