Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens

As a long-time fan of Elizabeth I, I read this book with great interest. It tackles the character of Elizabeth and Mary in the context of their relationship which was physically remote - contrary to Hollywood and TV, they never actually met. The author explains that this led to them magnifying the threat posed by the other on the basis of the reports of third parties, who often had axes to grind.

The book gave further insight into Elizabeth's tricky, vacillating character, the reasons behind it and the radical nature of her decision not to marry at a time when a queen was seen as having the perceived weaknesses of women in general and needing the steadying presence of a husband to whom her council would then defer. Also it showed how show more Mary's fatal flaws were partly down to her upbringing in a pampered luxurious French court where she was kept away from any responsibility and never developed feelings of loyalty for her remote Scottish kingdom. She totally lacked the serious commitment which Elizabeth had to her role as ruler and her responsibility to her people. She also seems to have had possible medical problems, which might have included bipolar disorder: whatever the explanation, she was prone to emotional collapses but also to a kind of adrenalin junkie high when danger and excitement offered itself. This fatally led her into plotting against Elizabeth's life when she was deprived of more physical types of risk taking.

The only reason I am withholding the full 5 star rating for this book is that in places there were irritating typing mistakes, and also the author had a tendency to restate the same facts and sometimes to dart around in the timeline - I was then brought out of the narrative with an "Oh, this is before the events I just read about" reaction, having to then mentally shuffle the events into order. But otherwise an enjoyable and informative 4 star read. show less

The first dual biography of two of the world’s most remarkable women—Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots—by one of Britain’s “best biographers” (The Sunday Times).In a rich and riveting narrative, Jane Dunn reveals the extraordinary rivalry between the regal cousins. It is the story of two queens ruling on one island, each with a claim to the throne of England, each embodying dramatically opposing qualities of character, ideals of womanliness (and views of sexuality) and divinely ordained kingship. As regnant queens in an overwhelmingly masculine world, they were deplored for their femaleness, compared unfavorably with each other and courted by the same men. By placing their dynamic and ever-changing relationship show more at the center of the book, Dunn illuminates their differences. Elizabeth, inheriting a weak, divided country coveted by all the Catholic monarchs of Europe, is revolutionary in her insistence on ruling alone and inspired in her use of celibacy as a political tool—yet also possessed of a deeply feeling nature. Mary is not the romantic victim of history but a courageous adventurer with a reckless heart and a magnetic influence over men and women alike. Vengeful against her enemies and the more ruthless of the two queens, she is untroubled by plotting Elizabeth’s murder. Elizabeth, however, is driven to anguish at finally having to sanction Mary’s death for treason. Working almost exclusively from contemporary letters and writings, Dunn explores their symbiotic, though never face-to-face, relationship and the power struggle that raged between them.A story of sex, power and politics, of a rivalry unparalleled in the pages of English history, of two charismatic women—told in a masterful double biography. show less

Powerful and ambitious cousin queens at a time when kings ruled Europe, I found this dual biography of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots deeply and doubly interesting. By depicting both personal histories the context of each queen’s life is contrasted and enriched, and Jane Dunn’s thoughtful, vivid writing captures the ethos of their world, the distinctness of their temperaments, personalities and skills, and the subtleties in their conflicted relationship.

Charming, headstrong, and persuasive, Mary became Queen of Scotland at birth and was raised as the pampered future bride of the Dauphin in the French court of Henry II and Catherine De Medici. Insightful, wary, and skilled in the art of negotiation, Elizabeth was very young show more when she lost her mother Anne Boleyn, and the taint of illegitimacy threatened her freedom, life and reign.

Both Elizabeth and Mary were descendants of Henry VII and their rival claims to the English throne made them adversaries, but as kinswomen and fellow queens on an island outpost of a continent governed by men they had a natural bond and connection that each felt. Elizabeth & Mary takes the queens from birth until Elizabeth's 1588 defeat of the Spanish Armada the year after Mary’s beheading and fifteen years before Elizabeth’s death. It’s a fascinating, stirring, and poignant story that’s well told in this book. show less

An great parallel biography of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots about their relationship and the background of their deeds. Enjoyable read even though the writer looks a bit biased towards Elizabeth.

The title refers to two 16th century monarchs, cousins and contemporaries whose lives would profoundly affect each other. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and Mary, Queen of Scots. Both provoked passionate partisans from their own day to ours; Elizabeth usually named as among the greatest monarchs ever to rule over Great Britain (including by Dunn), and Mary as a romantic figure and purported martyr to her Catholic faith. From what I read of the book, I’d say Dunn is definitely on Elizabeth’s side--but then so am I. So I don’t have any objection to Elizabeth being held up as a model ruler while Mary is made an example of a failed one. I can’t complain of Dunn’s style either on a line-by-line basis. It’s clean and competent and show more flowing. The book is insightful and obviously well-researched, with extensive notes of sources. For instance, I liked how Dunn noted just what texts the young Elizabeth read that might have influenced her politics--Cicero, Livy--and Plutarch who wrote of the great Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her fall.

So why only two and a half stars? In a word: structure. In her Preface Dunn claimed the book is “not a dual biography” but rather “follows the dynamic interactions” of the two women and is not “chronological.” I soon saw what she meant, and I found her form irksome. Her opening chapter juxtaposes Elizabeth coming to the throne with Mary’s marriage to the heir to the throne of France in 1558. Dunn throughout the book bounces from woman to woman and jumps back and forth chronologically, and the result just doesn’t flow. I found myself wanting to abandon the book and instead reread Lady Antonia Fraser’s Mary, Queen of Scots and try the biography of Elizabeth by Anne Somerset recommended by Dunn in her preface. So that’s what I did--abandoned this “not a dual biography” before reaching the 150 page mark. show less

From the book's Preface: "Of all the monarchs of these islands, it is Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scotts who most stir the imagination." While I might argue there are others who've stirred just as much imagination, there is no denying the impact of these two women on each other's lives. This book compares the lives of both, detailing the impact of their formative years on their later lives. Mary, a pampered Queen from childhood who was given to expect everything her way and later, something of a femme fatale versus Elizabeth, once a Princess, declared illegitimate, and locked in the Tower in fear of her life under threat of her sister, Mary I. It was a fascinating account, in my opinion, and I especially enjoyed the way Dunn compared show more each phase of their lives, using the many letters that remain to this day as her sources. show less

I have read a great deal about Elizabeth I so I was familiar with her story. I was a bit unsympathetic to Mary, she seemed to do many things wrong. After reading Jane Dunn's dual biography I feel I understand Mary's motivations more. I also understand Elizabeth's reluctance to execute Mary better. I felt Ms. Dunn did a great job of juxtaposing the two monarch's experiences, especially their early lives. Elizabeth went from prisoner to queen, Mary went from queen to prisoner. I still have the utmost admiration for Elizabeth and the tough choices she made for herself and her country, but I think I understand Mary's bad choices a bit better. I am waiting for a book about Elizabeth that does not focus on her relationship to the men in her show more life, but focuses on her ability to rule. She must have done other good things besides not wed or not dictate religion. I'd like to know more about her influence on law, commerce and culture. show less