Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne

Starkey’s half-biography is a paragon of modern historical scholarship. He tempers the dramatism of earlier historiographers while using contemporary accounts of the early life of Queen Elizabeth I. His stunning account is proof that non-fiction can be both exciting and accurate.

First, a caveat: the book that I read had only "Elizabeth" as its title on the cover. Once inside, it turns out that it is called "Elizabeth - apprenticeship" and that it deals exclusively with the early, formative years. That cheap attempt at deception wasn't necessary, though, because the story of how Elizabeth went back and forth from being a legitimate heir to a bastard and back, fearing that at any moment she might follow her mother Anne Boleyn's footsteps - up on the scaffold - is riveting, as it fills the gap between the two well-known reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Lots of cloak-and-dagger conspiracies, and moreover all this takes place before a dramatic backdrop of England being tossed back and forth between Anglicanism, show more Lutherism and Catholicism. The author manages to portray Elizabeth as person of flesh and (ice-cold) blood, and clearly sympathises with her. Slightly too much detail is given to certain theological matters dividing the various parties in the religious conflict, but overall, a solid read. show less

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This was a fortuitously good paired reading of biographies: Starkey concentrates on Elizabeth's life from her conception and birth in 1533 to her accession to the throne in 1558; he is telling a less familiar story and also challenges received wisdom (for instance he unhesitatingly puts the dying Edward VI at the heart of the Lady Jane Grey affair, where traditionally it has been seen as Northumberland's doing).

Starkey's approach is somewhat psychological. He has three main sets of conclusions: that Elizabeth learned important lessons of statecraft from the bitter failures of her sister Mary's reign, that her attitude to religion was a sincere adherence to what evolved into High Church Anglicanism, show more and that her attitudes to both marriage and religion were perhaps crucially formed during her residence with her father's last wife and her second husband, Thomas Seymour. Indeed, Seymour's appallingly intimate behaviour with his teenage stepdaughter would surely be characterised today as sexual abuse (my assessment, not Starkey's), and that must have left its traces in Elizabeth's attitude to men (and indeed women). show less

Subtitled "Apprenticeship", this book focuses on Elizabeth I's life before she came to the throne, taking us up to her first parliament and the religious settlement, with a brief overview of the recurrent issue of religion and the succession in the rest of the reign in the last chapter.

I found it a very easy and enjoyable read, though the book could have done with some more careful editing in places.

I find Tudor history to be fascinating. I have always been a big fan of the Tudors. Elizabeth I is a particularly fascinating historical figure. This historical biography mainly concerns Elizabeth as a young woman. In fact it is around page 238 before Elizabeth becomes queen. Therefore we find out a huge amount about Elizabeth in the years of Edward VI’s, and Mary’s reigns. The political and religious upheaval of the time, was complex, and David Starkey shows just how attune to it all Elizabeth was, and how close she really came to suffering the same fate as Lady Jane Grey and others. Elizabeth emerges as very bright – even as a child she was really very gifted. Surrounded by loyal supporters Elizabeth wasn’t always assured of show more the crown – and some of her supporters made her perilous position worse during the Bloody Marian years. Of course as we all know Elizabeth succeeded to the English throne, and became one of the most successful monarchs in British History.

I am glad that I have read this book quite slowly, as I have enjoyed coming home every day to the English court of the 1550’s and indulging my love of Tudor history. A brilliant book, utterly fascinating. show less

I found Starkey's portrayal of Elizabeth to be refreshing. He tells the reader what we do not know by grasping our attention so that we will always remember. He explains what we already know (for those Elizabeth fans and history buffs) in a thought provoking way. Starkey seems to dig a bit deeper into the life of Elizabeth in order to give his readers a comprehensive view of the political and personal motivations of the Golden Age queen.

I think I prefer Weir's Elizabeth to Starkey's, if only because Weir is able to maintain a sense of narrative, of forward emotional movement, while Starkey gets bogged down in council minutes.