This eloquent biography of the most influential nobleman of the Elizabethan Age reveals how Robert Dudley brilliantly captivated the court of Elizabeth I—and the heart of a queen.In many respects Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was the most significant statesman of the Elizabethan Age, ranking only behind the queen herself in precedence. As a great impresario, he honored Elizabeth I to glittering effect and became the forerunner of Shakespearean theater, com...

"It's as good as a Philippa Gregory, and tells you so much more about Mary Queen of Scots and the people with whom she surrounded herself." —Books MonthlyWilliam Maitland of Lethington was the most able politician and diplomat during the lifetime of Mary Queen of Scots. It was he who masterminded the Scottish Reformation by breaking the 'Auld Alliance' with France, which presaged Scotland's lasting union with England.Although he gained English support to de...

A study of the later years of the English monarch as seen through the men she surrounded herself with in her court.Elizabeth I's Final Years outlines the interwoven relationships and rivalries between politicians and courtiers surrounding England's omnipotent queen in the years following the Earl of Leicester's death in 1588. Elizabeth now surrounded herself with magnetically attractive younger men with the courtly graces to provide her with what Alison Wei...