Queen Elizabeth I

Book categories: Biographies, Youth, Writings, Men, Reign, Politics & Government, Image, Era, Fiction, Mary, Queen of Scots, Children's Books, Movies & Documentaries

Books About Queen Elizabeth I

The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir depicts Elizabeth's long life and powerful personality with panache. She's especially good at evoking the physical texture of Tudor England: the elaborate royal gowns, the luxurious but unhygienic palaces, the huge meals heavily seasoned to disguise the taste of spoiled meat. Against this earthy backdrop, Elizabeth's intelligence and formidable political skills stand in vivid relief. (Review © Amazon.)

Queen Elizabeth I by Susan Doran. This biography reveals a tough and determined queen whose education, wit, and wisdom enabled her to succeed in a turbulent world.

Elizabeth I: A Life by David M. Loades. The reality of Queen Elizabeth I's character and personal attitudes are hard to detect behind her public mask. This major biography, written by a leading Tudor expert, looks in detail at the private woman.

The First Elizabeth by Carolly Erickson. Biography of an elegant, flirtatious, diplomatic, violent, arrogant, and outrageous woman.

Elizabeth I: Fortune's Bastard by Richard Rex. Brief biography that highlights the vivid and contrary personality of a queen who could both baffle and bedazzle her subjects, courtiers, and rivals.

Queen Elizabeth I by John E. Neale. A classic and popular biography.

Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset. An enjoyable biography.

Elizabeth I by Patrick Collinson. A concise biography from the "Very Interesting People" series.

Elizabeth I and Her World by Susan Watkins, photos by Mark Fiennes. A look at the nation's evolving love affair with its queen, illustrated with photographs, portraits, paintings, tapestries, and personal objects.

Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend by Clark Hulse. Combines text and images to tell the queen's story. Contains over 100 photographs of books, manuscripts, maps, letters, paintings, clothing, furniture, and many more artefacts dating from her reign.

Elizabeth I: Her Life in Letters by Felix Pryor. Published to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Elizabeth I's death, this book illustrates in color 60 manuscripts written by or to Elizabeth. Each is accompanied by commentary. There are letters from ministers and galley slaves, spies and traitors, and more.

Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman. Explores Elizabeth's relationships with key women in her life: her mother, governesses, stepmothers; rivals, including her sister, Mary I, and cousin Mary, Queen of Scots; servants, friends and other members of her glittering court. Available from Alibris.

Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I - the Wiles of the Virgin Queen by English Heritage. A short book that draws on anecdotes, quotations, and snippets of historical fact to highlight the wit, wisdom, and statesmanship of the queen.

Elizabeth I: The Shrewdness of Virtue by Jasper Ridley. Biography. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age by Christopher Hibbert. A highly readable biography that brings Elizabeth to life. From Alibris.

Books About Elizabeth & Mary, Queen of Scots

Books by Alison Plowden

Elizabeth I by Alison Plowden. Biography of England's most popular monarch and icon.

Young Elizabeth by Alison Plowden. The first 25 years of Elizabeth I. Out of print, but available at Alibris.

Danger to Elizabeth: The Catholics Under Elizabeth I by Alison Plowden. The second book in Plowden's four-volume biography of the queen. From Alibris.

Marriage With My Kingdom by Alison Plowden. This third book in Plowden's series focuses on the courtships of Elizabeth I. From Alibris.

Elizabeth Regina by Alison Plowden. The age of triumph, 1588-1603. The final book in the series. From Alibris.

Youth of Queen Elizabeth I

The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. About Elizabeth, her elder sister Mary I, and her younger brother Edward VI.

Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey. The author, a respected Tudor historian, is also the host of a popular documentary series about Elizabeth.

Fanfare for Elizabeth by Edith Sitwell is about Elizabeth's childhood and youth. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Writings of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I: Speeches, Letters, Verses, and Prayers by Elizabeth, edited by Leah S. Marcus, Janel M. Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose.

Elizabeth I: Autograph Compositions and Foreign Language Originals by Elizabeth I, edited by Janel M. Mueller, Leah S. Marcus, Patrick Williams. Writings of Elizabeth I reproduced with the original spelling and punctuation.

Elizabeth I: Translations, 1544-1589 edited by Janel Mueller and Joshua Scodel. The first complete collection of Elizabeth's translations from and into Latin, French, and Italian. Includes translations of Cicero and Seneca, John Calvin and Marguerite de Navarre, and more.

Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works edited by Steven W. May.

Elizabeth and Mary Tudor: Printed Writings 1500-1640. A collection of prayers and other religious works translated into English by the daughters of King Henry VIII.

Writing Renaissance Queens by Lisa Hopkins. Texts by and about Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Reading Monarchs' Writing edited by Peter C. Herman. Criticism of the poetry of Henry VIII, Mary Stuart, Elizabeth I, and James VI/I.

The Men in Elizabeth's Life

The Men Who Would Be King: Suitors to Queen Elizabeth I by Josephine Ross. Sought after by some of the most powerful men in Europe, Elizabeth played one suitor against another, exploiting her situation for England's profit and her pleasure.

All the Queen's Men: The World of Elizabeth I by Peter Brimacombe. Introduces the reader to Robert Dudley, William Cecil, Christopher Hatton, Francis Drake, Philip of Spain, and other men in Elizabeth's life. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Monarchy and Matrimony by Susan Doran is about the courtships of Queen Elizabeth I.

Leicester

Elizabeth & Leicester by Sarah Gristwood. Elizabeth I scandalized her court with her lifelong love for Robert Dudley. This is an intimate portrait of two people who transformed their age.

Elizabeth & Leicester by Elizabeth Jenkins. An account of the relationship between Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I.

Leicester and the Court: Essays on Elizabethan Politics by Simon Adams. The adventures and legacy of Elizabeth's favorite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Sweet Robin: A Biography of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester 1533-1588 by Derek Wilson. Traces Dudley's life and achievements. Out of print, but sometimes available at Alibris.

Essex

Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History by Lytton Strachey. Portrays the Queen's and the Earl's compelling attraction for on another, their disagreements, and their contest for power, which led to a final, tragic confrontation.

The Polarisation of Elizabethan Politics by Paul E. J. Hammer. The political career of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, 1585-1597.

The Lady Penelope: The Lost Tale of Love and Politics in the Court of Elizabeth I by Sally Varlow. Biography of Penelope Devereux, who was both the great-granddaughter of Henry VIII's mistress Mary Boleyn and the sister of Queen Elizabeth's favorite Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

Philip II

With the Heart of a King: Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and the Fight for a Nation's Soul and Crown by Benton Rain Patterson. Philip II proposed marriage to Elizabeth, his former sister-in-law, hoping to build a permanent alliance. She repaid him with a lifetime of hostility.

Philip of Spain by Henry Arthur Francis Kamen. Biography of Elizabeth's brother-in-law.

Others

Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford. Biography of Queen Elizabeth I's closest adviser, who guided her reign for four decades.

Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky. A ruthless, fiercely loyal civil servant, Walsingham worked behind the scenes to foil Mary Queen of Scots and outwit Catholic Spain and France.

The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire by Susan Ronald. The thrilling story of Elizabeth and the swashbuckling mariners who terrorized the seas and amassed great wealth for themselves and the Crown.

Sir Francis Drake: The Queen's Pirate by Harry Kelsey. Remembered as an adventurer who helped extend England's maritime empire to Africa and the Americas, Drake roamed the world under Elizabeth's patronage.

The Sign of the Golden Grasshopper by Perry E. Gresham, Carol Jose, Edwin J. Feulner, and Arthur S. Link. Biography of Sir Thomas Gresham, financial adviser to Elizabeth I.

The Queen's Conjurer by Benjamin Woolley. The science and magic of Dr. John Dee, adviser to Queen Elizabeth I.

Oxford: Son of Queen Elizabeth I by Paul Streitz. Claims that William Shakespeare was the 17th Earl of Oxford, and that he was the secret son of Queen Elizabeth I and her step-mother Katherine Parr's last husband, Thomas Seymour.

Books About Henry VIII

The Reign of Elizabeth I

The Reign of Elizabeth I by Carole Levin. Evaluates Elizabeth and the significance of her reign, and examines the impact of an unmarried queen on gender expectations.

The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power by Carole Levin. Explores contemporary representations of the unmarried Elizabeth and how her court, subjects, and ambassadors reacted to her.

The Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Lee. Explores government policy, the economy, society, culture, and the queen's relationship with Parliament.

The Reign of Elizabeth I: Court and Culture in the Last Decade edited by John Guy. About the politics and political culture from 1585 to 1603.

Elizabeth I: Profiles in Power by Christopher Haigh. Explains how Elizabeth achieved and exercised her power.

Queen Elizabeth I: Past and Present edited by Christa Jansohn. Essays about Elizabeth's political power and threats to her realm; fictional representations of the queen; and ceremony, festivities, and dance at her court.

The Progresses, Pageants, and Entertainments of Queen Elizabeth I edited by Jayne Elisabeth Archer, Elizabeth Goldring, Sarah Knight. An essay collection with chapters on progress entertainments, the ritual of gift-giving, elite and learned women as hosts, and more.

Politics & Government

Books About Elizabethan Politics & Government

Elizabeth's Image

Elizabeth I: The Competition for Representation by Susan Frye. The queen's struggle for authority through the representation of her body.

The Subject of Elizabeth: Authority, Gender, and Representation by Louis Montrose. Examines the way Queen Elizabeth I was presented in texts, pictures, and performances; the symbolic manipulation of her body by supporters and enemies; and how her advancing age affected her image.

England's Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen in National Mythology, 1603-2003 by Michael Dobson and Nicola J. Watson. Examines the portrayal of Elizabeth I in drama, poetry, fiction, painting, propaganda, and the cinema. Lavishly illustrated.

The Elizabeth Icon, 1603-2003 by Julia M. Walker. How Elizabeth I's image and memory have been used and viewed in the 400 years since her death.

Dissing Elizabeth edited by Julia M. Walker. About negative representations of "Gloriana."

Goddesses and Queens: The Iconography of Elizabeth I edited by Annaliese Connolly and Lisa Hopkins. Essays on how visual and textual representations of Elizabeth I both celebrated the queen and encoded criticism of her.

Elizabeth I's Use of Virginity to Enhance Her Sovereignty: Managing the Image of a Sixteenth-Century Queen by Susan Kendrick. Earlier Christian perceptions, although suppressed by Protestantism, had enough influence to transform an unmated queen into a goddess.

Of Chastity and Power: Elizabethan Literature and the Unmarried Queen by Philippa Barry. Shows that while Elizabeth's combination of chastity and power was idealized, it was also perceived as extremely disturbing.

Elizabethan Triumphal Processions by William Leahy. Investigates whether the common people were actually won over by Elizabeth I's spectacular processions.

Learned Queen: The Image of Elizabeth I in Politics and Poetry by Linda Shenk. Elizabeth's educated status was crucial to England's burgeoning role as an international power.

Female Identity in Renaissance Literature by Grace Windsor. Examines Queen Elizabeth I's impact on representations of women in power in 16th and 17th century literature.

The Elizabethan Era

Elizabeth I and Her Age edited by Donald V. Stump and Susan M. Felch. Sets Elizabeth's poems, prayers, speeches, proclamations and letters side by side with contemporary works that focus on the same events. Also includes commentary and criticism, ranging from early accounts of Elizabeth to the queen in film.

The Queen's Slave Trader: John Hawkyns, Elizabeth I, and the Trafficking in Human Souls by Nick Hazlewood. Traces the career of an English slave trader, and puts the blame for his brutal career on Queen Elizabeth I.

England and the Spanish Armada: The Necessary Quarrel by James McDermott. Examines the process by which the Spaniard, a long-term ally and friend, became in English eyes the epitome of human depravity, and how resistance to his imagined goals helped shape an emerging sense of nationhood.

Books About Life in the Elizabethan Era
More Books About the Tudors and Their Times

Novels About Elizabeth I

I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles. A vivid fictional autobiography. I recommend it.

Queen of This Realm by Jean Plaidy. Novel in which Queen Elizabeth I tells her own life story.

A Favorite of the Queen by Jean Plaidy. The story of Lord Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I. Originally published in 1955 under the title "Gay Lord Robert."

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory. Novel about the young Elizabeth I and her relationship with Robert Dudley, by the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. Novel about the rivalry between Queen Mary I and her half-sister Elizabeth I. By the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. This novel tells the story of Elizabeth I before she became queen. Her father, Henry VIII, dominates her childhood, but others play powerful roles, including her loving and lethal sister Mary, ambitious Thomas Seymour, and the ever-present ghost of Anne Boleyn.

Young Bess by Margaret Irwin. First published in the 1940s, this popular novel about the early life of Elizabeth I was made into a movie starring Jean Simmons as the future queen. The book has two sequels, Elizabeth, Captive Princess and Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain.

Virgin by Robin Maxwell is a novel about Elizabeth's youth.

The Queen's Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley. A novel of the early years of Elizabeth Tudor, as told by the (fictional) niece of her governess, Kat Ashley.

The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper. Katherine Ashley, the daughter of a poor country squire, befriends Anne Boleyn and becomes governess to the future Queen Elizabeth I.

The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin. The story of Elizabeth I through the eyes of two ladies-in-waiting.

The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell. About Elizabeth's relationship with Leicester and their (fictional) child.

The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella March Chase. Young Nell de Lacey arrives at the Tudor court and finds she is the mirror image of Queen Elizabeth I.

Unicorn's Blood by Patricia Finney. Suspenseful novel about Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots.

The Succession by George P. Garrett is a novel about Elizabeth and her successor, James I.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age by Tasha Alexander. A novel based on the movie of the same name.

Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Novel about a powerful modern businesswoman, loosely based on the life story of England's Queen Elizabeth I. The previous books in this series, also based on English royal history, are The Ravenscar Dynasty and The Heir (also called Heirs of Ravenscar).

My Enemy, the Queen by Victoria Holt. This excellent novel tells the story of the rivalry between Lettice Knollys and Elizabeth I.

Mystery Novels

The Poyson Garden by Karen Harper. Mystery in which the young Elizabeth plays detective.

The Tidal Pool by Karen Harper. The queen investigates a murder.

The Twylight Tower by Karen Harper. Elizabeth investigates a conspiracy which involves the murder of the wife of her favorite, Robert Dudley.

The Queene's Cure by Karen Harper. Mystery in which Elizabeth faces a smallpox epidemic.

The Thorne Maze by Karen Harper. As the Black Death stalks London, Elizabeth investigates an attempt on her life. The suspects include Lord Darnley, future husband of Mary Queen of Scots.

The Queene's Christmas by Karen Harper. Elizabeth I solves a Yuletide mystery.

Children's Books

Elizabeth I of England by Kerrily Sapet. A biography for children.

For Ages 4 to 8

Elizabeth I: The Outcast Who Became England's Queen by Simon Adams. Biography for children ages 4 to 8.

Queen Elizabeth I by Leon Ashworth. Nonfiction.

Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. Illustrated biography.

Elizabeth I and Tudor England by Miriam Greenblatt.

The Queen's Progress by Celeste Davidson Mannis, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Picture book about Queen Elizabeth I and her journeys through the English countryside.

Elizabeth and the Royal Pony by Joan Holub, illustrated by Nonna Aleshina. Fiction based on the life of Elizabeth I, for children ages 4 to 8.

Queen Elizabeth I Coloring Book. Yes -- it's a coloring book!

Elizabeth I Paper Doll by Tom Tierney. Includes Sir Walter Raleigh and Earl of Essex paper dolls. The Queen's seven gowns of silk, satin, and brocade are accented with ruffs, pearls, and gemstones. Descriptive notes provide information on each outfit.

For Ages 9 to 12

Elizabeth I by Jane Bingham. Biography for children ages 9 to 12.

Queen Elizabeth I by Kate Havelin. Biography.

Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I by Jane Resh Thomas. A compelling account of Elizabeth's life that shatters the myths surrounding her and shows her as a human being.

Queen Elizabeth and England's Golden Age by Samuel Willard Crompton.

Elizabeth I: The Life of England's Renaissance Queen by Rob Shone. Nonfiction.

Elizabeth I: Queen of Tudor England by Myra Weatherly. Biography for children ages 9 to 12.

Queen Elizabeth I of England by Robert Kraske. Biography for children ages 9 to 12.

Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky. A fictional diary for children from the Royal Diaries series.

For Young Adults (Teens)

Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer. Novel in which Queen Elizabeth I tells the story of her early life. From the Young Royals series.

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DVDs About Elizabeth I

These DVDs are formatted for North American audiences.

Elizabeth. The extremely popular British documentary series, shown in the U.S. on The History Channel. The host, David Starkey, wrote a book about Queen Elizabeth I called Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne.

Elizabeth R. This 1972 miniseries starring Glenda Jackson covers Elizabeth I's entire reign.

The Virgin Queen. Bette Davis plays Elizabeth in this 1955 movie about the queen's relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh.

Elizabeth. Murky and inaccurate 1998 movie starring Cate Blanchett, who gives an excellent performance as the queen.

Young Bess. 1953 movie starring Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger.

More DVDs About the Tudor Dynasty