Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen Kindle Edition

Although much of the information in this story is well known (Elizabeth’s fraught experiences with sister Mary Tudor and cousin Mary of Scotland), Borman has written a fascinating book focusing on various relations Elizabeth developed with different women and putting those relations into a different context. A knowledgeable reader might skim over the chapters about the two Marys, but there is still a wealth of information about the other women who played such important roles, for good or bad, in her life. Although she had no real relationship with her mother, it is obvious that she honored Anne Boleyn in many ways. Her coronation included a number of motifs and elements that were part of Anne’s coronation. Elizabeth also favored her Boleyn, Carey and Howard families and many of those men and women were appointed to positions in her government or among her circle of women, especially her cousin Katherine Carey Knollys and cousin Katherine Howard. The only Carey cousin for whom she had real animosity was Lettice Knollys who had the audacity to marry Leicester. Although Elizabeth took pride in being Henry’s daughter, she had no liking for her Tudor kin and with reason.....they all saw themselves as her heirs. Mary of Scotland was the most obvious but there were also the two Grey sisters (siblings of the tragic Jane Grey but without her intelligence). The older Katherine actually connived with the Spanish before being sent to the tower because of a clandestine marriage which resulted in two sons, a real source of anger for Elizabeth. And then there was Margaret Douglas, the daughter of Margaret Tudor whose ambitions for her son Lord Darnley led her to commit treason on various occasions. She’s lucky she didn’t lose her head. All the women, as well as Margaret’s hapless granddaughter Arbella Stuart, inherited a complement of Tudor genes: red hair, long noses and unbelievable arrogance. With enemies such as these, Elizabeth was fortunate to have friends and confidantes, who were part of her inner circle for many years. These included Kat Astley, her early governess, and Blanche Parry. These two women were the closest to her and had been a part of her life since childhood. Elizabeth was totally devoted and loyal to them, although Mrs. Astley’s romantic nature got Elizabeth into serious trouble on two occasions. Although Elizabeth could be devoted and loyal, she was a difficult and demanding mistress, even vicious at times, for the women of her privy and presence chambers and her maids of honor. She might allow them to marry but expected them to put serving her above their husbands and families. Some who married without permission found themselves in the Tower, especially as Elizabeth aged and had less patience, and more envy, for the young. Bess Throckmorton who dared to marry Walter Raleigh had this misfortune. Despite living at court and having considerable prestige and even influence, it was not an easy life. Elizabeth was always surrounded by the women of her privy chamber and it must have been a hothouse environment. She was a creature of moods, tempestuous, arrogant and conceited, but somehow she gained the love, dedication and loyalty of a number, especially the few who were with her at the end and remained by her coffin for almost a month until her burial.

Comprehensive study about the women who surrounded and perhaps influenced Queen Elizabeth the First. Author Tracy Borman dissects every female relationship and the many ways their orbit intersected with the woman who ruled England. Usually we read about Cecil, Raleigh, Essex, Dudley and a host of males that revolved around the queen, the female's in her life are largely ignored. Borman starts with Ann Boleyn, and works though each woman from Kat Astley, to her many ladies in waiting, to show how their interaction played a role in Elizabeth's decisions. While we usually see Elizabeth as that larger than life warrior, who envisioned herself as a Renaissance prince, stories like the one of her stealing Lady Mary Howard's gaudy dress and wearing it despite it being too short for her, ruining it for the younger woman, presents the queen in a surprising new light- that of a jealous female not above petty spite, rather than the image of Gloriana she preferred.

I'm about half way through this book and it's proving to be an enjoyable romp through the life of Elizabeth I from an interesting perspective. However she has made a couple of glaring mistakes so far which are making me question the rest of her scholarship.On page 243 Borman explicitly states that Katherine Grey's husband Edward Seymour had royal blood and therefore a claim to the throne because he was a nephew of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's queen.She makes a similar claim about Elizabeth Gerald on page 64, claiming she has 'royal blood' because she is a granddaughter of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth Woodville through her first Grey marriage.I've read a ton of history and never before have I seen relatives of queens consort considered as of the blood royal. An analogy would be if Kate Middleton's future nieces or nephews through her sister were deemed to have a claim to the throne. It would be preposterous now and I'm pretty sure it would have been considered preposterous then.At best these mistakes are misleading and at worst reveal such a fundamental misunderstanding or ignorance of the workings of dynasties as to make all her scholarship seem suspect.

I bought this book on the recommendation of a knowledgeable friend who described it as an introduction to a group of women you have never heard of as a gift for my very discerning sister so I only had a chance to read the first few chapters. I found them to be well written and very interesting but it is well known that authors are given advances on the first few pages rather than the last. My sister dove into the book and upon finishing it gave it her hearty approval. On that basis, I am going to look for an e-version lest I have to wait in line.

This was a gripping story from start to finish. It was so fascinating to read about the people around the Queen who have remained unknown to us for so very long.

I'm so enjoying this book! Previously, I'd heard and seen on video so much about the Tudors before getting it. Now it's filling in gaps in my knowledge. It's written chronologically. Initially, I felt the author was stretching the background of some of the characters only to lengthen her book. Then, finally, I got to the parts where she demonstrated how much influence these people had on her growing years. Yes, Queen Elizabeth was right when she boasted of how outstanding she was even as a child! Her biographers wrote not only that she was "precocious" as a toddler but that she outstripped her teachers as well. And they were noted pros in their fields! I haven't finished the book yet. So far, it's a mighty good-read.

A great insight into her life. She survived no matter what they did to her. No matter what they throw at her in a mans world she fought back. I would like go back in time to meet her and a few others.

Queen Elizabeth I was the first *successful* woman ruler of England, and she owed some of her success to the women who nurtured, raised, protected and served her.Tracy Borman provides a detailed overview of the mothers, sister, cousins and ladies in waiting who surrounded Elizabeth from her birth to her death. Elizabeth seldom spoke of her notorious mother, Anne Boleyn, but she favoured the relatives on her mother's side of the family far more than she did any Tudor relations. Her Grey cousins suffered for their tincture of Tudor blood, which rendered them rivals to the throne, whereas Lady Catherine Carey, a cousin through her Boleyn blood, was a close and trusted lady in waiting.History has seldom told the story of the women who served and protected Elizabeth from her cradle to her grave, so it is refreshing to see this oversight repaired in Borman's book.

Very good condition, thanks!

Fab - thank you!