The Lady Elizabeth

By Alison Weir



Queen Elizabeth I held the throne of England for forty-five years, after a tumultuous span of time while her sister, Mary, was Queen. "The Lady Elizabeth" follows the life of Elizabeth from the time she is a toddler to her accession. While most of the story is historically factual, Alison Weir has taken creative license and presented the novel with a few embellishments, both to fill in the blanks and to eliminate any repetition of events. In doing so, Ms. Weir has written a truly engaging story involving court intrigue and royal scandal.

King Henry VIII is father to Mary, Elizabeth and Edward VI. Upon the King's death, Edward, as the only male heir, is made King of England. He is only nine years old but quickly decrees his Catholic subjects to becomes Protestants. When King Edward dies at age sixteen, Mary is next in line as heir to the throne. Her rule begins with all the people loving her; however, she loses popularity when she commands England to once again adhere to the Catholic faith. Even her sister Elizabeth has happily become a Protestant, so when Elizabeth refuses to convert to Catholicism, Mary is angered. She starts believing that Elizabeth is plotting to have her overthrown.

The story of Mary and Elizabeth takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Alison Weir has done an amazing job of invoking sympathy and allegiance from the reader for Elizabeth. Many movies have been made of this woman and her dramatic life, but none have made the Queen's story so personal. None have made subtle supplications to adore Queen Elizabeth I like "The Lady Elizabeth" does from the first chapter. The reader immediately undertstands that she is to reach a place of great import in her lifetime, as well as sees Elizabeth as her father's daughter.

Looking out the window, Elizabeth saw the ramshackle dwellings of the poorer people clustered around Westminster Abbey, the solid timber houses of prosperous merchants, the churches with their ringing bells, and the townsfolk bustling here and there. She drew away, wrinkling her nose, from the city stink of sewage, rotting food, and unwashed bodies, or the sight of a beggar in rags, his stump scabrous with sores, but peeped out again, emboldened by the broad grin of a rosy-cheeked goodwife, who boldly offered her an apple from her basket, Suddenly there was a thud, as a well-aimed egg splattered against the painted side of the litter, and an indignant Lady Bryan shook her fist at the impudent apprentice who cheekily bit his thumb before disappearing into an alley.

All along the wayside, clusters of people were gathering to stare in awe at Elizabeth's fine carriage with its royal crest, and wave to its small occupant. It gave her a good feeling to be accounted so important, and looking at the plain, homespun garments of the common folk, she felt a certain satisfaction that she did not have to live as they did in their humble cottages, but was housed in a great palace and clothed in rich fabrics.

It is simple to see Alison Weir as the New York Times bestselling author she is, upon reading "The Lady Elizabeth." Hopefully, she will indeed complete the sequel to this book, called "The Phoenix and the Bear," a love story between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley (a minor character in this book).

"The Lady Elizabeth" will sweep the reader to another time and place, one that seems romantic on the surface, but in truth is filled with the tragedy and difficulty of the time. It is a journey that is worth its weight in gold.

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