YOUNG ELIZABETH

A new biography of Elizabeth I’s early life.

British historian Tallis, author of Crown of Blood, reminds readers that England was a rare monarchy that did not forbid a woman from inheriting the throne, although if a male child was available, he was always preferred. Of course, Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, yearned obsessively for a male heir. He was disappointed when his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, bore a daughter, Mary. But divorce was forbidden, even for a king, so 15 years passed before his obsession with Anne Boleyn persuaded him to make himself head of the English Catholic Church in place of the pope, approve his own divorce, and marry the already pregnant Anne in 1533. Elizabeth’s birth was another disappointment to the king, and she was not yet 3 when Henry executed her mother on trumped-up charges of adultery and incest, declared Elizabeth illegitimate, and married Jane Seymour, who gave birth to a boy before her death. The birth took the pressure off Henry’s two female children, who were raised in comfortable households and worked hard and mostly unsuccessfully to win his affection. After his death in 1547, Henry was succeeded by Elizabeth’s 9-year-old brother, Edward VI, who ruled for six years, followed by her elder sister, who ruled for five. Elizabeth remained close to Edward, who shared her Protestant beliefs; however, along with the nation, they suffered through Mary’s persistent attempts to restore Catholicism. Tallis shows how Elizabeth, even though she mostly abided by the era’s insistence on subservient women, laid the groundwork for future women leaders by soaking up education, choosing advisers wisely, and avoiding religious controversies. Though the author sometimes pays too much attention to clothing and home furnishings, this book is a useful addition to British royal history.

A largely insightful account of the stormy run-up to an immortal reign.