Elizabeth Tudor (1533-1603) ranks among greatest monarchs ever to sit upon the throne of England as well as one of the most successful women rulers in history.

The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth ascended to the throne following the death of her unpopular half-sister, Mary. Over the next 40 years, Elizabeth astutely fended off foreign invasion, a flood of suitors, and the intriguing of her ministers, while England went through a period of economic stability, artistic growth, and saw its rise to prominence as a naval power. But it was also an era of religious oppression and those who opposed her met their inevitable fates.

Being a woman in a man's world, Elizabeth relied upon the force of her personality, her shrewd understanding of national and world politics and her immense popularity with her subjects to hold those who would seize her throne at bay. She turned the natural disadvantage of her sex into one of her greatest weapons, always flirting with marriage but never submitting, refusing to her death to recognize an heir around whom opposition could rally.

Novels Featuring Elizabeth I

Buckley, Fiona. To Shield the Queen. Scribner, 1997.
Ursula Blanchard, a young widow at the Queen's court, becomes embroiled in intrigue and murder. Followed by: The Doublet Affair (1998); Queen's Ransom (2000); Queen of Ambition (2002); A Pawn for a Queen (2002); The Fugitive Queen (2003); and The Siren Queen (2004).

Finney, Patricia. The Firedrake's Eye. St. Martin's, 1992.
There is a fiendish plot afloat to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. Two mismatched heroes, courtier Simon Ames and ex-soldier (& sometimes spy) David Becket try to foil the would-be killers. Followed by: Unicorn's Blood (1998) and Gloriana's Torch (2003).

Garrett, George P. The Succession: A Novel of Elizabeth and James. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1983.
The great Elizabeth is dying. The realm is abuzz. Who will succeed her?

Gregory, Philippa. The Queen's Fool. S&S, 2004.
14-year-old Jewess Hannah Green is adopted by handsome & charismatic Robert Dudley who hopes to use her gift of Second Sight to his advantage at Court. Followed by: The Virgin's Lover (2004).

Harper, Karen. The Poyson Garden Delacorte, 1999.
The spirited young Elizabeth, assisted by look-alike herbalist Meg Milligrew, and enterprising actor Ned Topside, tracks down a poisoner whose victims include her father's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and her sister, Queen Mary. Followed by The Tidal Poole (Delacorte, 2000);The Twylight Tower (2201); The Queen's Cure (2002); The Thorne Maze (2003) and The Queen's Christmas (2003).

Holt, Victoria. My Enemy the Queen. Doubleday, 1978.
Elizabeth is less than pleased to find that her rival for the affections of Robert Dudley is her own cousin, Lettice Knollys.

Irwin, Margaret. Young Bess. Harcourt, Brace, 1948.
First in a trilogy that follows Elizabeth from her youth to womanhood. Followed by Elizabeth, Captive Princess (1948) and Elizabeth and The Prince of Spain (1953).

Malpass, Eric Lawson. A House of Women. St. Martin's, 1975.
The third novel in a trilogy about the life and works of William Shakespeare.

Maxwell, Robin. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn. Arcade, 1997.
Queen Elizabeth discovers the diary of her mother in which the beheaded Queen admonishes her "never to relinquish control to any man."

Maxwell, Robin. The Queen's Bastard Arcade, 1999.
Elizabeth gives birth to Robert Dudley's son, who is switched at birth with a stillborn child by a lady-in-waiting who foresees the disastrous consequences of a royal bastard. Only when his adoptive father dies does Arthur learn the truth of his parentage.

Miles, Rosalind. I Elizabeth: The Word of a Queen. Doubleday, 1994.
Elizabeth comes gloriously to life as she tells her own story.

Nye, Robert. The Voyage of the Destiny. Arcade, 2003, 1982.
Recently released from imprisonment on false charges of treason, Sir Walter Raleigh--soldier, explorer and adventurer--undertakes a doomed voyage in search of gold. Along the way, he recounts his remarkable life story, including his amorous relationship with Queen Elizabeth I. By the author of: Falstaff (1976); Mrs. Shakespeare (1993); and The Late Mr. Shakespeare (1993).

Plaidy, Jean. Queen of This Realm. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984.
Elizabeth survives the harsh reign of her half-sister, Mary, to sit on the throne of England. Many men vie for her hand, but her heart belongs to Robert Dudley.

Preston, Hugh. A Time to Lose. St. Martin's, 1976.
On September 8, 1560, Lady Amy Dudley was found at the foot of a staircase with her neck broken. Was it an accident or cold-blooded murder?

Radford, Irene. Guardian of the Vision. Daw, 2001.
In Elizabethan England, Griffin and Donovan Kirwood, telepathically linked twin brothers, are heirs of the great King Arthur become embroiled in a battle between good and evil. Followed by: Guardian of the Promise (2003) Radford's fantasy series began with: Guardian of the Balance (1999) and Guardian of the Trust (2000).

Schoonover, Lawrence. To Love a Queen: Walter Raleigh & Elizabeth R. Little, Brown, 1973.
Walter Raleigh rises from obscurity to become a favorite of the Queen, but his fall from her graces is just as dramatic.

York, Robert. My Lord the Fox: The Secret Documents of Anthony Woodcott Concerning Queen Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn. Vangard, 1986, 1884.
Anthony Woodcott, a secret agent in the employ of Sir William Cecil, is given the most important cases to investigate, such as the rumor that Robert Dudley killed his wife in order to marry Queen Elizabeth, and another that her mother, Anne Boleyn, fearing that she could never conceive by Henry VIII, became pregnant by another man.

Feed Your Need to Read:

Mysteries set in Elizabethan England
Biographies about Elizabeth I
Elizabeth's World

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