About the book

"Last in the line of succession to the English throne, Elizabeth inherited a country torn by religious differences, at war with Europe, and badly in debt. When she died in 1603, having ruled for forty-five years, her empire was solvent, the Spanish Armada had been defeated, the Church of England had been firmly established, and the men she favored, such as William Shakespeare, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh, had made her reign the Golden Age still remembered today." "In this brilliantly conceived novel, Miles uses her acclaimed skills as a storyteller and historian to bring to life the woman behind the myth of the "Virgin Queen." By turns imperious, brilliant, calculating, and insecure, this Queen Elizabeth is as vividly alive today as she was in her own time. Nor is she only the public Elizabeth: She reveals her most intimate thoughts and fears as she struggles to balance her needs as a woman against her duties as England's sovereign."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved