The Early Elizabethan Polity: William Cecil and the British Succession Crisis, 1558 1569

By Stephen Alford

Book Overview

Traditionally historians have argued that the court of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) was factional, divided among competing subjects who were manipulated by their Queen. This book provides a different account: of councilors who were united by two connected dangers, namely Catholic opposition to Protestant England and Elizabeth's refusal to marry or to settle England's succession. Working from the papers of the Queen's secretary, William Cecil, the author has set this crisis in the context of events in Scotland, Ireland and mainland Europe, and has explored fully the long-term political impact of this succession crisis in the 1560s.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521622182
• ISBN13: 9780521622189
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"