Description

The throne of England hung in the balance, and every prince in Europe wanted to claim it.

When Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, she became the most eligible woman in Europe. All saw the same prize: marry Elizabeth, rule England. Ambassadors flooded her court with portraits, jewels and proposals. Sweden promised silver, Spain imperial protection. Even Ivan the Terrible sent gifts and threats in equal measure.

For nearly five decades, Elizabeth kept them all waiting, playing each suitor against the other. Erik XIV wrote love letters for a decade; she exchanged rings with the charming Duke of Alencon before wriggling free with an alliance; and Robert Dudley, ever at her side, became the favourite who made foreign suitors tremble with envy.

Written with historian Sophie Shorland’s eye for a gossipy aside, morbid titbit and acerbic wit, All the Queen’s Men reveals how Elizabeth turned the competition for her hand into foreign policy – using courtship as diplomacy, flirtation as statecraft and her single status as the key to England’s survival in the tangled web of European politics.

Publisher Review

For a queen who never married, Elizabeth I’s tangled love life makes for an enthralling read. Impeccably researched, Sophie Shorland takes readers through the courtships of French princes, Austrian archdukes and English earls, as well as detailing a surprising proposal from far away Russia. Fascinating and entertaining, All the Queen’s Men is a compelling read. You will never look the same way at England’s Virgin Queen again. — Elizabeth Norton, author of The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women A brilliant new take on Elizabeth I. By exploring the self-styled Virgin Queen through the many courtships she encouraged, enjoyed and endured, this book brings a genuinely fresh perspective on one of the most enigmatic women in history. — Tracy Borman, Sunday Times bestselling author of The House of Boleyn Wonderfully rich in the seventeenth-century details of lives, loves, politics and power, in England and in Europe. — Suzie Edge, author of Mortal Monarchs on QUEEN CATHERINE’S COURT An often delightful biography… Shorland writes with the confidence of a much more experienced author. She has thankfully discarded the rigid conventions of academia in favour of telling a good story, embracing character, emotion and drama. * The Times on QUEEN CATHERINE’S COURT * A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait, filled with unexpected images of a courageous woman who wasn’t afraid to create her own circle and defend her beliefs at an English court dominated by her husband’s mistresses. — Miranda Seymour on QUEEN CATHERINE’S COURT