A scholarly and immensely readable, award-winning biography of the monarch known as the “Virgin Queen.”

This has long been considered the classic biography of the great Tudor Queen. It is one of the first works of history to receive both scholarly and popular acclaim—testimony, indeed, to both its authority and readability. It has won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography and has been translated into nine languages.

Exploring every aspect of Elizabeth’s life and rule—her shrewd policies at home and abroad—Professor Neale establishes the fact that she was unique as a strong-minded, independent woman ruling in an age of exclusively masculine power.

Praise for Queen Elizabeth I

“Entirely delightful, witty and gallant in defense, and nothing better has been said on the side of Elizabeth, on this side of idolatry.” —New York Times

“Professor Neale’s narrative is straightforward and at times brilliant. . . . A first-rate literary biography.” —New Statesman

“There can be no doubt about its scholarship. . . . Merely as a tour de force the book is a remarkable performance.” —American Historical Review