The Reign of Elizabeth 1

'A concise guide to Elizabeth's life, Levin's book describes the Queen's complex web of alliances and personages, without losing the reader. The Reign of Elizabeth is recommended reading for anyone interested in a user-friendly look at England's most famous queen.' - Renaissance Magazine '...a brief, well-written overview of Elizabeth's political, religious and cultural significance.' - Publisher's Weekly '...a short but well-annotated volume to clarify the history of this famous Queen...' - Barbara Friedmann, Renaissance Magazine '...she has succeeded in providing students and instructors with a lively and interesting new text.' - Victoria de la Torre, Albion 'This brief study, which synthesizes the recent work of many Elizabethan scholars, is an extremely useful introduction to the reign of this queen.' - Retha M. Warnicke, Renaissance Quarterly 'Levin is a skillful weaver of the threads of politics, religion and culture together into an interesting tapestry which insightfully shows us the extent of the research which has been done on the Elizabethan age in the past two decades.' - Robert J.Mueller, Sixteenth Century Journal

The reign of Elizabeth I was marked by change: England finally became a protestant nation, and England's relations with her neighbours were also changing, in part because of religious controversies.The reign of Elizabeth I was marked by change: England finally became a protestant nation, and England's relations with her neighbours were also changing, in part because of religious controversies. Elizabeth's reign was also significant in terms of changing gender expectations, and in terms of attitudes towards those considered different. While a woman ruled, others, often at the bottom of the social scale, were condemned as witches.
Levin evaluates Elizabeth and the significance of her reign both in the context of her age and our own, examining the increasing cultural diversity of Elizabethan England and the impact of the reign of an unmarried queen on gender expectations, as well as exploring the more traditional themes of religion, foreign policy, plots and conspiracies. Levin's fresh perspective will be welcomed by students of this exceptional reign.