Leadership and Elizabethan Culture

"A novel collection that deftly balances contemporary expectations of monarchy, key questions about Elizabeth's queenship, and wider issues about the skills and qualities of a good leader without ever falling into anachronism. These essays offer new assessments of the nature of Elizabeth's governance and will stimulate further the already lively debates on one of British history's most iconic figures and the nature of leadership. An ideal collection for the Elizabethan specialist, the student, the political scientist - and, perhaps, even the politician." - Natalie Mears, Professor of History, University of Durham, UK

"This fascinating collection of essays assesses the role of leadership in Elizabethan England across a range of spheres, from church and state to the economy and the theatre. A series of inter- and cross-disciplinary interventions re-evaluate the relative significance of personal rulership and of popular participation in the process of governing the late Tudor polity in international, national, and regional contexts. Kaufman has brought together a hugely impressive team of scholars whose contributions cumulatively encourage a rethink about just how 'republican' the 'monarchical republic' of Elizabeth I could ever really have been." - Steve Hindle, W. M. Keck Foundation Director of Research, The Huntington Library, USA

"The well-documented and fascinating essays in Leadership and Elizabethan Culture make a valuable contribution to the fields of leadership studies, early modern diplomacy, and images of monarchy, adding to our understanding of the ideas and mechanisms behind English government of this period . . . As Susan Doran has observed, corporate strategists in recent years have used Elizabeth as a 'model for good leadership'. Entrepreneurs and moguls could learn much from the management tactics examined in these essays." - Journal of the Northern Renaissance