Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset is the interesting story of the life of Elizabeth I and her nearly forty-five year rule. Elizabeth made her way in a man's world. She selected her advisers wisely and ruled without a husband. Even though she relied heavily on her advisers, she made her own decisions. She led her nation through wars and various financial difficulties and survived numerous assassination plots. She died of old age at the age of seventy, naming James of Scotland as her successor.

Elizabeth's mother was Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. Henry had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon dissolved. He had a daughter, Mary Tudor, with Catherine. Both wives were executed. Henry then married Jane Seymour who produced a son, Edward. Both daughters were declared illegitimate but their legitimacy was restored by Act of Parliament in 1543.

Elizabeth is thirteen years of age when her father dies and her brother, Edward, becomes king. He embraces Protestantism in his teens and dies in 1553. Mary Tudor becomes Queen. Mary remains suspicious of Elizabeth for the rest of her life. Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain results in the reinstatement of Catholicism to England and years of persecution for the people due to the Inquisition. When Mary dies in 1558, Elizabeth becomes the Queen of England at the age of twenty-five.

Elizabeth is not married and for the first twenty to twenty five years of her reign, she is under intense pressure to take a husband. It was felt that a woman was not strong enough to rule alone and that a husband would be someone she could lean on and share the decision making with. However, this is not what Elizabeth wanted. She had watched her sister ordered around and dominated by her husband, despite being Queen. Elizabeth considered a great many suitors but rejected them all. She would not produce a male heir.

Elizabeth had adopted Protestantism when her brother did and had no desire to return to Catholicism. Religious reform was at the top of her agenda but she wanted to ensure that her subjects would not be prosecuted for their religious beliefs, and she was successful in this. The result of her views and concern were reforms that resulted in the Anglican Church. This set England against many other countries in the Holy Roman Empire as Elizabeth helped the Protestants in other countries. England was in conflict with Spain and had numerous wars during the reign of Elizabeth.

Somerset examines the different aspects of Elizabeth's personality, religious beliefs, sexuality, and her handling of various domestic and foreign conflicts in this thorough, yet lengthy book. The book will appeal to anyone who has an interest in this era.