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The history of the most renowned and victorious Princess Elizabeth, late Queen of England;: Containing all the most important and remarkable passages ... affairs) during her long and prosperous reign
English, Latin (translation)
- GenresBiography
661 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1616
About the author
William Camden
184 books7 followersWilliam Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, and officer of arms. He wrote the first topographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
He was born in London and attended Christ's Hospital and St Paul's School. In 1566 entered Oxford University, attending Magdalen College, Broadgates Hall, and Christ Church. It was at Christ that he became acquainted with Sir Philip Sidney who encouraged his antiquarian interests. Camden returned to London in 1571 without taking a degree. In 1575 however, he became the Usher of Westminster School, a position that gave him the freedom to travel and pursue his antiquarian researches.
In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was "to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britaine to its antiquity." The first edition was published in London, 1586, in Latin. The work was very popular, going through seven editions by 1607. The first English translation, prepared by Philemon Holland (probably under Camden's direction) appeared in 1610.
In 1593 he became Headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, leaving it when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. The appointment to King of Arms, however, roused the jealousy of the herald Ralph Brooke who published in retaliation an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.
In 1597 Lord Burghley suggested that Camden write a history of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Camden began this work in 1607 in Latin. It was entitled, Annales Rerum Gestarum Angliae et Hiberniae Regnate Elizabetha. The first part told of Elizabeth's reign up to 1597 and appeared in 1615. The second part was not completed until in 1617, and was not even published until 1625 following Camden's death. The Annales is one of the greatest of English histories and had a great impact on the later image of the Elizabethan age.
He was born in London and attended Christ's Hospital and St Paul's School. In 1566 entered Oxford University, attending Magdalen College, Broadgates Hall, and Christ Church. It was at Christ that he became acquainted with Sir Philip Sidney who encouraged his antiquarian interests. Camden returned to London in 1571 without taking a degree. In 1575 however, he became the Usher of Westminster School, a position that gave him the freedom to travel and pursue his antiquarian researches.
In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was "to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britaine to its antiquity." The first edition was published in London, 1586, in Latin. The work was very popular, going through seven editions by 1607. The first English translation, prepared by Philemon Holland (probably under Camden's direction) appeared in 1610.
In 1593 he became Headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, leaving it when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. The appointment to King of Arms, however, roused the jealousy of the herald Ralph Brooke who published in retaliation an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.
In 1597 Lord Burghley suggested that Camden write a history of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Camden began this work in 1607 in Latin. It was entitled, Annales Rerum Gestarum Angliae et Hiberniae Regnate Elizabetha. The first part told of Elizabeth's reign up to 1597 and appeared in 1615. The second part was not completed until in 1617, and was not even published until 1625 following Camden's death. The Annales is one of the greatest of English histories and had a great impact on the later image of the Elizabethan age.
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March 18, 2021
This is not a complete version of Camden's Annals of the Reign of Elizabeth Tudor. It is precisely what it says - selected chapters, with each chapter representing a year of the reign. The years selected are 1558-1560, 1567-1569 and 1582-1588. These are the years in which Elizabeth abnd her cousin Mary Stuart found themselves in conflict because of their competing claims to the throne of England. They may have been of royal blood, but their upbringing was entirely different. Elizabeth, from the moment of her mother's execution until her succession to the throne, lived a life under threat. Mary, once her mother Marie de Guise had despatched her to the French Court to marry the Dauphin, lived in comfort and security. It was four royal deaths in the space of two years that altered the fates of both these queens.
First, Mary tudor died without children and Elizabeth was the undoubted heir according to the will of their father, Henry VIII, but the Catholic Church did not recognise her as legitimate. So Henri II, the King of France, proclaimed his daughter-in-law Mary as the Queen of England because she was the grand-daughter if Henry VIII's elder sister, Margaret. In 1559 Henri II died of wounds that he received in a tournament and his son Francois II became King with Mary as his Queen. Within a year, Francois II was dead, Mary was widowed and had no choice but to retyen to Scotland. To make matters worse for Mary, her mother, the Queen Regent, had also died. Elizabeth sent an army to assist the Protestant Lords in driving French troops out of Scotland, in which she was successful. So began the long conflict between the two Queens.
The next stage is the culmination of Mary's rule in Scotland, leading to her deposition, defeat in battle and flight from her realm. Mary by then had married her cousin Henry, Lord Darnley conferring on him the title King of Scots. Darnley became jealous of Mary's Secretary, David Rizzio, and became involved in his murder at Holyroodhouse, which was committed in the presence of the pregnant Mary. She sought the political support of James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, who in turn was involved in the murder of Henry Darnley. He then kidnapped Mary and married her. The Protestant Lords then rose in rebellion and Mary surrendered to them. She was imprisoned on Loch Leven and was forced to abdicate. Then, very dramatically, she escaped and raised an army which was defeated at the Battle of Langside, south of Glasgow. Mary fled to England, where Elizabeth imprisoned her pending a trial about her possible involvement in the murder of Lord Darnley. This section also covers the rebellion of the Northern Earls against Elizabeth, Mary's intrigues with the Duke of Norfolk and the Ridolfi Plot. All this led to Norfolk's execution.
The third section is the final confrontation between the two rival Queens. This section covers the Throckmorton, Parry and Babington plots against the life of Queen Elizabeth, and the rising tensions between Elizabeth and Philip II of Spain, in which Mary Stuart was a complicating factor. She had a better claim than Philip II to the English throne and he had no intention of intervening to place a Queen Dowager of France (one of his major enemies) on the throne of England. The Babington Plot was the final straw and Mary was brought to trial, found guilty and sentenced to execution.
According to Camden, Elizabeth instructed her secretary, William Davison to withhold the execution warrant but he did not. He despatched it to Fotheringhay and Mary was executed. She cast herself in the role of a Cayjolic martyr, dressed in red. This released Philip II from his difficulty and he launched the Spanish Armada against England in 1588. It sailed the length of the Channel before it was defeated. Elizabeth proclained that she "may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a King of England too, and think foul scorn that Spain, or Parma, or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm".
The conflict between the two Queens was over provoking the climax of the realm and Elizabeth emerged victorious.
Some of you may think that Camden is very kind to Mary. This is possibly because this book was written in the reign of Mary's son, James VI of Scots and James I of England. This is a very brief account of a conflict that lasted 27 years, and which was to effect the development of British, European and indeed World History. It is an extremely important record of those years.
First, Mary tudor died without children and Elizabeth was the undoubted heir according to the will of their father, Henry VIII, but the Catholic Church did not recognise her as legitimate. So Henri II, the King of France, proclaimed his daughter-in-law Mary as the Queen of England because she was the grand-daughter if Henry VIII's elder sister, Margaret. In 1559 Henri II died of wounds that he received in a tournament and his son Francois II became King with Mary as his Queen. Within a year, Francois II was dead, Mary was widowed and had no choice but to retyen to Scotland. To make matters worse for Mary, her mother, the Queen Regent, had also died. Elizabeth sent an army to assist the Protestant Lords in driving French troops out of Scotland, in which she was successful. So began the long conflict between the two Queens.
The next stage is the culmination of Mary's rule in Scotland, leading to her deposition, defeat in battle and flight from her realm. Mary by then had married her cousin Henry, Lord Darnley conferring on him the title King of Scots. Darnley became jealous of Mary's Secretary, David Rizzio, and became involved in his murder at Holyroodhouse, which was committed in the presence of the pregnant Mary. She sought the political support of James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, who in turn was involved in the murder of Henry Darnley. He then kidnapped Mary and married her. The Protestant Lords then rose in rebellion and Mary surrendered to them. She was imprisoned on Loch Leven and was forced to abdicate. Then, very dramatically, she escaped and raised an army which was defeated at the Battle of Langside, south of Glasgow. Mary fled to England, where Elizabeth imprisoned her pending a trial about her possible involvement in the murder of Lord Darnley. This section also covers the rebellion of the Northern Earls against Elizabeth, Mary's intrigues with the Duke of Norfolk and the Ridolfi Plot. All this led to Norfolk's execution.
The third section is the final confrontation between the two rival Queens. This section covers the Throckmorton, Parry and Babington plots against the life of Queen Elizabeth, and the rising tensions between Elizabeth and Philip II of Spain, in which Mary Stuart was a complicating factor. She had a better claim than Philip II to the English throne and he had no intention of intervening to place a Queen Dowager of France (one of his major enemies) on the throne of England. The Babington Plot was the final straw and Mary was brought to trial, found guilty and sentenced to execution.
According to Camden, Elizabeth instructed her secretary, William Davison to withhold the execution warrant but he did not. He despatched it to Fotheringhay and Mary was executed. She cast herself in the role of a Cayjolic martyr, dressed in red. This released Philip II from his difficulty and he launched the Spanish Armada against England in 1588. It sailed the length of the Channel before it was defeated. Elizabeth proclained that she "may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a King of England too, and think foul scorn that Spain, or Parma, or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm".
The conflict between the two Queens was over provoking the climax of the realm and Elizabeth emerged victorious.
Some of you may think that Camden is very kind to Mary. This is possibly because this book was written in the reign of Mary's son, James VI of Scots and James I of England. This is a very brief account of a conflict that lasted 27 years, and which was to effect the development of British, European and indeed World History. It is an extremely important record of those years.
Displaying 1 of 1 review