<p>This is the first biography of the fateful relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. It was the defining relationship of their lives, and marked the intersection of the great Tudor and Stuart dynasties, a landmark event in British history. Distinguished biographer Jane Dunn reveals an extraordinary story of two queens ruling in one isle, both embodying opposing qualities of character, ideals of womanliness and of divinely ordained kingship. Theirs is a drama of sex and power, recklessness, ambition and political intrigue, with a rivalry that could only be resolved by death. As regent queens in an overwhelmingly masculine world, they were deplored for their femininity, compared unfavourably with each other, and courted by the same men. By placing this dynamic and ever-changing relationship at the centre of the book, Dunn throws new light and meaning on the complexity of their natures. She reveals an Elizabeth revolutionary in her insistence on ruling alone, while Mary is not the romantic victim of history, but a courageous adventurer with a reckless heart. Vengeful against her enemies and the more ruthless of the two, she was untroubled by plotting Elizabeth's murder. Elizabeth, however, was in anguish at having to sanction Mary's death warrant for treason. Working almost exclusively from contemporary letters and writings, she lets them speak to us across more than four hundred years, their voices and responses surprisingly familiar to our own, their characters vivid, by turns touching and terrible.</p>

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins@@ Rivals@@ Queens

Biographies & Memoirs

Jane Dunn

Community & Culture

Harper Perennial

This is a joint biography of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, their reigns and relationship with each other. These rival queens, both with a claim to the English throne, embodied opposing characteristics, ideals of womanliness and divinely-ordained kingship, resulting in a relationship that is punctuated by murder and psychological and actual warfare. Jane Dunn marks the 400th centenary of Elizabeth's death, by chronicling the intrigues of the lives of the rival "sister queens". Dunn juxtaposes the histories of the two women and the power struggle that continued between them until Elizabeth asserted her authority and, albeit hesitantly, signed Mary's death warrant.

Elizabeth and Mary

HarperCollins

This, the first dual biography of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots from one of our most prized biographers, provides intense political, sexual and psychologogical drama on the Tudor stage. Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots are the two queens in British history that continue to stir the imagination. In this magnificent dual biography, Jane Dunn explores their intertwined lives -- although the cousins never met -- and reveals an extraordinary story of sex and power, of darkly complex, dangerous and dazzling times. Elizabeth was the courageous virgin queen, inspired by the decision to rule alone, using her celibacy as a weapon. She inherited a weak and divided country coveted by great powers, and turned it into a major power, presiding over an era of peace and a golden age of English culture. Mary, her cousin, was beautiful and cultured: a captivating but ultimately tragic figure, swayed by her passion, reckless in her sexual liaisons and vulnerable to the conspiracies of the powerful factions that surrounded her. Through their rivalry and the political and sexual intrigues it involved (including the role played by the charming Robert Dudley, Earl of Leceister), Dunn corrects many misconceptions about the two, painting Mary as a much more serious contender for power than is otherwise imagined, and Elizabeth as far more vulnerable than her formidable reputation. Intelligent, engaging and accessible, audiobook masterfully juxtaposes the histories of these two remarkable women and the power struggle that continued between them until Elizabeth asserted her authority and, hesitantly, signed Mary's death warrant.

Elizabeth and Mary : Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Unabridged audiobook - 14 cassettes - 90 minutes each

Books on Tape

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Books by Jane Dunn

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jane Dunn. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins@@ Rivals@@ Queens

Elizabeth and Mary

Elizabeth and Mary : Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Elizabeth and Mary