---
product_id: 1428752
title: "Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 28, 2010"
brand: "tracy borman"
price: "€ 95.53"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/1428752-elizabeths-women-friends-rivals-and-foes-who-shaped-the-virgin
store_origin: CY
region: Cyprus
---

# Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 28, 2010

**Brand:** tracy borman
**Price:** € 95.53
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 28, 2010 by tracy borman
- **How much does it cost?** € 95.53 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.cy](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/1428752-elizabeths-women-friends-rivals-and-foes-who-shaped-the-virgin)

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating look into Elizabeth’s world of women
*by G***A on October 29, 2017*

Although much of the information in this story is well known (Elizabeth’s fraught experiences with sister Mary Tudor and cousin Mary of Scotland), Borman has written a fascinating book focusing on various relations Elizabeth developed with different women and putting those relations into a different context. A knowledgeable reader might skim over the chapters about the two Marys, but there is still a wealth of information about the other women who played such important roles, for good or bad, in her life. Although she had no real relationship with her mother, it is obvious that she honored Anne Boleyn in many ways. Her coronation included a number of motifs and elements that were part of Anne’s coronation. Elizabeth also favored her Boleyn, Carey and Howard families and many of those men and women were appointed to positions in her government or among her circle of women, especially her cousin Katherine Carey Knollys and cousin Katherine Howard. The only Carey cousin for whom she had real animosity was Lettice Knollys who had the audacity to marry Leicester. Although Elizabeth took pride in being Henry’s daughter, she had no liking for her Tudor kin and with reason.....they all saw themselves as her heirs. Mary of Scotland was the most obvious but there were also the two Grey sisters (siblings of the tragic Jane Grey but without her intelligence). The older Katherine actually connived with the Spanish before being sent to the tower because of a clandestine marriage which resulted in two sons, a real source of anger for Elizabeth. And then there was Margaret Douglas, the daughter of Margaret Tudor whose ambitions for her son Lord Darnley led her to commit treason on various occasions. She’s lucky she didn’t lose her head. All the women, as well as Margaret’s hapless granddaughter Arbella Stuart, inherited a complement of Tudor genes: red hair, long noses and unbelievable arrogance. With enemies such as these, Elizabeth was fortunate to have friends and confidantes, who were part of her inner circle for many years. These included Kat Astley, her early governess, and Blanche Parry. These two women were the closest to her and had been a part of her life since childhood. Elizabeth was totally devoted and loyal to them, although Mrs. Astley’s romantic nature got Elizabeth into serious trouble on two occasions. Although Elizabeth could be devoted and loyal, she was a difficult and demanding mistress, even vicious at times, for the women of her privy and presence chambers and her maids of honor. She might allow them to marry but expected them to put serving her above their husbands and families. Some who married without permission found themselves in the Tower, especially as Elizabeth aged and had less patience, and more envy, for the young. Bess Throckmorton who dared to marry Walter Raleigh had this misfortune. Despite living at court and having considerable prestige and even influence, it was not an easy life. Elizabeth was always surrounded by the women of her privy chamber and it must have been a hothouse environment. She was a creature of moods, tempestuous, arrogant and conceited, but somehow she gained the love, dedication and loyalty of a number, especially the few who were with her at the end and remained by her coffin for almost a month until her burial.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Elizabeth and the many women in her orbit and their influence
*by C***N on September 22, 2014*

Comprehensive study about the women who surrounded and perhaps influenced Queen Elizabeth the First. Author Tracy Borman dissects every female relationship and the many ways their orbit intersected with the woman who ruled England. Usually we read about Cecil, Raleigh, Essex, Dudley and a host of males that revolved around the queen, the female's in her life are largely ignored. Borman starts with Ann Boleyn, and works though each woman from Kat Astley, to her many ladies in waiting, to show how their interaction played a role in Elizabeth's decisions. While we usually see Elizabeth as that larger than life warrior, who envisioned herself as a Renaissance prince, stories like the one of her stealing Lady Mary Howard's gaudy dress and wearing it despite it being too short for her, ruining it for the younger woman, presents the queen in a surprising new light- that of a jealous female not above petty spite, rather than the image of Gloriana she preferred.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of Tracy Borman's best books
*by R***S on January 17, 2025*

This covers the period in Elizabeth's life from the loss of her mother to her own death.It features women who had much impact, good and bad( Mary Queen of Scots) and the effect of observing what happens to women when they marry and have children. She was quite scarred by the losses , it had a major impact on her decision not to marry.This is non-fiction but spellbinding! I recommend highly.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen
- Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History

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*Product available on Desertcart Cyprus*
*Store origin: CY*
*Last updated: 2026-01-30*