Elizabeth's rival : the tumultuous tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester

The First Biography Of Lettice Knollys, One Of The Most Prominent Women Of The Elizabethan Era. Cousin To Elizabeth I - And Very Likely Also Henry Viii's Illegitimate Granddaughter - Lettice Knollys Had A Life Of Dizzying Highs And Pitiful Lows. Darling Of The Court, Entangled In A Love Triangle With Robert Dudley And Elizabeth I, Banished From Court, Plagued By Scandals Of Affairs And Murder, Embroiled In Treason, Lettice Would Go On To Lose A Husband And Beloved Son To The Executioner's Axe. Living To The Astonishing Age Of Ninety-one, Lettice's Tale Gives Us A Remarkable, Personal Lens On To The Grand Sweep Of The Tudor Age, With Those Closest To Her Often At The Heart Of The Events That Defined It. In The First Ever Biography Of This Extraordinary Woman, Nicola Tallis's Dramatic Narrative Takes Us Through Those Events, Including The Religious Turmoil, Plots And Intrigues Of Mary, Queen Of Scots, Attempted Coups, And Bloody Irish Conflicts, Among Others. Surviving Well Into The Reign Of Charles I, Lettice Truly Was The Last Of The Great Elizabethans. "The remarkable story of Lettice Knollys, who angered Queen Elizabeth I by marrying her favourite, Robert Dudley, and whose son rebelled against the Queen. At 7 o'clock in the morning on 21 September 1578, a wedding ceremony was conducted within the privacy of a country house in Wanstead. The groom was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite and one-time suitor to Queen Elizabeth - but the woman who exchanged marital vows with the Earl was the Queen's cousin, the widowed 34-year-old Lettice Knollys, then Countess of Essex, described by the Spanish ambassador as 'one of the best-looking ladies of the court' with a noted resemblance to Elizabeth. The wedding was a closely guarded secret, because Queen Elizabeth would not given the royal consent necessary for such a marriage. Though she would not marry him herself, since the death of Leicester's wife in 1560 Elizabeth was fiercely jealous of any woman who showed an interest in her favourite. When the secret was revealed, the furious Queen permanently banished Lettice from court: she was to suffer the consequences of Elizabeth's fury for the rest of her life. Two decades later Queen Elizabeth had a new favourite: Lettice's son, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. However, the success of this 'unruly beast' was cut short when he led a rebellion against the Queen, and was executed for high treason in 1601. All this once more served to intensify Elizabeth's dislike for her cousin: from the moment of Lettice's marriage to Leicester, she had become Queen Elizabeth's adversary - but more than that, she was her rival. This is her story."--Publisher's description In 1578, Lettice Knollys angered Queen Elizabeth I by marrying her favourite, Robert Dudley. Though she would not marry him herself, since the death of Leicester's wife in 1560 Elizabeth was fiercely jealous of any woman who showed an interest in her favourite. When the secret marriage was revealed, the furious Queen permanently banished Lettice from court: she was to suffer the consequences of Elizabeth's fury for the rest of her life. Two decades later Queen Elizabeth had a new favourite: Lettice's son, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. His success was cut short when he led a rebellion against the Queen, and was executed for high treason in 1601. This is Lettice's story-- one which affected the course of seven monarchs and evoked the era in all its drama and intrigue. Cousin To Elizabeth I (although It's Likely That They Were Far Closer Than That) And Grandniece To Anne Boleyn, Lettice Knollys Was Destined To Be A Prominent Figure At Court. But Her Life Would Be One Of Dizzying Highs And Pitiful Lows - Caught In A Love Triangle With Robert Dudley And Elizabeth I, Banished From Court, Embroiled In Treason, Losing A Husband To The Executioner's Axe And Further Husbands And Children To War And Sickness. At Different Times Countess Of Essex And Countess Of Leicester, Lettice Lived From The Reign Of Henry Viii Through To Charles I, Her Story Offering An Extraordinary And Intimate Perspective On The History Of The Period. The first biography of Lettice Knollys, one of the most prominent women of the Elizabethan era, also examines the relationship between Elizabeth and Lettice's husband, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, within the context of his third marriage.