Nicola Tallis - Tumblr Posts

“Mary and her half sister Elizabeth had never been reconciled, and to the end Mary had cherished hopes of producing an heir to succeed her. For sometime though, she had known that ‘the eyes and hearts of the nation already fixed on this lady as successor to the crown’. Eventually, she had no choice but to accept the harsh reality -motherhood had evaded her-and with considerable reluctance, on 6 November she acknowledged Elizabeth as her heir, to the great joy of the people. The twenty five year old Elizabeth, now became Queen Elizabeth I of England, According to her admirer Camden, who always spoke favourbly of her she was ‘of beauty fair and worthy of a Crown/ On the day of her accession it was reported that 'the bells in all the churches in London rung out in a token of joy and at night bonfires were made and tables set out in the streets, where plentiful eating and drinking and making merry"”

— Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Life of The Countess Of Leicester, Nicola Tallis (via glorianas)

“Elizabeth had always been popular, and though Mary had once been equally so, by the time of her death the warmth of feeling towards her had faded. She had become unpopular as a result of the religious persecution she had imposed upon her people, and for involving her realm in her husband Philip’s foreign wars. This had also resulted in the loss of Calais in 1557, England’s last remaining possession in France, which came as a devastating blow to the English. It was little wonder then that her subjects greeted Elizabeth’s succession with genuine heartfelt enthusiasm. Indeed, for the entirety of her reign Accession Day [17 November] would be enthusiastically celebrated each year.”

— Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Life of The Countess Of Leicester, Nicola Tallis

“[Elizabeth] was one of the most intelligent young women in the kingdom, and she had been privileged to be taught by some of the finest minds the country, including, William Grindal and the accomplished scholar Roger Ascham. Under Ascham’s tutelage Elizabeth excelled, and her brilliant mind impressed many of her contemporaries, including her tutors. Ascham later enthusiastically praised ‘my illustrious mistress the Lady Elizabeth’ who ‘shines like a star’. John Foxe also wrote about her in complementary terms, relating that she did 'rather excel in all manner of languages, manner of virtue and knowledge’. She was particularly skilled at languages, and wrote and spoke several fluently. These included Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and Greek.”

— Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous life of the Countess of Leicester, Nicola Tallis