Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The Virgin's Lover (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. XIII) by Philippa Gregory; Gregory's Look at the Early Years of Good Queen Bess, the Not-So-Virgin Queen
By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
PopSugar Reading Challenge: Fiction or Nonfiction Book About The Leader of a Country
Spoilers: Of the protagonists in Philippa Gregory's Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series, none probably had the biggest impact in British and World History more than Queen Elizabeth I. The third longest reigning monarch (only Queen Victoria and the current Queen Elizabeth II have had longer), Elizabeth so affected the era in which she ruled that it was called the Elizabethan Age. As Queen, Elizabeth managed to soothe the religious turmoil led by her sister, Mary I whose Catholic rule involved the arrest and execution of many Protestants and the uncertainty of her father, Henry VIII who switched religions depending on wives. She did this by creating the Church of England which bore many of the same rituals as Catholicism but was Protestant in most of its tenets and beliefs. As for conversion, she insisted that "the crown did not look into men's hearts" and that as long as they payed lip service to the new church, they could believe what they want. The compromise wasn't perfect and later generations still questioned and debated the religious practises but it was what was sorely needed at the time to create some much needed stability.
She forged alliances with other countries but was bold enough to stand for battle with her soldiers when war was declared. One of Elizabeth's most famous moments is when she faced the Spanish Armada in full armor proudly declaring that she "may have the feeble body of a woman but had the heart and stomach of a king and a king of England."
She commissioned people like Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake to go on sea voyages and explore other countries, thereby opening better trade routes and making London an important thriving city in the world market. She was also a strong patron of the arts supporting artists and writers like Edmund Spencer, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare giving her era great cultural significance.
Elizabeth affected an air of intelligence, poise, and confidence that many admired and was called various names like "Gloriana," "Good Queen Bess," and "The Virgin Queen." She did all of this, ruled her country for over 40 years, without a husband.
However, the Elizabeth that we meet in The Virgin's Lover is not the bold confident epoch making leader from history. She isn't even the brazen flirtatious self-centered princess that was last encountered in The Queen's Fool. Instead, she is someone who projects an image of self assured leadership but inside is quaking with fear, uncertainty, and deep emotion.
From the moment the bells ring to announce Mary's death and Elizabeth's reign, Elizabeth knows that she has to prove herself. She has to add to a treasury that has been depleted by funds used by the vacated Prince Phillip for the disastrous War for Calais. She has to maintain broken alliances with not only other countries but within her own as Protestants and Catholics have turned against each other. She also has to lead the Privy Council who since the last female leader proved to be a huge disappointment are not too willing to be led by another woman. All Elizabeth sees are fears and challenges towards her right to ascend the throne.
Two other characters hear the bells and have their own emotional connections to them. Robert Dudley hears them and sees his chance for love and advancement. A childhood friend of Elizabeth's, Robert has grown to become Elizabeth's Master of the Horse, strongest confidant, and secret lover. He knows that Elizabeth would be overwhelmed by her new role and will need a shoulder to cry on. Robert's shoulder will be conveniently there when she needs it. The ever ambitious Dudley also sees a chance for his family to retrieve much of the wealth and prestige that they once had under King Edward but lost under Queen Mary. Robert longs for a chance to be accepted into Elizabeth's Privy Council as well as her bed and who knows maybe king.
Unfortunately, Robert has a very specific reason that prevents him from openly courting Elizabeth: his wife, Amy. Amy Dudley hears the bells announcing Elizabeth as Queen and reacts with loathing, disgust, and the certain fear that her husband will leave her. Unlike her husband who lives to be center stage, Amy is content to remain in the country of Norfolk at her estate and away from palace life. She wants Robert to remain with her. However, she knows that Robert is going off to be with Elizabeth and there is nothing that she can do about it but seethe with hatred towards the Queen.
Robert's influence on Elizabeth begins during her coronation. Despite the tight budget, Robert wants to make it a coronation to remember. He arranges the various details such as the gown Elizabeth will wear, the stops that she will make, and the alleged "spontaneous" outpourings of praise such as a peasant shouting for God to bless her. There has never been a more rehearsed bit of spontaneity.
From the coronation, it's clear that Robert wants to make Elizabeth the center of attention and in turn himself. He is in love with Elizabeth and they have some romantic moments together such as when they lie in bed and declare themselves husband and wife in God's eyes. But Robert is also arrogant, conceited, and always on the lookout in his own self interest. He creates rivalries within the Council, particularly with Elizabeth's chief advisor, William "Spirit" Cecil. Robert can't resist lording any victory over Cecil such as when Elizabeth gives him the Order of the Garter.
But every victory makes Robert greedy for another. While Robert loves Elizabeth, it is also clear that he also loves power. If Elizabeth were just a peasant woman or a minor courtier, Robert would quickly bed and then discard her. He loves Elizabeth's beauty, intelligence, and personality, but he also loves her crown. And it is entirely possible that it's the crown he loves more.
Robert's hold on Elizabeth is great, partly because of her own uncertainty in her role. Elizabeth's nervousness makes sense when we take her upbringing into consideration. She was the third choice for the role and sometimes not even that. Once her brother was born, she was dismissed for being a girl and once her sister was restored to the family line, dismissed for being the second girl. She had been bastardized and many questioned her paternity. She lost her mother at three and was distant from her stepmothers except Kateryn Parr, her last one. She did not have the royal training nor the assumption that she would ascend the throne until Mary did not produce heirs. She barely lived at the palace, a fact made painfully clear when she enters for the first time, unsure about where to go. Whereas Robert who had lived there expertly guides her as though he already sees himself as king consort.
Every major test seems to show Elizabeth looking around and asking, "How am I doing?"
When she was princess everyone thought that Elizabeth's most important duty would be to have an advantageous marriage, something that she doesn't mind playing as Queen. Several times she offers her hand to Europe's Most Eligible Royal Bachelors in acceptance for alliances. Many of her advisers especially Cecil pester her about which man she should marry believing that Elizabeth could never possibly lead on her own.
On the contrary, the debacle about her marriage ends up being the moment that Elizabeth is able to come into her own as a leader. She courts various royals such as Prince Erik of Sweden, the Earl of Arran of Scotland, and even her former brother-in-law, Prince Phillip of Spain. She claims to consider marriage just long enough for an alliance to form, but then withdraws it once the alliance is officially secured. It becomes a clever force of diplomacy that Elizabeth grows into.
Meanwhile, Robert hypocritically stews in jealousy over Elizabeth's various marriage proposals conveniently forgetting about his wife nestled in the country. To her credit while Gregory writes Amy as sometimes a clingy jealous bitch, she also makes her sympathetic partly because Robert is such an arrogant piece of work. Instead of placing blame entirely with either one, it becomes clear that their marriage is one of complete incompatibility. This is evident in the passages when Amy looks for a country home and believes that Robert's interests match her own. She selects a small home in the heart of the country far away from palace life. Not surprising to anyone but Amy, Robert dismisses the house as a hovel and doesn't even stay a day.
Amy and Robert are so different that it's hard to understand why they got married in the first place. We are told that they were in love when they were wed and Amy still continues to be obsessed with him, putting friendships, her relationship with her bitter stepmother, and her own health at risk. Perhaps their marriage is a good reason for Elizabeth not to marry. She doesn't want to be that dependent on a man. Elizabeth sees who she could be if she married not just Robert but anyone else.
Amy clings to her Catholic faith as a balm to soothe her ache from her loveless marriage but also because the priest tells her what she wants to hear. He agrees with her opinion that Elizabeth is a whore and that Robert can never divorce her. When Robert tells Amy that he wants a divorce, she refused citing the Catholic prohibition against it. The Dudley marriage is one that has made both miserable and cannot end, as many observe, until one or the other is dead.
As she did with the Princes in the Tower, Gregory offers another potential solution to History's Mysteries. This one is "Who Killed Amy Dudley?" What is known is that Amy Dudley tumbled down a flight of steps, breaking her neck and killing her instantly. What is also known is that despite the opportunity, Robert Dudley did not marry Elizabeth. Instead their relationship cooled and Robert ultimately married Elizabeth's second cousin, Lettice Knolleys who bore a strong resemblance to the Queen. Elizabeth had other lovers including Robert's stepson, the Earl of Essex but when she died she had her last letter from Robert by her side.
The Virgin's Lover offers a possible answer to this mystery that also answers why the pair broke up. It takes into consideration Robert's ambitious interest in the throne and Elizabeth's unwillingness to surrender her hard won leadership over to anyone especially to someone who shows signs of making decisions on his own without consulting her though she is Queen. Robert wants the throne and for Elizabeth to give up her independence. Those are things that she cannot and will not surrender even for him. This leads to not only Amy's death but the inevitable end of their relationship.
The Virgin's Lover gives us an inside look at the early years of one of the most famous female monarchs in history to show us the woman underneath that reputation as well as the love that shaped her and the actions that led to the making of a great Queen.
