The Stolen Crown Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty by Tracy Borman

 This is an enjoyable, thoroughly-researched and comprehensive account of whether Elizabeth really chose James 1 as her successor. Tracy Borman unravels the evidence, studies all of the different possible successors, such as Mary, Queen of Scots, the Grey sisters and Arbella Stuart, and the Queen’s attitudes towards them. She presents plausible evidence that Eluzabeth never named James as her successor, but that she implied that she chose him by her actions.

I thought that Tracy’s summary of James’s reign was a bit contradictory at times. For example, she writes that people weren’t impressed with his clothes but she also writes that he was a fine dresser. On another occasion, she writes that he was a great patron of culture like Elizabeth but she also contradicts that later. Maybe she meant that he tended not to appreciate the arts as much when he got older.

This is a great book for any history-lover!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.