<p>Presenting a fascinating biography of an extraordinary woman, this is essential reading for those interested in the 16th century and Tudor history. Born the daughter of an impoverished Derbyshire squire, through a succession of advantageous marriages, Bess of Hardwick moved closer and closer to a position of power and influence in the heart of the royal court. As the Countess of Shrewsbury, she was the second most powerful woman in the land after Queen Elizabeth I. However, Bess of Hardwick was not just someone who married well but a formidable and talented business woman who ran her estates with great acumen and who became one of the richest women in England. Queen Elizabeth I held Bess in such esteem that she entrusted her with the important and arduous task of acting as jailer to Mary, Queen of Scots. During her lifetime Bess built two great country houses which are still admired today—Chatsworth and Hardwick—and fulfilled her lifetime's ambition of founding a great dynasty. By the end of the 19th century, her blood was flowing through most of the aristocratic families of England, and she more than guaranteed her status as one of the most remarkable women in Tudor history.</p>

Bess of Hardwick: Portrait of an Elizabethan Dynast

Durrant, David

History

Peter Owen Publishers

In an absorbing narrative stretching from 1541 to 1614, charting the creation of the first Renaissance buildings in England, the author of Bess of Hardwick describes how Chatsworth, Old and New Hardwick Halls, Wollaton, Bolsover Castle, and Longleat all came to be built in this vital period in architectural history. Bess is once again a central character as the patroness of this astonishing burst of activity, but this is also the story of a ghost of unsung heroes who worked on the buildings mainly under Robert Smythson, who can be seen as the "godfather of English architecture."  With painstaking study, the author has uncovered a wealth of personalities who created these buildings, English supermen who were seemingly lost to history. Far from being a dry architectural study, this is a detective story and quintessentially Elizabethan drama, full of grand schemes and sometimes dashed hopes, taking in marital sagas, financial ruin, sudden fires, and a host of unforgettable characters.

The Smythson Circle: The Story of Six Great English Houses

Europe

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Durrant, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Durrant, David

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Durrant, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Bess of Hardwick: Portrait of an Elizabethan Dynast

The Smythson Circle: The Story of Six Great English Houses