From the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth was keenly aware of her tenuous hold on the crown. As a Protestant, she faced threats from England’s Catholic faction, which favored a rival claim to the throne—that of Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots—over hers. In the eyes of the Catholic...
Her mother saw to it that Mary was sent to France at age five. There she was brought up at the court of KingHenry IIand his queenCatherine de Médiciswith their own large family, assisted by relations on her mother’s side, the powerfulGuises. Despite a charmed childhood of much luxury...