Queen Elizabeth I was by all rights England's most praised monarch. Her success in her reign, viewed in later centuries, cannot adequately encompass all that she did or how she maintained her power. In part, her endurance stems from the way in which she learned early in life to fight with forces that were not physical, those of her mind, her intellect, and her own spirit. She used her intellect to create an empire. Her education and early training of mind together with her basic understanding of humanity, both of her own and that of her subjects, kept her at the helm for more than forty years. Analysis of her writings, which include speeches, poems, letters, and documents to Parliament, will help readers understand that Elizabeth had more than the crown to keep and make her England's most famous queen.

Elizabeth I was a fascinating woman, a great...