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The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire Audiobook
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(3.07) - 233 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Spain's Philip II, Elizabeth I was feared and admired by her enemies. Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, Elizabeth was the epitome of power. Her visionary accomplishments were made possible by her daring merchants, gifted rapscallion adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council, including Sir William Cecil, Sir Francis Walsingham, and Sir Nicholas Bacon. All these men contributed their vast genius, power, greed, and expertise to the advancement of England.
In The Pirate Queen, historian Susan Ronald offers a fresh look at Elizabeth I, focusing on her uncanny instinct for financial survival and the superior intellect that propelled and sustained her rise. The foundation of Elizabeth's empire was built on a carefully choreographed strategy whereby piracy transformed England from an impoverished state on the fringes of Europe into the first building block of an empire that covered two-fifths of the world.
Based on a wealth of historical sources and thousands of personal letters between Elizabeth and her merchant adventurers, advisers, and royal "cousins," The Pirate Queen tells the thrilling story of Elizabeth and the swashbuckling mariners who terrorized the seas, planted the seedlings of an empire, and amassed great wealth for themselves and the Crown.
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"A really good look at the adventuring side of Queen Elizabeth's reign. I even learned some things about the colonization of North America that they don't teach at school, the Brits were landing in Virginia/Canada long before "glory, god, gold, and the virgina company". "
— Jenny (4 out of 5 stars)
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Authoritative...accessible and absorbing, this is a surprisingly fresh perspective on one of the most popular subjects of royal biography.
— Publishers Weekly -
“Biographies of the great Tudor queen abound, but this solid, even exciting one pursues a particular tack and thus takes itself outside the usual run of standard treatments…The fascinating picture drawn here is of her intense working relationship with the merchant and gentleman adventurers who, out on the high seas, would secure money for their beloved monarch, and, in the process, ‘inadvertently,’ as Ronald posits it, move England into a solid financial status that would, in turn, foster empire.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“Authoritative, assiduously researched, and with a knack for making the intricacies of sea skirmishes accessible and absorbing, this is a surprisingly fresh perspective on one of the most popular subjects of royal biography.”
— Publishers Weekly
The Pirate Queen Listener Reviews
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" Really, really interesting overall, though it didn't focus as much on Queen Elizabeth as it did on all the various English "gentlemen adventurers" who took to the seas during the sixteenth century. It was a fascinating look at the time. "
— Michelle, 11/21/2013 -
" Pure history, very well done. "
— Joe, 8/15/2013 -
" Starts slow but overall a fantastic read, especially once Drake enters the scene. "
— Matt, 3/4/2013 -
" A good overall look at Great Britain's beginnings on the high seas. Queen Elizabeth, Cecil, Frobisher, Raleigh and all the adventurers become a colorful reality instead of the dust from our history books. This was a pick up put down for me. Definitely worth the read though. "
— Diane, 3/2/2013 -
" This lady is awesome. Yes Its a short book but Its very fun. "
— Kaileen, 2/16/2012 -
" It was well researched but somewhat tedious. Comprehensive but dry. "
— Luci, 12/25/2011 -
" Top marks for an insightful study of the difficult Elizabethan years. Ronald brings to sharp focus the difficult policy choices faced by the Tudor state given religious and economic conflict with Spain. "
— David, 7/17/2011 -
" it was great history, well researched, well written. it was just so dry...it felt more like a textbook to me. "
— Sam, 7/6/2011 -
" Another view of Queen Elizabeth and her merry men - Drake, Raleigh Hawkins, Essex, Burghley , Leicester...It talks of her "pirates", "corsiars", "gentlemen adventureres" who helped to establish England on the map. "
— Joy, 7/2/2011 -
" A really good look at the adventuring side of Queen Elizabeth's reign. I even learned some things about the colonization of North America that they don't teach at school, the Brits were landing in Virginia/Canada long before "glory, god, gold, and the virgina company". "
— Jenny, 8/16/2010 -
" I really enjoyed this . I went on to watch a few documentaries after reading this, very interesting "
— Isabella, 7/4/2010 -
" it was great history, well researched, well written. it was just so dry...it felt more like a textbook to me. "
— Sam, 6/20/2010 -
" A good overall look at Great Britain's beginnings on the high seas. Queen Elizabeth, Cecil, Frobisher, Raleigh and all the adventurers become a colorful reality instead of the dust from our history books. This was a pick up put down for me. Definitely worth the read though. "
— Diane, 11/9/2009 -
" I really enjoyed this . I went on to watch a few documentaries after reading this, very interesting "
— Isabella, 7/13/2009 -
" A fantastic book where history drubs myth. This is the real Elizabethan England, not the fantasized one, where pirate working for the queen roamed the straits. Hard to put this one down. "
— Lee, 11/2/2008 -
" It was well researched but somewhat tedious. Comprehensive but dry. "
— Luci, 9/26/2008 -
" This lady is awesome. Yes Its a short book but Its very fun. "
— Kaileen, 5/7/2008
About Susan Ronald
Susan Ronald is a British-American biographer and historian. She is the author of several books, including A Dangerous Woman, Hitler’s Art Thief, Heretic Queen, The Pirate Queen, The Sancy Blood Diamond, and France: Crossroads of Europe.
About Josephine Bailey
Josephine Bailey’s impeccable narrations include the British classics Jane Eyre and The Secret Garden. She has also used her subtly nuanced style to enliven historical fiction and light romances. She has won nine AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award.