Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada
I read a fun little book called Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada. I had bought it for $1 at a library used book sale near my house last year. It is a simply written history of Elizabeth I from her birth during the reign of her father Henry VIII till her death. The author, Frances Winwar, covers this broad vista in a short 180 pages. As the title suggests, there is a big focus on the battle to defeat the Spanish Armada in the book. I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations of churches, ships and royalty that are sprinkled throughout the book in purple ink. T and I had watched the HBO mini-series Elizabeth I starring Helen Mirren earlier in the year and this book put many things into perspective for the mini-series. The 1998 movie Elizabeth had some great actors, but the one that stood out the most for me was Geoffrey Rush’s role as Sir Francis Walsingham. These three movies, TV shows and books, have enhanced my pseudo-understanding of the Elizabethan era and her rule that I had based on the 2 months we spent on Elizabeth’s rule in 5th grade history class. I plan to watch the 1936 movie ‘Mary of Scotland’ in the next few years to continue this historical entertainment.
