{"product_id":"all-the-queen-s-men-9781838956424","title":"All the Queen’s Men : The Competition to Marry Elizabeth I","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe throne of England hung in the balance, and every prince in Europe wanted to claim it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, she became the most eligible woman in Europe. All saw the same prize: marry Elizabeth, rule England. Ambassadors flooded her court with portraits, jewels and proposals. Sweden promised silver, Spain imperial protection. Even Ivan the Terrible sent gifts and threats in equal measure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor nearly five decades, Elizabeth kept them all waiting, playing each suitor against the other. Erik XIV wrote love letters for a decade; she exchanged rings with the charming Duke of Alençon before wriggling free with an alliance; and Robert Dudley, ever at her side, became the favourite who made foreign suitors tremble with envy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten with historian Sophie Shorland's eye for a gossipy aside, morbid titbit and acerbic wit, All the Queen's Men reveals how Elizabeth turned the competition for her hand into foreign policy - using courtship as diplomacy, flirtation as statecraft and her single status as the key to England's survival in the tangled web of European politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Sophie Shorland\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eBiography: historical, political \u0026amp; military, Biography: royalty, British \u0026amp; Irish history, Early modern history: c 1450\/1500 to c 1700\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 1 Oct 2026 by Atlantic Books.\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHardback\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sophie Shorland","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57319573160314,"sku":"9781838956424","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0373\/4125\/files\/9781838956424.jpg?v=1790631458","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.co.uk\/cy\/products\/all-the-queen-s-men-9781838956424","provider":"Belfast Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}