Benton Rain Patterson, With the Heart of a King

With the Heart of a King: Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and the Fight for a Nation's Soul and Crown

Benton Rain Patterson

St. Martin's, Feb 2007, $27.95

ISBN: 0312348444

King Philip II of Spain was also the King of England when his wife, devout Catholic Mary, sat on the throne. Like his spouse, he loathes the Reformation and tries to end its pervasive insurrection while also building a powerful empire. When Mary Tudor dies, which meant her widow is no longer an English monarch, her half sister Protestant supporter Elizabeth I becomes ruler of England. Philip proposes marriage, but she rejects his offer. Instead she challenges his Catholic ways with her Protestant ways leading her nation into being a rival maritime superpower, until by 1588 he sends his powerful armada to conquer England.

This is a terrific historical account of how personal alliances were amongst the sixteenth-century European monarchies. In some ways, the tome feels like a romance novel as the widower pursues his former sister-in-law who rejects his advances. However, their dysfunctional relationship represents the war between Catholic and Protestant domination of Europe and the New World. Well-written and fun to read, Elizabethan aficionados (sorry Philip but history is written by the winner) will appreciate this insightful look at the latter half of the sixteenth century when national conflict was personalized.

Harriet Klausner