Michael O’Mara Books to publish Young Elizabeth by Dr Nicola Tallis – the first biography of Elizabeth I’s early life for over 20 years

Michael O’Mara Books is to publish Young Elizabeth: Princess, Prisoner, Queen by Dr Nicola Tallis, the first fully comprehensive biography of the young Elizabeth I in over 20 years.

Drawing on a rich variety of primary sources from both Elizabeth herself and those closest to her during her tumultuous youth, it charts Elizabeth’s turbulent and unstable upbringing, providing an extensive and thorough study of the Virgin Queen’s perilous journey to the crown at age 25. 

Expert Tudor historian Nicola Tallis (Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester and the latest Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch) throws new light onto the early life of this iconic monarch in a colourful and immensely detailed biography.  

Looking at Elizabeth as a human being rather than as a political chess piece, this book explores the dangers and tragedies that plagued her early life, including the brutal beheading of her mother, Anne Boleyn, just shy of Elizabeth’s third birthday, her relegation to  the title of bastard shortly afterwards and, after losing several stepmothers, the predatory attentions from her stepfather, which ultimately drove a wedge between Elizabeth and her beloved stepmother, Katherine Parr. Elizabeth drew strength from her various plights, becoming a famously powerful ruler by navigating one of the most thrilling paths to the throne in England’s history.  

Nicola Tallis, author, said: ‘The story of Elizabeth’s youth is one of passion, dangerous uncertainty, fear and, ultimately, triumph, all set against the backdrop of the schemes and machinations of Tudor England. It has been both a great privilege and a huge thrill to have had the opportunity to write about the girl Elizabeth once was, following her life before the woman and iconic queen that she became.’

Louise Dixon, Senior Editorial Director for Michael O’Mara, said: ‘It’s hard to comprehend the tragedies and brutality Elizabeth faced from her very earliest days. As ever, Nicola Tallis manages to bring the drama and intrigue at the Tudor court to brilliant and vivid life while also revealing the true nature of this remarkable woman, who battled against these hardships and triumphed in a man’s world.’ 

Young Elizabeth: Princess, Prisoner, Queen by Dr Nicola Tallis, is published by Michael O’Mara Books on Thursday 22 February 2024, priced £25 in hardback.