The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival

Elizabeth and Mary were cousins and queens, but eventually it became impossible for them to live together in the same world.

This is the story of two women struggling for supremacy in a man’s world, when no one thought a woman could govern. They both had to negotiate with men-those who wanted their power and those who wanted their bodies-who were determined to best them. In their worlds, female friendship and alliances were unheard of, but for many years theirs was the only friendship that endured. They were as fascinated by each other as lovers; until they became enemies. Enemies so angry and broken that one of them had to die, and so Elizabeth ordered the execution of Mary.

But first they were each other’s lone female friends in a violent man’s world. Their relationship was one of love, affection, jealousy, antipathy-and finally death. This book tells the story of Mary and Elizabeth as never before, focusing on their emotions and probing deeply into their intimate lives as women and queens. They loved each other, they hated each other-and in the end they could never escape each other.

Kate Williams is a professor of history at the University of Reading and the author of England’s Mistress, Becoming Queen Victoria, and The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots.