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A biography of one of the most remarkable women of the Tudor era – next to Queen Elizabeth the most powerful woman in England
Bess of Hardwick, born into the most brutal and turbulent period of England’s history, did not have an auspicious start in life. Widowed for the first time at sixteen, she nonetheless outlived four monarchs, married three more times, and died one of the wealthiest and most powerful women the country has ever seen.
The Tudor age was a hazardous time for an ambitious woman: by the time Frances, Bess’s first child, was six, three of her illustrious godparents had been beheaded. Plague regularly wiped out entire families, conspiracies and feuds were rife. But through all this Bess Hardwick bore eight children and built an empire of her own: the great houses of Chatsworth and Hardwick.
‘The best account yet of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman’ Sunday Times
‘Lovell has excelled at bringing the Tudor age to exuberant life. A phenomenal story’ Mail on Sunday
‘Utterly absorbing… one of those biographies in which the reader really doesn’t want the subject to die’ Independent on Sunday
Bess of Hardwick, born into the most brutal and turbulent period of England’s history, did not have an auspicious start in life. Widowed for the first time at sixteen, she nonetheless outlived four monarchs, married three more times, and died one of the wealthiest and most powerful women the country has ever seen.
The Tudor age was a hazardous time for an ambitious woman: by the time Frances, Bess’s first child, was six, three of her illustrious godparents had been beheaded. Plague regularly wiped out entire families, conspiracies and feuds were rife. But through all this Bess Hardwick bore eight children and built an empire of her own: the great houses of Chatsworth and Hardwick.
‘The best account yet of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman’ Sunday Times
‘Lovell has excelled at bringing the Tudor age to exuberant life. A phenomenal story’ Mail on Sunday
‘Utterly absorbing… one of those biographies in which the reader really doesn’t want the subject to die’ Independent on Sunday
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Reviews
Impressively researched, especially on the dense kin networks of the sixteenth-century ruling class. Lovell has thoroughly absorbed the evidence of the account books, and she is detailed and fascinating on the great estates and huge households that Bess efficiently administered
Fascinating... utterly absorbing... the author has trawled through every fading account book to reveal the hitherto unspotted extent of Bess's phenomenal generosity towards her family, friends and the poor of England. This then is not only the longest, and the most thoroughly researched, but also the most complimentary of Bess's biographies to date. I expect it will also prove to be the last, as Mary Lovell does not appear to have left a single stone unturned. Of course Bess was a hoarder and her vast power inevitably brought her into conflict with many of her contemporaries but Ms Lovell has written one of those biographies in which the reader really doesn't want the subject to die
Lovell is an entertaining guide through the twists and turnings of Bess Hardwick's marital and financial affairs... there is much to enjoy in this lucidly written biography, and in evoking so skilfully this "intelligent, affectionate, diligent and loyal woman", it serves as a powerful reminder that Elizabeth I was not the only great woman of the Elizabethan age
Lovell shows us, in this affectionate biography, a portrait of Bess that we have not fully seen before. One of the strengths of this engaging history is that Lovell portrays Bess both as woman, in her complicated families of children, stepchildren and rival heirs, and as business executive with a considerable empire. Her view of Bess as a self-made woman demonstrates one of the contradictions of the Tudor period - that in a time when two Queens of England could be put aside and two executed on the flimsiest of excuses, there were still many determined women making their fortunes, achieving power and leaving their legacies by sheer force of will
Mary S. Lovell argues persuasively that Bess was shrewd rather than shrewish and that, although not a great beauty, she was a feisty woman who fought her corner every step of the way. The author certainly convinced me that the red-headed Bess was a figure of extraordinary charm and charisma... who was also smart enough to look out for herself and her numerous children. Lovell has excelled at bringing the Tudor age to exuberant life. Altogether this is a rattling good read. Lovell opens one's eyes to the humanity of the person behind the familiar portrait... It is a phenomenal story
Impressive... [Lovell] argues convincingly that she was a woman of considerable charm who was more generous and affectionate than is usually allowed
Mary Lovell sets out to show that Bess deserves to be remembered as a builder, a dynast and, above all, as a survivor in turbulent times, outliving four husbands and four monarchs
The best account yet of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman
Lively and detailed... This biography gives a clear impression of the political, social and domestic life of the Elizabethan age, through the eyes of one of its most prominent women