Tracy Borman is at the top of her craft with yet another deep dive into Ekizabeth 1. Evocative, approachable, and utterly engaging. She writes with such compelling insight.

As a history student, Tracy Borman is one of my favorite historians, especially for the reign of Elizabeth I. Since my research focuses on the early Stuart era, I was very excited about this book and once again she did not disappoint.

In this book, we take a look at the art of succession and importantly, a highly challenging one. Borman compares Elizabeth’s situation and potential successions to his contemporaries and his predecessors some of whom are women such as Mary Queen of Scots and Mary I and I believe this is one of the best parts of the book. In this way, we can see Elizabeth not only as a cautious ruler but as a cautious female ruler whom people had many expectations. 

James I succeeds Elizabeth I but as we can see from the book the turbulence was not over yet. Although I am still unsure about the title of the book, I believe the “Stolen Crown” aspect of the title is supported better by how James I acted after his succession to keep the crown. I am glad Borman did not finish the book when James I ascended the throne but continued her writing and I believe that supports her claims even more.

We can also once again see in the book how much people around the ruler had an impact on the successions and the lengths they may go through to make their wishes work. Cecils have always been quite interesting to me and while they are nowhere unknown in history, I believe their impact on this topic needs to be more known.

It is obvious that Borman did a quite amount of research for this book and she supports her claims via sources. This was probably my favorite book of hers. However, it is important to note that even if the idea of the book is interesting, the amount of ppl considered can be too much for non-history lovers. Still, I believe it needs to be given a chance.

I am incredibly thankful to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic, and Tracy Borman for an advanced reader copy of this book.

No matter how many books I read about the Tudors–and Elizabeth in particular–I never get tired of hearing the same set of stories told, retold, examined, and reexamined. The Tudors, from Henry VII to Elizabeth I, are arguably one of England’s most charismatic dynasties, and their influence on popular culture has always been intense. Given their larger-than-life personalities and actions, it’s no wonder that both fiction and nonfiction accounts of their reigns continue to flourish.

One of the more extraordinary recent works of scholarship is Tracy Borman’s The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty. As she has in Borman’s previous works on British monarchs–and she has written several such books–she manages to combine a lively and active voice with rigorous historical research. She allows the voices of those who lived through the years of Elizbeth’s reign and into James’s speak for themselves, even as she also zooms out at times to give us a renewed and useful perspective on these two pivotal monarchs and the transition that led from the age of the Tudors to that of the Stuarts.

The traditional account of the succession to the Virgin Queen goes something like this. Even though she spent her entire reign keeping discussion of the succession to a minimum–and often ruthlessly punishing those who dared to break that rule or, even worse, had a claim to the throne themselves–when it came down to it the throne of England passed peacefully into the hands of her cousin, King James VI of Scotland. Borman’s book, however, demonstrates that this was very much a piece of propaganda. In fact, the succession was a significant source of tension throughout Elizabeth’s reign and, far from being assured, James’ place in it, and the circumstances surrounding his accession, were far from guaranteed.

As Borman shows time and again, there was actually no shortage of potential heirs to Elizabeth, and the Virgin Queen was quite conscious of this fact. Of particular note were the two sisters of Jane Grey, Katherine and Mary. The former was a constant thorn in Elizabeth’s side, due in large part to her ill-advised marriage to Edward Seymour, a marriage that was of dubious legality–as Katherine hadn’t sought the Queen’s permission for it–and her life was marred by tragedy and imprisonment in the Tower. Even though Katherine’s younger sister Mary had no designs on the throne, she also earned the ire of her royal cousin thanks to her equally ill-advised marriage to a commoner.

Both Katherine and Mary, however, paled in comparison to Mary, Queen of Scots, one of the gravest dangers that Elizabeth ever faced to her throne. Though the story of these queens and their bitter rivalry is one that has been rehearsed many times, Borman somehow manages to make it feel new and fresh and exciting, immersing us in the heady, dangerous, and deeply fraught world of Tudor politics. Both women were intelligent and determined and ruthlessly royal, which is precisely why they were so often at odds. In the end, of course, Mary made the fatal mistake of trying to plot against Elizabeth’s throne and, thanks to the latter’s spymaster Francis Walsingham, she was ensnared and ultimately executed. This decision was arguably one of the most important, and devastating, of Elizabeth’s entire reign, and Borman allows us to see how it was a key part of so much of what came afterward when it came to the relationship between the Virgin Queen and Mary’s son, James.

I particularly enjoyed the way that Borman gave a deep dive into the dynamic between Elizabeth and James. While I certainly knew the two monarchs had corresponded extensively over the years, this book shows us the exact contours of this relationship, how Elizabeth was determined to mold the younger king into the kind of monarch who could successfully manage his English subjects when, at long last, he succeeded to her throne. James, while he was often willing to go along with this, was also steeped in the rampant misogyny of the period, which meant that he was far too unwilling to follow her advice (much to his detriment). By drawing so much attention to these letters, Borman gives us insight into the inner workings of monarchy and international relations, particularly as this manifested on a tiny island and its two perpetually-feuding kingdoms.

One of the other noteworthy, and tragic, figures to emerge from these pages is Arbella Stuart, James I’s first cousin and a perennial source of irritation and trouble for both the Scottish king and his English counterpart. Like James, Arbella could trace her descent from Henry VII through his daughter, Margaret Tudor, and she had the additional misfortune of laboring under the stern guardianship of her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick. Borman expertly paints this extraordinary young woman’s life in all of its poignant sadness since, despite the fact that she had royal blood running through her veins, she was always at the whim of others. She ended her life as a prisoner in the Tower of London, having failed to escape from England with her husband, yet another member of the Seymour family. Royal blood in the Tudor era could be far more of a curse than a blessing, particularly for women.

And what of the woman whose throne is the center of all of this wheeling and dealing, this sound and fury? Borman is one of those who views Elizabeth as a canny strategist, and I’m inclined to agree with her. Nothing illustrates this more than the very different ways in which Elizabeth and James’ reigns were understood among their contemporaries. While the populace of England might have greeted James’ accession with celebration and joy, it wasn’t long before opinion started to sour. Unlike Elizabeth, who had a knack for engaging with the common folk and keeping her courtiers in line, James quite simply lacked both of these skills. For all that Elizabeth tried to get him to follow her guidance, he simply could not or would not, and so it is no surprise that the English were soon pining for the days of old, for all that they had grown tired of being ruled over by an old woman.

As Borman’s book makes clear, the Stuarts were simply a very different dynasty than their predecessors. From James onward they believed staunchly in the divine right of kings, and this led them down a very perilous road, as Charles I learned to his regret. None of them, no matter how much power they craved or how much they believed in their own abilities, were ever able to come anywhere close to the success that Elizabeth I enjoyed throughout her long reign.

The Stolen Crown is a remarkable work of popular history, immersing us in the dark and twisty and paranoia-laden atmosphere of Elizabeth I’s court. We tend to think of the Tudor era as one of beauty and pomp and circumstance and artistic flourishing, and that it was. However, it was also a period marked by ongoing and often violent clashes between Catholic and Protestant, between the Church of England and Puritans, between various rival claimants to the throne. Were it not for Elizabeth’s canny ruling ability and the subtle schemes of Robert Cecil, it’s unlikely that James would ever have come to the throne. This book is thus a much-needed analysis of an underappreciated but pivotal period of English history.

The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty
by Tracy Borman is an awesome nonfiction that places us directly into the drama of the infamous transition.

I just adore Ms Boreman, am most certainly a huge fan, and have read several of her books. Obviously, I couldnt wait to read her new one.

This account takes us directly into the thick of the events surrounding the transition of the monarchy from the last of the Tudor dynasty to the first of the Stuart line.

The research, presentation, pace, and passion were right up my alley and spot on with my hopes and expectations for this book. It kept my interest, was thorough, and did not disappoint.

I highly recommend this gem!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/4/25.

I was particularly fascinated to learn that the transition of power from Queen Elizabeth I to James I was not as straightforward as it often appears in historical accounts. The author presented some compelling new interpretations of historical documents, such as letters, which offered a fresh perspective on this period. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for an Advanced e-book copy of The Stolen Crown.
After the golden age of Elizabeth I came the Jacobean era, which was the beginning of the end of the English monarchy - at least for a time. The Stolen crown details the running question of the successor to Elizabeth. To us now, it seems less complicated than it was. In this book, Borman navigates all of the controversy and complexity around this issue, and shows that the ascension of James to the English throne was not easy, and at any given moment it seemed as if England as on the brink of a violent power struggle.

Borman places us squarely in the centre of the drama, and her writing is clear and understandable, skilfully breaking down the sometimes ostentatious language of Elizabethan English. As someone who enjoys history, each page felt like reading an interesting Wikipedia page (this is probably one of the highest compliments I can give). I was never bored, even when objectively the subject matter isn’t necessarily exciting.

My main criticism is that the title and pitch doesn’t really do much justice to the work - I dont think it’s necessarily to try and sell this book as some sort of conspiracy theory, but it is a prevalent theme in history writing, so I suppose I can’t begrudge that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this narrative.

Tracy Borman is one of my favourite historians, so I was absolutely thrilled to get early access to this book. I've enjoyed everything she’s written, especially her book on witches—which also features James I—so I had high expectations for this one, and it did not disappoint.

Borman has a real talent for writing non-fiction that is both accessible and engaging. Her books are clear, readable, and never weighed down by dense academic jargon or excessive footnotes. That’s not to say her work lacks scholarly merit— it’s grounded in solid research and primary sources—but she presents it in a way that’s easy to follow and enjoyable to read, especially for those who can find more academic texts a bit daunting.

The transitional period between Elizabeth I and James I has always fascinated me, particularly given the complex relationship between Elizabeth and James’s mother, Mary Queen of Scots. The idea of James becoming king of England was far from straightforward, and Borman explores this in great detail. I usually associate James with his Daemonologie, the King James Bible, and his efforts to unite England and Scotland, so it was refreshing to get a more nuanced view of who he was during this pivotal time.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Tudor and Stuart history. Once again, Borman has delivered a captivating and thoroughly researched read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this in advance.

The gift that Tracy Borman has that sets her apart from other authors of this genre, is her ability to take biographical facts and keep them from being dry reading. Even being well versed in a subject you will find out there is always more to learn. I tore through this book in one day it was that captivating. Having a grandmother directly from Scotland who knew her Scottish and English history backwards and forwards, I know even she would have loved this book. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This is not my first Tracey Borman book and as usual she makes history very accessible and interesting . Enjoyed the book a lot however did think it was going to be more about King James’s story and less about Elizabeth but that is only a small niggle.

Recommended to anyone interested in the Tudor/Stuart period of our history

Tracy Borman never disappoints. She is an accomplished historian. Indeed, even if you know a lot about what she writes about, you still learn some facts. This book clearly shows how Elizabeth I was seen by her people, and how much her reign actually brought them, particularly after her death.... I found it fascinating to read about the ascension of James I to the throne of England. What truths, deceits , secrets surrounding the decision made for his wearing the crown of England. Was he legitimate enough? Were others more appropriate? The reader also can get a feeling of the man he was, well illustrating that you might become a king, but do you deserve to rule?? Very interesting and brings to much reflection. Excellent read.
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.