Elizabeth I was the most enigmatic of British monarchs.
Hot-tempered, whimsical, yet fiercely intelligent, she was a Machiavellian Queen. But what made her the woman she was?
In this brilliantly original book, Elizabethan expert Susan Ronald argues there was one year early in her reign when Elizabeth learnt the secret of manipulating the great powers of her age - and laid the foundations for England's domination of the seas.

Ronald tracks Elizabeth's personal foray into piracy in 1568, showing her cunning out-manoeuvring of Philip II of Spain and his highly capable general the Duke of Alba – who headed up an army of 50,000 mercenaries only one hundred miles away from London twenty years before the Spanish Armada sailed.
It uncovers a completely new side to Elizabeth's character, and throws new light on the making of her monarchy. 1568: Elizabeth I's Piratical Year is essential reading for specialists and the general reader alike.

Praise for Susan Ronald:

'This is a compulsive, engaging, and vivid history . . . The drama of the English Reformation comes alive' - Alison Weir, New York Times bestselling author
'A triumph' - Antonia Fraser, New York Times bestselling author
'A searing account of the dark underside of the Elizabethan golden age. Susan Ronald has written a devastating and important reminder of the long, hard road from religious strife to accommodation' - Amanda Foreman, New York Times bestselling author of The World on Fire and The Duchess.
'Ms Ronald regales us with plenty of swashbuckling... Her grasp of the complexities of the period is impressive... Breathtaking' - New York Sun