The Great Lord Burghley; A Study in Elizabethan Statecraft
New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1898. Presumed First U. S. Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xv, [1], 511, [1] pages. Frontis illustration. Footnotes. Index. Rear board has a puncture at the bottom near the spine which has dented the rep and adjacent page. Signed by previous owner on fep--W. E. Borah, believed, based upon signature comparisons on the internet, to be Senator William Edgar Borah of Idaho. Martin Andrew Sharp Hume (8 December 1843 – 1 July 1910), born Martin Andrew Sharp, was an English historian. The last of the Spanish Humes, a lady advanced in years, died in 1876, bequeathing her property to Martin Sharp, and in August 1877, in compliance with her wish, he assumed the name of Hume. He was now independent. A keen volunteer officer, he was attached to the Turkish forces during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78; he then spent some time in exploration on the west coast of Africa, and traveled extensively in Central and South America. After some practice in journalism, he meanwhile produced his first book, a Chronicle of King Henry VIII of England (1889), a translation from the Spanish. The Courtships of Queen Elizabeth; a History of the Various Negotiations for her Marriage, and The Year after the Armada, and other Historical Studies, both issued in 1896, were received with a degree of popular favor which led him to adopt authorship as a profession. In 1897, he published Sir Walter Raleigh and Philip II of Spain, the latter monograph showing insight and independence of view. In 1898, he published The Great Lord Burghley and Spain, its Greatness and Decay, 1479–1789, which he completed in the following year by the publication of Modern Spain, 1788-1898. In a time of great turbulence — in religion, in politics, in alliances — Elizabeth I had always one man she could turn to: "a man whom flattery did not move, whom bribery did not buy — wise, steady William Cecil, who, to her honor and his, remained her prime adviser from the moment of her accession to the day of his death." Elizabeth's "spirit" was an interesting man. He was cautious and analytical, devious and prudent, proud of his heritage and his position, and quite extraordinarily industrious. There were many that worked against him and sought his downfall, but even these would confidently seek his aid in a matter of justice. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley KG PC (13 September 1520 – 4 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1572. In his description in the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Albert Pollard wrote, "From 1558 for forty years the biography of Cecil is almost indistinguishable from that of Elizabeth and from the history of England." Cecil set as the main goal of English policy the creation of a united and Protestant British Isles. His methods were to complete the control of Ireland, and to forge an alliance with Scotland. Protection from invasion required a powerful Royal Navy. While he was not fully successful, his successors agreed with his goals. In 1587, Cecil persuaded the Queen to order the execution of the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, after she was implicated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. He was the father of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and founder of the Cecil dynasty (Marquesses of Exeter and of Salisbury) which has produced many politicians including two Prime Ministers. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I, William Borah, Francis Drake, Edward VI, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, Earl of Leicester, Mary Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots, James VI, Francis Walsingham
[Book #81931]
Price: $100.00