In 1562, Elizabeth I, the last of Henry VIII’s children, lay dying of smallpox, and the curse of the Tudor succession again reared its head. The queen was to recover, but the issue remained: if the queen did not produce an heir, who was next in line to succeed? Lady Arbella Stuart was cousin to both the English queen and James VI of Scotland, a woman whose parents’ marriage had been orchestrated to provide an heir to the English throne. Raised by her formidable grandmother, Bess of Hardwick, Arbella lived her life in Elizabeth’s shadow and, unfortunately, at her mercy. In this book, Jill Armitage revitalises Arbella’s tale, focusing on her lineage, her life and her legacy. Through her story we discover a well-born, well-educated woman desperate to control her own fate, but who is ultimately powerless against those in the scheming Tudor court; and the author explores the harsh consequence that comes from being on the wrong side of the revenge of a jealous, calculating queen.

‘Excellent... puts Arbella’s life in the context of the times’ * European Royal History Journal *

As a trained photo-journalist, Jill contributes to a number of pamphlets and magazines within Derbyshire, including publications produced by the Alfreton history society and local church. She has written close to twenty local history books over the last few years. She has a small, but growing collection of old photographs of the area, with contacts to others, which she builds upon in her spare time, alongside her involvement with the Romantic Novels Association to which she is a member.