Itinerarium ad Windsor concerns a central question of the Elizabethan era: Why should a woman be allowed to rule with the same powers as a king? The man who poses this controversial question within Itinerarium is none other than Queen Elizabeth's powerful favorite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. On hand to provide answers are the statesman and poet Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, and William Fleetwood antiquary, Recorder of London, and dutiful chronicler of their 1575 conversation. This critical edition of Itinerarium reproduces Fleetwood's text with annotations and a host of interpretive and contextualizing essays from leading scholars. Taken together, they constitute the definitive introduction to this remarkable discussion of regnant queenship, providing a valuable tool for understanding contemporary notions of and underlying fears concerning the efficacy and desirability of female rule in Elizabethan England.

"With these fascinating essays and the printing of such an interesting source, the authors manage to rethink the term queenship as well as highlighting the role of Thomas Fleetwood in Elizabethan politics and social life." - Reviews in History

"These essays offer readers Significant information for understanding this manuscript, which is an invaluable source, revealing important insights into contemporary understanding of the validity of regnant queenship. Anyone interested in Elizabeth's reign, the issues about her marriage, and the impact of her sister's rule on how she approached her own sovereignty will find this book enlightening. It is a well-written and well-structured study that contributes substantially to Elizabethan studies." Sixteenth Century Journal

"This is a very useful book. To have the Itinerarium available in a modern edition is valuable and the accompanying essays are more valuable, enlightening to anyone interested in Elizabethan rhetoric, law, parliament, historiography, and the many other topics bound up in this little dialogue." - Norman Jones, Professor of History, Utah State University, USA

"A very valuable work of scholarship for academics and students alike which makes accessible a rich source for our understanding of sixteenth century queenship." - Anna Whitelock, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History, Royal Holloway-University of London, UK

Autorentext
James Alsop, McMaster University, Canada Sarah Duncan, Spring Hill College, USA Carole Levin, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Jacqueline Vanhoutte, University Of North Texas, USA Anna Whitelock, Royal Holloway, University Of London, UK Rivkah Zim, King's College London, UK

Inhalt
Introduction: 'The Name of a Queene'; Dennis Moore PART I: THE DIALOGUE 1. William Fleetwood's Itinerarium ad Windsor; Dennis Moore PART II: THE PARTICIPANTS 2. William Fleetwood and Itinerarium ad Windsor; Charles Beem 3. Itinerarium ad Windsor and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; Jacqueline Vanhoutte 4. 'Marvellously Given to Be Antiquaries': William Fleetwood's Itinerarium and Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst; Rivkah Zim PART III: ITINERARIUM AD WINDSOR AS HISTORY 5. Wading in 'The Troublesome Seas... of Antiquityes': William Fleetwood as Antiquary and Historian; James D. Alsop 6. Itinerarium ad Windsor and English Queenship; Carole Levin and Charles Beem 7. 'Bloody Mary'? Changing Perceptions of England's First Ruling Queen; Sarah Duncan