Overview
- Examines a neglected area of Elizabethan correspondence
- Provides necessary context for the letters
- Offers new insight on significant international events, such as the complex marriage negotiations with Archduke Charles and the proposed peace treaty with Spain during the war in the Netherlands
Part of the book series: Queenship and Power (QAP)
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Table of contents (29 chapters)
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Front Matter
Keywords
About this book
This is the first edition ever of the Queen’s correspondence in Italian. These letters cast a new light on her talents as a linguist and provide interesting details as to her political agenda, and on the cultural milieu of her court. This book provides a fresh analysis of the surviving evidence concerning Elizabeth’s learning and use of Italian, and of the activity of the members of her ‘Foreign Office.’ All of the documents transcribed here are accompanied by a short introduction focusing on their content and context, a brief description of their transmission history, and an English translation.
Reviews
“Bajetta has produced a volume that must surely become the gold standard when compiling scholarly editions of letters—whether in translation, or in their original language. Not only is the book a stunning example of how foreign correspondence should be presented in English, but the book is also an invaluable contribution to the scholarship on the foreign relations of Elizabeth I, and Elizabethan England generally.” (Aidan Norrie, Royal Studies Journal, Vol. 5 (1), 2018) “An important work which anyone interested in Elizabeth and her court should read, Elizabeth I’s Italian Letters shows how significant the queen’s skill in foreign languages was in establishing her position as a successful monarch. Italian was the language of diplomacy as well as European culture, and this volume, painstakingly assembled by Professor Bajetta after years of archival research, demonstrates the central role it played in English politics and intellectual life. The substantial introduction, based on serious scholarship but written with a light touch, provides a wonderful analysis of Elizabeth’s secretariat at work, carefully reading elusive clues to show how the monarchy and its bureaucracy functioned from day to day. The volume will be of use to scholars for many years, but there is much here that will inform and engage general readers eager to understand the work that went into the myth of Gloriana.” (Andrew Hadfield, University of Sussex, UK)
“A wonderful resource for students and scholars alike. Bajetta has provided elegant translations of Elizabeth I’s Italian letters, together with insightful commentary on their political and cultural significance. Elizabeth I’s Italian Letters should be required reading for anyone interested in the history of Elizabethan England.” (Elizabeth Goldring, Centre for the Study of the Renaissance, University of Warwick, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Carlo M. Bajetta, PhD, FEA, is Full Professor of English Literature at Università della Valle d'Aosta, Italy. His publications include Sir Walter Ralegh (1998); Whole Volumes in Folio (2000); Some Notes on Printing and Publishing in Renaissance Venice (2000), editions of Wordsworth’s, Shelley’s and Reynold’s 1819 Peter Bell texts (2005) and of Thomas More's English Poems (2010).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Elizabeth I's Italian Letters
Authors: Carlo M. Bajetta
Series Title: Queenship and Power
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43553-8
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-44232-1Published: 26 April 2017
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-43553-8Published: 04 May 2017
Series ISSN: 2730-938X
Series E-ISSN: 2730-9398
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: LXXVII, 285
Topics: History of Britain and Ireland, Gender Studies, Literary History, Political History