A newly-discovered set of letters written by Robert Devereux, Second Earl of Essex, to Queen Elizabeth I promised a fascinating new insight into one of the most tempestuous relationships in Tudor history. Yet something much more intriguing lay amongst this collection of correspondence. Letters from his two sisters, Penelope Rich and Dorothy Percy, and his future wife Frances Walsingham offer an explosive new perspective on the Elizabethan reign.
From forbidden marriages and clandestine unions to suspected poisonings and unashamed treachery, the Essex Sisters defied the patriarchal traditions that were meant to keep them in their place. All three women took control of their own destinies, using whatever means necessary to increase their influence and live life to the full. For the first time, the scandalous truths of their machinations and manipulation have been exposed in this remarkable history of female power and betrayal in the Tudor period.
