“We have 10 volumes of the handwritten manuscript,” says British Library curator Julian Harrison. It covers “literally hundreds of passages.”
But now modern photographic technology reveals what is on the censored pages about the regent, who has been dubbed the Maiden Queen, or was called the ‘virgin queen’.
Author self-censored
Annals was instrumental in the historiography of the reign of Elizabeth I, which lasted from 1558 until her death in 1603. The work appeared in four volumes – three in 1615 and the last in 1625.
According to researchers, author William Camden probably chose to censor and edit the work himself, because earlier editions contained information that would not please the queen’s successor, James I.
It now appears, among other things, that Camden’s claim that Elizabeth had the Scottish king James in mind early on as a successor was a later addition.
Camden also removed a passage about a possible assassination attempt on Elizabeth I in 1598. The perpetrator is said to have identified the Scottish king James as the mastermind behind a plot against the queen.
The claim turned out to be false, but James I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it anyway if the event had been mentioned.
2023-08-16 18:01:52
#years #secret #finally #Elizabeth #biography
