“A highly colorful, swashbuckling read, one that will give you new respect for Britain’s first Elizabeth.” —Seattle Times

An illuminating revisionist biography about Queen Elizabeth I and her merchant-adventurers who terrorized the seas, extended the Empire, and amassed great wealth for the throne.

Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, Elizabeth was the epitome of power, both feared and admired by her enemies. Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Spain's Philip II, she employed a network of daring merchants, brazen adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council to anchor her throne—and in doing so, planted the seedlings of an empire that would ultimately cover two-fifths of the world.

In The Pirate Queen, historian Susan Ronald offers a fresh look at Elizabeth I, relying on a wealth of historical sources and thousands of the queen's personal letters to tell the thrilling story of a visionary monarch and the swashbuckling mariners who terrorized the seas to amass great wealth for themselves and the Crown.

This riveting history explores how Elizabeth I used cunning, commerce, and piracy to save England:

Privateers as Policy: Learn how a network of brazen adventurers and merchants—including the legendary Sir Francis Drake—were employed by the Crown to fund the treasury and terrorize England’s enemies.
The Dawn of an Empire: Uncover how Elizabeth’s controversial methods planted the seedlings of the British Empire, challenging the dominance of Philip II's Spain.
A Queen's Correspondence: Go beyond the myth with a narrative built on thousands of the queen’s personal letters and a wealth of deeply researched historical sources.
The England vs. Spain Rivalry: Explore the decades-long clash between two powerful monarchs that culminated in the dramatic showdown of the Spanish Armada.