The last of the five Tudor rulers was also the most successful of them, with the possible exception of her grandfather Henry VII. She ruled for over forty years, steering England through the quicksands of religious strife and holding her own in the Big Power politics dominated by France and Spain. Elizabeth had a powerful will, a level head in State affairs, administrative ability, and linguistic gifts which served her well in the diplomatic field. Her long infatuation with Robert Dudley did not overstep the mark, although when approaching old age she allowed too much rope to the arrogant young Earl of Essex, who paid for rebellion with his head. Elizabeth's lifelong reluctance to marry gave currency to all sorts of rumours, but the plain truth seems to be that she liked keeping power in her own hands and believed that she had a special role to play in history. This biography, dating from 1952, hits an occasional Rule Britannia note which sounds slightly incongruous today.