David N. Durant Knihy

"'The Smythson cirle' is the absorbing story stretching from 1541 to 1614, charting the creation of the first Renaissance buildings in England. David N. Durant, author of the acclaimed 'Bess of Hardwick', describes how Longleat, Chatsworth, Wollaton Hall, Old and New Hardwick Halls and Bolsover Castle came to be built in this pivotal period in English architectural history which marked the transition from the Gothic building style predominant until then. Bess of Hardwick, who, after Queen Elizabeth I was the most powerful woman in England at the time, is a central character as one of the foremost patrons of this astonishing burst of activity. But this is also the story of a host of unsung heroes - many until now largely lost to history - who worked on these stunning domestic houses, principally under Robert Smythson, the godfather of English Renaissance architecture during the Tudor and early Stuart eras. Far from being a dry architectural study, 'The Smythson circle' is a fascinating detective story and a quintessentially Elizabethan drama, full of grand schemes and sometimes dashed hopes, marital sagas, financial ruin, devastating fires and truly beautiful buildings." -- book cover.

Presenting a fascinating biography of an extraordinary woman, this is essential reading for those interested in the 16th century and Tudor history. Born the daughter of an impoverished Derbyshire squire, through a succession of advantageous marriages, Bess of Hardwick moved closer and closer to a position of power and influence in the heart of the royal court. As the Countess of Shrewsbury, she was the second most powerful woman in the land after Queen Elizabeth I. However, Bess of Hardwick was not just someone who married well but a formidable and talented business woman who ran her estates with great acumen and who became one of the richest women in England. Queen Elizabeth I held Bess in such esteem that she entrusted her with the important and arduous task of acting as jailer to Mary, Queen of Scots. During her lifetime Bess built two great country houses which are still admired today—Chatsworth and Hardwick—and fulfilled her lifetime's ambition of founding a great dynasty. By the end of the 19th century, her blood was flowing through most of the aristocratic families of England, and she more than guaranteed her status as one of the most remarkable women in Tudor history.