Michael Questier

Lords, spies and traitors in Elizabeth’s England

A review of God's Traitors: Terror and Faith in Elizabethan England, by Jessie Childs. To see the power of 16th-century aristocrats, look at the ones being tracked as enemies of the state

William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden, was tried in the Star Chamber in 1581 with his brother-in-law Sir Thomas Tresham for harbouring Edmund Campion and sentenced to imprisonment in the Fleet with a fine of £1,000 [Getty Images/Shutterstock/iStock/Alamy]
  • Comments

  • God’s Traitors: Terror and Faith in Elizabethan England

    Jessie Childs

    Bodley Head, pp. 442

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Subscribe today and get a £30 Amazon gift card if you correctly predict the next US president.

Offer ends in ${days} days ${hours} hrs ${minutes} mins ${seconds} secs
  • The weekly edition delivered, via the Spectator app
  • Unlimited access to spectator.co.uk
  • Spectator newsletters and exclusive events
  • The chance to win a case of Pol Roger Champagne

Read next

Trending

Theo Hobson

The trouble with Guy Fawkes night

My reaction to fireworks is a bit eccentric. Lovely, I think, but can’t they be more meaningful? To be more precise, this is my view of Bonfire Night, formerly known as Guy Fawkes night. It would be nice, I think, if we could revive the annual event as a celebration of our shared values. To

More on book review

From the Magazine

Latest

Comments

Join the debate today

Guess the new US president when you subscribe, and get a £30 Amazon gift card.

Already a subscriber? Log in