Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I

A detailed biography of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520–1598), Queen Elizabeth I’s closest advisor for four decades. Alford, a historian and Fellow at King’s College, Cambridge, portrays Cecil as the driving force behind Elizabeth’s reign, shaping the English state through his Protestant convictions and political acumen. The book traces Cecil’s rise from minor Welsh gentry to a dominant statesman, serving as Secretary of State (1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer (1572–1598). It highlights his navigation of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, his role in the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and his obsession with family dynasty—evident in his grooming of his son Robert Cecil for power.

Alford emphasizes Cecil’s deep Protestant faith, which guided his policies, including the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559, though he often clashed with Elizabeth’s more moderate stance, even disobeying her to push his agenda. The book details his rivalry with figures like Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and his role in countering Catholic threats, such as the Spanish Armada, through diplomacy and espionage—though Alford initially overstated Cecil’s control over intelligence, later correcting this in The Watchers (2014) to credit Francis Walsingham. Cecil’s personal life, including his 42-year marriage to the scholarly Mildred Cooke and his architectural projects like Burghley House, is also explored, revealing a man of immense discipline but also human flaws, like his strained relationship with his son Thomas.

While praised for its thorough research and vivid detail—like Cecil’s passion for cartography—the book has drawn criticism for its dense prose and occasional repetition. Some readers note Alford’s bias toward Cecil, excusing his machinations, such as his survival under Mary I despite his Protestantism, which suggests pragmatism over principle. The narrative also challenges the view of Cecil as merely Elizabeth’s servant, depicting him as a manipulator of policy, particularly on issues like the succession and Mary, Queen of Scots, where his actions (e.g., hastening her execution) sometimes defied the queen’s wishes. This portrayal aligns with contemporary Catholic critiques of Cecil as overly powerful, though Alford frames it as devotion to the Protestant cause rather than personal ambition.

Overall, the book offers a nuanced, if at times overly sympathetic, portrait of a statesman whose influence on Elizabethan England was profound, redefining his role as both a loyal servant and a cunning ideologue. However, it leaves some questions—like the full extent of his financial gains or his involvement in court scandals—underexplored, reflecting the limits of historical evidence and Alford’s focus on Cecil’s public legacy.