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A woman of influence : the spectacular rise of Alice Spencer in Tudor England / Vanessa Wilkie.

by Wilkie, Vanessa.

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Atria Books, 2023.

942.055092 W683w

Derby, Alice Egerton, Countess of, 1559-1637.

Nobility -- Great Britain -- Biography.

Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603.

Great Britain -- History -- Early Stuarts, 1603-1649.

9781982154288 (hc.)

Alternate title:

Alice Spencer in Tudor England

1st hardcover ed.

xxii, 245 p., 8 unnumbered pages of plates : col. ill.; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Alice Spencer was born in 1560 to a family on the rise. Her grandfather had amassed a sizeable estate of fertile grazing land and made a small fortune in sheep farming, allowing him to purchase a simple but distinguished manor house called Althorp. With her sizable dowry, Alice married the heir to one of the most powerful aristocratic families in the country, eventually becoming the Countess of Derby. Though she enjoyed modest renown, it wasn't until her husband's sudden death that Alice and her family's future changed forever. Faced with a lawsuit from her brother-in-law over her late husband's fortune, Alice raised eyebrows by marrying England's most powerful lawyer. Together, they were victorious, and Alice focused her attentions on securing appropriate husbands for her daughters, increasing her land ownings, and securing a bright future for her grandchildren and the entire Spencer family. But they would not completely escape scandals, and as the matriarch, Alice had to face an infamous trial that threatened everything she had worked so hard for. Now, in 'this riveting tale reads more like a legal thriller than historical nonfiction' (Beth Morrison, coauthor of The Lawless Land), the full story of the remarkable Alice Spencer Stanley Egerton is revealed. A woman both ahead of and part of her time, Alice's ruthless challenging of the status quo has inspired future generations of Spencers and will change the way you view Tudor women."--Barnes&Noble.

Born in 1559, Alice Spencer's family had made a small fortune in sheep farming and purchased a distinguished manor house called Althorp. With her sizable dowry, she married the heir to one of the most powerful aristocratic families in the country, becoming the Countess of Derby. Her husband's sudden death after he turned in a group of Catholics for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I changed Alice' future: her brother-in-law filed a lawsuit over her late husband's fortune -- and Alice married England's most powerful lawyer. But the Spencer family would not complete escape scandals. Wilkie tells the full story of Alice Spencer Stanley Egerton, showing how her ruthless challenging of the status quo has inspired future generations of Spencers -- and will change the way you view Tudor women. -- adapted from jacket

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