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Shakespeare's Lost Kingdom: The True History of Shakespeare and Elizabeth


Who was the man behind Hamlet, Romeo, Falstaff and Lear? And why did he write, ‘I, once gone, to all the world must die’?


In this groundbreaking work Charles Beauclerk moves beyond the narrow confines of traditional Shakespearean scholarship to explore the political milieu in which Shakespeare lived and worked and the life-and-death struggle he underwent in the name of his ‘cause’. In doing so, he humanizes the bard who for centuries has remained beyond our grasp.


The story revealed is one of betrayal and sacrifice at the heart of government, with Shakespeare forced to fight both for the survival of his works—and his very identity. The official history, that of a barely educated genius writing in isolation and a virginal queen married to her country, is exposed as artful propaganda.


Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom delves deep into the conflicts and personalities of Elizabethan England, and the plays themselves, to cast new light on the greatest and most mysterious artist the world has known.



Reviews:


“Beauclerk’s learned, deep scholarship, compelling research, engaging style and convincing interpretation won me completely. He has made me view the whole Elizabethan world afresh. The plays glow with new life, exciting and real, infused with the soul of a man too long denied his inheritance.”

- Sir Derek Jacobi


"This is a book for anyone who loves Shakespeare. No matter who you think may have created the works of Shakespeare, the Earl of Oxford's mysterious life, and that of his Queen, must be near the heart and source of the creation. Three cheers for Mr. Beauclerk's daring to explore one of the most scandalous and potentially revolutionary theories about the authorship of these immortal works."

- Mark Rylance


“An intriguing book that proposes another forceful argument in this age old debate. Beauclerk’s detailed exploration divides the mythical notions from the historical truths. You will have a hard time putting this book down.”

- Roland Emmerich


“An extraordinary and controversial interpretation of Shakespeare’s origins, which certainly provokes much thought. A radical analysis of Shakespeare’s text, leading to a conclusion which is bound to amaze the reader and the scholar. Who was Shakespeare?

- Steven Berkoff


“A riveting narrative filled with learned insights into Renaissance England, Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom is a soulful meditation on the timeless words of those masterworks at the centre of our cultural heritage.”

- Professor James Norwood


“An amazing work of scholarship—so eloquent, yet written in an immediately 'popular' style. I cannot recommend it too highly.”

- Tony Palmer


“Beauclerk has not only scandalized professors throughout the English departments of the world’s schools and universities, he has thrown down the gauntlet to historians as well…and he has garnered supporters in this long-simmering debate.”

- Boston Globe


“The book is a tour de force… a compelling and riveting read, encompassing not only the content and context of many of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets but also the history of the Tudors and the politics of that time. Scholarly and well written with a wealth of supporting evidence.”

Netgalley


“Anyone who has more than a cursory knowledge of Shakespeare has heard the rumors that the glove maker from Stratford-Upon-Avon may not have authored the plays that bear his name. In this book, Beauclerk takes the side of the Oxfordians who claim that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true Bard. The author of this book offers up compelling evidence framed around the political, economical, and even social realities of the time. I recommend this book to Shakespearean scholars, anglophiles, and students of British literature.”

Jeimy Gonzalez - Educator


Buy Charles Beauclerk