"(Starkey) 'In January 1559 Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England." "'She was the last of the great Tudor dynasty, 'a bright star who dazzled both the nation and the world.'" "The achievement of most stars fades quickly but Elizabeth's has lasted for nearly four centuries and it's easy to see why." "She reigned for 45 tumultuous years." "Her ships defeated the Spanish Armada and sailed round the globe." "In her time Shakespeare wrote plays and Spenser wrote poems." "English noblemen and foreign princes wooed her but she, the Virgin Queen, made love to that loyalest of audiences, the English people." "'Elizabeth was one of the daughters of King Henry VIII." "'But the right of women to succeed to the throne was still in doubt 'and her path there would be perilous." "'Her father would kill her mother and she would be disinherited." "'Her sister would imprison her in the Tower and threaten her with execution." "'Men would love her for her royal status, not for herself." "'She would be sexually abused by her own stepfather." "'Most monarchs are handed their crowns on a plate." "'Elizabeth got hers by cunning and courage." "'Elizabeth's sex was a disappointment to Henry." "'Astrologers had assured him 'that the baby to be born in September 1533 would be a boy." "'He already had one daughter, the 17-year-old Mary." "'What he wanted was a son and heir." "'Although Elizabeth was a girl, the magnificent christening 'planned for the longed-for prince went ahead." "'Every detail had been seen to, down to the brazier to warm the water in the font." "'She was even proclaimed "Princess", the title of the heir to the throne.'" "Elizabeth, ego te baptiso in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti, amen." "(Starkey) 'According to the French ambassador 'the whole occasion was so perfect that nothing was lacking.'" "Actually things were far from perfect at Elizabeth's baptism because Elizabeth was the child of a second marriage and Henry's second marriage, like many second marriages today, aroused very strong feelings." "For instance, the imperial ambassador refused point-blank to attend the baptism." "He even refused to recognise Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth's mother, as Henry's wife." "Instead he sneeringly referred to her as "the whore"." "And as for little Elizabeth she was "the bastard"." "Even one of the officiating clergy, when asked if the baby was baptised in hot water or cold, replied, "Hot, but not hot enough."" "'Henry divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, 'because she had not given him a son but now her replacement, Anne Boleyn, 'was having her own gynaecological problems." "'After two miscarriages, she had a baby boy but it was stillborn.'" "Anne had failed in her principal duty as royal breeding machine." "Meanwhile, Henry had fallen in love with another woman" " Jane Seymour." "For Anne the end came with terrifying swiftness." "She was accused of multiple adultery with four of the gentlemen of the King's Chamber and of incest with her own brother." "All of the accused were found guilty and Anne herself was executed here on Tower Green on 19th May 1536." "Henry showed a single gesture of mercy towards the woman that he'd once loved so much and her head was removed at a single stroke with a sword rather than being hacked off with the axe." "'Elizabeth was only three 'when her mother was executed as a traitor and a whore." "'For many children this would have been a lifelong trauma 'but Elizabeth seems to have airbrushed her mother from her memory." "'It was to be Henry who filled her world." "'Anne Boleyn's fall marked a major step down in the world for Elizabeth.'" "Her parents' marriage was declared null and void." "She was now illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne." "So, instead of the Right High and Mighty Princess the Lady Elizabeth, inheritrix of the Crown of England, she became the Lady Elizabeth, the King's second bastard daughter." "'Elizabeth's sudden loss of status 'threw the little court where she had been brought up in into confusion." "'Even her governess, Lady Bryan, didn't know what to do 'and wrote to the King's minister Thomas Cromwell for guidance.'" "How should the little girl be treated?" "By the way, could she please have some more clothes?" "She'd outgrown everything she had." "But above all, where should she eat?" "Was she old enough to eat here in the great hall, served on the dais, or should she continue to eat in her chamber where it will be easier to keep her away from the rich foods that were so bad for her teeth and her digestion?" "'Whatever her status no one could forget 'that Elizabeth was Anne Boleyn's daughter 'and it was in order to marry Anne that Henry had broken away from Rome 'and made himself head of the church in England." "'It was a revolution and one of its victims was the monasteries." "'They were amongst the greatest English landowners." "'Their assets were seized and their buildings dismantled." "'One of them was Glastonbury Abbey, then the largest church in England.'" "When I look out from my church, across from these ruins" "I'm filled with a sense of sadness a sense of loss a sense of disbelief to a degree that such destruction could have taken place in a country that was supposedly very religious and Catholic." "This abbey here was a place of pilgrimage." "The abbey contained a statue of Our Lady, which is what Catholics call St Mary." "And people would have come from far and wide to pay their respects, to say their prayers, to make their offerings and ask for help." "Within nine years from the Reformation, dissolution of the monasteries this went from being one of our grandest Catholic churches to pretty well what we see around us today, hardly one stone on top of another." "'The damage to the Catholic Church wasn't just physical, it was spiritual too." "'Out of these ruins would grow a new Protestant faith." "'Henry's religious revolution would divide his country and his family.'" "'Henry had now embarked on his third marriage to Jane Seymour." "'In just over a year she gave him the son that he craved." "'Edward, legitimate and a boy, was now undoubted heir.'" "Edwarde, quid petis ab ecclesia dei..." "'Elizabeth, as his half-sister was no more than a minor royal." "'She had once been princess herself." "'Now she was an attendant at her baby brother's christening." "'She also lost her governess to Edward 'as Lady Bryan was transferred to look after the young prince." "'Her replacement was Kat Ashley, 'a well-educated and devout woman who became very close to Elizabeth." "'Her father, on the other hand scarcely saw her, 'for royal children like Elizabeth 'were brought up in the country away from the royal court." "'There, Henry communicated with her by messenger." "'In December 1539 he sent Sir Thomas Risley 'to convey his Christmas greetings.'" "(Reader) "She gave humble thanks, inquiring again of His Majesty's welfare" ""with as great a gravity as if she'd been 40 years old."" "And we also thank you." "(Starkey) 'Children in the 16th century 'had to join the starched and corseted adult world as quickly as possible." "'They were expected to look and behave like their parents." "'Even slight misdemeanours were severely punished." "'One royal tutor advised:" ""Never have the rod off a boy's back" ""'and the daughter especially should be handled without cherishing."" "'But Elizabeth was lucky." "'Her tutors belonged to the new school 'which thought that kindness was a better teacher than the cane." "'But then the young princess was a model pupil 'and she studied languages from the age of four." "'She became fluent in French Italian, Latin and Greek.'" "(Child) "C'est une chevet avec des couleurs d'un million de fleurs..." ""..ho in mente ciò che io vidi..." ""..quod mihi persuasum est auctoritate maiorum" ""..cur ita sit, nihil tu me doces..."" "'But it was how she learned languages that mattered as well.'" "She was taught by the method of double translation." "This means that the little girl had to translate a passage from Latin into English and then back again into Latin getting it absolutely right, word for word." "For most children this would have been an absolute torment but Elizabeth seems to have revelled in it." "She must have had the mind of a computer programmer or an expert solver of crossword puzzles, because she continued to do translations for the whole of the rest of her life." "She did them for fun and for relaxation but she also did them as a kind of mental discipline to keep her emotions under control, just as nowadays some people might practise yoga or meditation." "'Elizabeth was the kind of daughter of whom any father would be proud 'and this painting shows Henry's confidence in her." "'It commemorates his decision in 1544 'to reinstate both his daughters in the succession." "'No woman had ever sat on the English throne before." "'Now, if Edward died without an heir 'first Mary and then Elizabeth would become queen." "'Henry then sailed for France to fight a war 'leaving his wife, Katherine Parr, as regent in charge of the kingdom." "'Elizabeth now witnessed at first hand 'that an intelligent, well-educated woman could rule effectively." "'At about this time Elizabeth acquired a new tutor, Roger Ascham." "'He worked with the brightest minds at Cambridge 'but he found Elizabeth more than their equal.'" "(Reader) "The lady Elizabeth shines like a star." ""The constitution of her mind is exempt from female weakness." ""No apprehension can be quicker than hers."" "'She demonstrated her abilities 'in an extraordinary New Year's gift for her father.'" "It's a work of prose but it shows the 12-year-old girl to have been, in her way, just as much of a child prodigy as the young Mozart." "It's bound in red cloth of gold, heavily embroidered, with Henry's initials top and bottom." "And - you can see it more clearly on the back - in the middle, a cipher." "That's the interlaced initials for Henry and Katherine - spelt with a K - Katherine Parr." "The cover's the work of a professional embroiderer but inside it's all Elizabeth's own work." "And what work." "Page after page of perfect, beautiful, rhythmic italic handwriting." "It shows just how far she'd come on in a year." "Her New Year's present of the year before to her stepmother is filled with mistakes, corrections second thoughts, but here, nothing!" "First the Latin then the French, then the Italian." "Not a mistake not a mistranslation, not a blot." "Just perfection." "But it's the introductory letter that really takes us into Elizabeth's own mind." "She addresses her father." "A very striking phrase." ""Matchless and most kind father."" "She even has her own views on the importance of the state of kingship, the state of kingship which philosophers say is equivalent to that of a god upon earth." "In love with her father, perhaps." "Even more in love with the idea of the monarchy." "'Elizabeth had never been more secure in her royal status." "'She basked in Henry's attention." "'In 1546 she had this portrait painted for him 'and it shows her as she wished to be seen by her father." "'So she's studious, one finger marking a page in a book." "'She's pious." "The book open on the lectern beside her is certainly the Bible." "'She is the virtuous Renaissance princess." "'But this tranquillity could not last." "'Henry, her father, was dying." "'At 13, Elizabeth was about to lose the giant of a father whom she revered." "'The next decade would be the most threatening period of her life.'" "Christmas 1546 was a gloomy one at court." "For a long time the King had suffered from an old jousting injury to his leg which had turned into a chronic ulcer." "Pus would build up causing the leg to swell." "'The pain was intense." "'On 30th December Henry completed his will 'and then the descent was swift.'" "As Henry lay dying in his bedchamber, outside in the gallery, Edward Seymour, Prince Edward's uncle was pacing up and down with his advisers." "They were plotting the takeover of power in the new reign." "Towards two o'clock in the morning Henry died clutching the hands of Archbishop Cranmer, Elizabeth's godfather." "To make sure that there was a smooth transfer of power," "Henry's death was kept secret for three full days." "Finally all was ready and Seymour brought together Edward, now Edward VI and his favourite sister, Elizabeth and told them that their father was dead." "One account describes how the two children threw themselves into each other's arms weeping uncontrollably." "'Little King Edward VI had stepped into his father's shoes 'but they were several sizes too big for him." "'He was just nine years old 'and to begin with he was the pawn of his powerful royal councillors." "'And so was Elizabeth." "Her father's will had left her rich 'and her place in the line of the succession made her a tempting target." "'One man in particular, Thomas Seymour, had his eyes on her." "'The Seymour brothers, as uncles to the young King, 'were the most powerful family in the land." "'Thomas was bitterly jealous, of his elder brother, Edward 'because Edward had made himself Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector." "'Edward built Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon." "'It's still owned by his descendant, John Seymour.'" "Thomas, I think, was a wonderfully flamboyant and colourful character." "Like his brother he was very ambitious and he took most of the opportunities that were presented to him." "He was headstrong, he probably didn't think a great deal about what was going to happen as a result of his actions." "But he was undoubtedly out to favour himself and make the most of his opportunities in his life, which he did." "(Starkey) 'Thomas plotted his advancement to power 'from his base at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.'" "His first idea was to marry one of Henry VIII's daughters." "Either Mary or Elizabeth would have done but the council vetoed that idea." "So Seymour went for the next best thing and proposed to Henry's widow - Katherine Parr." "Katherine had been passionately in love with him before she married Henry, so she accepted him like a shot." "Elizabeth was living with Katherine, so this meant that Seymour wasn't only her stepfather, he was also her guardian." "It was a position of trust which he abused shockingly." "'At first Katherine Parr's involvement 'made Seymour's games seem innocent enough." "'Elizabeth found Seymour an intriguing playmate." "'He was 40 and she was just 14." "'But Seymour saw a relationship with Elizabeth 'as a means of drawing closer to the throne." "'His game grew darker." "'Katherine Parr was deceived by these antics 'but Kat Ashley was worried.'" ""He romped with her in the garden" ""and cut her gown into a hundred pieces."" "'Seymour now got hold of the key to Elizabeth's bedroom." "'He would come into her room partly dressed, early in the morning." "'Sometimes he would tickle her and slap her buttocks.'" "Good morning, my lady." "Elizabeth was confused by Seymour's behaviour and by her reaction to it." "Seymour was a handsome, sexually charged man and she was flattered by his attentions but she was also scared by them." "So she would behave as though it was all a game and play hide-and-seek behind the bed's curtains." "'On other occasions she would react 'as though her maidenly modesty had been outraged.'" "She'd get up early and make sure that she was dressed so as to avoid Seymour's attentions." "On the other hand, Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's governess, knew exactly what was going on." "But when she reproved Seymour for risking Elizabeth's reputation, he brazened it out." "He'd no intention of stopping his behaviour, he said because he meant no harm by it." "'But when Katherine Parr became pregnant" "'Seymour's flirtation with Elizabeth grew more serious." "'At first Katherine could not believe what was happening." "'Finally she was left in no doubt.'" "(Parr) My lord?" "Your Grace." "'Following a painful interview, during which Elizabeth hardly spoke, 'her stepmother sent her away." "'It was the last time Elizabeth saw Katherine." "'When she moved to Sudeley to have the baby," "'Elizabeth wrote to her wishing her luck." "'But Katherine died shortly after the birth of her child 'and she was buried here at Sudeley.'" "In her final delirium all her fears and jealousies about Seymour's behaviour had revived, with very good reason, because Seymour soon renewed his suit to marry Elizabeth and this time he had the powerful backing of Kat Ashley." "Elizabeth herself was enthusiastic but she'd the good sense to say that she wouldn't consider the marriage without the backing of the council." "Seymour for his part, hot-headed and impetuous as usual, was too impatient to wait." "Thomas was becoming more and more keen to attain some personal power and to further his career." "One way of doing this was to get Edward, the young king, completely on his side." "I think he decided he was going to actually abduct the King and as he lived in the neighbouring apartment it was very easy for him to have conversations and meetings with the young King." "How it happened I don't think is really clear but we do know that he was found in the King's apartment with a sword in his hand." "One of the many spaniels the young King had started to bark and, I suppose, in desperation Thomas ran it through with his sword and there was a great kerfuffle and noise and people burst in and Thomas was arrested." "(Starkey) 'Seymour was charged with treason." "'His relationship with Elizabeth made her a suspect too." "'A team of interrogators descended on Hatfield 'to discover whether she'd been plotting with him." "'Her closest confidante, Kat Ashley, was arrested and taken to the Tower." "'Under threat of torture 'she described the scandalous events of the previous summer." "'Her evidence was now used word for word against Elizabeth.'" ""Another time at Hanworth he romped with her in the garden."" ""Romped."" ""..and cut her gown," ""being black cloth, into a hundred pieces." ""And when I came and chid Lady Elizabeth," ""she assured me she could not strive withal" ""for the Queen held her while the Lord Admiral cut the dress." ""The Queen, suspecting the often access of the Admiral to the Lady Elizabeth..." ""came suddenly upon them where they were all alone," ""he having her in his arms."" "'Despite the evidence, Elizabeth refused to admit any wrongdoing." "'Then a rumour began that she was pregnant by Seymour." "'She complained bitterly to Somerset.'" ""Master Tyrwhitt has told me of rumours abroad" ""that I am in the Tower and with child by my Lord Admiral." ""These are shameful slanders." ""I shall most heartily desire that I may come to the court" ""that I may show myself as I am."" "'Tyrwhitt told Somerset he was sure she was guilty 'but he could prove nothing." "'Elizabeth had survived the crisis." "'But Seymour's guilt was clear." "'In March 1549 Somerset signed his brother's death warrant 'and Seymour was beheaded on Tower Hill.'" "Elizabeth's brush with Thomas Seymour marked a turning point in her young life." "It was a brutal initiation into the world of adult politics and adult sexuality." "She'd learned the hard way that a sexual relationship, even a close friendship, might mean danger, perhaps death." "She knew now that when a man approached her he'd got his eyes on the throne as much as on her." "'From this point onwards she trusted almost nobody." "'She kept her own counsel and she concealed her true faults." "'It was her defence against a hostile world." "'Elizabeth was left alone in the peaceful solitude of Hatfield." "'Here she continued her studies." "'She also indulged a passion for riding and hunting." "'The clean air and exercise were a welcome antidote 'to the headaches and sickness that had plagued her during the investigation 'and would recur throughout her life during moments of stress.'" "At about this time Elizabeth's, French tutor, John Bellmain gave her as a present his translation of St Basil's epistle to St Gregory on the virtues of the single life." "The saint's argument was that marriage distracted the soul from the worship of God." "Bearing in mind her experiences with Thomas Seymour," "Elizabeth was well aware of the practical, political advantages of celibacy too." "It was the same with the saint's arguments about temperance and sobriety of dress." "Elizabeth created a sensation at court by turning up with her hair straight, face unmade-up and virtually no jewellery." "She was rehabilitating herself after the disaster of the Seymour affair by playing the Quaker maid." "'There was more to it than just image." "'Elizabeth was caught up in the new Protestant mood in England." "'The crosses and candles of the Catholic faith 'were being stripped from altars everywhere." "'The new faith had the enthusiastic backing 'of Elizabeth's brother the young King Edward'." "'But by 1553 the 15-year-old King was dying of tuberculosis." "'He was desperate to stop the religious reforms being undone 'by his Catholic sister Mary, 'who would succeed under the terms of their father's will." "'So he excluded her from the succession because she was a bastard." "'But if Mary was a bastard so too was Elizabeth." "'Instead, Edward chose a Protestant cousin to succeed him 'the 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey." "'Anxiously, Elizabeth waited with her armed followers at Hatfield 'to see what would happen next." "'In July 1553 Edward died." "'Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen 'and Elizabeth and Mary were denounced as bastards." "'But Mary was Henry's elder daughter 'and in the eyes of the people she was rightful queen." "'She was supported by many of England's leading families." "'Sir Henry Bedingfeld, a substantial Norfolk landowner 'was one of the first to rally to Mary's banner." "'His descendant still lives at Oxburgh Hall.'" "Sir Henry, at Oxburgh, gathered together 160 men armed, as they say, cap-a-pie," ", that is to say with a certain amount of armour leather jerkins, swords, certainly and, I'm sure, a few horses." "'His role was to take this small group of people to, first of all, Kenning Hall 'where other units such as his were joining up to make an army 'and from there to Framlingham where the army swelled.'" "And they marched from there to London with Queen Mary." "Princess Elizabeth joined them en route." "As custom dictated, at the gates of the city of London they left the army behind and Elizabeth and Mary rode into the city of London to wild rejoicing and cheers from the crowd." "(Starkey) 'In the face of this overwhelming support for Mary 'the opposition collapsed." "'Lady Jane Grey was later beheaded at the Tower." "'On July 19th 1553 Mary was proclaimed Queen." "'Her vision was to lead England back to the true Catholic faith." "'Elizabeth's Protestantism marked her out as a potential enemy.'" "For the first two months of Mary's reign" "Elizabeth contrived to avoid going to Mass." "Finally Mary issued an ultimatum." "Elizabeth was to attend Mass on the 8th September, the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin." "Cornered at last, Elizabeth sought an interview with Mary at Richmond." "She threw herself on her knees before the Queen tears streaming down her face." "She explained that she'd never been taught the old faith and could she have priests to instruct her?" "Oh, yes, and she would go to Mass." "But on the morning she developed a diplomatic chill and rather spoiled the solemnity of the occasion by complaining, loudly, of a bad stomach." "Neither Mary nor anyone else was deceived." "Mary and Elizabeth had different attitudes to their religions." "Mary, of the old religion, would have had a slightly mechanistic expression of her religion." "Not that she wasn't devout and spiritual, I'm sure she was, but her religion involved doing things, pilgrimages, saying the rosary, making signs of the cross." "'For Elizabeth, those things didn't feature in her faith." "People of the new religion would have been much more Bible-based and would have interpreted the Bible in the light of their own reason, rather than relying on an authority from Rome telling them what the Bible meant." "(Starkey) 'Mary now tried to guarantee the Catholic future of England 'by marrying King Philip of Spain." "'But Mary's passionate love for a foreign prince was deeply unpopular 'and Philip's envoys were pelted with snowballs." "'Mary brushed aside the protests." "'Elizabeth became a figurehead for Mary's opponents." "'Early in 1554 she received a letter 'from a gentleman called Sir Thomas Wyatt." "'He told her that he intended to rebel to prevent the Spanish marriage." "'Elizabeth didn't reply in writing." "'Instead she told Wyatt's messenger with careful ambiguity 'that she would do as God would direct her." "'Within days Wyatt had raised an army of 7,000 men 'in the southeast and marched on London." "'As Wyatt's army drew closer to the capital 'there was panic in Mary's court." "'Mary ordered Elizabeth to come to Whitehall 'where she could be kept under control." "'But Elizabeth claimed that she was ill." "'Mary's doctors confirmed the, illness but said, nevertheless 'that she was well enough to travel." "'It took her 11 days to cover the 23 miles to London." "'By the time she arrived Wyatt's rebellion had collapsed." "'He had overestimated support for his cause." "'Wyatt was beheaded and quartered on Tower Hill." "'At first Elizabeth was detained and interrogated at Whitehall, 'then it was decided to send her to the Tower." "'The night before the journey Elizabeth wrote to Mary." "'She was writing for her life.'" ""I most humbly beseech Your Majesty" ""that I be not condemned without answer and due proof" ""which it seems that I now am." ""For without cause proved I am commanded to go to the Tower," ""a place more wanted for a false traitor than a true subject."" "'This is the letter that Elizabeth writes 'at this most desperate moment of her life.'" "She begins with a fine, firm, clear hand but gradually, as the pressure of circumstances gets to her - remember, she thought that she'd only days before she was executed - the handwriting becomes looser and more irregular." "She makes mistakes and then she corrects them." "But finally she's run out of things to say and time to say them in and still she's only a quarter of the way down the second page." "Then, as a primitive security device to stop anybody forging her handwriting and making incriminating additions to the letter she draws long diagonal strokes that almost fill up the page." "'They leave just space at the bottom for a postscript.'" ""'I humbly crave but only one word with yourself."" "'It summarises the entire letter." "'And then at the right she signs off." ""'Your Highness's most faithful subject from the beginning" ""'and shall be to my end."'" "Elizabeth's letter was a long one." "Deliberately so, because by the time she had finished the tide was too high for a boat to be able to make the journey safely to the Tower." "She'd bought herself a few precious hours but to no avail." "Mary didn't even deign to reply." "'Early the next morning Elizabeth was rowed up the river to the Tower." "'The rain was falling in a steady drizzle." "'Elizabeth knew that most of those who made this voyage 'would never make another.'" "When Elizabeth landed the river was very high and the steps were very slippery." "She found it difficult to keep her feet." "She found it even more difficult to control her terror." ""I never thought to come here a prisoner." ""I beseech you all, my friends and fellows," ""bear witness that I come here no traitor" ""but as true a subject to the Queen's majesty as any now alive."" "At the top of the steps stood the soldiers." "They were there to guard her." "Instead they fell on their knees crying, "God save Your Grace!"" "This is the room in the bell tower where Elizabeth is supposed to have been imprisoned." "The eight weeks of her captivity in the Tower were the darkest days of her entire life." "As so often happened at moments of psychological crisis she fell ill." "She thought constantly of death." "After all, she was only a few yards from the spot where her mother had been executed." "She prayed to be delivered from the same fate." "'Two months dragged by." "'Still there was no word from Mary." "'Elizabeth could only expect the worst." "'On the morning of 19th May 1554" "'Sir Henry Bedingfield, Mary's staunch supporter, 'arrived at the Tower with 100 men." "'Elizabeth believed that she was about to die 'and from Mary's point of view she deserved to." "'Mary knew that she had been involved in the Wyatt plot 'but Elizabeth had cleverly covered her tracks." "'Without positive proof" "'Mary couldn't risk executing the heir to the throne." "'Bedingfield took Elizabeth to Woodstock Palace near Oxford.'" "The relationship that Elizabeth had with Sir Henry was, from Sir Henry's point of view, a very professional one." "From her point of view, I should think thoroughly frustrating because he was there with a bunch of keys and he kept her locked in." "The garden gates were locked." "If she wanted to go for a walk someone had to accompany her, an armed guard." "She couldn't receive anything in case there were messages involved and she, in fact, called him, "my jailer"." "(Starkey) 'Elizabeth was locked up for almost a year 'before Mary summoned her." "'The Queen believed that she was pregnant 'and she wanted Elizabeth to play a part in the christening." "'But it was a phantom pregnancy and as his wife sickened" "'Philip's attitude to Elizabeth changed." "'He thought that he could use her to keep control of England 'by marrying her to a friend.'" "In the autumn of 1555 Elizabeth got Mary's permission to leave court and to come here to the peace and security of her country estate at Hatfield." "She wanted to escape the court with its poisonous atmosphere of intrigue and surveillance." "But she also wished to put a metaphorical distance between herself and Mary's government because that summer the burning of Protestants had really got underway." "'More than 300 people met this horrible death during Mary's reign." "'A few were lucky." "'Kind executioners would tie bags of gunpowder to their legs 'to finish them off quickly." "'Most roasted alive." "'Every death created a martyr for the Protestant cause." "'Making England Catholic wasn't going to be easy." "'Sensing that her time was near" "'Elizabeth fiercely resisted Philip's plans 'to marry her off to a Catholic prince, the Duke of Savoy." "'She would be no one's puppet." "'Mary was dying but still she resisted naming Elizabeth as her successor." "'Ten days before her death she finally relented 'under pressure from her council.'" "It was 17th November 1558." "Towards noon messengers arrived at Hatfield to inform Elizabeth that her sister Mary was dead and that she was now Queen." "The story goes that they found her walking in the park underneath a great oak tree." "As they fell on their knees before her she too knelt uttering the words of the 118th psalm," ""A Domino factum est et mirabile in oculis nostris."" ""This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes."" "'The Spanish ambassador, De Feria, 'told Elizabeth she owed her throne not to the lord but to King Philip." "'Elizabeth would have none of it.'" "(Reader) "She is a very vain and clever woman." ""She puts great store by all the people who put her in her present position" ""and she will not acknowledge that Your Majesty had any part in it." ""She is determined to be governed by no one."" "On Wednesday 23rd November," "Elizabeth rode through these great gates of the Charterhouse in London to take possession of her capital." "Her journey from Hatfield had turned into a triumphal progress." "She was accompanied with a great train of a thousand lords ladies and gentlemen!" "and vast, cheering crowds greeted her arrival." "'Elizabeth consulted the astrologer Dr John Dee 'before choosing Sunday 15th January 1559 for her coronation." "'The Queen walked along lengths of blue cloth 'from Westminster Hall to the entrance to Westminster Abbey." "'The crowds behind her fell on the cloth cutting off pieces as souvenirs.'" "Today Elizabeth would play the part that she had understudied so long - and in what a setting." "Her christening at Greenwich had been high theatre but her coronation in Westminster Abbey would be a performance on the grandest scale." "First Elizabeth was acclaimed by the people and swore the oath." "Next her outer robes were removed and she knelt, solemnly, for the anointing." "Bishop Oglethorpe anointed her in the seven traditional places - shoulder blades breasts, palms of the hand and finally on the crown of the head." "Then she was enthroned." "'Successively three different crowns were put on her head 'and, on her fourth finger, a ring 'as a symbol of the mystical marriage between Elizabeth and her kingdom.'" "Tradition, mystery and symbolism had made her Queen of England as fully and completely as any of her predecessors had been king." "Elizabeth at last wore the crown." "Now came the difficult bit." "She had to show that she could grasp the reality of power and govern a divided country." "To do that she had to disprove two widespread assumptions - that no monarch could ever match the achievement of her father and that no woman could ever make an effective ruler." "'It is 1559." "'England has a newly-crowned queen." "'Elizabeth has overcome extraordinary obstacles to gain the crown." "'But her struggle isn't over." "'There's one thing about her that will lead to scandal... 'that will compromise her power... 'threaten her security... 'and demand a terrible personal sacrifice." "'She is a woman." "'Elizabeth inherited a part 'that was traditionally played by two people - 'king and queen, male and female.'" "A king was supposed to be strong-willed and assertive, a decisive leader in war and peace." "The queen, on the other hand, embodied softer, more feminine virtues." "She was to be pious, merciful and charitable but above all, she was a royal breeding machine." "It was her duty to get pregnant early and often." "So for Elizabeth to succeed she'd to do something extraordinary, unnatural even - she'd to be a royal hermaphrodite." "To rule like a man and a king and to bear children like a queen and a woman." "'Elizabeth would have to fight to survive 'and in a man's world she would need men to help her do it." "'Her first task as queen was to establish her own court." "'Her council, who would be in charge of the everyday running of the country 'and her household staff who would look after her'." "'The old regime was Catholic, the new was largely Protestant, 'though a few favoured Catholics survived." "'Some councillors were old hands who had served under her father 'but the top job went to a younger man," "'William Cecil, who became her secretary of state." "'He was 38, serious, brilliant with an instinctive grasp of politics 'and a fierce loyalty to the Queen." "'In a flamboyant age, he dressed in black and he rode a mule 'because it was modest and good for his gout." "'There were also surprises in the new household." "'As Master of the Horse, the man responsible for the Queen's safety," "'Elizabeth appointed the son of a traitor duke." "'Robert Dudley's father had been executed for his treachery 'and the family remained tainted by the crime." "'Known disparagingly as "the Gypsy"" "'because of his dark looks charm and cunning," "'Dudley's appointment raised more than a few eyebrows at court." "'Elizabeth and Dudley were the same age and had known each other in childhood.'" "They may also have met in less happy circumstances here in the Tower where they were both imprisoned early in Mary's reign." "Elizabeth was in fear of death." "Dudley had already seen his father, his brother and his sister-in-law executed and he was under sentence of death himself." "It was this common experience of imprisonment and imminent death that lay at the basis of that unbreakable, instinctive bond of sympathy that joined the Queen and her favourite." "'Elizabeth's choice of Cecil was about politics and duty." "'Her choice of Dudley was about pleasure and desire." "'Elizabeth had inherited from her sister Mary a nation that was bankrupt, 'militarily weak and hemmed in by enemies." "'In the parlance of the time, the country was a bone between two dogs " "'France and Spain." "'England needed friends." "'The obvious way to achieve it was an alliance through marriage." "'The Queen must marry... 'and soon." "'Parliament petitioned the Queen 'asking her to pledge herself to a suitable international marriage." "'Three days later, she gave her response.'" "Now that the public care of governing the kingdom is laid upon me, to draw upon me also the cares of marriage may seem a point of inconsiderate folly." "Yea, to satisfy you," "I have already joined myself in marriage to an husband, namely the Kingdom of England." "And for me it shall be a full satisfaction." "If, when I shall let my last breath, it may be engraven upon my marble tomb," ""Here lieth Elizabeth" ""which reigned a virgin" ""and died a virgin."" "(Starkey) 'But the Queen wasn't behaving like a virgin, 'as the Spanish ambassador insinuatingly observed.'" "(Reader) "During the last few days," ""Lord Robert has come so much into favour" ""that he does whatever he likes with affairs." ""It is even said that Her Majesty visits him in his chamber day and night."" "(Starkey) 'By the end of April, the ambassador reported 'that the Queen was in love with Robert and wouldn't let him leave her side." "'But the Queen's closeness to Dudley disturbed her courtiers." "'As a colleague, they could put up with him." "'As a potential king, he was intolerable.'" "(Woman) I think William was very worried about Dudley." "He saw him as a huge threat both to national prosperity, if he married the Queen and also to his position at court." "He was the one man that he was fussed about." "'And I suspect there was a certain amount of jealousy." "'He adored the Queen and there was this guy he considered to be lightweight 'coming between him and her." "'He certainly did not want them to get married.'" "(Starkey) 'Cecil stepped up the pressure 'for the Queen to marry a European prince." "'There was no shortage of candidates.'" "King Philip?" "'King Philip of Spain, Catholic and widower of Elizabeth's sister Mary.'" "Charles IX?" "He is 16!" "'Charles IX of France Catholic and a mere sickly boy.'" "Charles of Austria?" "'The Archduke Charles, the most promising candidate but still a Catholic.'" "Erik of Sweden?" "No...my Lord." "'Elizabeth was playing hard to get 'for reasons that were political as well as personal." "'She'd seen the problems 'created by her sister's disastrous marriage to Philip of Spain 'and she was determined to avoid them.'" "But actually, that was easier said than done." "If she married a foreigner, how could England avoid the disastrous foreign entanglements which had led to the loss of Calais?" "And if she married a Catholic, and almost all her suitors were Catholics how would Protestant England cope with a Catholic king?" "And finally, and above all, how could she be happy if she married a man that she'd never seen?" "Sometimes she must have reflected it was safer to follow her own inclination and not marry at all." "(# Choral anthem)" "'Elizabeth faced her second major challenge." "'She was a Protestant queen in a country that was still officially Catholic." "'Her sister had stamped Catholicism on England with extraordinary violence, 'burning at the stake over 300 Protestant men, women and children." "'Elizabeth had finally got Parliament 'to agree to restore Protestantism in England." "'Mary's Catholic bishops had fought her all the way 'and when they were ordered to swear an oath 'accepting the Queen as head of the new Church 'all but one of them refused." "'Her response was swift." "'On 20th May 1560 Thomas Watson, Bishop of Lincoln, 'was sent to the Tower." "'In the following weeks, many more bishops were arrested as well.'" "As well as the ex-bishops, the surviving Catholic members of Mary's council were also arrested." "But Elizabeth, unlike her sister Mary, didn't try to force them to convert." "It wasn't her business, she said to make windows into men's souls." "Elizabeth was subtler." "She insisted only on outward conformity." "'They had to acknowledge her supremacy 'and they were allowed to celebrate Mass only privately." "'The result deprived Catholicism of the publicity of martyrdom." "'Instead, it reduced it to something furtive, 'to be allowed, Elizabeth hoped, slowly to wither away." "'Whilst Catholicism was forced underground," "'England's new religion was given a bold public face.'" "This is the rood screen." "Rood means cross and originally an image of Christ hanging on the cross stood in the centre of the screen with the Virgin Mary on one side and St John on the other." "Under Elizabeth these images were torn' down because they were seen as being idolatrous." "They were replaced with this painted, gigantic version of the royal arms." "Queen Elizabeth, the arms say, is God's direct representative here on earth." "Church and state are one." "'And when the congregation knelt to pray, 'they worshipped not only God but also the English nation 'as embodied in its Virgin Queen." "'But the Virgin Queen's relationship with Robert Dudley 'was by now a national scandal." "'Both court and public were appalled at his arrogance, 'offended by his brashness and suspicious of his motives." "'And there was another thing." "'He was married." "'Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, was rumoured to be very ill." "'Gossip claimed that Dudley was simply waiting for her to die 'so that he could marry the Queen." "'Cecil was close to despair 'and confided in the Spanish ambassador.'" "(Reader) "I met Cecil who said that the Queen was going on so strangely" ""that he was about to withdraw from her service." ""He perceived the most manifest ruin impending over the Queen" ""through her intimacy with Lord Robert." ""He had made himself master of the business of state" ""and of the person of the Queen" ""to the extreme injury of the realm," ""with the intention of marrying her." ""Last of all, he said there was a conspiracy to kill Lord Robert's wife."" "It is late on the afternoon of 8th September 1560 at Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire the home of Lord Robert Dudley, the Queen's favourite and Amy Robsart, his wife of five years' standing." "The house is unusually quiet because the servants have been given the day off to attend a local fair." "When they return, they find Lady Dudley's body at the foot of the staircase dead and with her neck broken." "'Dudley's first reaction?" "Fear for his reputation." "'He was right to fear." "'A major scandal erupts at court " "'Queen's favourite murders wife to clear way to Queen's bed." "'Elizabeth, fearful for her reputation - 'she couldn't allow the scandal to besmirch her." "'Reluctantly, she banishes Dudley from court." "'The inquest exonerated Dudley by returning a verdict of accidental death." "'But his enemies were confident that his reputation was beyond repair, 'that he would never recover his all too intimate relationship with the Queen." "'It is October 1562." "'Queen Elizabeth has lain unconscious in a coma for the last 24 hours." "'Her physicians have diagnosed smallpox 'and she's not expected to live." "'In a nearby room, the Privy Council is in crisis." "'It is three years into the reign 'but Elizabeth has neither married nor named a successor." "'If she dies, there will be a constitutional crisis 'possibly a civil war." "'And a new threat was waiting in the wings." "On 19th August 1561 a tall, striking-looking woman stepped ashore at Leith, near Edinburgh." "It was Mary, Queen of Scots returning to her kingdom." "There was a thick sea mist that morning." "Some later saw this as an evil omen of the sorrow the darkness and the impiety which Mary's return was to bring to Scotland." "'The 18-year-old Queen of Scots had been brought up in France 'and she'd not seen Scotland for 13 years." "'But even when she was back in Scotland 'her sights were set on another, greater kingdom " "'England." "'The Catholic Mary was Elizabeth's cousin 'and had a very strong claim to the English throne." "'She posed a double threat to Elizabeth." "'Protestantism was only recently established and still vulnerable 'and with Elizabeth unmarried childless and in poor health, 'the succession was dangerously open." "'But Elizabeth recovered and for the moment the crisis was over." "'Her first words on regaining consciousness 'were to command her council to appoint a Lord Protector 'in the event of her death." "'His salary, she specified, would be a staggering £20,000, 'more than was spent on the coronation." "'The man she named was Robert Dudley." "'The scandal of his wife's death had died away 'and Dudley's reputation had recovered." "'Now he was back in favour in spectacular style.'" "Only three months after her illness Elizabeth faced a fresh ordeal." "Parliament had been summoned for January 1563 and everybody knew that a reluctant queen would be forced once more to confront the issue of the succession." "The Parliament was opened with a sermon preached in Westminster Abbey by Alexander Nowell, the Dean of St Paul's." "And Nowell put into words what most people only dared think." "(Man) "All the Queen's most noble ancestors" ""have commonly had some issue to succeed them." ""But Her Majesty yet none." ""The want of your marriage and issue is likely to prove a plague." ""If your parents had been of your mind, where had you been then?" ""Alack, what shall become of us?"" "I reckon that's pretty straight talking." "It was a very small part of the sermon but this was almost before a state opening of Parliament." "Now I don't know if Dean Nowell had been put up to it by Elizabeth's political advisors or whether he was just speaking for himself but I do think he was taking a bit of a risk." "Nowell would not have been the first churchman to be sent to the Tower." "He'd had a run-in at St Paul's the year before when he'd given her a prayer book with pictures of saints and she took exception to this." "This was a kind of idolatry that she'd forbidden." "So, he was playing with fire a bit but, clearly, he was prepared to nail his colours to this particular mast." "(Starkey) 'Nowell's tough words set the tone for Parliament." "'But again, the Queen hedged and obfuscated." "'For her, marriage was simply not on the cards." "'Mary, though, showed no such reluctance 'and was entertaining the suits of several European Catholics." "'An alliance between Scotland and one of England's enemies 'could spell disaster." "'So Elizabeth requested diplomatic talks with the Scots." "'For nine days she entertained Mary's ambassador, Sir James Melville.'" "(Melville) "She desired to know whether my queen's hair or hers was best" ""and which of the two was fairest." ""I said she was the fairest queen in England" ""and mine the fairest queen in Scotland." ""She inquired which of them was of highest stature." ""I said, 'My queen.' "'Then she is too high,' sayeth she," ""'for I, myself, am neither too high nor too low.'"" "(Starkey) 'There was a final round in this game of diplomacy." "'Elizabeth offered an English candidate for the hand of the Queen of Scots " "'Lord Robert Dudley.'" "(Melville) "Her Majesty called him her brother and best friend" ""whom she could have married" ""had she ever minded to have taken a husband." ""But being determined to end her life in virginity," ""she wished that the Queen her sister might marry him."" "(Starkey) 'But did Elizabeth really intend to give the man she'd loved 'to Mary, Queen of Scots?" "'" "Robert Dudley, who should have known, took her intentions seriously enough to do everything he could to scupper the scheme." "But there was a lot to be said for it politically." "It would have solved the problem of Dudley." "He wouldn't have become king of England but he would have become king as consort of Mary." "And it would've solved the problem of Mary." "She'd have been safely married to an Englishman and away from a foreigner and the alliance that the English so feared for their northern neighbour." "And it would have solved the problem of the succession - any children would be recognised as heirs to the English throne." "But the scheme did fail." "Not because of Elizabeth but because of Mary's contempt for the man that she called" ""Elizabeth's horse keeper"." "'Mary had her own ideas about love." "'Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, 'was 18, tall, handsome and a fine lute player." "'Mary described him as the lustiest and best proportioned long lad 'she had ever seen." "'When he fell ill, she nursed him." "'They fell in love." "'It was a whirlwind romance 'and four months later, in the Chapel Royal at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, 'they were married.'" "(Bells tolling)" "'The effect on Elizabeth was dramatic." "'Within a few days, it was reported that she and Robert 'had become inseparable again." "'If the young Queen of Scots could marry for love, 'why couldn't England's queen do the same?" "'But the return of the rumour of marriage brought new and fierce resistance." "'The Duke of Norfolk the most powerful noble in the land, 'was the Queen's closet male relative 'and was bitterly opposed to the prospective match." "'Norfolk had always resented the rise to power of the upstart Dudley." "'A resentment intensified by his own failure to gain high office." "'He became the focus of the anti-Dudley camp." "'Their rivalry split the court." "'Dudley's side took to wearing purple ribbons... 'and Norfolk's, yellow." "'The two factions roamed the corridors of power, armed and angry." "'The Queen intervened to slap both sides down." "'When Dudley objected to the Queen's flirtation with a young, pretty courtier, 'she lashed him with her tongue loud enough for the whole court to hear.'" ""I will have here but one mistress and no master."" "(Starkey) 'Norfolk, too, found himself in disgrace." "'At a Privy Council meeting, 'he raised the matter of marriage and the succession." "'She flew into a rage, calling him a traitor 'and adding that she would not name a successor 'as she had no wish to be "buried alive"." "'For good measure, she also threatened to have the Duke arrested." "'But her tough words could not resolve the tensions at court." "'Behind the bickering lay the real problem - the succession." "'Until Elizabeth married and produced an heir, 'the crisis would never go away." "'While Elizabeth fought to hold the men of her court together," "'Mary enjoyed a female triumph." "'On 19th June 1566 in a tiny room in the castle at Edinburgh," "'Mary fulfilled her duty as a woman and as a queen." "'She had a child.'" "Her labour was long and hard but the baby was healthy and it was a boy." "They christened him James." "Scotland now had an heir and Mary, Queen of Scots a son." "When the English ambassador saw the baby a few days later he reported that he was likely to prove a goodly prince." "'The news was far from goodly for Elizabeth." "(Man) "She burst out to some of her ladies" ""that the Queen of Scots was mother of a fair son" ""while she was but of barren stock."" "(Starkey) 'But Mary's triumph did not last." "'The initial euphoria of marriage had faded 'as Darnley's true nature emerged." "'He was violent, an arrogant drunk, 'a lout with all the makings of a psychopath." "'Darnley had become insanely jealous of David Rizzio," "'Mary's Italian secretary, 'whom he suspected of having an affair with the Queen.'" "A group of Protestant Scottish lords also hated Rizzio because he was a Catholic and the Queen's favourite." "So the two groups of Rizzio's enemies came together and signed a contract to murder him." "On the night of 9th March 1566 the conspirators burst in here, the Queen's smallest chamber where they found Rizzio having a tête-à-tête with the Queen." "He was dragged outside and stabbed 57 times." "The conspirators thoughtfully left Darnley's dagger sticking in Rizzio's belly." "'Less than a year later, Darnley himself was dead." "'The house where he was staying was blown up." "'Darnley was found strangled in the orchard.'" "Everything suggested that the man responsible for the crime was James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who was one of Mary's leading supporters." "Still worse, the finger of suspicion also pointed at Mary herself." "'And, as Elizabeth told her bluntly, 'her behaviour was making a bad situation worse.'" ""Madam, my ears have been so astounded" ""and my heart so frightened" ""to hear of the horrible murder of your former husband, our mutual cousin," ""that I have scarcely spirit to write." ""Yet I cannot conceal that I grieve more for you than for him."" "(Starkey) 'But there was still worse to come." "'Mary was abducted, taken by force to Dunbar and raped." "'The perpetrator was James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell." "'Two weeks later, they were married.'" ""Madam, how could a worse choice be made for your honour" ""than in such haste to marry a subject who, besides other notorious lacks" ""public fame has charged with the murder of your late husband?"" "(Starkey) 'Within a few weeks, Mary paid a terrible price for her folly." "'A large party of the Scottish nobility rose up in arms against their scandalous queen." "'The two sides joined in battle 'but Mary's troops melted away without striking a blow." "'Even her husband Bothwell negotiated a safe conduct for himself 'from the field of battle." "'Mary was defeated and abandoned." "'Mary was brought as a prisoner here, 'to the island fortress of Lochleven where she miscarried of twins.'" "Then, broken in body and mind, under the immediate threat of physical force, she was compelled to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son James." "She was never to see him again." "'Mary had married unwisely, for love and for lust 'and as a consequence she had lost her crown, her son and her liberty." "'Perhaps after all there was wisdom in living and ruling alone.'" "(Elizabeth) "To be led from the place of arraignment to the Tower of London" ""and thence to the gallows at Tyburn." ""And there to be hanged and being half-dead" ""to be cut down and the bowels to be taken out of the belly" ""and thrown into the fire." ""And the head to be cut off" ""and the body to be divided into four parts" ""and the head and four quarters to be set up and disposed at our pleasure." ""Which manner of execution is due to every person" ""that committeth treason." ""Given under our signet at our palace of Westminster," ""Elizabeth R."" "'For the Tudors treason was the worst of crimes 'which deserved the worst of punishments.'" "Elizabeth had personal experience of its terrors because she'd been imprisoned in the Tower on charges of treason herself." "When she became queen she hoped that the moderation of her rule would make treason and its terrible penalties a forgotten memory." "But a decade after her accession these hopes were fading." "Catholicism hadn't withered away as she'd hoped." "The nobility were no longer content simply with honour and dignity." "Instead, some of them wanted real power which Elizabeth was reluctant to give them." "And above all there were the unsolved questions of the succession and her marriage." "It was a combustible mixture that needed only a spark to set it alight." "'In May 1568 Mary escaped from her island prison." "'Thousands of troops flocked to join her standard." "'But once again she was defeated in battle." "'This time the defeat was final." "'She escaped from the field of battle but she was now alone and desperate." "'She fled to the only place 'that might offer her safety, protection and even support " "'England." "'Elizabeth dispatched one of her councillors to Carlisle 'to convey Mary to a place of refuge and to treat her with all honour 'as befitted her status as a queen." "'In reality, she was a prisoner." "'Mary's arrival in England was a disaster for Elizabeth." "'Until now, the Queen had kept Catholicism under control." "'But Mary gave English Catholics, especially those in the north, 'a figurehead round whom they could rally and even rebel." "'The north of England had been the scene 'of the biggest rebellion against Henry VIII." "'Now insurrection was brewing again." "'The population had remained largely Catholic 'and felt little loyalty to the Protestant Queen far away in London." "'The northern earls were Catholic too." "'They had been prepared to put up with Elizabeth 'providing she left them alone." "'But slowly, the government was nibbling away at their independence." "'The earls looked to Norfolk for leadership." "'Norfolk was not a natural rebel 'but he too was aggrieved and disaffected - ripe for rebellion.'" "In June 1568 Mary's envoy approached the Duke of Norfolk with an extraordinary suggestion." "He proposed the Duke should marry Mary, Queen of Scots and retake Scotland." "Norfolk would then exchange a ducal coronet for the Royal Crown of Scotland whilst their children would be the natural heirs of England also." "Attractive but dangerous." "Norfolk had in his pocket a commission from Elizabeth which said that anybody marrying Mary would be adjudged a traitor." "And Norfolk himself was convinced of Mary's guilt as a murderer and an adulterer." "But ambition brings strange bedfellows." "'Rumours of this dangerous conversation reached Elizabeth 'and she summoned Norfolk to court." "'But her cousin denied the charge." "'She gave him two more chances to come clean." "'Twice more came denial." "'His denials roused her suspicions." "'This was more than just a covert marriage plan, 'it was a plot to overthrow her." "'Norfolk suddenly left the Queen's summer progress 'and returned here to the Charrterhouse his London residence.'" "He agreed to join in a plot hatched by the Earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland." "The earls would raise the north liberate Mary, Queen of Scots and bring about her marriage to Norfolk." "All the north, Northumberland boasted would rebel at his command." "'Thomas Percy, the Earl of Northumberland 'had his own reasons for rebellion." "'It was partly about religion - the Percys had remained staunchly Catholic - 'but at heart it was about power." "'Northumberland thought he had a right to share in power." "'Elizabeth was prepared to share power with no one.'" "Thomas was really driven to rebellion by Elizabeth and Cecil in particular." "Cecil didn't like the power of the Percys in the north." "The fact that they were Catholic as well - and a lot of the people in this area were Catholic - meant that there was a power base in the north, close to Scotland close to Mary, Queen of Scots" "that presented a serious problem to the crown." "Thomas could have had an easy life." "He was wealthy enough to maintain his life he loved country pursuits, he had a wonderful wife he had four beautiful children." "He risked everything, basically." "(Starkey) 'But the risk was too much for Norfolk." "'He wrote to Northumberland begging him to cancel the rising." "'But it was too late." "'Midnight on November 9th 1569." "'Churches all over the north rang their bells backwards." "'It was a signal for the rebellion to begin.'" "On 10th November the rebel earls entered Durham and broke open the doors of this great cathedral." "And here they performed an act of calculated defiance - they tore up and burned the Protestant bibles and prayer books, the symbols of the new religion." "And they celebrated the central mystery of the old by attending a Catholic Mass." "They had crosses on their armour and they carried the badge and the banner of the five wounds of Christ." "It looked like a holy war, a crusade." "'The loss of Durham was a catastrophe." "'The city was a fortress to stop an invasion from Scotland." "'Now it had fallen to the rebels and could be turned against the Queen." "'Elizabeth was paying a heavy price for her mishandling of the northern earls." "'By bullying them, like her father at his worst 'she had pushed them over the edge." "'Their goal was obvious - to rescue Mary from captivity." "'Mary was imprisoned at Tutbury in Staffordshire." "'If they managed to reach her, they would hold not only half of England, 'they would have an alternative queen." "'Elizabeth acted decisively." "'She had her cousin moved further south to Coventry, 'well inside the Protestant heartland and beyond the rebels' reach." "'She also ordered the rapid deployment of an armed force to the north 'to intercept the marauders." "'The rebel earls had advanced south confidently, 'expecting that other noblemen would join them.'" "So when they heard that the southern lords were marching against them with royal troops in overwhelming numbers, they were taken off guard." "They decided to retreat to fight on their own territory." "But the retreat knocked the stuffing out of the rebellion their troops melted away and the earls fled towards Scotland." "Elizabeth was exultant." "By behaving like her father she'd helped to provoke the rebellion." "Now she actually outdid him in the savagery with which she punished the rebels." ""Spare no offenders." "We are in nothing moved to spare them." ""The bodies to remain till they fall to pieces where they hang."" "(Starkey) '700 men were put to death, including the Earl of Northumberland." "'No village was without at least one execution." "'Lands were seized 'and distributed amongst Elizabeth's Protestant supporters." "'The north of England would never be the same again." "'Norfolk was arrested 'but there wasn't enough evidence to execute him for treason." "'But, whilst under house arrest he became involved in a new plot 'masterminded by the Italian banker Ridolfi." "'The conspirators were careless." "'English spies captured incriminating letters 'and the plotters were rounded up." "'It was more than enough to seal Norfolk's fate." "'But the Queen could not bring herself to execute England's only duke, 'her closet male relative." "'Three times she signed, the execution warrant 'three times she called it back and destroyed it." "'For five months she procrastinated." "'She was staving off the inevitable.'" "(Elizabeth) "Thomas, Duke of Norfolk," ""late of Kenninghall in the county of Norfolk... (Voices overlapping)" ""..." "led to the Tower of London and his head to be cut off..." ""..and his body to be divided into four parts..." ""..his head and four quarters to be set up and disposed..." ""..and his head to be cut off..." ""which manner of execution is due to every person" ""that committeth treason." ""Yet we, being moved to pity of our Grace," ""are pleased to change such manner of execution." ""To cause only that his head be smitten from his body" ""at the Tower Hill the accustomed place of execution." ""Given under our signet at our palace of Westminster," ""the thirteenth year of our reign, Elizabeth R."" "(Starkey) 'On the morning of 2nd June 1572" "'Norfolk was led to the scaffold.'" "Fastidious to the last he rearranged the straw, knelt down, stretched out his neck and then as the crowd murmured" ""Lord Jesu have mercy on thy soul,"" "the executioner cut off his head with a single stroke." "'Elizabeth had reigned for 14 years." "'She had beaten off rebellion 'she had resisted the pressure to marry" "'and she had survived alone." "'But Mary and religion had divided her country 'and her Catholic enemies abroad were marshalling their forces." "'Elizabeth and her Protestant people would be plunged into war.'" "'In July 1588, beacons were lit across England 'to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada." "'Elizabeth's darkest fears had come true.'" "England was at war - open war at last." "It was something that Elizabeth had twisted and turned for 20 years to avoid." "Elizabeth hated war because it was so expensive." "It was also unbelievably risky." "The loss of Calais had destroyed her sister Mary's reputation." "And Elizabeth well knew that a similar, unforeseen disaster could undo all her own work." "'Elizabeth loathed war 'because, as a woman she couldn't lead her own armies." "'Instead, she had to give their command to hot-willed men 'who would disobey her orders 'and might even turn her own forces against her." "'The slide into war had begun nearly 20 years before." "'By the early 1570s," "'Elizabeth had triumphed over her opponents in England." "'She had seen off a rebellion and executed the ringleaders, 'including her own cousin, the Duke of Norfolk." "'There was a fragile peace in England 'but Elizabeth was in constant danger." "'She had powerful enemies abroad, 'headed by the Pope, who, like a 16th-century ayatollah, 'had signed a fatwa on the Protestant English Queen." "(Reader) "Whosoever sends her out of the world" ""with the pious intention of doing God's service" ""not only does not sin but gains merit."" "'Elizabeth had powerful Catholic enemies at home as well." "'Mary, Queen of Scots had been Elizabeth's prisoner 'since her desperate flight from Scotland in 1568." "'Mary had a strong claim to the English throne 'through her great-grandfather Henry VII." "'On her arrival in England," "'Mary identified herself passionately with Catholicism." "'Mary's faith set her on a collision course with Elizabeth 'especially as relations between Catholics and Protestants in Europe 'were about to explode." "'In Paris, on St Bartholomew's Day, 24th August, 1572," "'Catholics began a massacre of their Protestant neighbours." "(Reader) "Everywhere there were people who fled" ""and others who ran after them crying, 'Kill, Kill!" "'" ""There was no mercy, either for age or for sex." ""It was, in very truth, a massacre." ""The streets were strewn with naked, mutilated corpses." ""The river was covered with them."" "'Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's ambassador in Paris 'barely escaped with his life." "'The Queen recalled him to London and gave him a new job 'masterminding England's security." "'Walsingham quickly identified public enemy number one." "(Reader) "Nothing is more necessary" ""than that the realm might be delivered of her." ""If the sore be not salved" ""I fear we shall have a Bartholomew breakfast."" "'Mary was a figurehead for Catholics everywhere 'who wanted to depose Elizabeth." "'And Mary knew that there could be only one way out of her confinement.'" "(Mary) "I will not leave my prison, save as Queen of England."" "'The St Bartholomew massacre heightened the fear 'of a bloody Catholic rising in England." "'It also plunged France into civil war." "'Elizabeth had relied on France 'as a counterbalance to the mighty Spanish empire, 'which controlled much of Europe, 'including the Netherlands - 'that is, modern-day Holland, Belgium and northeastern France." "'But although England might fear her Catholic neighbours, 'she couldn't live without them 'because in the Netherlands was England's biggest export market, 'the booming city of Antwerp.'" "In 1532, the year before Elizabeth's birth, this magnificent new exchange was built." "Antwerp was now a combination of the City and Wall Street and the most important commodity traded was English wool." "The English traders held centre stage, doing their deals here, in the middle of the trading floor." "As usual, money talks and the volume of the London-Antwerp trade meant the Netherlands were normally England's chief overseas ally." "The rulers of the Netherlands in the 16th century were the Hapsburgs." "'One of them was Philip of Spain, 'who had been married to Mary Tudor, Elizabeth's sister." "'When Mary died, Philip tried to keep hold of England 'by proposing to Elizabeth." "'But the new queen refused him." "'Neither Elizabeth nor her people wanted to be ruled by a foreigner again.'" "(Bells ringing)" "'The people of the Netherlands didn't much like Spanish rule either 'and in 1576, they united behind Prince William of Orange." "'He was horrified by the brutality of Spanish rule 'and he turned to Elizabeth as a fellow Protestant, for help." "'Elizabeth now proved herself to be a queen of deception." "'Instead of intervening directly, as her father Henry VIII might have done," "'Elizabeth preferred to get others to do her dirty work for her.'" "Elizabeth's policy towards the Netherlands trod a tightrope." "She didn't wish to be seen giving help to Philip's rebellious subjects because that would break the rules of the royal club to which both she and Philip belonged." "Nor, on the other hand did she want to see Philip re-establish a real power over the Netherlands - that would enable him to resume persecution of the Protestants." "Still worse, it would enable him to turn the Netherlands into a springboard for the invasion of England." "So every time Philip looked as though he was getting the upper hand," "Elizabeth threw large amounts of gold at the Dutch rebels to stiffen their resistance." "(Cannon fire, shouting)" "'But mighty Spain would not be beaten by a Dutch revolt 'and William's rebellion began to buckle under the force of Spanish arms." "'Elizabeth needed someone else to try to stop Philip." "'Enter the Duke of Anjou." "'His mother had put him forward as a husband for Elizabeth 'when he was just 18 and she was 39." "'But he was reputedly puny and scarred by smallpox 'and Elizabeth hadn't been interested." "'But six years later, he began to intrigue her." "'The Duke belonged to the French royal family 'but as the youngest son, 'he had little chance of inheriting the throne, 'so he had to look elsewhere for a kingdom of his own." "'He hoped to find one in the Netherlands." "'If Elizabeth could pull the right strings," "'Anjou would be the perfect puppet to oppose Philip." "'Elizabeth flourished her diplomatic trump card, 'now a bit worn and past its best but still playable." "'Marriage was on the table again.'" "Vous allez restaurer cette vie languissante..." "'Anjou's ambition needed money." "'He began a secret correspondence with Elizabeth 'but his letters didn't talk of interest rates." "'Instead, they used the language of love.'" "La plupart fait..." "'She was his "belle majesté"." "'He was her slave." "'His declarations combined devotion and passion 'with just a tasteful hint of eroticism." "'Anjou sent a close friend, Jean Simier, to England, 'to continue the seduction 'and the financial negotiations on his behalf.'" "Je vous présente une lettre de Monsieur le duc." "'Simier was described as "a most choice courtier" ""'exquisitely skilled in love toys and court dalliances."" "'Elizabeth was more than half in love with his master 'without even having met him.'" "Anjou arrived at Greenwich in the small hours of 17th August, 1579." "His first thought was to rush to the Queen's bedchamber." "Instead, Simier persuaded him to take some rest." "But then Simier wrote a letter to Elizabeth that was almost as titillating, as though the Duke really had burst in on the slumbering Queen." ""I got in between the sheets," Simier wrote." ""And would to God you were there too," ""so that he could explain his mind to you more easily."" "'Elizabeth and Anjou hit it off immediately." "'She'd steeled herself to meet an ugly little fellow." "'What she saw instead was a mature and attractive man." "'She nicknamed him her "Frog"." "'The Spanish ambassador Mendoza remarked...'" "(Mendoza) "The Queen has, with difficulty, entertained the Duke," ""being captivated, overcome with love." ""She told me she's never found a man" ""whose nature and actions suited her better."" "Elizabeth was in love." "The ice maiden had melted." "The Virgin Queen was longing to become a blushing bride." "Anjou had caught her on the rebound." "She'd just learned that Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, her favourite of 20 years' standing, had betrayed her by daring to get married in secret." "But she was also fascinated by Anjou himself." "All of the Englishmen, who'd attracted her from Thomas Seymour when she was a teenager to Leicester himself, were bold, athletic men who barnstormed their way into Elizabeth's favour." "Anjou was different." "With his quirky face, his expressive hands and his French ways, he charmed her into love." "'Elizabeth was in love with a man 20 years her junior, 'a Catholic and a Frenchman.'" "But would the marriage be a real one?" "That's to say, was Elizabeth, unlike her sister Mary, still able to have children?" "Her minister Burghley had thought of this problem too and he'd had confidential discussions with her doctors and her ladies-in-waiting." "And they'd all said the same thing, that she was apt to have children even at this day." "'After just two weeks, the lovers were torn apart." "'Anjou was recalled to Paris after a friend was killed in a duel." "'He sent Elizabeth three love letters tied with pink ribbons 'before he had even left English soil, 'calling himself "the most faithful and loving slave on earth"." "'Elizabeth, intoxicated with the attention 'couldn't wait for him to return." "'Elizabeth's old favourites were enraged." "'Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, was parrticularly jealous.'" "(Reader) "Leicester is much put out and all the councillors are disgusted." ""A friend of Leicester tells me he's cursing the French."" "'A pamphlet appeared on the streets of London." "'It was venomous in its opposition to the match." "'Elizabeth would be drawn into a Catholic den of idolatry." "'If she died in childbirth Anjou might become King of England." "'Besides, the Frenchman probably had the pox." "'Elizabeth was incandescent with rage." "'She ordered that the author John Stubbs, and his printer' 'have their right hands struck off." "'Stubbs spoke of his loyalty to the Queen 'before having his hand severed with a butcher's cleaver 'and the stump seared with a red-hot iron." "'Public opinion turned viciously xenophobic." ""Hop off, you Frogs!"" "But Tudor England wasn't a democracy." "The men whose opinions Elizabeth would listen to were the members of her Privy Council." "The council debated the marriage all day." "Finally, opinion was split fifty-fifty for and against." "In those circumstances, the council felt that it could offer the Queen no formal opinion." "Elizabeth was genuinely astonished." "For 20 years, her ministers had been telling her she had to marry." "Now she'd found the ideal marriage and they refused to endorse it." "She took her council's lukewarm reaction as an effective veto on the Anjou marriage." "'So Elizabeth wouldn't marry her Prince Charming.'" "(Reader) "She remained extremely sad and was so cross and melancholy" ""that it was noted by everyone who approached her." ""She's been greatly alarmed by all this."" "'Elizabeth wrote to Anjou explaining why public opinion 'made it impossible for her to marry him.'" "(Elizabeth) "The public practice of the Roman religion so sticks in their hearts." ""I beg you to consider this deeply" ""as a matter which is so hard for Englishmen to bear" ""that it passes all imagination." ""For my part, I confess there is no prince in the world" ""to whom I think myself more bound," ""nor with whom I would rather pass the years of my life," ""both for your rare virtues and sweet nature." ""With my commendations to my dearest Frog."" "'Elizabeth thought she'd seen the last of him.'" "(Mary) "I will not leave my prison save as Queen of England."" "'Mary, Queen of Scots 'had now been Elizabeth's prisoner for 11 years." "'She dreamed of rescue 'and she dreamed of taking her captor's throne." "'So she became the centre of a web of Catholic conspiracy, 'keeping contact with her supporters at home and abroad 'via secret letters." "'Some of these letters contained encouraging news." "'Although Catholicism in England had been driven underground," "'Jesuit priests were being trained abroad to keep the faith alive." "'The Jesuits were spiritual revolutionaries 'who were being smuggled into England in disguise." "'Among them was Edmund Campion, 'one of the outstanding churchmen of his age." "'Campion had left the Church of England to become a Catholic 'and he had the zeal of a convert." "'Campion landed in England in 1580, 'posing as a travelling merchant." "'His mission was spiritual, to minister to Catholics." "'He had no plans to stir up rebellion 'but he knew that the Protestant authorities would treat him as a traitor.'" "(Campion) "I cannot long escape the hands of the heretics." ""The enemy have so many eyes, so many tongues," ""so many scouts and crafts." ""I often change my name." ""Threatening edicts come forth against us daily." ""I read letters sometimes that tell news that Campion is taken."" "(Father Hewett) 'Campion had a very attractive personality." "'Clearly a man of integrity, ambition, great intelligence.'" "The authorities viewed him as a dangerous individual," ", because he was so gifted, because he was so attractive because he had such a great name already from his days at Oxford and as a member of the Anglican church." "'He represented a new kind of religion, 'not just establishment religion of either sort.'" "It was enthusiastic religion and that's always dangerous, particularly if you're trying your best, as Elizabeth was very understandably from her point of view, to form an established church which didn't satisfy anybody but kept everybody more or less contained and quiet." "One thing Campion was not was quiet." "(Starkey) 'The Catholic Mass was illegal in England." "'That didn't stop Campion moving from house to house, 'saying Mass and hearing confessions." "'He published pamphlets 'which challenged the very basis of Elizabeth's church." "'Elizabeth had met Campion at Oxford 15 years earlier, 'before he had converted to Catholicism." "'She had been greatly impressed by him 'but she couldn't ignore the gauntlet that he was now throwing down." "'Like it or not she had to treat him as the enemy.'" "Elizabeth and Campion actually had a lot in common." "Both believed that it should be possible to distinguish between religion and politics." "At the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth had claimed passionately that she wouldn't make windows into men's souls whilst Campion, for his part, insisted that he had no political motives and was the Queen's loyal subject." "But in the circumstances of the European cold war between Protestant and Catholic the distinction between religion and politics was almost impossible to maintain." "After all, Campion was the loyal servant of the Pope and the Pope claimed the authority to depose Elizabeth." "He had already in the 1560s authorised her subjects to rebel against her and he could and would do so again." "'Campion's solitary journey 'now brought him to Lyford Grange near Oxford." "'Here, a priest-catcher discovered him and alerted the authorities." "'The house was ransacked and after a search of two days, 'a chink of light betrayed Campion's hiding place.'" "Campion was taken to London, where he had a secret meeting with Leicester and Elizabeth herself." "The Queen offered him pardon and preferment if he would recant." "Campion refused and in turn reminded Elizabeth of her glorious Catholic ancestors whom she had betrayed." "'Campion was returned to the Tower 'and five days later was put to the rack, to extract a confession of treason." "'At his trial, he was found guilty 'and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered." "'On the scaffold, Campion prayed to God 'to grant the Queen a long, quiet reign 'with all prosperity.'" "The effect of Campion's death on the Catholic world was tremendous strengthening." "As always, when you make martyrs, you usually increase the cause you're trying to oppose and that certainly was the case with Campion." "'Word got round of his heroic death, by any standards." "'So, tremendous encouragement for the Catholic world.'" "The very thing that Elizabeth was trying to cool down - enthusiastic commitment and religion of any sort - was the very thing he strengthened." "'Elizabeth was provoking her Catholic enemies." "'Most aggrieved of all was Philip of Spain." "'Whilst Campion's death had insulted his faith 'another of Elizabeth's subjects had been busy emptying his pockets." "'On September 26th, 1580, 'a battered ship dropped anchor in Southampton harbour." "'The ship was the Golden Hinde." "'The captain was one of the most outstanding Elizabethan seamen," "'Sir Francis Drake." "'Drake's voyage had begun three years before 'as a pirate expedition to the Pacific." "'One of the investors was the Queen herself." "'Drake's target was the Spanish treasure ships.'" "Fire!" "'Drake had waged a private war 'against the most powerful empire on earth." "'As he sailed back into Southampton, Drake must have had the odd doubt 'whether the Queen would still welcome her pirate subject.'" "(Coleman) 'Drake would have returned with much trepidation.'" "He had been away for three years and he had no idea what had happened during that time." "And I think one of the first things he asked was was the Queen still alive?" "Coming back with all that gold and silver, if the political situation had changed dramatically, he could have been hailed as a hero or condemned as a villain when he returned to England's shores." "(Starkey) 'Drake was lucky." "'Elizabeth was fascinated by his stories and entranced by his loot." "'And, in the event, his piracy suited her devious foreign policy." "'Gold from the New World paid for Spain's troops in the Netherlands." "'So, by diminishing the supply, she had weakened Philip's grip.'" "At his anchorage at Deptford, Drake's ship, renamed the Golden Hinde, quickly became a tourist attraction and in April, Queen Elizabeth herself joined the throng." "Elizabeth, despite the outraged protests of the Spanish ambassador, had already pocketed her share of Drake's loot." "This amounted to the staggering sum of nearly one year's parliamentary revenue and represented a 5,000% return on the money that she'd invested." "Now she'd arrived to confer respectability, in the most public fashion possible, on Drake." "She jokingly told him that she'd brought a golden sword with which to cut off the head of this notorious pirate." "Instead, Elizabeth gave the sword to the Duke of Anjou's representative and told him to knight Drake here on the deck of the Golden Hinde." "'By asking a Frenchman to knight her pet pirate," "'Elizabeth was making her allegiances very clear." "'England was still ranged with France against Spain." "'The alliance with France meant that her liaison with Anjou would continue." "'After two years' absence, he returned, asking for more money 'for his campaign against the Spanish in the Netherlands." "'Accompanied by the French ambassador 'he also decided to pop the marriage question again." "'Elizabeth's answer was astonishing.'" "You may write this to your King... that the Duke of Anjou shall be my husband." "'At the age of 48, Elizabeth was engaged.'" "It was a formal, public betrothal in front of witnesses." "Messengers were dispatched round Europe with the astonishing news and church bells were rung in Antwerp." "Back home in England, the reaction was more mixed." "Burghley rejoiced, Leicester was furious and other courtiers burst into tears." "That same evening, the opponents of the marriage instructed Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting to paint, in graphic terms, the restrictions of married life and the horrors of childbirth." "As a result, the Queen spent a miserable and sleepless night." "'For one extraordinary moment, Elizabeth's heart had ruled her head." "'But it didn't last long." "'In the morning, she told Anjou that she couldn't marry him, 'because the welfare of her subjects must come first, 'before her own happiness." "'What accounts for this extraordinary on-off behaviour?" "'" "Elizabeth had certainly abandoned any serious intention of marrying Anjou two years earlier." "But he was politically useful and she found his company attractive." "So, for one moment she fondly allowed herself to imagine what might have been." "Then, the following morning, in the cold light of day, the pretence was abandoned and she ditched, with many expressions of regret, her dream lover." "'Elizabeth might have thrown her suitor back in the water 'but her Frog didn't swim away." "'He stayed on for three months begging for more money." "'Finally, Elizabeth was driven to pay him £10,000 'and Anjou set sail for the Netherlands 'to pursue his quest for another kingdom." "'She would never see him again." "'She could no longer pull the strings of her puppet prince 'for, instead of helping the people of the Netherlands fight Spain," "'Anjou tried to set them against each other 'in a cynical attempt to seize absolute power for himself." "'But his plan failed 'and in 1583 Anjou retreated to France in disgrace." "'A year later, he died." "'Elizabeth was genuinely saddened." "'She wrote to his mother...'" "(Elizabeth) "If you could see a picture of my heart," ""you would see a body without a soul."" "'There would be no more pretence of marriage." "'Elizabeth would rule alone 'and she would die without a natural heir." "'Elizabeth had always avoided open war 'and she had maintained peace 'by persuading others to fight her battles for her." "'But her policy was about to collapse, thanks to events in the Netherlands." "'At midday on 10th July, 1584," "'William, Prince of Orange was dining with his family 'in the Prinsenhof in Delft.'" "William had already survived several attempts on his life, so by 16th-century standards, the security round him was tight." "Here in his own house, at least he should have been relatively safe." "About two o'clock William left the dining room to go upstairs to his study." "He was going to meet a recent contact." "The man had introduced himself as Balthasar Gerards, a French Protestant." "William had decided to send him to France with letters." "He'd given him money to buy clothes for the journey." "Balthasar Gerards wasn't a Protestant at all." "It wasn't even his real name." "Instead, he was an undercover Catholic fanatic and he'd spent William's money not on clothes but on pistols." "He fired three shots at the Prince." "Two bullets passed through William's body... and lodged in the wall." "The Prince died a few minutes later uttering as his last words," ""God have mercy on my soul and on my poor country."" "'His death was appalling news for Elizabeth." "'It left her as the only Protestant leader in Europe." "'Spain could overrun the whole of the Netherlands 'and then invade England." "'There was no one left to fight England's battles for her." "'Elizabeth had no choice." "'She finally had to send English troops overseas." "'Her old friend, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was in command." "'But still, Elizabeth was wary of declaring all-out war." "'She discouraged Leicester from going on the offensive." "'She hoped a display of English muscle would scare off the Spanish." "'But Leicester's opponent was the Duke of Parma" "'Philip's greatest general." "'For him, England and Spain were at war and he didn't hesitate to attack." "'The war put Elizabeth under huge strain." "'She was now at her most contrary 'and things weren't helped by Leicester's mixture 'of high-handedness and incompetence." "'In defiance of Elizabeth's explicit instructions, 'he became the governor general of the Netherlands 'and he proved hopeless as a general as well." "'So Parma's troops swallowed the Netherlands bit by bit." "'Elizabeth recalled Leicester." "'Her favourite had failed her." "'Only the sea now stood between England and invasion." "'There was one person in the kingdom who welcomed the news " "'Mary, Queen of Scots.'" "In January 1585, Mary was brought here to the hill-top castle of Tutbury in Staffordshire." "The assassination of William of Orange abroad and a series of plots in England brought home the danger Mary presented to Elizabeth's life." "So far, Mary had been kept in honourable custody." "Now it became a real imprisonment." "She had a jailer - the harsh, unsympathetic Puritan Sir Amyas Paulet." "There were armed soldiers who patrolled the battlements." "Mary was cut off from all correspondence with the outside world." "She was isolated, bored and resentful." "But the devil, in the form of Sir Francis Walsingham, soon found work for Mary's idle hands." "'Elizabeth's patient spy master set a trap 'and then waited for Mary to walk into it." "'A servant offered to smuggle Mary's letters 'in a beer barrel from a local brewery." "'The servant and the brewer were in Walsingham's pay." "'Every letter she sent and received was intercepted 'and decoded by Walsingham's private secretary, Thomas Phelippes.'" "Six months after the setting up of the barrel post," "Mary received a letter from Anthony Babington." "Babington came from a rich Derbyshire family." "He was young, Catholic and idealistic and he'd just organised a plot to assassinate Elizabeth." "Babington saw the murder in terms of high heroics." "He even had a group portrait painted of himself and his fellow conspirators with the motto "We are comrades united in danger."" "'It was intended to be their monument." "Instead, it was their tombstone.'" "Anthony became involved in the plot against Elizabeth mainly due to his connections with Mary, Queen of Scots while she was imprisoned early on in her life and while he was a young page in her service." "'We can only believe that he had a crush on her 'and was infatuated by her, if not besotted 'which carried on for most of his life and her life.'" "Anthony was politically naive." "He was very impressionable and he was used by conspirators who had much stronger beliefs than he had on the wider European front." "(Starkey) 'Babington wrote to Mary, saying he and his friends 'would dispatch the usurper Elizabeth and rescue Mary." "'The Spanish would invade and Mary would take the English throne." "'Mary's reply, when it came a few days later, was clear enough.'" "(Mary) "The affair being prepared" ""and forces in readiness within and without the realm" ""then shall it be time to set the six gentlemen to work." ""Upon the accomplishment of their design," ""I may suddenly be transported out of this place."" "'At last, there was evidence enough to send Mary to the scaffold." "'Babington and the conspirators were arrested a few days later." "'They were tortured, tried for treason, and sentenced to a traitor's death.'" "Pressure from the country and council was now building up." "They were determined to have Mary's head and Elizabeth was forced to agree to a trial." "The trial was to take place at Fotheringhay Castle and Burghley himself drew up the seating plan." "But, despite these careful preparations, the trial nearly didn't take place at all." "Mary, Queen of Scots absolutely refused to accept the jurisdiction of the court." ""I am not a subject," she said," ""and would rather die a thousand deaths than acknowledge myself as one."" "Instead, she was a sovereign prince and so, answerable to God alone." "'Elizabeth retaliated.'" "(Elizabeth) "You have, in various ways, attempted to take my life" ""and bring my kingdom to destruction." ""I have never proceeded so harshly against you." ""On the contrary, I have maintained you and preserved your life." ""It is my will that you answer the nobles of the kingdom" ""as if I were myself present."" "Eventually, a form of words was found that enabled the trial to go ahead." "Mary defended herself ably in two days of examination." "She denounced the Babington letters as forgeries and wriggled out of the most incriminating questions." "But finally, she was cornered." "She could only say that she had to be believed because she spoke on the word of a prince." "This cut no ice with her judges." "The court adjourned to Westminster for the final decision." "The verdict, guilty." "The sentence, death." "'Elizabeth now had to decide Mary's fate." "'The two queens had never met, 'although Mary had been Elizabeth's prisoner for 20 years." "'Yet Elizabeth agonised over the decision." "'She was reluctant to execute Mary 'because she too was a member of the royal club." "'Cutting her head off might set a very unwelcome precedent." "'Elizabeth asked Mary's jailer, Sir Amyas Paulet, 'to assassinate her by poison or suffocation 'so that the Queen would not have to take responsibility for her death." "'Paulet refused." "'As Elizabeth hesitated England seethed with rumours." "'The Spanish had invaded." "London had been burned." "'Finally, on 1st February, 1587, Elizabeth signed the death warrant." "'Seven days later, the sentence was carried out 'in the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle.'" "Mary herself behaved with a theatrical courage." "She included Elizabeth in her final prayers." "Ladies removed her outer clothes to reveal a petticoat of scarlet, the Catholic colour of martyrdom." ""She knelt at the block." "'But the executioner bodged his task 'and he took two strokes of the axe to remove her head." "'Still worse when he tried to hold up the head, 'he found himself clutching only a wig, 'whilst the head, with its thin greying stubble, rolled at his feet." "'England celebrated Mary's death." "'Elizabeth grieved.'" "(Reader) "Her countenance changed." "Her words faltered." ""She gave herself over to grief, putting herself into mourning weeds" ""and shedding abundance of tears."" "What a performance." "It was even more complex and self-contradictory than Elizabeth's usual behaviour." "Some of those tears were real." "Elizabeth had been profoundly reluctant to execute Mary and when the deed was actually done, she was horrified." "But there were also tears of rage." "She strongly suspected she'd been jumped into the action by the council." "They'd met secretly and decided not to tell her that the warrant had been dispatched to Fotheringhay." "That's why she tore strips off her ministers and secretary William Davison in particular, who'd actually dispatched the warrant." "He was imprisoned, fined and even threatened with hanging." "But finally, they were crocodile tears as well." "By exaggerating her grief and scapegoating Davison," "Elizabeth was trying to deflect responsibility from where it really and finally lay - with her." "'The news of Mary's execution exploded across the Catholic world." "'It gave Philip of Spain the excuse he needed 'to declare war on the heretic queen." "'Philip ordered the Duke of Parma to prepare an army in the Netherlands 'for the invasion of England." "'The Armada would sail from Spain 'to collect Parma's force and land them on the English coast." "'Philip's deadly intentions were no secret." "'Reluctantly, Elizabeth ordered 'that the English fleet be readied for the threat." "'Even now, she hoped to avoid war." "'She tried negotiating with Parma as the Armada set sail 'but there was no mood for compromise amongst her Catholic opponents.'" ""She's an incestuous bastard" ""begotten and born in sin of an infamous courtesan."" "'Cardinal William Allen, June 1588." "'English lookouts scoured the horizon for enemy sails." "'They sighted them on July 19th." "'The Spanish did not really expect to be challenged 'on their voyage up the Channel." "'The English fleet was half the size of the Armada 'but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in design.'" "The English ships were much smaller than the Spanish." "The Spanish ships had large forecastles and aftercastles which were fortified areas on the ship where they could house men when they engaged in battle, men who could then board other ships." "But as the rigs were fairly small, in fact, too small, really, for powering the ships along, it meant that the Spanish ships were largely only of use in trade-wind sailing, in following the routes between Spain and the Americas" "rather than in tactical fighting within the English channel." "I think that is where the English ships scored, because they were relatively smaller and therefore more manoeuvrable and had the tactical advantage." "'The English still weren't ready to engage the Spanish fleet head-on." "'Sir Francis Drake now promoted to vice admiral, 'favoured skirmishing tactics." "'As the Armada sailed up the Channel, 'there was a scatter of vicious dogfights." "'Elizabeth went on a morale-boosting visit to her troops on land." "'Finally, she had found a rhetorical way of reconciling the paradox 'of being a woman and being a leader in war.'" "(Elizabeth) 'I am come amongst you not for my recreation and disport 'but being resolved in the midst and heat of the battle 'to live or die amongst you all." "'To lay down for God and for my kingdom and for my people 'my honour and my blood, even in the dust." "'I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman 'but I have the heart and stomach of a king 'and think foul scorn that Spain or any prince of Europe 'should dare to invade the borders of my realm." "'To which, rather than any dishonour shall grow by me," "'I myself will take up arms.'" "(Starkey) 'But Elizabeth did not need to take up arms herself." "'The English had a secret weapon." "'They called it the "Hellburner"." "'They packed five ships with pitch and timber, 'set fire to them and put them adrift amongst the Spanish galleons." "'There was panic." "Many of the Spanish ships upped anchor and fled 'and were scattered by the wind.'" "Incredibly, Medina Sidonia, the Spanish admiral, managed to reunite his scattered ships." "They even resumed their powerful crescent formation." "Then, off Graveline on the coast of the Netherlands the two fleets, for the first time came into battle at close quarters." "Each side used its favourite tactics." "The Spaniards tried to board, the English brought their heavy guns into play at close quarters." "And it was the English guns that won the day." "They killed thousands of Spaniards and they did terrible damage to the Spanish ships, though only a handful actually went down." "'The winds and the weather now finished what the English fleet had begun." "'Many of the Spanish ships were wrecked off the coast of the British Isles 'as they tried to find their way home." "'The defeat of the Armada was England's and Elizabeth's finest hour." "'Little wonder that she had this portrait painted as a symbolic memorial." "'Elizabeth was now mistress of the seven seas 'as well as of her own people.'" "Elizabeth had entered the war against Spain with a deep sense of foreboding but she'd emerged triumphant." "Above all she'd shown that a woman could be an inspirational leader in war as well as in peace." "Of course, the weather had played its part in the victory over the Armada." ""God's winds blew and they were scattered,"" "as it said on the back of the commemorative medal." "But this fact does nothing to diminish the extent of the English victory or the scale of Spain's defeat and humiliation." "At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, the heralds had proclaimed that she was Empress from the Orkney Isles to the Pyrenean mountains." "Then the claim to English overlordship of the seas was empty bombast." "With the defeat of the Armada it became sober reality." "It was an astonishing achievement." "The only problem now was living up to it." "'In 1588, Elizabeth's navy defeated the Spanish Armada 'at the greatest English victory since Agincourt." "'The celebrations were long and magnificent." "'The procession to the thanksgiving service at St Paul's 'was the grandest since Elizabeth's coronation.'" "The captured Spanish banners were hung up as trophies and a commemorative medal was struck with the inscription," ""God's winds blew and they were scattered."" "The English really thought that God had fought on their side." "They were the new chosen race, God's own Protestant people." "England stood proud and Elizabeth and her reign were at their zenith." "'It was the golden age of Elizabethan England." "'The great houses Elizabeth's courtiers built 'are a visible, tangible expression of their confidence, exuberance and wealth.'" "Unlike her father, King Henry VIII," "Elizabeth built no palaces, nothing." "She'd no need to because her courtiers built for her." "Sir Christopher Hatton, the Lord Chancellor already had a great house at Holdenby." "But, he told Elizabeth he would build another one nearby at Kirkby, that would be dedicated to her as a shrine to a holy saint." "'Elizabeth had ceased to be a mere queen." "'She'd become instead Gloriana England's national icon." "'She was painted again and again." "'Always dazzling, always glorious, always triumphant." "'Even in her late fifties she has the face of eternal youth." "'But Elizabeth the woman was ageing." "'The goddess had feet of clay." "'Literature flourished as never before." "'Shakespeare wrote his first plays, 'some of them commissioned by the Queen." "'But new theatre brought new and dangerous ideas." "'One of Shakespeare's plays 'would soon be used in an attempt to overthrow her." "'She had ruled for 30 years 'beloved by her subjects, loyally served by her courtiers." "'But, as she aged, a new generation was growing restless." "'She would have to fight as never before to hang on to power." "'It is September 1588." "'Queen Elizabeth has been locked inside her chamber for some days." "'All attempts to contact her have failed." "'The court is in panic." "'Despite fears to the contrary, the Queen is alive 'but she is not well.'" "(Reader) "I most humbly beseech Your Majesty" ""to pardon your old servant to be thus bold" ""in sending to know how my gracious lady doth." ""For my own case, I continue still your medicine" ""and it amends much better than any other thing given me." ""With the continuance of my prayer" ""for Your Majesty's most happy preservation," ""I humbly kiss your foot." ""Your Majesty's faithful and obedient servant, R Leicester."" "(Starkey) 'Elizabeth would never receive another of his letters." "'Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of the Queen 'her friend and counsellor for the last 30 years 'and the nearest thing she'd ever had to a lover, was dead." "'In the next two years, a succession of court notables 'followed Robert Dudley to the grave." "'Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State and spy master extraordinary." "'Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor, builder of Kirkby Hall." "'Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, brother of Robert." "'Of the old guard, only William Cecil, Lord Burghley, remained." "'The gaps in court and council would have to be filled." "'But the Queen had always hated change 'and instead of bringing in new blood, 'she replaced fathers with their sons." "'Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex was Robert Dudley's stepson." "'He was 21, vain, high-spirited, impatient and brilliant, 'with a fondness for duelling." "'He was much admired at court 'and was viewed by all as a man destined for greatness." "'He aspired to his stepfather's role of a great noble and a military leader." "'Robert Cecil was the second son of Lord Burghley." "'He was 25, careful, astute and cunning, 'with a fondness for corresponding in code." "'He was mocked, mostly behind his back, 'for his short stature and his hunched shoulders." "'But his mind was razor sharp." "'He aspired to his father's role of statesman and political leader." "'Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex were of the new generation.'" "The new generation had different ideas from the old." "Robert Cecil, for example, made a much sharper distinction between the service of the state and the service of the Queen than his father, William would ever have done." "And the Earl of Essex had much more grandiose ideas about the power and the independence of the nobility than his stepfather, Leicester." "They were both young men in a hurry, waiting impatiently for the aged Queen to get out of the way." "'And she knew it." "'Essex charmed the Queen 'and she was flattered by his youthful attentions." "'But she was 55 and he was 21." "'If she loved him, it was partly as her gigolo, partly as her son." "'He was gifted, but he could also be immature and unruly." "'Like a strict parent, Elizabeth resisted his demands for a military command." "'Robert Cecil was already an MP." "'Elizabeth called him her "elf"." "'Or, less to his liking, her "pygmy"." "'She respected his political instincts but she was wary of him 'and was never able to trust him as she had his father." "'She made him a Privy Counsellor 'but she stopped short of giving him his father's old job." "'The new generation would have to wait its turn." "'She continued to rely, instead, 'on the man who'd served her since the start of her reign, 'whom she trusted above all others" "'Robert Cecil's father, Lord Burghley.'" ""I do entreat heaven daily for your longer life." ""Else will my people and myself stand in need of cordial too." ""You are, in all things to me, alpha and omega."" "She wouldn't let him retire even when he was in his late seventies gouty, deaf and visibly shrunk with age." "But in the summer of 1598 Burghley fell dangerously ill." "Elizabeth sent him medicines, letters and on one occasion she even fed him soup with a spoon, with her own hand." "To no avail." "In September 1598, Burghley died." "'For 40 years, Burghley had carried the heavy administrative burden 'of running the day-to-day government of England.'" "It wasn't as risky as the essentially noble role of the Queen's military lieutenant, which had been fulfilled, by the Earl of Leicester but nor was it as prestigious." "Which is why, in death, the bureaucrat, Burghley, wears the furred robes and the gilded armour that symbolised the role of the nobleman a role that he'd shunned in life." "I have this vision of Elizabeth visiting him when he was dying." "This old woman, stamping along with her wig askew, with her pockmarked face disguised with horrendous, white lead make-up." "Huge diamonds." "Bad-tempered and upset, and getting to his bedroom and there's this poor old man, breathing very heavily, hardly conscious." "'She must have been torn between the agony of losing a good adviser 'and the agony of losing a very close friend." "'It's like losing one's parents." "'However old one is it's still the most ghastly shock.'" "He'd kept a guiding, wise hand on her shoulder all through her tempestuous youth and middle age and suddenly that guiding hand was being removed." "She must have been very bereft." "(Starkey) 'In 1596, England once again faced the threat of invasion." "'Spain remained the most powerful country in Europe 'and King Philip was still determined 'to destroy Elizabeth and her island nation." "'In March, his army had captured Calais." "'Now, he had troops within 20 miles of England 'and a great fleet was gathering at Cádiz in Spain to transport them.'" "Confronted with this new danger," "Elizabethan England galvanized itself into action." "The Queen set aside her doubts about military action and her courtiers, their divisions." "It was decided to send an expedition to Cádiz to destroy the new Armada in port, before it had even set sail." "The strategist and commander of the expedition was the Earl of Essex but the man who financed it and organised it was Robert Cecil." "'Essex had finally got the military command he craved." "'And, on the day he put to sea," "'Robert Cecil was at last confirmed as Elizabeth's chief secretary." "'The new generation had arrived." "'In the early hours of Sunday 20th June, '120 English and Dutch ships attacked Cádiz." "'The Spanish were taken off guard." "'Their invasion fleet was destroyed." "'The town was captured and plundered for booty." "'Spain had again been humbled." "'England and Essex had triumphed.'" ""You have made me famous dreadful and renowned" ""not more for your victory than for your courage." ""I care not so much for being Queen" ""as that I am sovereign of such subjects."" "'Essex was now a popular hero 'and the burning of Cádiz was built up 'to rival the defeat of the Spanish Armada itself." "'But the Armada only had a single heroine" " Elizabeth." "'Cádiz, though, was Essex's victory.'" "At the service of thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral the congregation burst into spontaneous applause when the preacher sang Essex's praises to the skies." "For Elizabeth, it was a novel and disturbing development." "Her previous favourite, Leicester, Essex's stepfather, had actually been hated." "Now a man whom she had created was her rival in popular affection." "But popularity was the basis of Elizabeth's monarchy." "It could not be shared with a subject." "All further popular celebrations of Cádiz were banned." "'But London continued to glorify their new hero." "'Some preachers even compared him to Julius Caesar, 'the greatest of the Romans." "'The city that had always adored the Queen had found a new idol." "'A wiser man than Essex 'would have mollified the Queen by keeping a low profile." "'But Essex was not wise 'and ambition and vanity got the better of him." "'He commissioned an engraving of himself 'in the style of a Roman emperor." "'A direct challenge to the Queen's royal authority." "'He threw his weight around at court, 'objecting whenever Elizabeth honoured another courtier." "'And when the Queen turned down his plea 'to launch another attack on Spain, 'he courted public support behind her back." "'Elizabeth was furious.'" "The conflict came to a head when Essex and Elizabeth disagreed about who was to be Lord Deputy of Ireland." "The Queen dismissed the Earl's arguments." "The Earl turned his back on the Queen and the Queen, irritated boxed the Earl's ears." "At this point, the Earl half drew his sword on the Queen." "To strike somebody within the precincts of the court was punished by the amputation of the right hand." "To strike the Queen was treason." "But before the unthinkable could happen, the Lord Admiral interposed himself between Essex and the Queen." "'The Earl then withdrew to his country house 'whilst Elizabeth was left to ponder the monster that she'd created." "'Elizabeth loved the theatre." "'Some plays were as much about politics as entertainment." "'Most dangerous was Shakespeare's Richard II, 'which dealt with the making and the unmaking of a king.'" "I give this heavy weight from off my head" "With mine own hands I give away my crown" "With mine own tongue deny my sacred state" "All pomp and majesty I do forswear" "My acts, decrees and statutes I deny" "God save King Henry" "Unking'd Richard says" "And send him many years of sunshine days" "The play tells the story of the deposition of the rightful anointed king, Richard II, by Henry Bolingbroke, his cousin and the military hero." "Elizabeth identified herself passionately with the deposed king." ""I am Richard II." "Know ye not that?" she's supposed to have said." "She thought that there were many potential Bolingbrokes around." "Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex told her to her face that they worshipped her." "'Behind her back, they were looking to the future, after her death." "'And, Elizabeth sometimes feared 'they were plotting to depose her, just like Richard II." "'When Shakespeare's play was printed the following year, 'the deposition scene had been cut from the text." "'We can guess that the author and his publisher 'were given hints that they'd been wise enough to take." "'A new tragedy, bloodier than anything in Shakespeare, 'was now unfolding in Ireland." "'In August 1598, at Yellow Ford in Ulster," "'Irish rebels ambushed a column of English soldiers and cut them to pieces." "'1,200 men lay dead or dying." "'It was the worst military defeat of Elizabeth's reign." "'The Catholic Irish had long resented 'the occupation of their country by Protestant England." "'There had been rebellions before but this one was much more dangerous." "'It had the support of Spain." "'King Philip II was dead but his son had inherited his father's zeal to be avenged 'for the defeats of Cádiz and the Armada." "'He planned to land troops in Ireland and to threaten England across the Irish Sea." "'The Queen would have to act." "'In spring of 1599 the largest English army of Elizabeth's reign 'landed on the east coast of Ireland." "'In command was her half-disgraced favourite, the Earl of Essex 'who had pestered the Queen until she gave him the post.'" "He wished to rehabilitate himself in the Queen's favour." "He also wanted to show that he was a real soldier able to draw his sword on the Queen's enemies just as he'd half-drawn it on the Queen herself." "But the first use Essex made of his sword in Ireland was to employ it to usurp the Queen's kingly prerogatives by knighting, in defiance of Elizabeth's orders, 38 of his captains." "Turning his sword against the Queen's enemies proved more of a challenge." "'For months, Elizabeth received little news from Ireland 'and she became frustrated at Essex's failure to engage the enemy.'" ""If sickness in the army be the reason," ""why was not the action undertaken when the army was in a better state?" ""If winter's approach," ""why were the summer months of July and August lost?" ""If the spring were too soon and the summer otherwise spent," ""we must conclude that none of the quarters of the year" ""will be in season for you."" "'But Essex did not meet his enemy in battle." "'Instead, he and the rebel leader the Earl of Tyrone, 'had a secret rendezvous near Carrickmacross." "'They talked for half an hour, alone, and out of earshot of their officers 'then they parted on good terms." "'After six months in Ireland Essex had spent £300,000 'and lost 12,000 men to disease and desertion." "'That was incompetence." "'Now, he had made a secret deal with the rebel leader 'the sworn enemy of the Queen." "'That was close to treason." "'Her reservations about her young courtiers began to look justified." "'They could not be trusted." "'Robert Cecil began a secret correspondence 'with James VI of Scotland." "'He had taken it upon himself to pave the way 'for James' succession to the English throne, 'thereby ensuring his own continuance in office." "'At first sight, it seems an extraordinary idea." "'England and Scotland were old enemies 'and Elizabeth had executed James' mother, Mary Stuart." "'But James was the obvious heir." "'He was Elizabeth's closest male relative." "'He was an experienced ruler." "He was a Protestant." "'And he already had two sons." "'Cecil told James if he accepted his advice and guidance, 'he could expect a peaceful accession to Elizabeth's throne." "'But Cecil had to proceed with care." "'The Queen had never named a successor 'and had banned all talk of the matter at court." "'The secret must be carefully kept.'" "He must have worried about security in London but would have been more worried about security in Edinburgh." "James I of England and VI of Scotland was notoriously indiscreet and he was surrounded by loose-mouthed people." "So it was important for him to use code and trustworthy messengers." "'He would never know whether the Queen 'if she did find out officially, wouldn't have sacked him." "'And it was a splendid opportunity for his enemies 'to accuse him of treason and treating with a foreign power.'" "(Door opens and closes)" "(Footsteps)" "At ten o'clock on 28th September, an exhausted rider arrived at Nonsuch Palace." "He rushed up the grand stairs, through the presence chambers, pushing past startled gentlemen ushers and outraged ladies-in-waiting and burst, unannounced into the Queen's bedchamber." "There he found Elizabeth newly risen and still in her nightgown, without her wig, her make-up and her ruff." "It was a sight that no man had seen in thirty years." "Elizabeth the woman without the trappings of Gloriana the Queen." "The man who had thus violated the image of Elizabeth's monarchy was Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex." "'It was an extraordinary affront to the Queen's honour." "'Essex had returned in panic, 'convinced that Cecil was engineering his downfall 'and desperate to plead his case." "'He was exhausted, ill scarcely in his right mind." "'But the Queen was in no mood for forgiveness.'" "Elizabeth had stayed calm when Essex burst into her bedchamber." "Later that afternoon the Earl was summoned for a private audience with the Queen, which quickly turned into an interrogation." "Why, Elizabeth wanted to know, had he left Ireland without permission?" "Why had he made so many knights in defiance of express instructions?" "Why, above all, had he made a truce with that rebel and traitor Tyrone?" "The Earl answered as best he could." "Then Elizabeth was left alone to ponder what she should do." "Towards ten o'clock at night, she gave orders that the Earl was to be put under a form of house arrest." "The fall of the favourite had begun." "'Essex was summoned before a public tribunal." "'He spent 11 hours on his knees whilst a list of his delinquencies 'was read out in front of an invited audience." "'But, even now the Queen could not bring herself 'to destroy her disgraced favourite completely." "'Instead, she sent him into a sort of limbo." "'She ordered him not to attend the Privy Council." "'She banned him from her presence." "'And she refused to renew his lucrative monopoly on sweet wines, 'which threatened him with bankruptcy." "'Essex was released to his London residence, Essex House." "'He was down but he wasn't quite finished yet." "'He would make one final desperate bid for power." "'He would rebel." "'A scheme was quickly hatched.'" "The Earl would capture the City of London and the Tower." "The Queen would be forced to summon a Parliament and to impeach Robert Cecil and Essex would be declared Lord Protector of England." "It was a harebrained scheme but it might just work." "The Earl's military followers would provide the backbone of an army and Essex was so popular with the people of London that he was confident that they would rise in his support." "'Essex wrote to James seeking his support for the rising." "'The Scots king was too careful to commit himself 'but sent Essex a reply in code and dispatched two envoys to meet him." "'Essex had already done his deal with the rebel, Tyrone, 'who had backed the Earl's rising, it was said, in exchange for power over Ireland." "'And he had the support of one of the London sheriffs 'as well as five other disaffected nobles." "'To call the people of London to arms," "'Essex's henchmen bribed Shakespeare's company 'to stage a performance at the Globe." "'Essex chose the play." "'It was Richard II.'" "This sceptred isle" "This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars" "This precious stone set in the silver sea ls now bound in with shame" "With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds" "That England, that was wont to conquer others" "Hath made a shameful conquest of itself" "John of Gaunt is lamenting nostalgically for a lost England - a great country fallen into ruin." "The stage is set for the deposition of a corrupt and overweening monarch by a once favoured and faithful nobleman." "The audience were a mixed lot - adventurers, ex-soldiers papists, malcontents - but they shared a common resentment for Elizabeth and her England." "Or was it Robert Cecil's England?" "They had a common loyalty to the only conceivable alternative " "Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex." "'Early the following morning, Elizabeth received a report 'that Essex had left his house at the head of a private army." "'They were marching up Fleet Street, calling the people of the city to arms." "'For the first time, Elizabeth was in personal danger in her own capital." "'The rebels were just two miles from the court." "'She acted quickly, ordering her forces to block the route to the palace 'by building a barricade near Charing Cross." "'She sent royal heralds through the city, proclaiming Essex a traitor." "'The sight of government troops and the heralds' cry of treason 'made Londoners think twice." "'They stayed behind closed doors." "'Essex's force was confronted by troops belonging to the Bishop of London." "'Essex's page and two others were killed." "'By nightfall, the rebels were in retreat, 'their hands or cloaks covering their faces to try to avoid recognition." "'Essex himself panicked and fled back towards Essex House." "'He barricaded himself in 'and set about destroying incriminating evidence, including James' coded letter." "'Outside, the Queen's forces trained cannon on the house." "'At 10pm, he surrendered." "'He was arrested along with 85 of his co-conspirators, 'including the Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare's patron." "'When she received the news Elizabeth retired to bed." "'Essex was tried within a few days of the rebellion." "'The verdict was a foregone conclusion." "'Guilty of high treason and condemned to a traitor's death." "'Only the Queen could confirm the sentence." "'It brought echoes of her past." "'She had agonised for months 'before authorising the execution of her cousin, the Duke of Norfolk." "'She had hesitated for years before finally confirming the death sentence 'on her fellow queen, Mary Stuart." "'She told the French ambassador that she'd willingly reprieve 'the life of her disgraced favourite 'and that she was partly to blame for allowing him to grow so bold." "'But it was clear, she said, that the danger from him was so great 'that he would have to die.'" "Essex was the only man to challenge Elizabeth publicly and to her face and he was the only one of her subjects to try to rival her in popularity." "Curiously enough, it was Essex himself who got to the heart of the matter." "Under interrogation, the Earl said that the state was not big enough for them both." "'Essex was executed on Ash Wednesday, 25th February, 1601." "'He was 34." "'It took three blows of the axe to remove his head." "'A change came over the Queen." "'For most of her life, she had enjoyed what seemed like eternal youth." "'Now, at 68, she seemed suddenly old, 'in mind and body.'" ""All the fabric of my reign, little by little, is beginning to fail."" "'With his rival dead, Robert Cecil was the most powerful man in the country." "'And, behind the scenes 'his plan for James to succeed Elizabeth was maturing." "'The King, writing in code, 'told Cecil that he could look forward to greater favour 'once he had the crown 'than he already enjoyed under Elizabeth." "'The future looked bright for Cecil but the present was troubled." "'He'd never been popular." "'Now, the public really hated him for killing their hero, Essex." "'The regime was seen as stale and corrupt 'and Cecil became the focus of blame for the country's many ills." "'A harvest had failed." "The war in Ireland dragged on." "'Taxes were heavy." "'And the Queen's own popularity was also at an all-time low." "'For years, she had rewarded her favourite courtiers 'with grants called monopolies - 'taxes on everything from playing cards to soap." "'The policy aroused deep resentment in the impoverished population.'" "We're familiar with this kind of combination of casual corruption and a government that's been in power too long." "We call it sleaze." "And the rot went right to the top." "Elizabeth herself had been around longer than everybody else." "At first, her motto, "semper eadem" - "always the same"" "had made her seem a rock of stability in a changeable world." "'Now, she was merely an obstacle to necessary reform." "'The unpopular Queen and her despised minister suffered a disaster." "'They lost control of Parliament." "'MPs were determined to break the hated monopolies system." "'The ageing Queen was forced to address Parliament in person 'to try to rescue the situation.'" "If my kingly bounties have been abused and if any in authority under me have neglected or perverted what I have committed to them" "I hope God will not lay their offences in my charge." "For I do assure you, there is no prince that loves his subjects better." "There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I place before this jewel." "I mean, your love." "And though you may have many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, yet you never had, nor shall have any that will love you better." "'It became known as the Golden Speech." "'It was Elizabeth's last great public address 'and it was a consummate piece of politics." "'Elizabeth won the MPs over not only by her announcement 'that she would suspend and investigate monopolies, 'but also by her language and sentiment." "'The MPs showed their gratitude 'by voting unprecedentedly heavy parliamentary taxation.'" "Other good news followed quickly." "There was victory in Ireland, a truce in the war with Spain, trade improved and, at last, there was a good harvest." "Elizabeth seemed to rejuvenate." "In August, she rode for ten miles and then went hunting." "She was aged almost 69, and yet, she boasted, she was in better health than she'd been for ten years." "It was an Indian summer." "Glorious but brief." "It could not last." "(Elizabeth) "For God's sake let us sit upon the ground" ""And tell sad stories of the death of kings" ""Let's talk of graves, of worms and epitaphs" ""Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes" ""Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth"" "'By March 1603, Elizabeth was in serious decline." "'She was suffering from ulcers in the throat, fever and lack of appetite." "'Against all advice, she refused to go to bed." "'Cecil, unwisely, insisted that she must.'" ""Little man, the word 'must' is not to be used to princes." ""But ye know that I must die" ""and that makes thee so presumptuous." ""If you were in the habit of seeing such things in your bed" ""as I do when in mine" ""you would not persuade me to go there."" "'After two weeks on the floor in the same clothes" "'Elizabeth asked her attendants to get her to her feet." "'But still, she did not go to bed." "'Instead, she remained standing, in total silence, for the next 15 hours.'" ""She appeared already in a manner insensible" ""holding her finger continually in her mouth," ""with her eyes open and fixed to the ground."" "As Elizabeth's death approached, a young man was pacing the courtyards of the palace." "He was Robert Carey, , the Queen's cousin and he'd resolved to make his fortune in the new reign by being the first to let James know that Elizabeth was dead and that he was King of England." "He informed James of his intention and told him not to leave Edinburgh." "And then he returned to the palace to watch and to wait with the rest." "(Mumbled prayer)" "'Elizabeth was preparing herself for the end.'" ""The Archbishop kneeled down beside her" ""and examined her first of her faith." ""And she so punctually answered all his questions," ""by lifting up her eyes and holding up her hand," ""as it was a comfort to all the beholders." ""Then the good man told her plainly what she was and what she was come to." ""Though she had been long a great queen here upon earth," ""yet shortly she was to yield an account of her stewardship" ""to the King of Kings."" "'At ten o'clock at night, on 23rd March, 1603" "'Elizabeth falls into a deep sleep." "'She never woke up." "'Three days later, James VI was proclaimed as Elizabeth's successor 'at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh." "'England and Scotland were joined under one monarch.'" "Elizabeth's body was brought by water from Richmond to Whitehall." "There it lay for five weeks, watched over day and night by her ladies-in-waiting." "Then it was taken to Westminster Abbey for burial." "The funeral effigy on top of the coffin was so lifelike that from the great crowds lining the route, nothing was heard but a general sighing, groaning and weeping." "'Elizabeth the woman was dead 'but the achievement of Gloriana the great Queen of England, lived on." "'When Elizabeth came to the throne England was an insignificant country;" "'When she died it was a major European power." "'She had begun her reign by promising to avoid the mistakes of her sister, Mary." "'By and large, she succeeded." "'Elizabeth had founded a national church and she inspired a national literature." "'Her father, Henry VIII, had reinvented the idea of England." "'Elizabeth became its living embodiment.'" "Few monarchs have been better loved by their subjects." "None has exercised a more powerful hold over the imagination of succeeding generations." "The myth started within a few years of her death, when the preface to the King James Bible hails her as," ""That bright, occidental star," ""Queen Elizabeth of famous memory."" "And the star still burns bright."