She was never meant to be queen, but has gone down in history as one of Britain’s greatest monarchs.
In this episode, we look at how this amazing lady managed to survive and thrive in a world dominated by conspiratorial men and the legacy she left on the country.
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:11] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:20] I'm Alastair Budge, and today is part two of our mini-series on queens.
[00:00:26] In part one we looked at the tragic life of Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry VIII.
[00:00:33] And in part three it’s going to be Catherine the Great of Russia.
[00:00:37] I should say that if you haven’t listened to the one on Anne Boleyn yet, I would advise you to listen to that one before this one.
[00:00:45] Anne Boleyn was Elizabeth the First's mother, so an understanding of her story will help you better understand the story of Elizabeth, and give you an indication of why, perhaps, she took some of the decisions she did, decisions that would mean she was able to truly manage to control her own destiny and legacy, in a way her mother wasn't.
[00:01:08] So, let’s get right into it and learn about Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen.
[00:01:16] There's an expression in modern English called "broken home".
[00:01:22] It tends to mean an unstable and unhappy childhood, often with separated or fighting parents.
[00:01:31] There is little evidence that this expression existed in the 16th century, but let me introduce you to a situation that would certainly meet our modern description.
[00:01:42] Imagine your mother was the queen of England, but when you were only two years old she was publicly executed on the orders of your father.
[00:01:53] You were then disowned by your father, along with your half-sister from his first marriage.
[00:02:00] And when your father had another child with his new wife, a boy no less, you became even less important.
[00:02:09] This was the situation that young Elizabeth found herself in.
[00:02:14] A broken home is perhaps even a euphemism for the early years of Elizabeth I.
[00:02:21] Despite being disowned and having little chance of ever sitting on the throne, she was still the king’s daughter and had an extremely privileged childhood and education.
[00:02:34] She learnt mathematics, poetry, rhetoric, and music, and was fluent in five languages.
[00:02:42] From an early age, it was clear that this young girl was a cut above the rest, she was something special.
[00:02:50] She was tall, she had bright red hair, and was exceptionally clever.
[00:02:56] And this intelligence and wit would come in very handy, as she had to be constantly on guard, looking out for men plotting and conspiring against her.
[00:03:09] This all started from a young age.
[00:03:12] When she was only 14 years old, her father, Henry VIII died, passing the throne to her 9-year-old half-brother, Edward.
[00:03:22] Clearly, a 9-year-old can’t exactly rule for himself, so his government was left in the hands of elder noblemen and officials.
[00:03:32] And, as you might imagine, before Henry had even taken his last breath, there were plenty of plots and schemes about how to manipulate and control not only his son and heir, but his other children, Mary and Elizabeth.
[00:03:50] At this point, the young Elizabeth was sent to live with Henry’s 6th and final wife, Catherine Parr, who had married a man called Thomas Seymour after Henry had died.
[00:04:02] If the surname “Seymour” rings a bell, Thomas Seymour’s sister was Jane Seymour, who was Henry VIII’s third wife.
[00:04:11] Now, I know there are a lot of names and relationships here, so don’t worry if it’s a bit tricky to follow.
[00:04:19] The important point is that Thomas Seymour was not good news for Elizabeth.
[00:04:24] Believing it would get him closer to the crown, Seymour begun to make sexual advances towards the teenage girl.
[00:04:32] He was 25 years older than her, and were he to be alive today, he would certainly be called a sexual predator and thrown into prison.
[00:04:42] Elizabeth’s servant reported that Seymour would come to Elizabeth’s bedroom every morning before the young princess was even dressed.
[00:04:51] He would verbally abuse her, and it’s thought he probably sexually abused her as well.
[00:04:57] It’s believed that Catherine was well aware of her husband’s behaviour but initially did nothing to stop it.
[00:05:05] In fact, in one horrible episode she actually joined in this behaviour with him, with the couple reportedly tearing the young girl’s dress to pieces to humiliate her.
[00:05:17] It was not until Catherine found Elizabeth in Seymour’s arms that she reacted and sent the young girl away from her palace never to see her again.
[00:05:27] Around a year after Elizabeth had been sent away, Catherine died, leaving all her riches to Seymour and making him one of the wealthiest men in the country.
[00:05:39] So, to recap, Henry VIII dies, his surviving wife, Catherine, marries this horrible abusive man, Thomas Seymour, who is planning to marry Elizabeth.
[00:05:51] Then Catherine dies, leaving her fortune to evil Thomas Seymour.
[00:05:56] Seymour now has the chance to carry out his plan to marry Elizabeth and gain influence over his nephew, Elizabeth’s half-brother, the young king Edward VI.
[00:06:08] Some say he actually planned to kill or marry off his nephew and put Elizabeth on the throne.
[00:06:16] In any case, he didn’t have the chance to do it.
[00:06:19] He was arrested for treason, by his own brother no less, and eventually executed.
[00:06:26] Anyone involved with Seymour also came under suspicion, and this, naturally included Elizabeth. She was central to Seymour’s plan, even though there is no evidence that she wanted anything to do with him.
[00:06:41] She was accused of helping him and of having a sexual relationship with him.
[00:06:47] She was interrogated for weeks, with attempts to bully a confession out of her.
[00:06:53] However, at just 15 years old, Elizabeth outsmarted the council and denied all the charges, proving herself to be wise, confident, careful, and able to look out for herself in this world of manipulative and conspiring men.
[00:07:12] But this would only be the start of her lifelong battle against men plotting to get rid of her.
[00:07:19] In 1553, her half-brother, King Edward VI, died, aged only 15.
[00:07:27] In his will just days before he died, he had named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir, most likely because he didn’t want his Catholic half-sister, Mary, to take control of the country.
[00:07:41] Well, the throne did pass to Lady Jane Grey, but for a measly 9 days, before the tide turned and Catholic Mary seized the throne.
[00:07:52] Mary was determined to undo her father’s religious reforms and return the country to Catholicism.
[00:08:00] Her father, Henry VIII, remember, had broken with Rome and declared himself to be head of the Church of England, the Protestant Church of England, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother.
[00:08:14] Mary was a devout Catholic.
[00:08:17] Protestants who refused to convert to Catholicism were burned at the stake, earning Mary the nickname of Bloody Mary.
[00:08:25] Yes, if you’re wondering, the drink with tomato juice and vodka is named after this religious zealot of an English queen.
[00:08:34] Elizabeth, who was born a Protestant, would find herself caught up in this religious turmoil, with Mary even locking up her own sister in the Tower of London, supposedly believing that she was plotting against her.
[00:08:48] It was two months before Elizabeth would be released from the Tower, and after this she was sent off to be kept under what was essentially house arrest for another year.
[00:09:00] Now, to skip forward a little bit, Bloody Queen Mary died childless in 1558.
[00:09:07] She had failed to produce an heir, so the crown passed to the 25-year-old Elizabeth, turning her into Queen Elizabeth I.
[00:09:16] Now, I know it has taken us a while to get to the bit where Elizabeth actually becomes Queen Elizabeth, but the back story is important. Think about what she has gone through so far, and it might help you understand the actions she'll take when she's on the throne.
[00:09:34] She was crowned in a coronation ceremony that was nothing short of a spectacle.
[00:09:40] She paraded through the streets in a small golden carriage as thousands of excited Londoners tried to catch a glimpse of the new Queen.
[00:09:50] But not everyone was so excited over the coronation.
[00:09:55] Remember, there are still vast religious divisions, and Catholics were angry at the idea of a protestant being back on the throne.
[00:10:05] It was not only her religion that made Elizabeth problematic.
[00:10:09] She was an unmarried, childless, female monarch, a very unusual combination at the time.
[00:10:16] So, there was an exceeding amount of pressure on her to do something about it.
[00:10:22] And what that meant, in practical terms, was first to find a husband.
[00:10:28] Not just so that he would do the important job of producing a male heir with her, but also so that he could help her make the tricky decisions that a monarch needed to take.
[00:10:40] Women at this time were not considered to be intellectually capable of making these kinds of tough decisions, so a queen needed to find a man to help her.
[00:10:51] As you might imagine, for an incredibly intelligent and independent woman, one who had already proved that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, this must have been a tricky pill to swallow, a difficult reality to accept.
[00:11:08] And indeed, Elizabeth didn't accept it.
[00:11:12] In fact, she had resolved never to marry, even taking a pledge as an 8-year-old to never take a husband. She would keep this pledge for her entire adult life.
[00:11:24] But how could she sell this to the public, a public that expected her to take a husband?
[00:11:30] Well, as queen, she transformed her image and public persona from ordinary woman into a god-like figure, a deity.
[00:11:40] She announced that she would live and die a virgin, earning her the nickname “The Virgin Queen”.
[00:11:47] It was actually a very clever move, as it placed her in a completely different category to a normal queen, who would constantly be bombarded with marriage requests.
[00:11:58] If people thought of her more like a god than a queen, well this gave her the perfect excuse to not take a husband.
[00:12:07] So, why was this, why was she so opposed to getting married?
[00:12:12] Well, perhaps it was just her character.
[00:12:15] Perhaps she had seen the devastating effect of marriage on her own mother, Anne Boleyn, as well as the fate of the other five women who had married her father.
[00:12:25] Perhaps it was the horrific abuse she likely suffered at the hands of Thomas Seymour.
[00:12:31] Perhaps she was simply disgusted by all of the scheming and plotting men at court.
[00:12:37] Perhaps she thought that being independent was, counterintuitively, her best chance at surviving.
[00:12:43] Whichever it was, one thing is undeniable: this was a man’s world where women were second-class citizens.
[00:12:52] It was not long, though, before Elizabeth had much bigger problems than fending off the advances of male suitors, because in 1562 she fell very ill.
[00:13:04] Initially, she and her court believed it was just a cold but she grew weaker and weaker and soon she could not even talk.
[00:13:13] It became obvious that the queen had Smallpox, the deadly disease that killed between 20-30% of everyone it infected.
[00:13:23] Everyone believed Elizabeth was about to die.
[00:13:27] Thankfully, though, she did not and she amazed everyone by making a full recovery. The disease would, however, leave her with terrible scarring on her face, which she would cover up with a permanent thick layer of white makeup.
[00:13:43] She tried to take full advantage of her escape from death, describing it as evidence that God supported and protected her.
[00:13:52] But it wasn’t taken this way by all, with her critics suggesting that this only proved her to be a weak and sickly woman who desperately needed a husband.
[00:14:02] And the pressure continued to grow, with her advisors continually putting forward potential matches. But Elizabeth rejected them all.
[00:14:12] Now, it is, of course, possible that there was another reason that Elizabeth was not interested in any of her advisor’s suggested husbands.
[00:14:22] Perhaps it was because she had a love interest of her own.
[00:14:27] One man above all others was believed to be her lover. His name was Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester.
[00:14:35] The pair had known each other since childhood and were almost inseparable. The Queen called him her ‘Sweet Robin’ and gave him many gifts, riches and powerful positions within her government.
[00:14:48] Over the years, many rumours came out about the pair having had multiple illegitimate children, who were subsequently sent abroad to protect the Queen’s virginal image.
[00:14:59] Whether the rumours were true or not, they clearly show that not everyone was convinced by the Queen’s claims she was a virgin.
[00:15:08] And Dudley certainly seemed to start to think that he was the one for Elizabeth, he was the man she was waiting for. He planned a lavish proposal to her in an extravagant 19-day-event, featuring water fountains, musical performances, plays and fireworks.
[00:15:26] The highlight of the entire event was planned to be a play, during which Dudley would dramatically propose to the queen.
[00:15:34] But Elizabeth had other plans. When she got wind of what was about to happen, she refused to let the performance start, and Dudley’s plan was thwarted, it was stopped.
[00:15:47] The Virgin Queen was not planning on breaking the promise she had made to herself as an 8-year-old.
[00:15:53] She would remain single, she did not need a man to tell her what to do.
[00:15:59] And all around, the threats were growing. After all, the queen’s ticking biological clock and refusal to take a husband was problematic for the succession of the British crown.
[00:16:11] With no children, who would the throne pass to after her death?
[00:16:17] For some, they sensed opportunity.
[00:16:19] In 1571 an Italian banker, Roberto Ridolfi conspired with Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
[00:16:29] The pair plotted to gather an army from Spain and then kill Elizabeth so Mary could take the English throne, and the country could be returned to Catholicism.
[00:16:40] But while there were plenty of plotting men around, Elizabeth also had a network of spies, she knew that knowledge was power.
[00:16:51] Her chief spymaster was a man named Sir Francis Walsingham, and he managed to discover this plot, a plot which would go down in history as The Ridolfi Plot.
[00:17:03] Elizabeth ordered the executions of everyone involved, but she decided to spare her Scottish cousin, Mary.
[00:17:11] Her mercy, however, would not go rewarded.
[00:17:15] In 1586, 15 years later, Mary, Queen of Scots began to plot again.
[00:17:21] She had been sending coded letters in beer barrels to an Englishman named Anthony Babington.
[00:17:28] The plan was much the same as the Ridolfi Plot, with Spain to invade, kill Elizabeth, place Mary on the throne and restore Catholicism.
[00:17:38] But the conspirators, including Mary, did not realise that their letters were yet again being intercepted by Elizabeth’s trusted spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.
[00:17:50] This time, Elizabeth wouldn’t be so forgiving towards her rebellious cousin. Mary was caught, held in the Tower of London, and beheaded the following year.
[00:18:02] But even with her rival to the north now dealt with, there was little peace for this English queen.
[00:18:09] There was increasing rivalry with Spain, with Philip II expressing his desire to attack England and restore Catholicism to the country, which would clearly require removing the Protestant monarch, Elizabeth, and replacing her with a Catholic.
[00:18:25] This all came to a head in 1588, just a year after Elizabeth had got rid of the “Mary” threat.
[00:18:34] On the south coast of England, the troops were preparing for the arrival of the Spanish armada, the Spanish fleet.
[00:18:42] On the 19th of August 1588, Elizabeth went to visit them, making a rousing speech to her soldiers.
[00:18:51] She declared, ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too’.
[00:19:02] The English were looking down the barrel of a potentially huge defeat.
[00:19:07] The Spanish forces were far greater in number, but there were terrible storms on their route north. There was a battle, the battle of Gravelines, and the Spanish were pushed away from the coast, forced to retreat back to Spain via the North Sea, and the threat was averted.
[00:19:27] This victory, although it was certainly helped by bad weather and storms, brought Elizabeth’s popularity to new heights, and cemented her in the minds of the public as the Queen who had seen off the Spanish.
[00:19:42] And despite all of these domestic and international threats, with cousins and Spanish kings trying to kill her, the Elizabethan era, as it has come to be known, was a period of relative peace, both domestically and internationally.
[00:19:58] Yes, there were all of those people at home and abroad who wanted her dead, but compared to the years that came before and after, it was remarkably peaceful.
[00:20:08] And with this peace came an era of unparalleled cultural development, and the flourishing of the arts.
[00:20:17] The Elizabethan era saw the plays of William Shakespeare, the explorations of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, and huge development in poetry, theatre and music.
[00:20:30] It’s pretty amazing to think that in the years before she was made queen, the country was in the midst of bloody religious wars, and then less than forty years after her death the UK experienced its most bloody civil war and then the execution of a King.
[00:20:47] And here, in the middle, came this “Golden Age” of peace and tranquillity, which the lady on the throne can take a large amount of credit for.
[00:20:57] So, she was an admirable woman, and a strong and intelligent leader.
[00:21:02] But she was, after all, human.
[00:21:06] By 1597 she was 64 years old, an impressive age at the time when the average life expectancy was just 42.
[00:21:15] That year, the French ambassador wrote that the Queen looked aged, with wrinkles and many missing teeth. She also bore the scars of smallpox, which she covered up with her thick white makeup and her orange wig.
[00:21:30] And many took her ageing face to be a reminder of the fact she was now too old to have a child but had still not named an heir to the throne.
[00:21:41] And she could not escape time’s winged chariot.
[00:21:45] On 24th March 1603, at the age of 69, without ever producing an heir or naming her successor, she died, ending the near 120 year-reign of the Tudors.
[00:21:59] She was truly remarkable, overcoming imprisonment, disease, assassination attempts, war and rebellion, to rule for 45 years.
[00:22:09] This would have been impressive enough as is, but to do that as an unmarried woman in a world dominated by scheming and unscrupulous men was even more so.
[00:22:21] She has gone down in British history as one of the most influential monarchs of all time, seeing the country through religious rivalries, domestic and international conflict, and turning the country from an infighting minor European power into a fledgling imperial one.
[00:22:39] She was also, compared to her mother, Anne Boleyn, and even the subject of the next episode, Catherine the Great, the only one who really managed to control her own image and write her own story, defying her critics and leaving an enormous legacy on the country.
[00:22:58] When she was born, she was a disappointment to her father because of her gender.
[00:23:03] The great irony was, despite this “disappointing” gender, she was far more intelligent, cunning, and brave than her father.
[00:23:12] This father, Henry VIII is remembered as a selfish and nasty king.
[00:23:19] His daughter, on the other hand, managed to write her own story, define her own path and ultimately be remembered as a far more successful ruler than any man.
[00:23:32] Ok then, that is it for today’s episode on Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, part two of this three-part miniseries.
[00:23:42] Next up we’ll be talking about Catherine The Great.
[00:23:45] And if you missed it, part one was on Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
[00:23:50] As always I would love to know what you thought of this episode.
[00:23:53] How much did you know about the life of Elizabeth I?
[00:23:57] Why do you think she never married?
[00:23:59] Can you think of any parallels between Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II?
[00:24:04] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:24:08] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:24:17] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:24:22] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:11] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:20] I'm Alastair Budge, and today is part two of our mini-series on queens.
[00:00:26] In part one we looked at the tragic life of Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry VIII.
[00:00:33] And in part three it’s going to be Catherine the Great of Russia.
[00:00:37] I should say that if you haven’t listened to the one on Anne Boleyn yet, I would advise you to listen to that one before this one.
[00:00:45] Anne Boleyn was Elizabeth the First's mother, so an understanding of her story will help you better understand the story of Elizabeth, and give you an indication of why, perhaps, she took some of the decisions she did, decisions that would mean she was able to truly manage to control her own destiny and legacy, in a way her mother wasn't.
[00:01:08] So, let’s get right into it and learn about Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen.
[00:01:16] There's an expression in modern English called "broken home".
[00:01:22] It tends to mean an unstable and unhappy childhood, often with separated or fighting parents.
[00:01:31] There is little evidence that this expression existed in the 16th century, but let me introduce you to a situation that would certainly meet our modern description.
[00:01:42] Imagine your mother was the queen of England, but when you were only two years old she was publicly executed on the orders of your father.
[00:01:53] You were then disowned by your father, along with your half-sister from his first marriage.
[00:02:00] And when your father had another child with his new wife, a boy no less, you became even less important.
[00:02:09] This was the situation that young Elizabeth found herself in.
[00:02:14] A broken home is perhaps even a euphemism for the early years of Elizabeth I.
[00:02:21] Despite being disowned and having little chance of ever sitting on the throne, she was still the king’s daughter and had an extremely privileged childhood and education.
[00:02:34] She learnt mathematics, poetry, rhetoric, and music, and was fluent in five languages.
[00:02:42] From an early age, it was clear that this young girl was a cut above the rest, she was something special.
[00:02:50] She was tall, she had bright red hair, and was exceptionally clever.
[00:02:56] And this intelligence and wit would come in very handy, as she had to be constantly on guard, looking out for men plotting and conspiring against her.
[00:03:09] This all started from a young age.
[00:03:12] When she was only 14 years old, her father, Henry VIII died, passing the throne to her 9-year-old half-brother, Edward.
[00:03:22] Clearly, a 9-year-old can’t exactly rule for himself, so his government was left in the hands of elder noblemen and officials.
[00:03:32] And, as you might imagine, before Henry had even taken his last breath, there were plenty of plots and schemes about how to manipulate and control not only his son and heir, but his other children, Mary and Elizabeth.
[00:03:50] At this point, the young Elizabeth was sent to live with Henry’s 6th and final wife, Catherine Parr, who had married a man called Thomas Seymour after Henry had died.
[00:04:02] If the surname “Seymour” rings a bell, Thomas Seymour’s sister was Jane Seymour, who was Henry VIII’s third wife.
[00:04:11] Now, I know there are a lot of names and relationships here, so don’t worry if it’s a bit tricky to follow.
[00:04:19] The important point is that Thomas Seymour was not good news for Elizabeth.
[00:04:24] Believing it would get him closer to the crown, Seymour begun to make sexual advances towards the teenage girl.
[00:04:32] He was 25 years older than her, and were he to be alive today, he would certainly be called a sexual predator and thrown into prison.
[00:04:42] Elizabeth’s servant reported that Seymour would come to Elizabeth’s bedroom every morning before the young princess was even dressed.
[00:04:51] He would verbally abuse her, and it’s thought he probably sexually abused her as well.
[00:04:57] It’s believed that Catherine was well aware of her husband’s behaviour but initially did nothing to stop it.
[00:05:05] In fact, in one horrible episode she actually joined in this behaviour with him, with the couple reportedly tearing the young girl’s dress to pieces to humiliate her.
[00:05:17] It was not until Catherine found Elizabeth in Seymour’s arms that she reacted and sent the young girl away from her palace never to see her again.
[00:05:27] Around a year after Elizabeth had been sent away, Catherine died, leaving all her riches to Seymour and making him one of the wealthiest men in the country.
[00:05:39] So, to recap, Henry VIII dies, his surviving wife, Catherine, marries this horrible abusive man, Thomas Seymour, who is planning to marry Elizabeth.
[00:05:51] Then Catherine dies, leaving her fortune to evil Thomas Seymour.
[00:05:56] Seymour now has the chance to carry out his plan to marry Elizabeth and gain influence over his nephew, Elizabeth’s half-brother, the young king Edward VI.
[00:06:08] Some say he actually planned to kill or marry off his nephew and put Elizabeth on the throne.
[00:06:16] In any case, he didn’t have the chance to do it.
[00:06:19] He was arrested for treason, by his own brother no less, and eventually executed.
[00:06:26] Anyone involved with Seymour also came under suspicion, and this, naturally included Elizabeth. She was central to Seymour’s plan, even though there is no evidence that she wanted anything to do with him.
[00:06:41] She was accused of helping him and of having a sexual relationship with him.
[00:06:47] She was interrogated for weeks, with attempts to bully a confession out of her.
[00:06:53] However, at just 15 years old, Elizabeth outsmarted the council and denied all the charges, proving herself to be wise, confident, careful, and able to look out for herself in this world of manipulative and conspiring men.
[00:07:12] But this would only be the start of her lifelong battle against men plotting to get rid of her.
[00:07:19] In 1553, her half-brother, King Edward VI, died, aged only 15.
[00:07:27] In his will just days before he died, he had named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir, most likely because he didn’t want his Catholic half-sister, Mary, to take control of the country.
[00:07:41] Well, the throne did pass to Lady Jane Grey, but for a measly 9 days, before the tide turned and Catholic Mary seized the throne.
[00:07:52] Mary was determined to undo her father’s religious reforms and return the country to Catholicism.
[00:08:00] Her father, Henry VIII, remember, had broken with Rome and declared himself to be head of the Church of England, the Protestant Church of England, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother.
[00:08:14] Mary was a devout Catholic.
[00:08:17] Protestants who refused to convert to Catholicism were burned at the stake, earning Mary the nickname of Bloody Mary.
[00:08:25] Yes, if you’re wondering, the drink with tomato juice and vodka is named after this religious zealot of an English queen.
[00:08:34] Elizabeth, who was born a Protestant, would find herself caught up in this religious turmoil, with Mary even locking up her own sister in the Tower of London, supposedly believing that she was plotting against her.
[00:08:48] It was two months before Elizabeth would be released from the Tower, and after this she was sent off to be kept under what was essentially house arrest for another year.
[00:09:00] Now, to skip forward a little bit, Bloody Queen Mary died childless in 1558.
[00:09:07] She had failed to produce an heir, so the crown passed to the 25-year-old Elizabeth, turning her into Queen Elizabeth I.
[00:09:16] Now, I know it has taken us a while to get to the bit where Elizabeth actually becomes Queen Elizabeth, but the back story is important. Think about what she has gone through so far, and it might help you understand the actions she'll take when she's on the throne.
[00:09:34] She was crowned in a coronation ceremony that was nothing short of a spectacle.
[00:09:40] She paraded through the streets in a small golden carriage as thousands of excited Londoners tried to catch a glimpse of the new Queen.
[00:09:50] But not everyone was so excited over the coronation.
[00:09:55] Remember, there are still vast religious divisions, and Catholics were angry at the idea of a protestant being back on the throne.
[00:10:05] It was not only her religion that made Elizabeth problematic.
[00:10:09] She was an unmarried, childless, female monarch, a very unusual combination at the time.
[00:10:16] So, there was an exceeding amount of pressure on her to do something about it.
[00:10:22] And what that meant, in practical terms, was first to find a husband.
[00:10:28] Not just so that he would do the important job of producing a male heir with her, but also so that he could help her make the tricky decisions that a monarch needed to take.
[00:10:40] Women at this time were not considered to be intellectually capable of making these kinds of tough decisions, so a queen needed to find a man to help her.
[00:10:51] As you might imagine, for an incredibly intelligent and independent woman, one who had already proved that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, this must have been a tricky pill to swallow, a difficult reality to accept.
[00:11:08] And indeed, Elizabeth didn't accept it.
[00:11:12] In fact, she had resolved never to marry, even taking a pledge as an 8-year-old to never take a husband. She would keep this pledge for her entire adult life.
[00:11:24] But how could she sell this to the public, a public that expected her to take a husband?
[00:11:30] Well, as queen, she transformed her image and public persona from ordinary woman into a god-like figure, a deity.
[00:11:40] She announced that she would live and die a virgin, earning her the nickname “The Virgin Queen”.
[00:11:47] It was actually a very clever move, as it placed her in a completely different category to a normal queen, who would constantly be bombarded with marriage requests.
[00:11:58] If people thought of her more like a god than a queen, well this gave her the perfect excuse to not take a husband.
[00:12:07] So, why was this, why was she so opposed to getting married?
[00:12:12] Well, perhaps it was just her character.
[00:12:15] Perhaps she had seen the devastating effect of marriage on her own mother, Anne Boleyn, as well as the fate of the other five women who had married her father.
[00:12:25] Perhaps it was the horrific abuse she likely suffered at the hands of Thomas Seymour.
[00:12:31] Perhaps she was simply disgusted by all of the scheming and plotting men at court.
[00:12:37] Perhaps she thought that being independent was, counterintuitively, her best chance at surviving.
[00:12:43] Whichever it was, one thing is undeniable: this was a man’s world where women were second-class citizens.
[00:12:52] It was not long, though, before Elizabeth had much bigger problems than fending off the advances of male suitors, because in 1562 she fell very ill.
[00:13:04] Initially, she and her court believed it was just a cold but she grew weaker and weaker and soon she could not even talk.
[00:13:13] It became obvious that the queen had Smallpox, the deadly disease that killed between 20-30% of everyone it infected.
[00:13:23] Everyone believed Elizabeth was about to die.
[00:13:27] Thankfully, though, she did not and she amazed everyone by making a full recovery. The disease would, however, leave her with terrible scarring on her face, which she would cover up with a permanent thick layer of white makeup.
[00:13:43] She tried to take full advantage of her escape from death, describing it as evidence that God supported and protected her.
[00:13:52] But it wasn’t taken this way by all, with her critics suggesting that this only proved her to be a weak and sickly woman who desperately needed a husband.
[00:14:02] And the pressure continued to grow, with her advisors continually putting forward potential matches. But Elizabeth rejected them all.
[00:14:12] Now, it is, of course, possible that there was another reason that Elizabeth was not interested in any of her advisor’s suggested husbands.
[00:14:22] Perhaps it was because she had a love interest of her own.
[00:14:27] One man above all others was believed to be her lover. His name was Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester.
[00:14:35] The pair had known each other since childhood and were almost inseparable. The Queen called him her ‘Sweet Robin’ and gave him many gifts, riches and powerful positions within her government.
[00:14:48] Over the years, many rumours came out about the pair having had multiple illegitimate children, who were subsequently sent abroad to protect the Queen’s virginal image.
[00:14:59] Whether the rumours were true or not, they clearly show that not everyone was convinced by the Queen’s claims she was a virgin.
[00:15:08] And Dudley certainly seemed to start to think that he was the one for Elizabeth, he was the man she was waiting for. He planned a lavish proposal to her in an extravagant 19-day-event, featuring water fountains, musical performances, plays and fireworks.
[00:15:26] The highlight of the entire event was planned to be a play, during which Dudley would dramatically propose to the queen.
[00:15:34] But Elizabeth had other plans. When she got wind of what was about to happen, she refused to let the performance start, and Dudley’s plan was thwarted, it was stopped.
[00:15:47] The Virgin Queen was not planning on breaking the promise she had made to herself as an 8-year-old.
[00:15:53] She would remain single, she did not need a man to tell her what to do.
[00:15:59] And all around, the threats were growing. After all, the queen’s ticking biological clock and refusal to take a husband was problematic for the succession of the British crown.
[00:16:11] With no children, who would the throne pass to after her death?
[00:16:17] For some, they sensed opportunity.
[00:16:19] In 1571 an Italian banker, Roberto Ridolfi conspired with Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
[00:16:29] The pair plotted to gather an army from Spain and then kill Elizabeth so Mary could take the English throne, and the country could be returned to Catholicism.
[00:16:40] But while there were plenty of plotting men around, Elizabeth also had a network of spies, she knew that knowledge was power.
[00:16:51] Her chief spymaster was a man named Sir Francis Walsingham, and he managed to discover this plot, a plot which would go down in history as The Ridolfi Plot.
[00:17:03] Elizabeth ordered the executions of everyone involved, but she decided to spare her Scottish cousin, Mary.
[00:17:11] Her mercy, however, would not go rewarded.
[00:17:15] In 1586, 15 years later, Mary, Queen of Scots began to plot again.
[00:17:21] She had been sending coded letters in beer barrels to an Englishman named Anthony Babington.
[00:17:28] The plan was much the same as the Ridolfi Plot, with Spain to invade, kill Elizabeth, place Mary on the throne and restore Catholicism.
[00:17:38] But the conspirators, including Mary, did not realise that their letters were yet again being intercepted by Elizabeth’s trusted spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.
[00:17:50] This time, Elizabeth wouldn’t be so forgiving towards her rebellious cousin. Mary was caught, held in the Tower of London, and beheaded the following year.
[00:18:02] But even with her rival to the north now dealt with, there was little peace for this English queen.
[00:18:09] There was increasing rivalry with Spain, with Philip II expressing his desire to attack England and restore Catholicism to the country, which would clearly require removing the Protestant monarch, Elizabeth, and replacing her with a Catholic.
[00:18:25] This all came to a head in 1588, just a year after Elizabeth had got rid of the “Mary” threat.
[00:18:34] On the south coast of England, the troops were preparing for the arrival of the Spanish armada, the Spanish fleet.
[00:18:42] On the 19th of August 1588, Elizabeth went to visit them, making a rousing speech to her soldiers.
[00:18:51] She declared, ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too’.
[00:19:02] The English were looking down the barrel of a potentially huge defeat.
[00:19:07] The Spanish forces were far greater in number, but there were terrible storms on their route north. There was a battle, the battle of Gravelines, and the Spanish were pushed away from the coast, forced to retreat back to Spain via the North Sea, and the threat was averted.
[00:19:27] This victory, although it was certainly helped by bad weather and storms, brought Elizabeth’s popularity to new heights, and cemented her in the minds of the public as the Queen who had seen off the Spanish.
[00:19:42] And despite all of these domestic and international threats, with cousins and Spanish kings trying to kill her, the Elizabethan era, as it has come to be known, was a period of relative peace, both domestically and internationally.
[00:19:58] Yes, there were all of those people at home and abroad who wanted her dead, but compared to the years that came before and after, it was remarkably peaceful.
[00:20:08] And with this peace came an era of unparalleled cultural development, and the flourishing of the arts.
[00:20:17] The Elizabethan era saw the plays of William Shakespeare, the explorations of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, and huge development in poetry, theatre and music.
[00:20:30] It’s pretty amazing to think that in the years before she was made queen, the country was in the midst of bloody religious wars, and then less than forty years after her death the UK experienced its most bloody civil war and then the execution of a King.
[00:20:47] And here, in the middle, came this “Golden Age” of peace and tranquillity, which the lady on the throne can take a large amount of credit for.
[00:20:57] So, she was an admirable woman, and a strong and intelligent leader.
[00:21:02] But she was, after all, human.
[00:21:06] By 1597 she was 64 years old, an impressive age at the time when the average life expectancy was just 42.
[00:21:15] That year, the French ambassador wrote that the Queen looked aged, with wrinkles and many missing teeth. She also bore the scars of smallpox, which she covered up with her thick white makeup and her orange wig.
[00:21:30] And many took her ageing face to be a reminder of the fact she was now too old to have a child but had still not named an heir to the throne.
[00:21:41] And she could not escape time’s winged chariot.
[00:21:45] On 24th March 1603, at the age of 69, without ever producing an heir or naming her successor, she died, ending the near 120 year-reign of the Tudors.
[00:21:59] She was truly remarkable, overcoming imprisonment, disease, assassination attempts, war and rebellion, to rule for 45 years.
[00:22:09] This would have been impressive enough as is, but to do that as an unmarried woman in a world dominated by scheming and unscrupulous men was even more so.
[00:22:21] She has gone down in British history as one of the most influential monarchs of all time, seeing the country through religious rivalries, domestic and international conflict, and turning the country from an infighting minor European power into a fledgling imperial one.
[00:22:39] She was also, compared to her mother, Anne Boleyn, and even the subject of the next episode, Catherine the Great, the only one who really managed to control her own image and write her own story, defying her critics and leaving an enormous legacy on the country.
[00:22:58] When she was born, she was a disappointment to her father because of her gender.
[00:23:03] The great irony was, despite this “disappointing” gender, she was far more intelligent, cunning, and brave than her father.
[00:23:12] This father, Henry VIII is remembered as a selfish and nasty king.
[00:23:19] His daughter, on the other hand, managed to write her own story, define her own path and ultimately be remembered as a far more successful ruler than any man.
[00:23:32] Ok then, that is it for today’s episode on Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, part two of this three-part miniseries.
[00:23:42] Next up we’ll be talking about Catherine The Great.
[00:23:45] And if you missed it, part one was on Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
[00:23:50] As always I would love to know what you thought of this episode.
[00:23:53] How much did you know about the life of Elizabeth I?
[00:23:57] Why do you think she never married?
[00:23:59] Can you think of any parallels between Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II?
[00:24:04] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:24:08] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:24:17] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:24:22] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:11] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:20] I'm Alastair Budge, and today is part two of our mini-series on queens.
[00:00:26] In part one we looked at the tragic life of Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry VIII.
[00:00:33] And in part three it’s going to be Catherine the Great of Russia.
[00:00:37] I should say that if you haven’t listened to the one on Anne Boleyn yet, I would advise you to listen to that one before this one.
[00:00:45] Anne Boleyn was Elizabeth the First's mother, so an understanding of her story will help you better understand the story of Elizabeth, and give you an indication of why, perhaps, she took some of the decisions she did, decisions that would mean she was able to truly manage to control her own destiny and legacy, in a way her mother wasn't.
[00:01:08] So, let’s get right into it and learn about Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen.
[00:01:16] There's an expression in modern English called "broken home".
[00:01:22] It tends to mean an unstable and unhappy childhood, often with separated or fighting parents.
[00:01:31] There is little evidence that this expression existed in the 16th century, but let me introduce you to a situation that would certainly meet our modern description.
[00:01:42] Imagine your mother was the queen of England, but when you were only two years old she was publicly executed on the orders of your father.
[00:01:53] You were then disowned by your father, along with your half-sister from his first marriage.
[00:02:00] And when your father had another child with his new wife, a boy no less, you became even less important.
[00:02:09] This was the situation that young Elizabeth found herself in.
[00:02:14] A broken home is perhaps even a euphemism for the early years of Elizabeth I.
[00:02:21] Despite being disowned and having little chance of ever sitting on the throne, she was still the king’s daughter and had an extremely privileged childhood and education.
[00:02:34] She learnt mathematics, poetry, rhetoric, and music, and was fluent in five languages.
[00:02:42] From an early age, it was clear that this young girl was a cut above the rest, she was something special.
[00:02:50] She was tall, she had bright red hair, and was exceptionally clever.
[00:02:56] And this intelligence and wit would come in very handy, as she had to be constantly on guard, looking out for men plotting and conspiring against her.
[00:03:09] This all started from a young age.
[00:03:12] When she was only 14 years old, her father, Henry VIII died, passing the throne to her 9-year-old half-brother, Edward.
[00:03:22] Clearly, a 9-year-old can’t exactly rule for himself, so his government was left in the hands of elder noblemen and officials.
[00:03:32] And, as you might imagine, before Henry had even taken his last breath, there were plenty of plots and schemes about how to manipulate and control not only his son and heir, but his other children, Mary and Elizabeth.
[00:03:50] At this point, the young Elizabeth was sent to live with Henry’s 6th and final wife, Catherine Parr, who had married a man called Thomas Seymour after Henry had died.
[00:04:02] If the surname “Seymour” rings a bell, Thomas Seymour’s sister was Jane Seymour, who was Henry VIII’s third wife.
[00:04:11] Now, I know there are a lot of names and relationships here, so don’t worry if it’s a bit tricky to follow.
[00:04:19] The important point is that Thomas Seymour was not good news for Elizabeth.
[00:04:24] Believing it would get him closer to the crown, Seymour begun to make sexual advances towards the teenage girl.
[00:04:32] He was 25 years older than her, and were he to be alive today, he would certainly be called a sexual predator and thrown into prison.
[00:04:42] Elizabeth’s servant reported that Seymour would come to Elizabeth’s bedroom every morning before the young princess was even dressed.
[00:04:51] He would verbally abuse her, and it’s thought he probably sexually abused her as well.
[00:04:57] It’s believed that Catherine was well aware of her husband’s behaviour but initially did nothing to stop it.
[00:05:05] In fact, in one horrible episode she actually joined in this behaviour with him, with the couple reportedly tearing the young girl’s dress to pieces to humiliate her.
[00:05:17] It was not until Catherine found Elizabeth in Seymour’s arms that she reacted and sent the young girl away from her palace never to see her again.
[00:05:27] Around a year after Elizabeth had been sent away, Catherine died, leaving all her riches to Seymour and making him one of the wealthiest men in the country.
[00:05:39] So, to recap, Henry VIII dies, his surviving wife, Catherine, marries this horrible abusive man, Thomas Seymour, who is planning to marry Elizabeth.
[00:05:51] Then Catherine dies, leaving her fortune to evil Thomas Seymour.
[00:05:56] Seymour now has the chance to carry out his plan to marry Elizabeth and gain influence over his nephew, Elizabeth’s half-brother, the young king Edward VI.
[00:06:08] Some say he actually planned to kill or marry off his nephew and put Elizabeth on the throne.
[00:06:16] In any case, he didn’t have the chance to do it.
[00:06:19] He was arrested for treason, by his own brother no less, and eventually executed.
[00:06:26] Anyone involved with Seymour also came under suspicion, and this, naturally included Elizabeth. She was central to Seymour’s plan, even though there is no evidence that she wanted anything to do with him.
[00:06:41] She was accused of helping him and of having a sexual relationship with him.
[00:06:47] She was interrogated for weeks, with attempts to bully a confession out of her.
[00:06:53] However, at just 15 years old, Elizabeth outsmarted the council and denied all the charges, proving herself to be wise, confident, careful, and able to look out for herself in this world of manipulative and conspiring men.
[00:07:12] But this would only be the start of her lifelong battle against men plotting to get rid of her.
[00:07:19] In 1553, her half-brother, King Edward VI, died, aged only 15.
[00:07:27] In his will just days before he died, he had named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir, most likely because he didn’t want his Catholic half-sister, Mary, to take control of the country.
[00:07:41] Well, the throne did pass to Lady Jane Grey, but for a measly 9 days, before the tide turned and Catholic Mary seized the throne.
[00:07:52] Mary was determined to undo her father’s religious reforms and return the country to Catholicism.
[00:08:00] Her father, Henry VIII, remember, had broken with Rome and declared himself to be head of the Church of England, the Protestant Church of England, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother.
[00:08:14] Mary was a devout Catholic.
[00:08:17] Protestants who refused to convert to Catholicism were burned at the stake, earning Mary the nickname of Bloody Mary.
[00:08:25] Yes, if you’re wondering, the drink with tomato juice and vodka is named after this religious zealot of an English queen.
[00:08:34] Elizabeth, who was born a Protestant, would find herself caught up in this religious turmoil, with Mary even locking up her own sister in the Tower of London, supposedly believing that she was plotting against her.
[00:08:48] It was two months before Elizabeth would be released from the Tower, and after this she was sent off to be kept under what was essentially house arrest for another year.
[00:09:00] Now, to skip forward a little bit, Bloody Queen Mary died childless in 1558.
[00:09:07] She had failed to produce an heir, so the crown passed to the 25-year-old Elizabeth, turning her into Queen Elizabeth I.
[00:09:16] Now, I know it has taken us a while to get to the bit where Elizabeth actually becomes Queen Elizabeth, but the back story is important. Think about what she has gone through so far, and it might help you understand the actions she'll take when she's on the throne.
[00:09:34] She was crowned in a coronation ceremony that was nothing short of a spectacle.
[00:09:40] She paraded through the streets in a small golden carriage as thousands of excited Londoners tried to catch a glimpse of the new Queen.
[00:09:50] But not everyone was so excited over the coronation.
[00:09:55] Remember, there are still vast religious divisions, and Catholics were angry at the idea of a protestant being back on the throne.
[00:10:05] It was not only her religion that made Elizabeth problematic.
[00:10:09] She was an unmarried, childless, female monarch, a very unusual combination at the time.
[00:10:16] So, there was an exceeding amount of pressure on her to do something about it.
[00:10:22] And what that meant, in practical terms, was first to find a husband.
[00:10:28] Not just so that he would do the important job of producing a male heir with her, but also so that he could help her make the tricky decisions that a monarch needed to take.
[00:10:40] Women at this time were not considered to be intellectually capable of making these kinds of tough decisions, so a queen needed to find a man to help her.
[00:10:51] As you might imagine, for an incredibly intelligent and independent woman, one who had already proved that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, this must have been a tricky pill to swallow, a difficult reality to accept.
[00:11:08] And indeed, Elizabeth didn't accept it.
[00:11:12] In fact, she had resolved never to marry, even taking a pledge as an 8-year-old to never take a husband. She would keep this pledge for her entire adult life.
[00:11:24] But how could she sell this to the public, a public that expected her to take a husband?
[00:11:30] Well, as queen, she transformed her image and public persona from ordinary woman into a god-like figure, a deity.
[00:11:40] She announced that she would live and die a virgin, earning her the nickname “The Virgin Queen”.
[00:11:47] It was actually a very clever move, as it placed her in a completely different category to a normal queen, who would constantly be bombarded with marriage requests.
[00:11:58] If people thought of her more like a god than a queen, well this gave her the perfect excuse to not take a husband.
[00:12:07] So, why was this, why was she so opposed to getting married?
[00:12:12] Well, perhaps it was just her character.
[00:12:15] Perhaps she had seen the devastating effect of marriage on her own mother, Anne Boleyn, as well as the fate of the other five women who had married her father.
[00:12:25] Perhaps it was the horrific abuse she likely suffered at the hands of Thomas Seymour.
[00:12:31] Perhaps she was simply disgusted by all of the scheming and plotting men at court.
[00:12:37] Perhaps she thought that being independent was, counterintuitively, her best chance at surviving.
[00:12:43] Whichever it was, one thing is undeniable: this was a man’s world where women were second-class citizens.
[00:12:52] It was not long, though, before Elizabeth had much bigger problems than fending off the advances of male suitors, because in 1562 she fell very ill.
[00:13:04] Initially, she and her court believed it was just a cold but she grew weaker and weaker and soon she could not even talk.
[00:13:13] It became obvious that the queen had Smallpox, the deadly disease that killed between 20-30% of everyone it infected.
[00:13:23] Everyone believed Elizabeth was about to die.
[00:13:27] Thankfully, though, she did not and she amazed everyone by making a full recovery. The disease would, however, leave her with terrible scarring on her face, which she would cover up with a permanent thick layer of white makeup.
[00:13:43] She tried to take full advantage of her escape from death, describing it as evidence that God supported and protected her.
[00:13:52] But it wasn’t taken this way by all, with her critics suggesting that this only proved her to be a weak and sickly woman who desperately needed a husband.
[00:14:02] And the pressure continued to grow, with her advisors continually putting forward potential matches. But Elizabeth rejected them all.
[00:14:12] Now, it is, of course, possible that there was another reason that Elizabeth was not interested in any of her advisor’s suggested husbands.
[00:14:22] Perhaps it was because she had a love interest of her own.
[00:14:27] One man above all others was believed to be her lover. His name was Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester.
[00:14:35] The pair had known each other since childhood and were almost inseparable. The Queen called him her ‘Sweet Robin’ and gave him many gifts, riches and powerful positions within her government.
[00:14:48] Over the years, many rumours came out about the pair having had multiple illegitimate children, who were subsequently sent abroad to protect the Queen’s virginal image.
[00:14:59] Whether the rumours were true or not, they clearly show that not everyone was convinced by the Queen’s claims she was a virgin.
[00:15:08] And Dudley certainly seemed to start to think that he was the one for Elizabeth, he was the man she was waiting for. He planned a lavish proposal to her in an extravagant 19-day-event, featuring water fountains, musical performances, plays and fireworks.
[00:15:26] The highlight of the entire event was planned to be a play, during which Dudley would dramatically propose to the queen.
[00:15:34] But Elizabeth had other plans. When she got wind of what was about to happen, she refused to let the performance start, and Dudley’s plan was thwarted, it was stopped.
[00:15:47] The Virgin Queen was not planning on breaking the promise she had made to herself as an 8-year-old.
[00:15:53] She would remain single, she did not need a man to tell her what to do.
[00:15:59] And all around, the threats were growing. After all, the queen’s ticking biological clock and refusal to take a husband was problematic for the succession of the British crown.
[00:16:11] With no children, who would the throne pass to after her death?
[00:16:17] For some, they sensed opportunity.
[00:16:19] In 1571 an Italian banker, Roberto Ridolfi conspired with Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
[00:16:29] The pair plotted to gather an army from Spain and then kill Elizabeth so Mary could take the English throne, and the country could be returned to Catholicism.
[00:16:40] But while there were plenty of plotting men around, Elizabeth also had a network of spies, she knew that knowledge was power.
[00:16:51] Her chief spymaster was a man named Sir Francis Walsingham, and he managed to discover this plot, a plot which would go down in history as The Ridolfi Plot.
[00:17:03] Elizabeth ordered the executions of everyone involved, but she decided to spare her Scottish cousin, Mary.
[00:17:11] Her mercy, however, would not go rewarded.
[00:17:15] In 1586, 15 years later, Mary, Queen of Scots began to plot again.
[00:17:21] She had been sending coded letters in beer barrels to an Englishman named Anthony Babington.
[00:17:28] The plan was much the same as the Ridolfi Plot, with Spain to invade, kill Elizabeth, place Mary on the throne and restore Catholicism.
[00:17:38] But the conspirators, including Mary, did not realise that their letters were yet again being intercepted by Elizabeth’s trusted spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.
[00:17:50] This time, Elizabeth wouldn’t be so forgiving towards her rebellious cousin. Mary was caught, held in the Tower of London, and beheaded the following year.
[00:18:02] But even with her rival to the north now dealt with, there was little peace for this English queen.
[00:18:09] There was increasing rivalry with Spain, with Philip II expressing his desire to attack England and restore Catholicism to the country, which would clearly require removing the Protestant monarch, Elizabeth, and replacing her with a Catholic.
[00:18:25] This all came to a head in 1588, just a year after Elizabeth had got rid of the “Mary” threat.
[00:18:34] On the south coast of England, the troops were preparing for the arrival of the Spanish armada, the Spanish fleet.
[00:18:42] On the 19th of August 1588, Elizabeth went to visit them, making a rousing speech to her soldiers.
[00:18:51] She declared, ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too’.
[00:19:02] The English were looking down the barrel of a potentially huge defeat.
[00:19:07] The Spanish forces were far greater in number, but there were terrible storms on their route north. There was a battle, the battle of Gravelines, and the Spanish were pushed away from the coast, forced to retreat back to Spain via the North Sea, and the threat was averted.
[00:19:27] This victory, although it was certainly helped by bad weather and storms, brought Elizabeth’s popularity to new heights, and cemented her in the minds of the public as the Queen who had seen off the Spanish.
[00:19:42] And despite all of these domestic and international threats, with cousins and Spanish kings trying to kill her, the Elizabethan era, as it has come to be known, was a period of relative peace, both domestically and internationally.
[00:19:58] Yes, there were all of those people at home and abroad who wanted her dead, but compared to the years that came before and after, it was remarkably peaceful.
[00:20:08] And with this peace came an era of unparalleled cultural development, and the flourishing of the arts.
[00:20:17] The Elizabethan era saw the plays of William Shakespeare, the explorations of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, and huge development in poetry, theatre and music.
[00:20:30] It’s pretty amazing to think that in the years before she was made queen, the country was in the midst of bloody religious wars, and then less than forty years after her death the UK experienced its most bloody civil war and then the execution of a King.
[00:20:47] And here, in the middle, came this “Golden Age” of peace and tranquillity, which the lady on the throne can take a large amount of credit for.
[00:20:57] So, she was an admirable woman, and a strong and intelligent leader.
[00:21:02] But she was, after all, human.
[00:21:06] By 1597 she was 64 years old, an impressive age at the time when the average life expectancy was just 42.
[00:21:15] That year, the French ambassador wrote that the Queen looked aged, with wrinkles and many missing teeth. She also bore the scars of smallpox, which she covered up with her thick white makeup and her orange wig.
[00:21:30] And many took her ageing face to be a reminder of the fact she was now too old to have a child but had still not named an heir to the throne.
[00:21:41] And she could not escape time’s winged chariot.
[00:21:45] On 24th March 1603, at the age of 69, without ever producing an heir or naming her successor, she died, ending the near 120 year-reign of the Tudors.
[00:21:59] She was truly remarkable, overcoming imprisonment, disease, assassination attempts, war and rebellion, to rule for 45 years.
[00:22:09] This would have been impressive enough as is, but to do that as an unmarried woman in a world dominated by scheming and unscrupulous men was even more so.
[00:22:21] She has gone down in British history as one of the most influential monarchs of all time, seeing the country through religious rivalries, domestic and international conflict, and turning the country from an infighting minor European power into a fledgling imperial one.
[00:22:39] She was also, compared to her mother, Anne Boleyn, and even the subject of the next episode, Catherine the Great, the only one who really managed to control her own image and write her own story, defying her critics and leaving an enormous legacy on the country.
[00:22:58] When she was born, she was a disappointment to her father because of her gender.
[00:23:03] The great irony was, despite this “disappointing” gender, she was far more intelligent, cunning, and brave than her father.
[00:23:12] This father, Henry VIII is remembered as a selfish and nasty king.
[00:23:19] His daughter, on the other hand, managed to write her own story, define her own path and ultimately be remembered as a far more successful ruler than any man.
[00:23:32] Ok then, that is it for today’s episode on Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, part two of this three-part miniseries.
[00:23:42] Next up we’ll be talking about Catherine The Great.
[00:23:45] And if you missed it, part one was on Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
[00:23:50] As always I would love to know what you thought of this episode.
[00:23:53] How much did you know about the life of Elizabeth I?
[00:23:57] Why do you think she never married?
[00:23:59] Can you think of any parallels between Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II?
[00:24:04] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:24:08] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:24:17] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:24:22] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
