Queen Elizabeth I
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This is the Sleepy History of Queen Elizabeth I, narrated by Jessica Gerstle, written by Jo Steer. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, is a figure that stands out on the pages of history, the daughter of a king who placed little value on daughters,

She proved a far better ruler than Henry VIII might have imagined. But what challenges did she face? And how did she overcome them? How was it that England came to flourish during her reign? These are the questions that we'll delve into this evening. So just relax and let your mind drift.

as we explore the sleepy history of Queen Elizabeth I. It's January the 15th, 1559, and the streets of London are lined with people. Crowds have gathered around West Minister Abbey for the grand coronation of England's new queen. Many have stood here for hours on end,

in the hopes of only glimpsing the 25-year-old Elizabeth. And it's entirely worth it. When the Queen steps out to a fanfare of trumpets, drums, and organs, her gold dress is embroidered with Tudor roses, her robes lined with fur of white and black ermine,

Rubies, pearls, diamonds, and sapphires have been fixed in place across the fabric. They match the jewels set into her crown. Its arch is topped with an ornate gold cross. An otherworldly aura surrounds the new queen, a stillness unaffected by music or cheering crowds.

To look upon royalty is to glimpse the divine, to see a monarch appointed directly by God. After years of unrest following the English Reformation and the religious tyranny of her stepsister, Mary, many hope that Elizabeth will bring peace back to England.

She's a symbol of hope and new beginnings. At the same time, the public remain anxious. Questions surround the new sovereign's reign. Some wonder who she'll choose for a husband, others, whether she'll be a tyrant like her father and sister.

Some ask, concerned, whether a woman has the skill set to face down Catholic threats, both in England and abroad. These questions will be answered during a 45-year-long reign. An era of peace, prosperity, and burgeoning culture, Queen Elizabeth I will surprise them all.

Elizabeth was the child of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Born on September 7, 1533, she was named after Henry's mother, Elizabeth of York. To say that she was born into turbulent times would be a gross understatement of the situation. In order to marry her mother, Anne Boleyn,

Henry had to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and without the Pope's support, he'd split England from Rome, ending a thousand years of Catholic dominance and naming himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Elizabeth was born into an England in the throes of religious reformation.

Protestants and Catholics were executed as heretics by a king who increasingly seemed bent on tyranny. It would become a pattern of Henry VIII's reign that those who displeased him and fell out of favor would eventually find their way to the execution block. This would be true of his close friends and advisors,

and two of his six wives, including Anne Boleyn. Princess Elizabeth was two years old when her mother was beheaded in 1536. Anne had been found guilty of adultery and incest, the verdict seeming predetermined despite a lack of evidence. It's perhaps fortunate that Elizabeth was so young.

too young to understand what she would later realize, that her mother's real crime, in the eyes of her father, was that she'd given him a daughter and not a son. Less than a fortnight after he'd had her mother killed, Elizabeth's father married Jane Seymour. She'd caught Henry's eye as Anne's lady-in-waiting, and he'd already moved her into the Queen's apartments.

Elizabeth was promptly declared illegitimate, just as her half-sister Mary, the daughter of Henry and Catherine, had been excluded from the line of succession upon his marriage to Anne. When Jane had a son the following January, Prince Edward became the heir apparent. Jane passed away through complications of childbirth.

and Elizabeth was sent to live in her half-brother's household, illegitimate or not. She was the heir's older sister and would participate in his christening, carrying the baptismal cloth. By the standards of the time, she received a first-rate education, learning a number of languages from the age of four.

By the age of 11, she could write in English, Latin, and Italian, and had a solid understanding of French, Dutch, and Spanish. Governesses and teachers noted her gentle demeanor. Some developed friendships that would last a lifetime. Elizabeth, it seems, was a model student.

a child who thrived when presented with a challenge, take her method of learning languages through double translation. It's surely the kind of thing that would frustrate most children to translate a Latin passage into English and then back into Latin, staying accurate to each letter. Yet, Elizabeth did this at the age of four.

Not only that, but she seemed to have enjoyed it. She was known to translate passages throughout her lifetime, like someone today might relax with a crossword. Roger Asham, who taught her Greek and Latin, wrote that Elizabeth "shines like a star." He praised her memory, understanding, and quick-thinking mind.

and described her handwriting as the most beautiful one might see. This is on show in a book written for her father, a New Year's gift she presented to the king. It's a translation of a book published by her stepmother, Catherine Parr, Henry's sixth and final wife, whom he wed in 1543.

She translated the religious work, prayers or meditations from English into Italian, French and Latin. It speaks to the skill set of the 12-year-old Elizabeth that there's not a single mistake or mistranslation. She would go on to translate many more works, rewriting Greek and Latin classics into English,

She'd also go on to learn more languages: Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and Cornish amongst them. As was the way for royal children in Tudor England, Elizabeth was brought up in the country away from the court. She would have seen her father very little. Most of their communications were delivered by messengers.

Accounts suggest that he treated Elizabeth with affection, despite his obsession with producing a son, especially after his marriage to Catherine Parr, who urged Henry to reconcile with his daughters. This he did officially in 1543, restoring Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession.

Catherine oversaw Edward and Elizabeth's education and was a kind and loving stepmother to all three children. The next few years were fairly peaceful for Elizabeth. She was happy and secure, but it wasn't to last. The King's health had been deteriorating at an increasingly rapid rate.

and in January 1547, he passed away. The 13-year-old Elizabeth and 9-year-old Edward were said to have hugged each other tightly and sobbed uncontrollably. More than a father, they'd lost a king whom they revered, and they'd gained only uncertainty and fear over the future.

Edward, at nine, was crowned King Edward VI and ruled under the guidance of his council of advisors. His uncle, Edward Seymour, was appointed Lord Protector, essentially becoming England's de facto ruler. Elizabeth went to live with her stepmother, Catherine Parr, who had remarried Thomas Seymour, the Lord Protector's brother.

Sadly, this was the beginning of another stressful period, one from which Elizabeth perhaps never fully recovered. The 40-year-old Thomas Seymour was now guardian and stepfather to the 14-year-old Tudor princess, ever ambitious, with his eye on the throne.

He made inappropriate advances towards the young girl. Her stepmother, Catherine, was deceived by Seymour into thinking his games were just innocent horseplay. Meanwhile, Elizabeth would get dressed early in the morning and surround herself with maids so as to avoid his attentions. It's what today we would call abuse.

but times then were very different. Refusing to confront her husband, Catherine sent Elizabeth away after finding the pair embracing in 1548. Catherine would pass away months later, following the birth of her only daughter.

It was a sad time for the teenage princess, who lost a beloved stepmother, and in many ways, a role model. Acting as Queen Regent while Henry was at war, Catherine had shown Elizabeth how a woman might rule. She was thoughtful and intelligent, the first queen to be a published writer. And while she was something of a Protestant reformer,

She was good at keeping secret the opinions that might hurt her. For a girl without a mother, in her formative years, Elizabeth found Catherine an empowering example. Though perhaps she was unwittingly taught another lesson too, about the dangerous consequences for women in getting married.

Elizabeth's own mother had been executed by her father. His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, met the same fate. His third wife, Jane Seymour, had died after childbirth, and now the same fate had befallen Catherine Parr. It's little wonder that Elizabeth took to reading St. Basil's Epistle on the Benefits of Celibacy.

Thomas Seymour would bring Elizabeth nothing but trouble. In fact, he put her in very great danger. He'd renewed his wish to marry the princess shortly after becoming a widower. Elizabeth said she wouldn't, without the permission of the council. And so, the infuriated Seymour tried to speed things along.

What happened next isn't entirely clear, but Seymour was found in the royal apartment, seemingly attempting to kidnap the young King Edward he'd hoped to force through his appointment as Lord Protector alongside his marriage to the teenage Elizabeth.

Either way, the plan failed and he was charged with treason, eventually being executed in 1549. Elizabeth was implicated because of their association and interrogated at Hatfield House where she was living in Hertfordshire. Even at 15, her mental fortitude was enough to frustrate the men asking questions.

Her interrogator claimed to see guilt in her expressions, but as she stubbornly refused to admit any wrongdoing, nothing more was to be done. Princess Elizabeth had survived the crisis, but she'd learned some hard lessons along the way. From here on, she trusted few but herself.

She resolved to keep her true thoughts private in a world that now seemed fraught with danger. This would prove vital to Elizabeth's survival during the far greater crises that would come a few years later. The next of these was in 1553, when the 15-year-old King Edward died of tuberculosis.

By the terms of succession, Mary was next in line. She was Henry's oldest daughter with Catherine of Aragon. But knowing that Mary was a devout Catholic and would likely undo England's Protestant reforms, Edward had taken steps to name her illegitimate, excluding both Mary and Elizabeth from the line of succession once again.

Lady Jane Grey, his Protestant cousin, was named as his heir in his final will. Edward had hoped to keep peace and stability, but ultimately, his actions only sealed Jane's death warrant. The people saw Mary as their rightful queen, as did the nobles with their large private armies.

And when Mary and Elizabeth marched to London, leaving behind their troops at the city gates, they were met by cheers and thunderous applause as they rode their horses through the capital. Poor Jane Grey wasn't yet 18 when she was executed for high treason in July 1553.

She'd sat on the throne for just nine days before Mary Tudor became Queen Mary I. Elizabeth and Mary had showcased their unity, but quickly found themselves at odds with one another. Just as their late brother Edward had feared, Mary was bent on restoring Catholicism in England.

Elizabeth was adept at hiding her true feelings, but Mary knew of her Protestant leanings, and with Mary determined to crush Protestantism in England, Elizabeth once again faced grave danger. She had avoided partaking in Catholic Mass, which led Mary to demand her attendance at a service. Elizabeth then requested a meeting with her sister,

falling to her knees and sobbing before the Queen. She pleaded that Mary send priests to instruct her. She needed help to understand, having been schooled in Protestantism. And of course, she told Mary, she'd be willing to go to Mass, at least after her stomach ache cleared.

Elizabeth said what she needed to say and earned a reprieve, if only for a while. The Queen soon returned her attentions to her sister. Following Wyatt's rebellion in 1554, the small uprising began in protest of Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain. Both a foreigner and a Catholic, he was widely unpopular.

enough that the rebels sought to overthrow the Queen and place Elizabeth on the throne instead. The rebellion was put down very quickly, but Elizabeth was brought to court, interrogated, and imprisoned. It's hard to imagine the fear she must have felt as Mary's prisoner in the Tower of London.

For eight long weeks, she was kept in the tower, a short distance away from where her mother was beheaded. Any day might have been her last. At any moment, she might have been taken for execution. She thought that day had come on the 8th of May.

when Mary's great supporter, Sir Henry Bedingfield, arrived to collect her with a hundred armed men. Only, instead of taking her for execution, he took her to Woodstock Palace, where she was placed under house arrest. Mary seemed convinced that she deserved execution, and some in her council called for her head.

But the Queen couldn't risk such a drastic move without any concrete proof of Elizabeth's plotting. When she was called back to court in 1555, it was to hear Mary's news that she was with child, though the Queen wasn't pregnant, but actually dying. And when this became clear, Elizabeth's succession finally seemed assured.

It was the 17th of November, 1558, when Mary passed away, leaving her half-sister to take the throne. Elizabeth rode in triumph from Hatfield to London, through streets lined with joyous crowds. Her coronation took place on the 15th of January, 1559.

The ceremony was as grand as it was theatrical. It staged the Great Hall of Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth would be crowned, like her father and many others, beneath the vaulted ceilings of the magnificent Gothic church. But there were a few key differences in the actual ceremony.

namely that some parts were read in English as well as Latin, signalling a compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism. Since the beginning of the Reformation, brought about by her father, there'd been a climate of fear surrounding one's religion.

Things had only worsened during the reign of her sister, Mary, or Bloody Mary as she'd be remembered to many, after burning nearly 300 Protestants to death at the stake. Elizabeth sought to bring peace to England and heal the wounds of this religious divide.

She began by establishing her council and household, employing a few Catholic favorites among a Protestant majority. William Cecil was chosen as Secretary of State, becoming the Queen's chief advisor. Loyal, modest, and a political genius, he'd stay in the job for 40 years.

Cecil would become Elizabeth's most trusted advisor, someone whom she referred to as her very own spirit. Other notable appointments included Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster and later Secretary of State, and Lord Robert Dudley as Master of the Horse, which meant he was in charge of the Queen's safety.

Dudley's appointment was controversial because he was the son of a convicted traitor. It was one of the many things he had in common with the Queen, with whom he'd been friends since childhood. A woman ruling in a man's world, Elizabeth relied only on men that she could trust.

especially when dealing with the matter of religion, in which she had to walk a political tightrope. Her advisors urged her not to offend the Catholics, lest she provoke foreign nations to wage holy war against England. She had to set aside her own religious convictions and keep peace at the forefront of her mind.

Elizabeth sought to restore the church to how it had been during Edward's reign. It would be institutionally Protestant, with the monarch at its head. But certain Catholic rituals and items remained, like the elaborate costumes worn by the priesthood. English laws had to be passed by the House of Commons first, and the House of Lords,

It would be her first great challenge, particularly as a young woman, to convince these rooms full of men to take her suggestions. But it was a feat that the new queen accomplished, with the Act of Supremacy passed on May 8. With this, Elizabeth gained a new title, Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

She also introduced the Act of Uniformity, which aimed to standardize religious practice throughout the country. Attendance at church was mandatory and punishable via fines, and the Book of Common Prayer was adapted and brought back to Elizabeth. It was all about encouraging religious tolerance and maintaining the peace and order of the realm.

She understood that it was futile to try and control people's beliefs. So long as they obeyed outwardly, that was enough. That's what she told the Catholic bishops, who refused to take the oath and swear allegiance to the queen. She had them arrested, but offered them a deal. They had to take the oath and recognize her publicly.

but they could continue to take Mass if they did so in private. Mary had made martyrs of countless Protestants, burning them at the stake when they wouldn't convert. Elizabeth thought it better to let it continue in secret, where Catholicism might wither and fade away. At the same time, Christianity was to have a makeover.

Catholic symbols were removed from churches, along with anything that might be deemed a form of idol worship. They were replaced with great murals of the Royal Coat of Arms, where people might worship God and their Virgin Queen. And a Virgin Queen Elizabeth remained, despite Parliament's pleas that she consider marriage.

After all, she'd inherited a bankrupt country, one that was militarily weak and surrounded by enemies. An alliance to one of Europe's royal or noble families would make the country stronger and more protected. And so, they continued to offer her suitors, despite her proclamations that she'd be happy to die a virgin.

There was the widower of Queen Mary, King Philip II of Spain, or Eric XIV, King of Sweden. There was Charles IX, just 16 years old, but already the King of France, or Charles II, Archduke of Austria.

She was seriously considering the Austrian Archduke until relations deteriorated and the deal fell apart. Later, she'd become enamored with Francis, Duke of Anjou, but public opinion seemed set against the match. Ultimately, Elizabeth would remain unmarried and childless. And the reasons for this were both political and personal.

On one hand, the majority of suitors were Catholic and would likely provoke unrest within Protestant England. Elizabeth had no wish to cause instability in England or to give away her power to a foreigner she'd never met. On the other hand, it's possible that her experiences with Thomas Seymour had made her resistant to sexual relationships.

While at the same time, the court was awash with rumors about the queen and her favorite, Robert Dudley. Some gossiped that the so-called "Virgin Queen" was already pregnant with Dudley's child. Others said that he was waiting for his sick wife to die before he could marry Elizabeth and become King of England.

Regardless of what was true or otherwise, the relationship risked damaging Elizabeth's reputation. As the son of a traitor, Dudley was already unpopular and had only grown more so, giving himself new airs and titles. Things reached a head in 1560 when Dudley's wife, Amy, was found dead at home.

At the bottom of a stairway, her neck broken, it looked like an accident. She'd slipped and fallen. But while this would be the verdict of the official investigation, the court of public opinion had other ideas. It looked like the Queen's lover had murdered his wife, clearing the way for his marriage to the Queen.

Elizabeth very likely was in love with Robert Dudley, yet her duty to England had to come first. His reputation never fully recovered from the scandal, and as queen, Elizabeth was forced to keep him at a distance. Though there were a few moments when they seemed close once more, their relationship would never be what it had once been.

In private, she likely always held a torch for Dudley, holding onto the letters that he'd written to her. With this in mind, it might seem a little odd that Elizabeth suggested Dudley marry Mary, Queen of Scots, though it was in 1562, following her recovery from a coma, after having nearly died from catching smallpox.

Her Catholic cousin had returned to Scotland and posed somewhat of a threat, having a claim to the English throne. Likely, she'd hoped Dudley might be her man on the inside. However, Mary wanted no part of the match. The Queen of Scots had fallen in love with and married Lord Darnley after a whirlwind romance.

By June 1566, she'd given birth to a boy, much to the chagrin of her English counterpart. Mary had done what Elizabeth could not. She'd given her kingdom a healthy male heir. But Elizabeth's jealousy was not to last. Nor was Mary's ill-fated marriage. Lord Darnley turned out to be a violent alcoholic.

cruel, arrogant, and jealous. Amongst his many offenses was acting with others to murder David Rizzio, the Queen's favorite. Darnley himself was killed a year later, with Mary herself coming under suspicion. The man responsible was the Earl of Bothwell, one of the Queen's most prominent supporters.

Bothwell then abducted and assaulted the Queen, and two weeks later, the pair were married. After such a scandal, the Scottish nobles rose up against Mary. Bothwell fled to safety, and Mary was imprisoned. To Elizabeth, the scenario only confirmed what she already knew: that men, and marriage, brought nothing good.

After following her heart, Mary had lost her crown and had to give up a son that she would never see again. A powerless Mary was still a problem for Elizabeth though, especially once she escaped imprisonment and came to England in search of refuge. As a Catholic figurehead who might inspire rebellion, Elizabeth kept Mary under near house arrest.

And the Queen was right to be concerned, because the plotting began almost immediately. Mary's ambassador spoke to the Duke of Norfolk, suggesting a marriage between him and Mary. Norfolk then conspired with the Earl of Northumberland and others to rise up in rebellion and overthrow Elizabeth.

It was November 1569 when they set off to free Mary, destroying Protestant symbols in churches along the way. Elizabeth's response was to move Mary southwards and to deploy troops to see off the rebels. Resistance faded quickly at the sight of the opposition. The rebels retreated and Elizabeth claimed victory.

In exacting her punishment, she was her father's daughter, having 700 rebels executed, including the Earl of Northumberland. Norfolk was executed some time later, after becoming embroiled in another plot against the Queen. Still, she signed his death warrant after great hesitation.

Though a proven traitor, he was her closest male relative. Elizabeth had been ruling for fourteen years. She'd seen off a rebellion and traitors in her midst. But yet more trouble was brewing in Europe, erupting into violence in France in 1572.

News of the so-called St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, in which Protestants were murdered en masse in Paris, made the Catholic threat in England harder to ignore. The Pope, after all, had issued a statement against Elizabeth, encouraging his followers to kill the heretic queen. Catholic revolutionaries were being smuggled into England.

They spoke out against the queen and flouted her laws. She knew that to kill them would fan the flames of opposition, but in a few cases, she had no other option. Such executions made martyrs of the dead and inspired anger, both at home and abroad.

Philip of Spain, the Catholic widower of Queen Mary, was amongst those who were particularly aggrieved. Tension had been growing between the nations, worsened by Elizabeth's endorsement of piracy. Sir Francis Drake, who counted the Queen amongst his investors, brought home an enormous bounty from Spanish galleons in the Pacific.

Things escalated further in 1584. William, Prince of Orange, the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands, was assassinated by a Catholic zealot. This opened the way for Spain to take the Netherlands, before sending troops across the North Sea to invade England.

Vulnerable, Elizabeth sent troops to the Netherlands, hoping that a show of strength headed by Robert Dudley would scare off the Spanish forces. But the Spanish attacked, and Dudley failed in his mission. He was recalled home, and the Netherlands were taken. An invasion of England now seemed inevitable.

All it needed was a spark. That spark came in 1587 when Elizabeth executed Mary, Queen of Scots. Her spymaster, Walsingham, had intercepted Mary's letters and had her codes deciphered to uncover a plot.

she was placed on trial and found guilty of treason. After conspiring with other Catholics to kill the Queen, Elizabeth grieved the cousin she'd never met. Lashing out at her counselors, contradicting herself at every turn, she seemed unable to take responsibility for Mary's death, perhaps because she knew what would happen next.

The murder of Catholic Mary by a heretic queen was the excuse Philip needed to mount an invasion. With an armada twice the size of the English fleet, the Spanish and their king were confident of victory. But while the Spanish galleons were effective in open sea for use in boarding enemy ships,

The smaller English ships relied on heavy cannons and were far better suited to tactical fighting in the Channel. Drake, as Vice Admiral, led a series of close-range battles, damaging the galleons one by one. Burning ships were set adrift and sent towards the Armada, causing many to lose position and others to flee in panic.

The English guns caused extensive damage, resulting in thousands of Spanish deaths and a few ships going under. More galleons were shipwrecked at the hands of the elements, pulled into the rocks by the strong coastal winds. As a woman, Elizabeth couldn't be directly involved in combat, but she'd roused her troops on land with the speech of a lifetime.

Mounted on a white steed, wearing a breastplate over her gown, she told her men of her resolve to live and die amongst them all. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 is often remembered as Elizabeth's finest hour.

However, her forces would counter another invasion in 1596 when her favorite, the Earl of Essex, destroyed the Spanish fleet at Cadiz. Then in 1603, she'd have to defend herself against Essex after her treacherous favorite marched on the capital with his army.

By then, the Queen had fallen in popularity. Approaching her late sixties, she seemed a relic of the past. A bad harvest had made the poor only poorer, increasing public anger towards the government and Elizabeth's policy of allowing courtiers to tax items for profit. And yet, as tired and weary as the Queen now was,

Most of her allies having passed away, she still had it in her to win over her subjects, suspending monopolies and taxing Parliament instead. Just a few years before her death in 1604, she gave her so-called Golden Speech, which spoke to her love of England. Indeed,

It was a country that Elizabeth had transformed from a divided, bankrupt nation to one that was relatively peaceful and thriving. After Elizabeth, the English crown went to James, the Protestant son of Mary, Queen of Scots.

He ruled as king over both Scotland and England, bringing each a step closer to what today is the United Kingdom. Elizabeth's legacy lives on in the culture she fostered, including the plays of William Shakespeare. She oversaw a blossoming of arts and drama, of poetry, music, fine art and architecture.

It can be said that Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, was married to her role as leader of England and gave birth to a golden age, which is why she is still so revered to this day. By the end of her reign, she was, in fact, much more than a queen. She was Gloriana, a national icon.