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(Starkey) 'In January 1559 Elizabeth I
was crowned Queen of England.
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'She was the last
of the great Tudor dynasty,
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00:00:34,539 --> 00:00:38,728
'a bright star who dazzled
both the nation and the world.'
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The achievement of most stars
fades quickly
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00:00:47,380 --> 00:00:52,810
but Elizabeth's has lasted for nearly
four centuries and it's easy to see why.
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She reigned for 45 tumultuous years.
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Her ships defeated the Spanish Armada
and sailed round the globe.
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00:01:00,978 --> 00:01:05,569
In her time Shakespeare wrote plays
and Spenser wrote poems.
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00:01:05,659 --> 00:01:09,010
English noblemen
and foreign princes wooed her
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00:01:09,099 --> 00:01:11,659
but she, the Virgin Queen,
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00:01:11,739 --> 00:01:16,370
made love to that loyalest
of audiences, the English people.
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00:01:18,459 --> 00:01:22,000
'Elizabeth was one of the daughters
of King Henry VIII.
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'But the right of women to succeed
to the throne was still in doubt
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'and her path there would be perilous.
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'Her father would kill her mother
and she would be disinherited.
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00:01:36,218 --> 00:01:42,129
'Her sister would imprison her in the
Tower and threaten her with execution.
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00:01:42,218 --> 00:01:46,409
'Men would love her for her
royal status, not for herself.
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00:01:46,500 --> 00:01:50,930
'She would be sexually abused
by her own stepfather.
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00:01:51,019 --> 00:01:55,010
'Most monarchs are handed
their crowns on a plate.
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00:01:55,099 --> 00:01:58,799
'Elizabeth got hers
by cunning and courage.
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00:02:05,739 --> 00:02:08,770
'Elizabeth's sex
was a disappointment to Henry.
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'Astrologers had assured him
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00:02:10,900 --> 00:02:16,568
'that the baby to be born
in September 1533 would be a boy.
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00:02:16,658 --> 00:02:20,770
'He already had one daughter,
the 17-year-old Mary.
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00:02:20,860 --> 00:02:24,090
'What he wanted was a son and heir.
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00:02:25,900 --> 00:02:29,889
'Although Elizabeth was a girl,
the magnificent christening
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00:02:29,979 --> 00:02:33,210
'planned for the longed-for
prince went ahead.
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00:02:33,300 --> 00:02:39,210
'Every detail had been seen to, down to
the brazier to warm the water in the font.
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00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:44,419
'She was even proclaimed "Princess",
the title of the heir to the throne.'
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00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:48,280
Elizabeth, ego te baptiso
in nomine patris
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00:02:48,378 --> 00:02:53,688
et filii et spiritus sancti, amen.
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(Starkey) 'According to
the French ambassador
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'the whole occasion was so perfect
that nothing was lacking.'
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00:03:01,060 --> 00:03:05,919
Actually things were far from perfect
at Elizabeth's baptism
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00:03:06,020 --> 00:03:09,930
because Elizabeth was the child
of a second marriage
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00:03:10,020 --> 00:03:13,449
and Henry's second marriage,
like many second marriages today,
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00:03:13,538 --> 00:03:16,250
aroused very strong feelings.
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00:03:16,340 --> 00:03:20,370
For instance, the imperial ambassador
refused point-blank
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00:03:20,460 --> 00:03:22,408
to attend the baptism.
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00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:26,568
He even refused to recognise
Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth's mother,
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00:03:26,658 --> 00:03:28,330
as Henry's wife.
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00:03:28,419 --> 00:03:32,810
Instead he sneeringly
referred to her as "the whore".
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00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:37,169
And as for little Elizabeth
she was "the bastard".
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00:03:37,258 --> 00:03:39,610
Even one of the officiating clergy,
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00:03:39,699 --> 00:03:44,610
when asked if the baby was
baptised in hot water or cold,
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00:03:44,699 --> 00:03:49,449
replied, "Hot, but not hot enough."
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00:03:49,538 --> 00:03:53,288
'Henry divorced his first wife,
Catherine of Aragon,
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00:03:53,378 --> 00:03:58,400
'because she had not given him a son
but now her replacement, Anne Boleyn,
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00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:01,530
'was having her own
gynaecological problems.
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00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:06,169
'After two miscarriages,
she had a baby boy but it was stillborn.'
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00:04:06,258 --> 00:04:11,408
Anne had failed in her principal duty
as royal breeding machine.
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00:04:11,500 --> 00:04:16,250
Meanwhile, Henry had fallen in love
with another woman - Jane Seymour.
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00:04:16,338 --> 00:04:19,850
For Anne the end came
with terrifying swiftness.
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00:04:19,939 --> 00:04:22,610
She was accused of multiple adultery
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with four of the gentlemen
of the King's Chamber
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00:04:25,420 --> 00:04:28,129
and of incest with her own brother.
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All of the accused were found guilty
and Anne herself was executed
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00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:38,449
here on Tower Green on 19th May 1536.
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00:04:38,540 --> 00:04:41,209
Henry showed a single gesture of mercy
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00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:44,129
towards the woman
that he'd once loved so much
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00:04:44,220 --> 00:04:48,850
and her head was removed
at a single stroke with a sword
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00:04:48,939 --> 00:04:51,970
rather than being
hacked off with the axe.
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00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:06,769
'Elizabeth was only three
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00:05:06,860 --> 00:05:10,769
'when her mother was executed
as a traitor and a whore.
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00:05:10,860 --> 00:05:14,528
'For many children this would
have been a lifelong trauma
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00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:19,170
'but Elizabeth seems to have
airbrushed her mother from her memory.
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00:05:22,338 --> 00:05:25,569
'It was to be Henry who filled her world.
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00:05:35,100 --> 00:05:40,170
'Anne Boleyn's fall marked a major
step down in the world for Elizabeth.'
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00:05:40,259 --> 00:05:43,850
Her parents' marriage
was declared null and void.
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00:05:43,939 --> 00:05:48,170
She was now illegitimate
and unable to inherit the throne.
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00:05:48,259 --> 00:05:53,850
So, instead of the Right High
and Mighty Princess
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00:05:53,939 --> 00:05:58,050
the Lady Elizabeth,
inheritrix of the Crown of England,
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00:05:58,139 --> 00:06:04,850
she became the Lady Elizabeth,
the King's second bastard daughter.
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00:06:04,939 --> 00:06:07,569
'Elizabeth's sudden loss of status
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00:06:07,660 --> 00:06:12,209
'threw the little court where she had been
brought up in into confusion.
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00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:15,970
'Even her governess, Lady Bryan,
didn't know what to do
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00:06:16,060 --> 00:06:20,610
'and wrote to the King's minister
Thomas Cromwell for guidance.'
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00:06:20,699 --> 00:06:23,329
How should the little girl be treated?
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00:06:23,420 --> 00:06:26,850
By the way, could she please
have some more clothes?
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00:06:26,939 --> 00:06:29,449
She'd outgrown everything she had.
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00:06:29,540 --> 00:06:32,370
But above all, where should she eat?
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00:06:32,459 --> 00:06:37,250
Was she old enough to eat here
in the great hall, served on the dais,
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00:06:37,338 --> 00:06:39,930
or should she continue
to eat in her chamber
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where it will be easier to keep her
away from the rich foods
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00:06:43,459 --> 00:06:47,160
that were so bad
for her teeth and her digestion?
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00:06:49,620 --> 00:06:52,528
'Whatever her status
no one could forget
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00:06:52,620 --> 00:06:55,449
'that Elizabeth
was Anne Boleyn's daughter
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00:06:55,540 --> 00:06:59,810
'and it was in order to marry Anne
that Henry had broken away from Rome
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00:06:59,899 --> 00:07:03,680
'and made himself
head of the church in England.
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00:07:04,740 --> 00:07:08,689
'It was a revolution and one
of its victims was the monasteries.
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00:07:08,778 --> 00:07:12,769
'They were amongst the greatest
English landowners.
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00:07:12,860 --> 00:07:16,930
'Their assets were seized
and their buildings dismantled.
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00:07:17,019 --> 00:07:22,649
'One of them was Glastonbury Abbey,
then the largest church in England.'
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00:07:28,180 --> 00:07:32,889
When I look out from my church,
across from these ruins
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00:07:32,980 --> 00:07:35,410
I'm filled with a sense of sadness
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00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:39,009
a sense of loss
a sense of disbelief to a degree
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00:07:39,100 --> 00:07:42,720
that such destruction
could have taken place
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00:07:42,819 --> 00:07:47,329
in a country that was supposedly
very religious and Catholic.
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00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:52,360
This abbey here
was a place of pilgrimage.
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00:07:52,459 --> 00:07:55,449
The abbey contained
a statue of Our Lady,
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which is what Catholics call St Mary.
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And people would have
come from far and wide
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00:08:01,220 --> 00:08:04,009
to pay their respects,
to say their prayers,
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00:08:04,100 --> 00:08:06,689
to make their offerings and ask for help.
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00:08:06,778 --> 00:08:11,800
Within nine years from the Reformation,
dissolution of the monasteries
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this went from being one of our
grandest Catholic churches
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00:08:16,819 --> 00:08:19,449
to pretty well
what we see around us today,
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00:08:19,540 --> 00:08:21,838
hardly one stone on top of another.
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00:08:22,980 --> 00:08:29,009
'The damage to the Catholic Church
wasn't just physical, it was spiritual too.
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00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:33,250
'Out of these ruins would grow
a new Protestant faith.
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00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:37,970
'Henry's religious revolution
would divide his country and his family.'
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00:08:40,019 --> 00:08:44,210
'Henry had now embarked
on his third marriage to Jane Seymour.
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00:08:44,298 --> 00:08:48,080
'In just over a year she gave him
the son that he craved.
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00:08:48,178 --> 00:08:52,090
'Edward, legitimate and a boy,
was now undoubted heir.'
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00:08:55,580 --> 00:08:58,690
Edwarde, quid petis ab ecclesia dei...
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00:08:58,778 --> 00:09:03,450
'Elizabeth, as his half-sister
was no more than a minor royal.
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00:09:03,538 --> 00:09:06,288
'She had once been princess herself.
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00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:10,970
'Now she was an attendant
at her baby brother's christening.
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00:09:16,058 --> 00:09:18,730
'She also lost her governess to Edward
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00:09:18,820 --> 00:09:22,889
'as Lady Bryan was transferred
to look after the young prince.
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00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:25,048
'Her replacement was Kat Ashley,
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00:09:25,139 --> 00:09:30,330
'a well-educated and devout woman
who became very close to Elizabeth.
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00:09:35,058 --> 00:09:38,250
'Her father, on the other hand
scarcely saw her,
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00:09:38,340 --> 00:09:40,899
'for royal children like Elizabeth
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00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:44,730
'were brought up in the country
away from the royal court.
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00:09:44,820 --> 00:09:48,769
'There, Henry communicated
with her by messenger.
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00:09:52,500 --> 00:09:55,570
'In December 1539
he sent Sir Thomas Risley
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00:09:55,658 --> 00:09:58,250
'to convey his Christmas greetings.'
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00:10:00,019 --> 00:10:05,139
(Reader) "She gave humble thanks,
inquiring again of His Majesty's welfare
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00:10:05,220 --> 00:10:08,970
"with as great a gravity
as if she'd been 40 years old."
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And we also thank you.
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00:10:12,778 --> 00:10:15,210
(Starkey) 'Children in the 16th century
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00:10:15,298 --> 00:10:20,928
'had to join the starched and corseted
adult world as quickly as possible.
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00:10:21,019 --> 00:10:24,690
'They were expected to look
and behave like their parents.
136
00:10:24,778 --> 00:10:29,528
'Even slight misdemeanours
were severely punished.
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00:10:30,620 --> 00:10:35,330
'One royal tutor advised:
"Never have the rod off a boy's back
138
00:10:35,418 --> 00:10:40,538
"'and the daughter especially
should be handled without cherishing."
139
00:10:40,620 --> 00:10:42,970
'But Elizabeth was lucky.
140
00:10:43,058 --> 00:10:45,490
'Her tutors belonged to the new school
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00:10:45,580 --> 00:10:49,490
'which thought that kindness
was a better teacher than the cane.
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00:10:49,580 --> 00:10:53,168
'But then the young princess
was a model pupil
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00:10:53,259 --> 00:10:56,528
'and she studied languages
from the age of four.
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00:10:56,620 --> 00:11:01,048
'She became fluent in French
Italian, Latin and Greek.'
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00:11:01,139 --> 00:11:07,808
(Child) "C'est une chevet avec
des couleurs d'un million de fleurs...
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00:11:07,899 --> 00:11:10,460
"..ho in mente ci� che io vidi...
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00:11:10,538 --> 00:11:15,048
"..quod mihi persuasum est
auctoritate maiorum
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00:11:15,139 --> 00:11:18,408
"..cur ita sit, nihil tu me doces..."
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00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:22,490
'But it was how she learned
languages that mattered as well.'
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00:11:22,580 --> 00:11:26,528
She was taught by the method
of double translation.
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00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:28,808
This means that the little girl
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had to translate a passage
from Latin into English
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and then back again into Latin
getting it absolutely right, word for word.
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00:11:39,538 --> 00:11:43,690
For most children this would
have been an absolute torment
155
00:11:43,778 --> 00:11:46,649
but Elizabeth seems
to have revelled in it.
156
00:11:46,740 --> 00:11:50,090
She must have had the mind
of a computer programmer
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00:11:50,178 --> 00:11:52,970
or an expert solver
of crossword puzzles,
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00:11:53,058 --> 00:11:55,769
because she continued
to do translations
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00:11:55,860 --> 00:11:58,240
for the whole of the rest of her life.
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00:11:58,340 --> 00:12:00,798
She did them for fun and for relaxation
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00:12:00,899 --> 00:12:04,090
but she also did them
as a kind of mental discipline
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00:12:04,178 --> 00:12:06,370
to keep her emotions under control,
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00:12:06,460 --> 00:12:11,048
just as nowadays some people
might practise yoga or meditation.
164
00:12:11,139 --> 00:12:16,528
'Elizabeth was the kind of daughter
of whom any father would be proud
165
00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:20,240
'and this painting shows
Henry's confidence in her.
166
00:12:20,340 --> 00:12:22,850
'It commemorates his decision in 1544
167
00:12:22,940 --> 00:12:26,970
'to reinstate both his daughters
in the succession.
168
00:12:27,058 --> 00:12:30,250
'No woman had ever sat on
the English throne before.
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00:12:30,340 --> 00:12:32,850
'Now, if Edward died without an heir
170
00:12:32,940 --> 00:12:36,450
'first Mary and then Elizabeth
would become queen.
171
00:12:37,538 --> 00:12:40,490
'Henry then sailed for France
to fight a war
172
00:12:40,580 --> 00:12:45,649
'leaving his wife, Katherine Parr,
as regent in charge of the kingdom.
173
00:12:45,740 --> 00:12:48,408
'Elizabeth now witnessed at first hand
174
00:12:48,500 --> 00:12:53,408
'that an intelligent, well-educated woman
could rule effectively.
175
00:12:53,500 --> 00:12:58,730
'At about this time Elizabeth
acquired a new tutor, Roger Ascham.
176
00:12:58,820 --> 00:13:01,850
'He worked with the brightest minds
at Cambridge
177
00:13:01,940 --> 00:13:05,129
'but he found Elizabeth
more than their equal.'
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00:13:05,220 --> 00:13:08,450
(Reader) "The lady Elizabeth
shines like a star.
179
00:13:08,538 --> 00:13:12,690
"The constitution of her mind
is exempt from female weakness.
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00:13:12,778 --> 00:13:15,730
"No apprehension
can be quicker than hers."
181
00:13:15,820 --> 00:13:18,808
'She demonstrated her abilities
182
00:13:18,899 --> 00:13:23,690
'in an extraordinary
New Year's gift for her father.'
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00:13:23,778 --> 00:13:29,730
It's a work of prose but it shows the
12-year-old girl to have been, in her way,
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00:13:29,820 --> 00:13:33,519
just as much of a child prodigy
as the young Mozart.
185
00:13:35,178 --> 00:13:39,490
It's bound in red cloth of gold,
heavily embroidered,
186
00:13:39,580 --> 00:13:42,330
with Henry's initials top and bottom.
187
00:13:44,220 --> 00:13:48,769
And - you can see it more clearly
on the back - in the middle, a cipher.
188
00:13:48,860 --> 00:13:52,250
That's the interlaced initials for Henry
189
00:13:52,340 --> 00:13:56,570
and Katherine - spelt with a K -
Katherine Parr.
190
00:13:56,658 --> 00:14:00,168
The cover's the work
of a professional embroiderer
191
00:14:00,259 --> 00:14:04,288
but inside it's all Elizabeth's own work.
192
00:14:05,538 --> 00:14:07,570
And what work.
193
00:14:07,658 --> 00:14:14,250
Page after page of perfect, beautiful,
rhythmic italic handwriting.
194
00:14:14,340 --> 00:14:17,408
It shows just how far
she'd come on in a year.
195
00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:21,330
Her New Year's present
of the year before to her stepmother
196
00:14:21,418 --> 00:14:26,769
is filled with mistakes, corrections
second thoughts, but here, nothing!
197
00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:31,610
First the Latin
then the French, then the Italian.
198
00:14:31,700 --> 00:14:35,288
Not a mistake
not a mistranslation, not a blot.
199
00:14:35,379 --> 00:14:37,570
Just perfection.
200
00:14:37,658 --> 00:14:43,528
But it's the introductory letter that really
takes us into Elizabeth's own mind.
201
00:14:43,620 --> 00:14:46,080
She addresses her father.
202
00:14:46,178 --> 00:14:48,288
A very striking phrase.
203
00:14:48,379 --> 00:14:52,808
"Matchless and most kind father."
204
00:14:52,899 --> 00:14:57,570
She even has her own views on
the importance of the state of kingship,
205
00:14:57,658 --> 00:15:00,730
the state of kingship
which philosophers say
206
00:15:00,820 --> 00:15:04,288
is equivalent
to that of a god upon earth.
207
00:15:05,379 --> 00:15:07,970
In love with her father, perhaps.
208
00:15:08,058 --> 00:15:11,408
Even more in love
with the idea of the monarchy.
209
00:15:15,058 --> 00:15:19,009
'Elizabeth had never been more
secure in her royal status.
210
00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:21,610
'She basked in Henry's attention.
211
00:15:24,379 --> 00:15:28,288
'In 1546 she had
this portrait painted for him
212
00:15:28,379 --> 00:15:31,808
'and it shows her as she wished
to be seen by her father.
213
00:15:31,899 --> 00:15:35,490
'So she's studious, one finger
marking a page in a book.
214
00:15:35,580 --> 00:15:40,600
'She's pious. The book open on the
lectern beside her is certainly the Bible.
215
00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:44,210
'She is the virtuous
Renaissance princess.
216
00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:51,769
'But this tranquillity could not last.
217
00:15:51,860 --> 00:15:54,490
'Henry, her father, was dying.
218
00:15:57,019 --> 00:16:03,330
'At 13, Elizabeth was about to lose
the giant of a father whom she revered.
219
00:16:03,418 --> 00:16:07,889
'The next decade would be
the most threatening period of her life.'
220
00:16:09,379 --> 00:16:12,808
Christmas 1546
was a gloomy one at court.
221
00:16:12,899 --> 00:16:15,330
For a long time
the King had suffered from
222
00:16:15,418 --> 00:16:20,168
an old jousting injury to his leg
which had turned into a chronic ulcer.
223
00:16:20,259 --> 00:16:23,330
Pus would build up
causing the leg to swell.
224
00:16:23,418 --> 00:16:25,528
'The pain was intense.
225
00:16:25,620 --> 00:16:29,490
'On 30th December
Henry completed his will
226
00:16:29,580 --> 00:16:31,769
'and then the descent was swift.'
227
00:16:34,139 --> 00:16:36,519
As Henry lay dying in his bedchamber,
228
00:16:36,620 --> 00:16:40,970
outside in the gallery, Edward Seymour,
Prince Edward's uncle
229
00:16:41,058 --> 00:16:44,168
was pacing up and down
with his advisers.
230
00:16:44,259 --> 00:16:47,769
They were plotting the takeover
of power in the new reign.
231
00:16:47,860 --> 00:16:51,009
Towards two o'clock
in the morning Henry died
232
00:16:51,100 --> 00:16:55,250
clutching the hands of Archbishop
Cranmer, Elizabeth's godfather.
233
00:16:55,340 --> 00:16:58,610
To make sure that there was
a smooth transfer of power,
234
00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:02,570
Henry's death was kept secret
for three full days.
235
00:17:02,658 --> 00:17:04,808
Finally all was ready
236
00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:08,009
and Seymour brought together Edward,
now Edward VI
237
00:17:08,098 --> 00:17:10,288
and his favourite sister, Elizabeth
238
00:17:10,380 --> 00:17:13,250
and told them that their father was dead.
239
00:17:13,338 --> 00:17:16,048
One account describes
how the two children
240
00:17:16,140 --> 00:17:20,368
threw themselves into each other's arms
weeping uncontrollably.
241
00:17:22,058 --> 00:17:26,170
'Little King Edward VI
had stepped into his father's shoes
242
00:17:26,259 --> 00:17:29,210
'but they were several sizes
too big for him.
243
00:17:29,298 --> 00:17:31,490
'He was just nine years old
244
00:17:31,578 --> 00:17:35,690
'and to begin with he was the pawn
of his powerful royal councillors.
245
00:17:36,818 --> 00:17:40,568
'And so was Elizabeth.
Her father's will had left her rich
246
00:17:40,660 --> 00:17:44,808
'and her place in the line of the
succession made her a tempting target.
247
00:17:44,900 --> 00:17:49,730
'One man in particular,
Thomas Seymour, had his eyes on her.
248
00:17:55,818 --> 00:17:59,130
'The Seymour brothers,
as uncles to the young King,
249
00:17:59,220 --> 00:18:02,130
'were the most powerful family
in the land.
250
00:18:02,220 --> 00:18:06,528
'Thomas was bitterly jealous,
of his elder brother, Edward
251
00:18:06,618 --> 00:18:11,450
'because Edward had made himself
Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector.
252
00:18:13,098 --> 00:18:16,210
'Edward built
Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon.
253
00:18:16,298 --> 00:18:19,450
'It's still owned by his descendant,
John Seymour.'
254
00:18:23,578 --> 00:18:29,288
Thomas, I think, was a wonderfully
flamboyant and colourful character.
255
00:18:29,380 --> 00:18:32,048
Like his brother he was very ambitious
256
00:18:32,140 --> 00:18:36,250
and he took most of the opportunities
that were presented to him.
257
00:18:36,338 --> 00:18:40,170
He was headstrong, he probably
didn't think a great deal
258
00:18:40,259 --> 00:18:44,038
about what was going to happen
as a result of his actions.
259
00:18:44,140 --> 00:18:47,608
But he was undoubtedly
out to favour himself
260
00:18:47,700 --> 00:18:51,690
and make the most of his opportunities
in his life, which he did.
261
00:18:51,778 --> 00:18:55,048
(Starkey) 'Thomas plotted
his advancement to power
262
00:18:55,140 --> 00:18:58,890
'from his base at Sudeley Castle
in Gloucestershire.'
263
00:19:00,460 --> 00:19:04,078
His first idea was to marry
one of Henry VIII's daughters.
264
00:19:04,180 --> 00:19:06,690
Either Mary or Elizabeth
would have done
265
00:19:06,778 --> 00:19:08,769
but the council vetoed that idea.
266
00:19:08,858 --> 00:19:11,210
So Seymour went for the next best thing
267
00:19:11,298 --> 00:19:14,210
and proposed to Henry's widow -
Katherine Parr.
268
00:19:14,298 --> 00:19:18,769
Katherine had been passionately in love
with him before she married Henry,
269
00:19:18,858 --> 00:19:21,450
so she accepted him like a shot.
270
00:19:21,538 --> 00:19:23,920
Elizabeth was living with Katherine,
271
00:19:24,019 --> 00:19:27,528
so this meant that Seymour
wasn't only her stepfather,
272
00:19:27,618 --> 00:19:29,970
he was also her guardian.
273
00:19:30,058 --> 00:19:34,288
It was a position of trust
which he abused shockingly.
274
00:19:39,578 --> 00:19:42,038
'At first Katherine Parr's involvement
275
00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:45,288
'made Seymour's games
seem innocent enough.
276
00:19:45,380 --> 00:19:48,848
'Elizabeth found Seymour
an intriguing playmate.
277
00:19:48,940 --> 00:19:53,009
'He was 40 and she was just 14.
278
00:20:11,740 --> 00:20:14,930
'But Seymour saw
a relationship with Elizabeth
279
00:20:15,019 --> 00:20:17,890
'as a means of drawing
closer to the throne.
280
00:20:17,980 --> 00:20:20,170
'His game grew darker.
281
00:20:36,578 --> 00:20:39,890
'Katherine Parr
was deceived by these antics
282
00:20:39,980 --> 00:20:42,538
'but Kat Ashley was worried.'
283
00:20:42,618 --> 00:20:44,848
"He romped with her in the garden
284
00:20:44,940 --> 00:20:47,650
"and cut her gown
into a hundred pieces."
285
00:21:09,259 --> 00:21:13,009
'Seymour now got hold
of the key to Elizabeth's bedroom.
286
00:21:13,098 --> 00:21:17,410
'He would come into her room
partly dressed, early in the morning.
287
00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:21,009
'Sometimes he would tickle her
and slap her buttocks.'
288
00:21:53,980 --> 00:21:56,009
Good morning, my lady.
289
00:21:57,098 --> 00:22:02,368
Elizabeth was confused by Seymour's
behaviour and by her reaction to it.
290
00:22:02,460 --> 00:22:05,769
Seymour was a handsome,
sexually charged man
291
00:22:05,858 --> 00:22:10,288
and she was flattered by his attentions
but she was also scared by them.
292
00:22:10,380 --> 00:22:13,088
So she would behave
as though it was all a game
293
00:22:13,180 --> 00:22:16,170
and play hide-and-seek
behind the bed's curtains.
294
00:22:16,259 --> 00:22:18,410
'On other occasions she would react
295
00:22:18,500 --> 00:22:21,608
'as though her maidenly modesty
had been outraged.'
296
00:22:21,700 --> 00:22:24,848
She'd get up early
and make sure that she was dressed
297
00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:27,288
so as to avoid Seymour's attentions.
298
00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:30,890
On the other hand, Kat Ashley,
Elizabeth's governess,
299
00:22:30,980 --> 00:22:32,930
knew exactly what was going on.
300
00:22:33,019 --> 00:22:37,170
But when she reproved Seymour
for risking Elizabeth's reputation,
301
00:22:37,259 --> 00:22:39,088
he brazened it out.
302
00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:42,170
He'd no intention of stopping
his behaviour, he said
303
00:22:42,259 --> 00:22:45,410
because he meant no harm by it.
304
00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:49,490
'But when Katherine Parr
became pregnant
305
00:22:49,578 --> 00:22:53,650
'Seymour's flirtation
with Elizabeth grew more serious.
306
00:23:07,338 --> 00:23:11,650
'At first Katherine could not
believe what was happening.
307
00:23:11,740 --> 00:23:14,650
'Finally she was left in no doubt.'
308
00:23:16,460 --> 00:23:18,210
(Parr) My lord?
309
00:23:18,298 --> 00:23:20,048
Your Grace.
310
00:23:20,140 --> 00:23:25,210
'Following a painful interview,
during which Elizabeth hardly spoke,
311
00:23:25,298 --> 00:23:27,730
'her stepmother sent her away.
312
00:23:31,180 --> 00:23:34,288
'It was the last time
Elizabeth saw Katherine.
313
00:23:34,380 --> 00:23:36,838
'When she moved to Sudeley
to have the baby,
314
00:23:36,940 --> 00:23:39,808
'Elizabeth wrote to her wishing her luck.
315
00:23:41,818 --> 00:23:45,519
'But Katherine died
shortly after the birth of her child
316
00:23:45,618 --> 00:23:48,368
'and she was buried here at Sudeley.'
317
00:23:51,778 --> 00:23:55,250
In her final delirium
all her fears and jealousies
318
00:23:55,338 --> 00:23:59,410
about Seymour's behaviour
had revived, with very good reason,
319
00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:03,328
because Seymour soon renewed
his suit to marry Elizabeth
320
00:24:03,420 --> 00:24:07,328
and this time he had
the powerful backing of Kat Ashley.
321
00:24:07,420 --> 00:24:09,980
Elizabeth herself was enthusiastic
322
00:24:10,058 --> 00:24:14,288
but she'd the good sense to say
that she wouldn't consider the marriage
323
00:24:14,380 --> 00:24:16,650
without the backing of the council.
324
00:24:16,740 --> 00:24:21,048
Seymour for his part,
hot-headed and impetuous as usual,
325
00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:23,440
was too impatient to wait.
326
00:24:23,538 --> 00:24:30,930
Thomas was becoming more and more
keen to attain some personal power
327
00:24:31,019 --> 00:24:33,288
and to further his career.
328
00:24:33,380 --> 00:24:38,568
One way of doing this was
to get Edward, the young king,
329
00:24:38,660 --> 00:24:40,608
completely on his side.
330
00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:47,170
I think he decided he was going
to actually abduct the King
331
00:24:47,259 --> 00:24:52,650
and as he lived in the neighbouring
apartment it was very easy for him
332
00:24:52,740 --> 00:24:56,890
to have conversations
and meetings with the young King.
333
00:24:56,980 --> 00:25:01,009
How it happened
I don't think is really clear
334
00:25:01,098 --> 00:25:05,490
but we do know that he was found
in the King's apartment
335
00:25:05,578 --> 00:25:07,608
with a sword in his hand.
336
00:25:07,700 --> 00:25:13,880
One of the many spaniels
the young King had started to bark
337
00:25:13,980 --> 00:25:18,650
and, I suppose, in desperation
Thomas ran it through with his sword
338
00:25:18,740 --> 00:25:21,528
and there was a great kerfuffle and noise
339
00:25:21,618 --> 00:25:24,650
and people burst in
and Thomas was arrested.
340
00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:27,970
(Starkey) 'Seymour
was charged with treason.
341
00:25:28,058 --> 00:25:31,759
'His relationship with Elizabeth
made her a suspect too.
342
00:25:31,858 --> 00:25:34,848
'A team of interrogators
descended on Hatfield
343
00:25:34,940 --> 00:25:38,930
'to discover whether
she'd been plotting with him.
344
00:25:39,019 --> 00:25:44,088
'Her closest confidante, Kat Ashley,
was arrested and taken to the Tower.
345
00:25:44,180 --> 00:25:46,048
'Under threat of torture
346
00:25:46,140 --> 00:25:50,048
'she described the scandalous
events of the previous summer.
347
00:25:50,140 --> 00:25:54,368
'Her evidence was now used
word for word against Elizabeth.'
348
00:25:55,538 --> 00:25:59,808
"Another time at Hanworth
he romped with her in the garden."
349
00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:03,328
"Romped."
350
00:26:03,420 --> 00:26:05,980
"..and cut her gown,
351
00:26:06,058 --> 00:26:09,210
"being black cloth,
into a hundred pieces.
352
00:26:10,298 --> 00:26:14,048
"And when I came
and chid Lady Elizabeth,
353
00:26:14,140 --> 00:26:17,048
"she assured me
she could not strive withal
354
00:26:17,140 --> 00:26:22,769
"for the Queen held her while
the Lord Admiral cut the dress.
355
00:26:23,980 --> 00:26:31,400
"The Queen, suspecting the often access
of the Admiral to the Lady Elizabeth...
356
00:26:33,778 --> 00:26:38,328
"came suddenly upon them
where they were all alone,
357
00:26:39,538 --> 00:26:42,328
"he having her in his arms."
358
00:26:45,259 --> 00:26:49,970
'Despite the evidence, Elizabeth
refused to admit any wrongdoing.
359
00:26:50,058 --> 00:26:53,528
'Then a rumour began
that she was pregnant by Seymour.
360
00:26:53,618 --> 00:26:56,568
'She complained bitterly to Somerset.'
361
00:26:56,660 --> 00:27:00,200
"Master Tyrwhitt
has told me of rumours abroad
362
00:27:00,298 --> 00:27:04,288
"that I am in the Tower
and with child by my Lord Admiral.
363
00:27:04,380 --> 00:27:06,650
"These are shameful slanders.
364
00:27:06,740 --> 00:27:10,930
"I shall most heartily desire
that I may come to the court
365
00:27:11,019 --> 00:27:13,690
"that I may show myself as I am."
366
00:27:19,420 --> 00:27:22,890
'Tyrwhitt told Somerset
he was sure she was guilty
367
00:27:22,980 --> 00:27:24,930
'but he could prove nothing.
368
00:27:25,019 --> 00:27:27,250
'Elizabeth had survived the crisis.
369
00:27:33,220 --> 00:27:35,368
'But Seymour's guilt was clear.
370
00:27:35,460 --> 00:27:39,808
'In March 1549 Somerset signed
his brother's death warrant
371
00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:43,250
'and Seymour was beheaded
on Tower Hill.'
372
00:27:46,618 --> 00:27:51,769
Elizabeth's brush with Thomas Seymour
marked a turning point in her young life.
373
00:27:51,858 --> 00:27:57,650
It was a brutal initiation into the world
of adult politics and adult sexuality.
374
00:27:57,740 --> 00:28:01,250
She'd learned the hard way
that a sexual relationship,
375
00:28:01,338 --> 00:28:06,009
even a close friendship,
might mean danger, perhaps death.
376
00:28:06,098 --> 00:28:08,890
She knew now
that when a man approached her
377
00:28:08,980 --> 00:28:12,088
he'd got his eyes on the throne
as much as on her.
378
00:28:12,180 --> 00:28:17,490
'From this point onwards
she trusted almost nobody.
379
00:28:17,578 --> 00:28:21,769
'She kept her own counsel
and she concealed her true faults.
380
00:28:21,858 --> 00:28:25,480
'It was her defence
against a hostile world.
381
00:28:37,578 --> 00:28:41,970
'Elizabeth was left alone
in the peaceful solitude of Hatfield.
382
00:28:42,058 --> 00:28:45,048
'Here she continued her studies.
383
00:28:45,140 --> 00:28:48,759
'She also indulged a passion
for riding and hunting.
384
00:28:52,220 --> 00:28:55,528
'The clean air and exercise
were a welcome antidote
385
00:28:55,618 --> 00:29:00,410
'to the headaches and sickness that
had plagued her during the investigation
386
00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:05,130
'and would recur throughout her life
during moments of stress.'
387
00:29:18,818 --> 00:29:22,769
At about this time Elizabeth's,
French tutor, John Bellmain
388
00:29:22,858 --> 00:29:27,798
gave her as a present his translation
of St Basil's epistle to St Gregory
389
00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:30,130
on the virtues of the single life.
390
00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:34,000
The saint's argument was that
marriage distracted the soul
391
00:29:34,098 --> 00:29:36,048
from the worship of God.
392
00:29:36,140 --> 00:29:39,368
Bearing in mind her experiences
with Thomas Seymour,
393
00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:45,048
Elizabeth was well aware of the practical,
political advantages of celibacy too.
394
00:29:45,140 --> 00:29:47,808
It was the same with
the saint's arguments
395
00:29:47,900 --> 00:29:50,769
about temperance and sobriety of dress.
396
00:29:50,858 --> 00:29:53,568
Elizabeth created a sensation at court
397
00:29:53,660 --> 00:29:57,848
by turning up with her hair straight,
face unmade-up
398
00:29:57,940 --> 00:30:00,400
and virtually no jewellery.
399
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:05,210
She was rehabilitating herself
after the disaster of the Seymour affair
400
00:30:05,298 --> 00:30:07,890
by playing the Quaker maid.
401
00:30:08,980 --> 00:30:11,490
'There was more to it than just image.
402
00:30:11,578 --> 00:30:15,808
'Elizabeth was caught up
in the new Protestant mood in England.
403
00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:18,608
'The crosses and candles
of the Catholic faith
404
00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:21,410
'were being stripped from altars
everywhere.
405
00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:24,450
'The new faith had
the enthusiastic backing
406
00:30:24,538 --> 00:30:27,730
'of Elizabeth's brother
the young King Edward'.
407
00:30:27,818 --> 00:30:33,170
'But by 1553 the 15-year-old King
was dying of tuberculosis.
408
00:30:33,259 --> 00:30:37,288
'He was desperate to stop
the religious reforms being undone
409
00:30:37,380 --> 00:30:39,328
'by his Catholic sister Mary,
410
00:30:39,420 --> 00:30:43,288
'who would succeed under
the terms of their father's will.
411
00:30:43,380 --> 00:30:48,009
'So he excluded her from the succession
because she was a bastard.
412
00:30:48,098 --> 00:30:51,450
'But if Mary was a bastard
so too was Elizabeth.
413
00:30:51,538 --> 00:30:56,088
'Instead, Edward chose
a Protestant cousin to succeed him
414
00:30:56,180 --> 00:30:59,170
'the 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey.
415
00:31:00,380 --> 00:31:05,130
'Anxiously, Elizabeth waited
with her armed followers at Hatfield
416
00:31:05,220 --> 00:31:07,598
'to see what would happen next.
417
00:31:10,259 --> 00:31:13,650
'In July 1553 Edward died.
418
00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:16,368
'Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen
419
00:31:16,460 --> 00:31:20,130
'and Elizabeth and Mary
were denounced as bastards.
420
00:31:20,220 --> 00:31:22,970
'But Mary was Henry's elder daughter
421
00:31:23,058 --> 00:31:26,759
'and in the eyes of the people
she was rightful queen.
422
00:31:28,740 --> 00:31:32,650
'She was supported
by many of England's leading families.
423
00:31:32,740 --> 00:31:36,358
'Sir Henry Bedingfeld,
a substantial Norfolk landowner
424
00:31:36,460 --> 00:31:39,568
'was one of the first
to rally to Mary's banner.
425
00:31:39,660 --> 00:31:42,970
'His descendant
still lives at Oxburgh Hall.'
426
00:31:43,058 --> 00:31:48,970
Sir Henry, at Oxburgh,
gathered together 160 men
427
00:31:49,058 --> 00:31:51,730
armed, as they say, cap-a-pie,
428
00:31:51,818 --> 00:31:54,848
,
that is to say
with a certain amount of armour
429
00:31:54,940 --> 00:31:57,608
leather jerkins, swords, certainly
430
00:31:57,700 --> 00:31:59,930
and, I'm sure, a few horses.
431
00:32:02,338 --> 00:32:08,680
'His role was to take this small group
of people to, first of all, Kenning Hall
432
00:32:08,778 --> 00:32:13,088
'where other units such as his
were joining up to make an army
433
00:32:13,180 --> 00:32:18,730
'and from there to Framlingham
where the army swelled.'
434
00:32:18,818 --> 00:32:23,838
And they marched from there
to London with Queen Mary.
435
00:32:23,940 --> 00:32:26,568
Princess Elizabeth joined them en route.
436
00:32:26,660 --> 00:32:32,690
As custom dictated, at the gates of the
city of London they left the army behind
437
00:32:32,778 --> 00:32:36,528
and Elizabeth and Mary
rode into the city of London
438
00:32:36,618 --> 00:32:40,210
to wild rejoicing
and cheers from the crowd.
439
00:32:40,298 --> 00:32:44,328
(Starkey) 'In the face
of this overwhelming support for Mary
440
00:32:44,420 --> 00:32:46,410
'the opposition collapsed.
441
00:32:46,500 --> 00:32:50,650
'Lady Jane Grey was later
beheaded at the Tower.
442
00:32:52,058 --> 00:32:57,368
'On July 19th 1553
Mary was proclaimed Queen.
443
00:32:57,460 --> 00:33:02,009
'Her vision was to lead England back
to the true Catholic faith.
444
00:33:02,098 --> 00:33:07,088
'Elizabeth's Protestantism
marked her out as a potential enemy.'
445
00:33:08,420 --> 00:33:10,798
For the first two months of Mary's reign
446
00:33:10,900 --> 00:33:13,490
Elizabeth contrived to avoid
going to Mass.
447
00:33:13,578 --> 00:33:16,088
Finally Mary issued an ultimatum.
448
00:33:16,180 --> 00:33:19,288
Elizabeth was to attend Mass
on the 8th September,
449
00:33:19,380 --> 00:33:22,210
the day of the Nativity
of the Blessed Virgin.
450
00:33:22,298 --> 00:33:27,769
Cornered at last, Elizabeth sought
an interview with Mary at Richmond.
451
00:33:27,858 --> 00:33:31,088
She threw herself
on her knees before the Queen
452
00:33:31,180 --> 00:33:33,210
tears streaming down her face.
453
00:33:33,298 --> 00:33:36,690
She explained that she'd never
been taught the old faith
454
00:33:36,778 --> 00:33:39,730
and could she have priests
to instruct her?
455
00:33:39,818 --> 00:33:42,930
Oh, yes, and she would go to Mass.
456
00:33:43,019 --> 00:33:46,720
But on the morning
she developed a diplomatic chill
457
00:33:46,818 --> 00:33:50,088
and rather spoiled
the solemnity of the occasion
458
00:33:50,180 --> 00:33:53,170
by complaining, loudly,
of a bad stomach.
459
00:33:53,259 --> 00:33:57,450
Neither Mary nor anyone else
was deceived.
460
00:33:57,538 --> 00:34:02,730
Mary and Elizabeth had different
attitudes to their religions.
461
00:34:02,818 --> 00:34:05,170
Mary, of the old religion,
462
00:34:05,259 --> 00:34:10,380
would have had a slightly mechanistic
expression of her religion.
463
00:34:10,460 --> 00:34:14,289
Not that she wasn't devout
and spiritual, I'm sure she was,
464
00:34:14,380 --> 00:34:17,090
but her religion involved doing things,
465
00:34:17,179 --> 00:34:21,489
pilgrimages, saying the rosary,
making signs of the cross.
466
00:34:21,579 --> 00:34:26,730
'For Elizabeth, those things
didn't feature in her faith.
467
00:34:26,820 --> 00:34:31,050
People of the new religion would have
been much more Bible-based
468
00:34:31,139 --> 00:34:35,329
and would have interpreted the Bible
in the light of their own reason,
469
00:34:35,420 --> 00:34:38,329
rather than relying on
an authority from Rome
470
00:34:38,420 --> 00:34:40,570
telling them what the Bible meant.
471
00:34:41,659 --> 00:34:45,768
(Starkey) 'Mary now tried to guarantee
the Catholic future of England
472
00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:48,369
'by marrying King Philip of Spain.
473
00:34:48,460 --> 00:34:53,170
'But Mary's passionate love for
a foreign prince was deeply unpopular
474
00:34:53,260 --> 00:34:56,610
'and Philip's envoys
were pelted with snowballs.
475
00:34:56,699 --> 00:34:59,289
'Mary brushed aside the protests.
476
00:35:01,860 --> 00:35:05,730
'Elizabeth became a figurehead
for Mary's opponents.
477
00:35:05,820 --> 00:35:08,768
'Early in 1554 she received a letter
478
00:35:08,860 --> 00:35:12,289
'from a gentleman
called Sir Thomas Wyatt.
479
00:35:17,460 --> 00:35:22,530
'He told her that he intended to rebel
to prevent the Spanish marriage.
480
00:35:34,820 --> 00:35:37,119
'Elizabeth didn't reply in writing.
481
00:35:37,219 --> 00:35:42,130
'Instead she told Wyatt's messenger
with careful ambiguity
482
00:35:42,219 --> 00:35:45,369
'that she would do
as God would direct her.
483
00:35:47,980 --> 00:35:51,679
'Within days Wyatt had raised
an army of 7,000 men
484
00:35:51,780 --> 00:35:54,289
'in the southeast
and marched on London.
485
00:35:54,380 --> 00:35:57,250
'As Wyatt's army
drew closer to the capital
486
00:35:57,340 --> 00:35:59,570
'there was panic in Mary's court.
487
00:35:59,659 --> 00:36:02,570
'Mary ordered Elizabeth
to come to Whitehall
488
00:36:02,659 --> 00:36:05,409
'where she could be kept under control.
489
00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:08,170
'But Elizabeth claimed that she was ill.
490
00:36:08,260 --> 00:36:12,610
'Mary's doctors confirmed the, illness
but said, nevertheless
491
00:36:12,699 --> 00:36:14,849
'that she was well enough to travel.
492
00:36:15,940 --> 00:36:20,690
'It took her 11 days
to cover the 23 miles to London.
493
00:36:20,780 --> 00:36:25,010
'By the time she arrived
Wyatt's rebellion had collapsed.
494
00:36:25,099 --> 00:36:28,449
'He had overestimated
support for his cause.
495
00:36:29,539 --> 00:36:33,289
'Wyatt was beheaded
and quartered on Tower Hill.
496
00:36:35,460 --> 00:36:39,889
'At first Elizabeth was detained
and interrogated at Whitehall,
497
00:36:39,980 --> 00:36:43,090
'then it was decided
to send her to the Tower.
498
00:36:43,179 --> 00:36:46,768
'The night before the journey
Elizabeth wrote to Mary.
499
00:36:46,860 --> 00:36:49,090
'She was writing for her life.'
500
00:36:52,059 --> 00:36:54,329
"I most humbly beseech Your Majesty
501
00:36:54,420 --> 00:36:57,960
"that I be not condemned
without answer and due proof
502
00:36:58,059 --> 00:37:00,250
"which it seems that I now am.
503
00:37:00,340 --> 00:37:04,650
"For without cause proved
I am commanded to go to the Tower,
504
00:37:04,739 --> 00:37:09,530
"a place more wanted for a false traitor
than a true subject."
505
00:37:10,460 --> 00:37:12,610
'This is the letter that Elizabeth writes
506
00:37:12,699 --> 00:37:15,260
'at this most desperate
moment of her life.'
507
00:37:15,340 --> 00:37:19,210
She begins with a fine, firm, clear hand
508
00:37:19,300 --> 00:37:23,050
but gradually, as the pressure
of circumstances gets to her -
509
00:37:23,139 --> 00:37:28,690
remember, she thought that she'd only
days before she was executed -
510
00:37:28,780 --> 00:37:32,050
the handwriting becomes looser
and more irregular.
511
00:37:32,139 --> 00:37:34,969
She makes mistakes
and then she corrects them.
512
00:37:35,059 --> 00:37:39,570
But finally she's run out of things
to say and time to say them in
513
00:37:39,659 --> 00:37:44,289
and still she's only a quarter
of the way down the second page.
514
00:37:44,380 --> 00:37:47,170
Then, as a primitive security device
515
00:37:47,260 --> 00:37:50,010
to stop anybody
forging her handwriting
516
00:37:50,099 --> 00:37:53,369
and making incriminating
additions to the letter
517
00:37:53,460 --> 00:37:57,809
she draws long diagonal strokes
that almost fill up the page.
518
00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:01,518
'They leave just space
at the bottom for a postscript.'
519
00:38:01,619 --> 00:38:05,320
"'I humbly crave but
only one word with yourself."
520
00:38:05,420 --> 00:38:07,570
'It summarises the entire letter.
521
00:38:07,659 --> 00:38:10,849
'And then at the right she signs off.
522
00:38:10,940 --> 00:38:15,800
"'Your Highness's most faithful
subject from the beginning
523
00:38:15,900 --> 00:38:18,730
"'and shall be to my end."'
524
00:38:19,739 --> 00:38:22,690
Elizabeth's letter was a long one.
525
00:38:22,780 --> 00:38:26,170
Deliberately so, because
by the time she had finished
526
00:38:26,260 --> 00:38:28,210
the tide was too high
527
00:38:28,300 --> 00:38:32,000
for a boat to be able to make
the journey safely to the Tower.
528
00:38:32,099 --> 00:38:35,449
She'd bought herself
a few precious hours
529
00:38:35,539 --> 00:38:37,489
but to no avail.
530
00:38:37,579 --> 00:38:40,289
Mary didn't even deign to reply.
531
00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:46,768
'Early the next morning Elizabeth
was rowed up the river to the Tower.
532
00:38:50,219 --> 00:38:52,849
'The rain was falling in a steady drizzle.
533
00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:57,480
'Elizabeth knew that most of those
who made this voyage
534
00:38:57,579 --> 00:38:59,570
'would never make another.'
535
00:39:10,018 --> 00:39:13,250
When Elizabeth landed
the river was very high
536
00:39:13,340 --> 00:39:15,768
and the steps were very slippery.
537
00:39:15,860 --> 00:39:18,530
She found it difficult to keep her feet.
538
00:39:18,619 --> 00:39:22,369
She found it even more difficult
to control her terror.
539
00:39:23,940 --> 00:39:27,409
"I never thought
to come here a prisoner.
540
00:39:27,500 --> 00:39:30,610
"I beseech you all,
my friends and fellows,
541
00:39:30,699 --> 00:39:34,130
"bear witness that I come here no traitor
542
00:39:34,219 --> 00:39:39,409
"but as true a subject to the Queen's
majesty as any now alive."
543
00:39:39,500 --> 00:39:42,730
At the top of the steps
stood the soldiers.
544
00:39:42,820 --> 00:39:44,809
They were there to guard her.
545
00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:50,409
Instead they fell on their knees crying,
"God save Your Grace!"
546
00:40:08,059 --> 00:40:10,210
This is the room in the bell tower
547
00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:13,809
where Elizabeth is supposed
to have been imprisoned.
548
00:40:13,900 --> 00:40:16,929
The eight weeks
of her captivity in the Tower
549
00:40:17,018 --> 00:40:19,579
were the darkest days of her entire life.
550
00:40:19,659 --> 00:40:23,768
As so often happened at moments
of psychological crisis she fell ill.
551
00:40:23,860 --> 00:40:26,570
She thought constantly of death.
552
00:40:26,659 --> 00:40:29,730
After all, she was only
a few yards from the spot
553
00:40:29,820 --> 00:40:32,409
where her mother had been executed.
554
00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:35,570
She prayed to be delivered
from the same fate.
555
00:40:35,659 --> 00:40:37,849
'Two months dragged by.
556
00:40:37,940 --> 00:40:40,449
'Still there was no word from Mary.
557
00:40:41,380 --> 00:40:44,130
'Elizabeth could only expect the worst.
558
00:40:45,579 --> 00:40:48,889
'On the morning of 19th May 1554
559
00:40:48,980 --> 00:40:51,969
'Sir Henry Bedingfield,
Mary's staunch supporter,
560
00:40:52,059 --> 00:40:54,518
'arrived at the Tower with 100 men.
561
00:41:01,219 --> 00:41:04,530
'Elizabeth believed
that she was about to die
562
00:41:04,619 --> 00:41:07,969
'and from Mary's point of view
she deserved to.
563
00:41:08,059 --> 00:41:11,730
'Mary knew that she had been
involved in the Wyatt plot
564
00:41:11,820 --> 00:41:14,809
'but Elizabeth had cleverly
covered her tracks.
565
00:41:14,900 --> 00:41:16,849
'Without positive proof
566
00:41:16,940 --> 00:41:20,690
'Mary couldn't risk executing
the heir to the throne.
567
00:41:20,780 --> 00:41:26,010
'Bedingfield took Elizabeth
to Woodstock Palace near Oxford.'
568
00:41:26,099 --> 00:41:29,570
The relationship that
Elizabeth had with Sir Henry
569
00:41:29,659 --> 00:41:33,969
was, from Sir Henry's point of
view, a very professional one.
570
00:41:34,059 --> 00:41:37,969
From her point of view,
I should think thoroughly frustrating
571
00:41:38,059 --> 00:41:41,369
because he was there
with a bunch of keys
572
00:41:41,460 --> 00:41:45,650
and he kept her locked in.
The garden gates were locked.
573
00:41:45,739 --> 00:41:50,599
If she wanted to go for a walk someone
had to accompany her, an armed guard.
574
00:41:50,699 --> 00:41:54,969
She couldn't receive anything
in case there were messages involved
575
00:41:55,059 --> 00:41:59,730
and she, in fact, called him, "my jailer".
576
00:42:02,579 --> 00:42:05,929
(Starkey) 'Elizabeth was locked up
for almost a year
577
00:42:06,018 --> 00:42:07,969
'before Mary summoned her.
578
00:42:08,059 --> 00:42:10,730
'The Queen believed
that she was pregnant
579
00:42:10,820 --> 00:42:14,889
'and she wanted Elizabeth
to play a part in the christening.
580
00:42:14,980 --> 00:42:19,090
'But it was a phantom pregnancy
and as his wife sickened
581
00:42:19,179 --> 00:42:22,250
'Philip's attitude to Elizabeth changed.
582
00:42:22,340 --> 00:42:26,010
'He thought that he could use her
to keep control of England
583
00:42:26,099 --> 00:42:28,480
'by marrying her to a friend.'
584
00:42:34,500 --> 00:42:39,730
In the autumn of 1555 Elizabeth
got Mary's permission to leave court
585
00:42:39,820 --> 00:42:44,840
and to come here to the peace and
security of her country estate at Hatfield.
586
00:42:44,940 --> 00:42:46,889
She wanted to escape the court
587
00:42:46,980 --> 00:42:51,130
with its poisonous atmosphere
of intrigue and surveillance.
588
00:42:51,219 --> 00:42:54,449
But she also wished
to put a metaphorical distance
589
00:42:54,539 --> 00:42:58,369
between herself and Mary's government
because that summer
590
00:42:58,460 --> 00:43:01,570
the burning of Protestants
had really got underway.
591
00:43:10,099 --> 00:43:15,889
'More than 300 people met
this horrible death during Mary's reign.
592
00:43:15,980 --> 00:43:17,929
'A few were lucky.
593
00:43:18,018 --> 00:43:22,090
'Kind executioners would tie
bags of gunpowder to their legs
594
00:43:22,179 --> 00:43:24,449
'to finish them off quickly.
595
00:43:25,820 --> 00:43:27,969
'Most roasted alive.
596
00:43:30,659 --> 00:43:34,409
'Every death created a martyr
for the Protestant cause.
597
00:43:34,500 --> 00:43:37,969
'Making England Catholic
wasn't going to be easy.
598
00:43:42,860 --> 00:43:44,889
'Sensing that her time was near
599
00:43:44,980 --> 00:43:47,809
'Elizabeth fiercely resisted Philip's plans
600
00:43:47,900 --> 00:43:51,929
'to marry her off to a Catholic prince,
the Duke of Savoy.
601
00:43:52,018 --> 00:43:54,579
'She would be no one's puppet.
602
00:44:03,619 --> 00:44:09,449
'Mary was dying but still she resisted
naming Elizabeth as her successor.
603
00:44:09,539 --> 00:44:12,768
'Ten days before her death
she finally relented
604
00:44:12,860 --> 00:44:15,159
'under pressure from her council.'
605
00:44:17,260 --> 00:44:20,170
It was 17th November 1558.
606
00:44:20,260 --> 00:44:23,449
Towards noon
messengers arrived at Hatfield
607
00:44:23,539 --> 00:44:27,079
to inform Elizabeth
that her sister Mary was dead
608
00:44:27,179 --> 00:44:29,329
and that she was now Queen.
609
00:44:29,420 --> 00:44:33,369
The story goes that they found
her walking in the park
610
00:44:33,460 --> 00:44:35,840
underneath a great oak tree.
611
00:44:35,940 --> 00:44:40,050
As they fell on their knees before her
she too knelt
612
00:44:40,139 --> 00:44:42,730
uttering the words of the 118th psalm,
613
00:44:42,820 --> 00:44:48,650
"A Domino factum est
et mirabile in oculis nostris."
614
00:44:48,739 --> 00:44:53,599
"This is the Lord's doing
and it is marvellous in our eyes."
615
00:45:00,380 --> 00:45:02,969
'The Spanish ambassador, De Feria,
616
00:45:03,059 --> 00:45:08,650
'told Elizabeth she owed her throne
not to the lord but to King Philip.
617
00:45:08,739 --> 00:45:11,039
'Elizabeth would have none of it.'
618
00:45:11,139 --> 00:45:14,090
(Reader) "She is a very vain
and clever woman.
619
00:45:14,179 --> 00:45:18,849
"She puts great store by all the people
who put her in her present position
620
00:45:18,940 --> 00:45:23,449
"and she will not acknowledge
that Your Majesty had any part in it.
621
00:45:23,539 --> 00:45:26,530
"She is determined
to be governed by no one."
622
00:45:30,460 --> 00:45:32,809
On Wednesday 23rd November,
623
00:45:32,900 --> 00:45:37,489
Elizabeth rode through these great gates
of the Charterhouse in London
624
00:45:37,579 --> 00:45:39,929
to take possession of her capital.
625
00:45:40,018 --> 00:45:44,489
Her journey from Hatfield had
turned into a triumphal progress.
626
00:45:44,579 --> 00:45:47,170
She was accompanied with a great train
627
00:45:47,260 --> 00:45:50,250
of a thousand lords
ladies and gentlemen!
628
00:45:50,340 --> 00:45:54,610
and vast, cheering crowds
greeted her arrival.
629
00:45:57,579 --> 00:46:01,199
'Elizabeth consulted
the astrologer Dr John Dee
630
00:46:01,300 --> 00:46:07,050
'before choosing Sunday 15th January
1559 for her coronation.
631
00:46:08,780 --> 00:46:11,849
'The Queen walked along
lengths of blue cloth
632
00:46:11,940 --> 00:46:15,929
'from Westminster Hall
to the entrance to Westminster Abbey.
633
00:46:16,018 --> 00:46:21,090
'The crowds behind her fell on the cloth
cutting off pieces as souvenirs.'
634
00:46:25,980 --> 00:46:30,809
Today Elizabeth would play the part
that she had understudied so long -
635
00:46:30,900 --> 00:46:32,849
and in what a setting.
636
00:46:32,940 --> 00:46:36,449
Her christening at Greenwich
had been high theatre
637
00:46:36,539 --> 00:46:39,289
but her coronation in Westminster Abbey
638
00:46:39,380 --> 00:46:42,530
would be a performance
on the grandest scale.
639
00:46:50,739 --> 00:46:55,369
First Elizabeth was acclaimed
by the people and swore the oath.
640
00:46:55,460 --> 00:46:57,760
Next her outer robes were removed
641
00:46:57,860 --> 00:47:00,849
and she knelt, solemnly,
for the anointing.
642
00:47:00,940 --> 00:47:05,170
Bishop Oglethorpe anointed her
in the seven traditional places -
643
00:47:05,260 --> 00:47:08,289
shoulder blades
breasts, palms of the hand
644
00:47:08,380 --> 00:47:10,760
and finally on the crown of the head.
645
00:47:10,860 --> 00:47:12,809
Then she was enthroned.
646
00:47:25,860 --> 00:47:29,929
'Successively three different
crowns were put on her head
647
00:47:30,018 --> 00:47:32,889
'and, on her fourth finger, a ring
648
00:47:32,980 --> 00:47:38,099
'as a symbol of the mystical marriage
between Elizabeth and her kingdom.'
649
00:47:45,420 --> 00:47:49,489
Tradition, mystery and symbolism
650
00:47:49,579 --> 00:47:53,530
had made her Queen of England
as fully and completely
651
00:47:53,619 --> 00:47:57,289
as any of her predecessors
had been king.
652
00:48:18,619 --> 00:48:21,610
Elizabeth at last wore the crown.
653
00:48:21,699 --> 00:48:23,969
Now came the difficult bit.
654
00:48:24,059 --> 00:48:27,679
She had to show that she could
grasp the reality of power
655
00:48:27,780 --> 00:48:30,159
and govern a divided country.
656
00:48:30,260 --> 00:48:34,969
To do that she had to disprove
two widespread assumptions -
657
00:48:35,059 --> 00:48:39,250
that no monarch could ever match
the achievement of her father
658
00:48:39,340 --> 00:48:42,929
and that no woman could ever
make an effective ruler.
659
00:48:43,305 --> 00:48:49,758
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