At the dawn of the seventeenth century Europe is caught in the maelstrom of religious war. Irish chieftains had allied with Catholic Spain against England. For nine years the Protestant armies of Elizabeth I fought the Irish and their Spanish allies. The final Irish defeat came in Ulster. Fergal Keane, The Story of Ireland 3/5: The Age of Revolution
The country would witness savage bloodletting as it became a battleground in Europe’s religious wars. ibid.
Elizabeth I used reptile motifs on her clothes and signature. Chris Everard, Secret Space II
In the summer of 1586 radical Catholics planned to assassinate Elizabeth I, Queen of England ... Elizabeth's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, is determined to stop them. He masterminds an extraordinary spy war to protect the Tudor dynasty. Elizabeth I’s War on Terror, National Geographic 2014
During the early 1580s at least three assassination plots against Elizabeth were exposed. ibid.
The international drug trade began in 1606 when Queen Elizabeth the First built England’s wealth by trafficking illegal opium from India to China. Secret Rulers of the World, 2001
Her hearse seemed to be an island swimming in water for round it there rained a shower of tears. Thomas Dekker, re Elizabeth’s funeral
1585: Spain is the most powerful empire in the world. Philip of Spain, a devout Catholic, has plunged Europe into Holy War. Only England stands firm against him. Ruled by a Protestant Queen: Elizabeth. Elizabeth: The Golden Age 2007 starring Cate Blanchett & Geoffrey Rush & Clive Owen & Abbie Cornish & Samantha Morton & Jordi Molla & Susan Lynch & Rhys Ifans & Eddie Redmayne & Tom Hollander & David Threlfall & Adam Godley & Laurence Fox & William Houston et al, director Shekhar Kapur, caption
I will not punish my people for their beliefs, only for their deeds. ibid. Elizabeth
I call the legions of Christ to war! Blood-soaked virgin. She will pay. With her country. Her throne. And her life! ibid. Spanish king
Childless, I am mother to my people. ibid. Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth I, conqueror of the Spanish Armada, Tudor defender of the Protestant faith, the headstrong virgin queen who refuses to marry. But of all her challenges, her most gruelling battle is with another woman – her own cousin – Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth will not face a more relentless threat to her Crown or her life. Bloody Queens: Elizabeth & Mary, BBC 2016
Elizabeth may despise Darnley but she never sends a single soldier to defend her cousin. ibid.
Elizabeth can’t bring herself to condemn Mary. Instead, she turns her rage on the young plotters. ibid.
After nineteen years of confinement, Mary is suddenly told that she will die the next morning at Fotheringay Castle February 8th 1587. ibid.
Of all the monarchs who have ruled our nation there is one woman whose legacy inspires intrigue and debate to this day. Venessa Collingridge, Queen Elizabeth I: A Timewatch Guide, BBC 2016
One of Elizabeth’s greatest accomplishments – building a powerful British navy. ibid.
Elizabethan imperialism would transform and often devastate the lives of indigenous people abroad. ibid.
An invasion had been crushed, the Armada scattered. ibid.
Elizabeth I was England’s greatest queen. She was strong-willed, passionate and brave. But beneath the image of a magnificent ruler was a vulnerable woman surrounded by danger. Dan Jones & Suzannah Lipscomb: Elizabeth I s1e1: Battle for the Throne aka The Golden Era, Channel 5 2017
Elizabeth survived assassination attempts, rebellions and a blood feud with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. ibid.
Thomas Seymour had his eyes on someone else: the 14-year-old Elizabeth. ibid.
In 1554 Princess Elizabeth was implicated in a plot to overthrow her sister Queen Mary. ibid.
Saying she was married to the country sounded fantastic but it was just words. Dan Jones & Suzannah Lipscomb: Elizabeth I s1e2: The Enemy Within
Mary had done what Elizabeth had failed to do: given her country an heir. James was now another threat to Elizabeth’s crown: he was a king in waiting. ibid.
‘The pretended Queen of England, a slave of Wickedness … We do declare here to be deprived of her pretended title to the Kingdom …’ ibid. Papal Bull
From the moment Elizabeth was born she was thrust into a blood game in which the stakes were life and death. Dan Jones & Suzannah Lipscomb: Elizabeth I s1e3: Death of a Dynasty
Philip worked hard to keep his massive invasion fleet secret but Elizabeth had spies everywhere. In February 1587 intelligence reports reached Elizabeth’s chief spy Sir Francis Walsingham and adviser William Cecil. ibid.
Elizabeth had beaten the most powerful empire in the world. ibid.
When Essex saw the cannon being wheeled into position he knew the game was up. He had no choice but to surrender. ibid.
If you were asked to conjure up a quintessential English scene what would it look like? … What would it sound like? Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I’s Battle for God’s Music, BBC 2017
Choral Evensong: It’s a special evening service of music and prayer at the very heart of the Church of England. ibid.
The heart of worship became a battleground fought over not just by Henry but by his successors … leaving their sister Elizabeth I to decide the religious fate of a bitterly divided country. Elizabeth had to fight to keep church music alive. ibid.
Britain at the time of Queen Elizabeth I was divided, unstable and violent. Despite this, Elizabeth stayed in power for over 40 years. This secret of her incredible reign is hidden in this portrait: detailed in the folds of her dress – these eyes and ears represent a spy network: the world’s first secret service run by a father and son team, both exceptionally intelligent and given the job of protecting Queen and Country. This series tells their story over five decades and reveals how the secret state was born. Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents, BBC 2017
Over the course of her reign there were 14 assassination attempts on her life. ibid.
Cecil’s genius was to create the world’s first spy network. (Elizabeth I & England & Spy) ibid.
The traitor [‘40’] was the Duke of Norfolk. ibid.
She was living in constant danger. Plots against Elizabeth keep coming. ibid.
They know that it is not enough for Mary to be the figurehead of a conspiracy, they must catch her red-handed in a plot to kill the queen. ibid.
‘Elizabeth was ineffably different, she’s exceptional, she’s holy, she’s magical.’ Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents II, Lisa Hilton
The Spanish armada has just been defeated but there is still the fear they might try again. ibid.
Robert Cecil: ‘He is trained to do the dirty work, he is clever, cunning, feeble, rich, lonely.’ ibid.
He inherited his father’s spy network. ibid.
The Earl of Essex was everything Cecil wasn’t: he was handsome, an expert swordsman and a war hero. ibid.
His father masterminded the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. ibid.
Cecil has larger forces there waiting for him [Essex]. ibid.
For a few hours Elizabeth contemplates forgiving Essex. ibid.
The Gunpowder Plot: Cecil’s job to stop it. ibid.
In the year 1600 on the streets of Elizabeth I’s London a bizarre and violent series of events took place: this is the true story of an abducted child and of how his father tried to get him back. Set behind the scenes in the golden age of Shakespeare, it sheds a shocking light on a world we can barely comprehend, long before children were thought to have rights. Abducted: Elizabeth I’s Children, Dr Katherine Rundell, BBC 2019
He was delivered into the hands of the man who had organised and paid for his abduction – Henry Evans. ibid.
Companies of boy actors perform more frequently at court than companies of adult actors. ibid.
Clifton was absolutely furious and demanded the immediate release of Thomas. ibid.
Elizabeth II: Britain’s longest-serving monarch: she’s reigned over this country for nearly 70 years. She’s seen a man land on the moon and 14 prime ministers come and go. But 400 years earlier there was another Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth I & II: Britain’s Golden Queens I, Channel 5 2020
They both fought to protect their reigns. ibid.
‘Elizabeth (II) was a minor princess living in a town-house.’ ibid. Kate Williams
Young Elizabeth Tudor is on a tumultuous path of her own. ibid.
Both women are determined to marry to love. ibid.
Philip is named Queen Consort and nothing more … two steps behind his wife. ibid.