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<v Speaker 1>Hello and Welcome to Western SIEV episode three hundred and fifteen,

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<v Speaker 1>Great England's Glory. After Dudley's death, Elizabeth turned increasingly to

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<v Speaker 1>his stepson, the Earl of Essex, for support. Essex, in

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<v Speaker 1>short order became the Queen's new favorite. Unlike his stepfather,

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<v Speaker 1>Essex was extremely popular with the people. Interestingly enough, Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>hated that she wanted Essex to be totally dependent on

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<v Speaker 1>her for his success. Seesil did everything he could to

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<v Speaker 1>take the young man under his wing and groom him

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<v Speaker 1>for future success, but Essex was too impatient, and he

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to advance now Closs. He was terribly jealous of

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<v Speaker 1>Cecil's son Robert, whose influence at court was also growing exponentially.

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth herself was now fifty five years old, but she

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<v Speaker 1>remained remarkably healthy for her age. Age and victory had

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<v Speaker 1>invested her with even greater dignity and presence, and when

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<v Speaker 1>her people saw her pass by in her golden coach,

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<v Speaker 1>she appeared to them like a goddess. Essex was clever

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<v Speaker 1>enough to defer to her as such, conveying to her

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<v Speaker 1>overtly and through subtle symbolism. Beloved of his age, his

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<v Speaker 1>love and devotion, he told her, quote, I do confess

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<v Speaker 1>that as a man I have been more subject to

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<v Speaker 1>your natural beauty than as a subject to the power

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<v Speaker 1>of a king end quote. Naively, though he thought his

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<v Speaker 1>influence would in the future be unchallenged, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>not to be. Soon, another rival for the Queen's attention

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<v Speaker 1>rose to prominence. Sir Charles Blount, son of the powerful

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<v Speaker 1>Lord Mountjoy. Essex was so jealous of the young man

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<v Speaker 1>he poked fun at him endlessly, so much so that

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<v Speaker 1>Blount felt compelled to challenge Essex to a duel, which

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<v Speaker 1>he won, slashing the earl in the thigh and disarming him. Officially,

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth was against dueling, but in private, when she heard

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<v Speaker 1>what had happened, she was pleased someone had taken Essex

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<v Speaker 1>down a peg. But when she later heard that Essex

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<v Speaker 1>had challenged Sir Walter Raleigh to a duel, she was furious.

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<v Speaker 1>Though Essex remained unconcerned. The bigger issue for Essex, however,

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<v Speaker 1>remained money, i e. He didn't have it and lived

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<v Speaker 1>well above his means. The Queen made arrangements to support

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<v Speaker 1>his lifestyle to some extent, at least for the moment.

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<v Speaker 1>Now In the spring, Elizabeth decided to green light an

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<v Speaker 1>English naval expedition to Portugal. The goal was to place

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<v Speaker 1>the Portuguese pretender Don Antonio on the throne and thus

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<v Speaker 1>removed forever the threat Philip posed to England. The Queen

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<v Speaker 1>forbade Essex from going, but he went anyway. Desperate for

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<v Speaker 1>booty to clear his ever mounting debts. She sent a

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<v Speaker 1>squadron to intercept his ship, but it was too late.

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<v Speaker 1>The Queen then sent a series of angry letters demanding

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<v Speaker 1>his return, but by then the English fleet had set

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<v Speaker 1>sail for the Azores, hoping to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet.

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<v Speaker 1>That move was directly contrary to Elizabeth's express orders, but

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<v Speaker 1>the fleet went anyway. After the Portuguese failed to rise

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<v Speaker 1>in rebellion, dooming the original endeavor, the fleet was ultimately

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<v Speaker 1>driven back by Gails. In the end, about eleven thousand

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<v Speaker 1>englishmen died of disease, and Elizabeth was out forty nine

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<v Speaker 1>thousand pounds. The expedition had been an unmitigated disaster, for

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<v Speaker 1>which the Queen blamed one of the men in charge,

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<v Speaker 1>Sir Francis Drake. Then, in July, as we learned last time,

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<v Speaker 1>word reached England that Henri the third of France had

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<v Speaker 1>been assassinated. Elizabeth was determined to see Henry of Navarre,

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<v Speaker 1>a Protestant, assume the throne in time. As we will see,

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<v Speaker 1>her support of Navarre will prove crucial in his ability

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<v Speaker 1>to become Henry the fourth. On April the sixth, Francis

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<v Speaker 1>Walsingham died. The Queen did not immediately replace him. Walsingham

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<v Speaker 1>had been an extremely effective in his role as chiefs Bymaster.

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<v Speaker 1>His efforts were one of the reasons Elizabeth was both

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<v Speaker 1>still alive and on her throne. Walsingham's duty were quietly

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<v Speaker 1>assumed by Robert Cecil Now. Robert Cecil had been born

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<v Speaker 1>in fifteen sixty three, allegedly as the result of being

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<v Speaker 1>dropped by his nurse maid. He had a deformed back

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<v Speaker 1>and his growth had been stunted. Elizabeth called him her

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<v Speaker 1>Pigmy or elf. He resented the name, but of course

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<v Speaker 1>never said anything to the Queen herself. Robert had been

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<v Speaker 1>educated at Oxford. He was quick and excelled as a courtier.

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<v Speaker 1>While he was never as close to Elizabeth as her

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<v Speaker 1>father had been, the Queen trusted him implicitly. Essex's insistence

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<v Speaker 1>on regarding Cecil as his chief rival led to the

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<v Speaker 1>formation of the factions which were to dominate the last

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<v Speaker 1>years of Elizabeth's reign and led to a lot of squabbling,

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<v Speaker 1>bribery and outright opportunism. Essex and his younger followers were

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<v Speaker 1>all keen for military glory and the continuance of the

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<v Speaker 1>war with Spain, while the faction headed by Robert Cecil

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<v Speaker 1>and his stood for peace and stability. From fifteen ninety onwards,

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<v Speaker 1>Essex began building an aristocratic following at court and in

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<v Speaker 1>the country. Those who had been excluded from office by Cecil,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as those who agreed that the war against

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<v Speaker 1>Spain should be aggressively pursued, hastened to offer Essex their allegiance.

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<v Speaker 1>He also courted the support openly of the London Puritans.

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<v Speaker 1>Cecil meanwhile kept a vice like grip on court appointments

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<v Speaker 1>and political offices, and in the Parliament. His father led

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<v Speaker 1>the House of Lords, while the younger Cecil led the Commons.

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<v Speaker 1>So what we have here is a situation not unlike

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<v Speaker 1>the later years of Henry the Eighth. All of Elizabeth's

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<v Speaker 1>advisers were aging, slowing down, or in many cases dying.

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<v Speaker 1>A younger, less easily meliable generation was coming into being.

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<v Speaker 1>Men like Essex were dismissive of their elders and their opinions. Elizabeth,

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<v Speaker 1>more often than not, now found herself simply trying to

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<v Speaker 1>keep the peace. In fifteen ninety one, Essex came under

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<v Speaker 1>the increasing influence of the brilliant Francis Bacon. Francis Bacon

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<v Speaker 1>was a thirty year old lawyer and member of Parliament.

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<v Speaker 1>In his time, he had published great works of history, philosophy,

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<v Speaker 1>and legal theory. One man wrote of him, quote of

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<v Speaker 1>middling stature, his countenance had indented with age before he

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<v Speaker 1>was old, his presence grave and comely end quote. He

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<v Speaker 1>was the future Lord Chancellor, and he was cleverer than

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<v Speaker 1>Cecil and Essex. But the Queen never liked him and

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<v Speaker 1>never appointed him to the high office that he deserved.

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<v Speaker 1>Both Francis and his elder brother Anthony were also homosexual,

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<v Speaker 1>and this may have something to do with her aversion.

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<v Speaker 1>But Essex always ignored Bacon's most important piece of advice.

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<v Speaker 1>Bacon told Essex over and over again he had to

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<v Speaker 1>forget all of these notions of military glory. He needed

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<v Speaker 1>to seek advancement through peaceful means. But Essex wanted the glory,

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<v Speaker 1>so he just kept doing what he was doing, never

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<v Speaker 1>perceiving that was the exact opposite of what the Queen wanted,

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<v Speaker 1>and that she was the source of all his influence.

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<v Speaker 1>But there remained larger issues for Elizabeth than court factionalism.

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<v Speaker 1>There remained squabbles over the succession, a taboo subject with

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<v Speaker 1>the Queen, which men avoided if they were wise. Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>had a tremendous aversion than ever before now towards naming

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<v Speaker 1>her successor, fearing that the factions at her court would

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<v Speaker 1>be easy prey for would be conspirators as she grew older.

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<v Speaker 1>She was apprehensive in case that there are already moves

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<v Speaker 1>to replace her with a younger, preferably male sovereign. Already

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<v Speaker 1>several of her courtiers were secretly ingratiating themselves with James

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<v Speaker 1>of Scotland, the likeliest candidate for succession. Therefore, that August,

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<v Speaker 1>when the hot headed MP Member of Parliament Peter Wentworth

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<v Speaker 1>impertinently published a tract entitled A Pithy Exploration to Her

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<v Speaker 1>Majesty for establishing the succession, he was summarily thrown into

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<v Speaker 1>prison and then of course, there was the issue of France.

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<v Speaker 1>For months, Henry the fourth that Henry of Navarre had

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<v Speaker 1>been begging Elizabeth for aid, as the French Catholics had

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<v Speaker 1>effectively allied themselves with Philip of Spain. As we learned

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<v Speaker 1>last week, Elizabeth initially hadn't really wanted to get involved,

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<v Speaker 1>but neither did she want a victorious Spanish army on

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<v Speaker 1>the other side of the channel. So eventually she relented

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<v Speaker 1>and sent about four thousand men to Normandy, but she

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<v Speaker 1>was determined not to spend any additional money unless she

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely had to. Essex requested command, and Elizabeth initially said no,

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<v Speaker 1>but when Henry the fourth asked for him personally, she

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<v Speaker 1>agreed reluctantly, and she had been right to say no.

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<v Speaker 1>From the word goo. Essex treated the war like some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of grand game, like a sport. Well, Henry the

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<v Speaker 1>fourth besieged Noah, Essex failed to do the same to Rouent,

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<v Speaker 1>which is what he was supposed to have been doing.

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<v Speaker 1>The English campaign ended miserably. Essex took one small town

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<v Speaker 1>and that was about it. Most of the English soldiers

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<v Speaker 1>died of disease. When Elizabeth ordered him to resign his

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<v Speaker 1>command and returned he did so, blaming Robert Cecil for

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<v Speaker 1>poisoning her mind against him. Cecil had done no such thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Matters grew. When Essex returned in January fifteen ninety two.

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<v Speaker 1>He had expected to be elected the chancellor of Oxford University,

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<v Speaker 1>though he was no scholar, and was infuriated that Cecil's

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<v Speaker 1>candidate had been elected instead. That next month, Essex forged

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<v Speaker 1>a partnership with Anthony Bacon, Sir Francis's brother, who agreed

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<v Speaker 1>to help him build his own network of spies to

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<v Speaker 1>impress the Queen. Essex also continued to reach out to

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<v Speaker 1>Henry the Fourth for support. Essex's hope for advancement got

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<v Speaker 1>a sudden boost that summer when Sir Walter Raleigh fell

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<v Speaker 1>from favor. Raleigh had committed the mortal sin of impregnating

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<v Speaker 1>one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting. Worse still, he had

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<v Speaker 1>married the girl in secret, without royal permission. Raleigh was

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<v Speaker 1>summoned back from Panama, where he was presently harassing Spanish ships,

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<v Speaker 1>and promptly escorted to the Tower. He wasn't there very long.

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<v Speaker 1>By August, Raleigh had been pardoned, but never again enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>royal favor under Elizabeth. At the new year, the court

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<v Speaker 1>was diverted with masks and other novelties of the season.

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<v Speaker 1>By February fifteen ninety three, Essex's intelligence service was well established,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Queen was so impressed with it that she

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<v Speaker 1>at last appointed him a Privy Councilor at the age

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<v Speaker 1>of only twenty seven. He could now play his part

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<v Speaker 1>as a statesman, and he did it diligently, attending every

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<v Speaker 1>council meeting and cooperating with his rivals for the benefit

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<v Speaker 1>of the state. A colleague later would write, quote, his

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<v Speaker 1>lordship has become a new man, clean forsaking all his

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<v Speaker 1>former youthful tricks, carrying himself with honorable gravity, and singularly

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<v Speaker 1>liked for his speeches and judgment end quote. Where a

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge of foreign affairs was concerned, there were few now

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<v Speaker 1>to match him. But being Essex, he was also determined

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<v Speaker 1>to explore his position and virtually bankrupted himself and extending

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<v Speaker 1>his patronage. When the post of Attorney General, which was

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<v Speaker 1>in the Queen's gift, became vacant in April, he exerted

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<v Speaker 1>his influence to secure it for Francis Bacon. But Bacon

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<v Speaker 1>had recently challenged the granting of a subsidy to the

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<v Speaker 1>crown in Parliament, and Elizabeth was not at all pleased

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<v Speaker 1>with him. When Essex put his name forward, she erupted

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<v Speaker 1>in fury and barred Bacon from her presence. Now, meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>Philip the Second had not forgotten about England, nor given

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<v Speaker 1>up on the idea of retaking the island for the

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<v Speaker 1>Catholic faith. England once more looked like a prime target

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<v Speaker 1>for foreign exploitation. But Elizabeth told Parliament, my fear not

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<v Speaker 1>all his threatenings, his great preparation and mighty forces, do

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<v Speaker 1>not stir me. For though he come against me with

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<v Speaker 1>a greater power than ever was, I doubt not, but

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<v Speaker 1>God assisting me, I shall be able to defeat and

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<v Speaker 1>overthrow him. For my cause is just, and it standeth

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<v Speaker 1>upon a sure foundation that I shall not fail. God

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<v Speaker 1>assisting the quarrel of the righteous, Parliament, at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the proceedings duly voted her a treble subsidy, just

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<v Speaker 1>in case she did not need it. In the end,

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<v Speaker 1>unfavorable winds prevented the Spanish fleet from sailing, and Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>once more chalked it up to divine favor. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth continued to support Henry the Fourth in his war

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<v Speaker 1>against the Catholic League in Spain, even after he converted

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<v Speaker 1>to Catholicism, a point that I'm going to cover in

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<v Speaker 1>greater detail next week. Henry had been quick to pass

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<v Speaker 1>religious edicts granting freedom of worship kind of, and those

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<v Speaker 1>allayed any fears the English queen might have had. That

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<v Speaker 1>summer saw an even worse epidemic of plague than previous years.

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<v Speaker 1>The London theaters were closed, and apart from brief visits

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<v Speaker 1>to Sutton Palace in Surrey and Parham Park and Cowdrey

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<v Speaker 1>Park in Sussex, essentially remained at Windsor until Christmas. Here

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<v Speaker 1>she celebrated her sixtieth birthday and spent her time translating Boethius,

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<v Speaker 1>mostly in her own hand. Just twelve days the manuscript

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<v Speaker 1>actually survives. You can still go and see it. That winter,

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<v Speaker 1>Essex uncovered a quote unquote plot against the Queen's life.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm putting plot in air quotes here because it's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>clear that Essex, through torture and downright deceit, fabricated the

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<v Speaker 1>entire thing just to whip up anti Spanish sentiment. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>William Cecil told Elizabeth such the unfortunate accused was drawn

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<v Speaker 1>and quartered. Regardless, that same summer was townright miserable for

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<v Speaker 1>just about everyone in England. It reigned constantly, ruining the harvest,

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<v Speaker 1>which invariably meant high prices and famine. In July, Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>gave Essex four thousand pounds to pay his debt, but

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<v Speaker 1>indicate he would get nothing for his friends. At this

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<v Speaker 1>point it was mattering less and less. Honestly, he had

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<v Speaker 1>grown enough as a statesman that English ambassadors were sending

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<v Speaker 1>him his own reports. James the sixth was now his friend.

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<v Speaker 1>The following summer was just as wet, and there was

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<v Speaker 1>a second poor harvest. Thousands died that winter, and the

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<v Speaker 1>jubilant mood that swelled the nation after the Armada was

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<v Speaker 1>defeated was now but a distant memory. In fact, in

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<v Speaker 1>July fifteen ninety five, the Spanish were able to raid Cornwall,

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<v Speaker 1>sacking one small town. Alarmed, Elizabeth ordered that England's coastal

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<v Speaker 1>defenses be strengthened. Sir Francis Drake was now back in

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<v Speaker 1>favor and suggested a further rate on Panama in the

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<v Speaker 1>hope of diverting King Philip and of course, seizing even

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<v Speaker 1>more Spanish treasure, and the Queen agreed to this UD's. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>England's great hero never came home. When his fleet returned,

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<v Speaker 1>having achieved nothing in the spring of fifteen ninety six,

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<v Speaker 1>it brought with him news of his death, not from

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<v Speaker 1>some gallant conduct, but from dysentery on the twenty ninth

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<v Speaker 1>of January in Panama, where he was buried at sea.

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<v Speaker 1>By fifteen ninety six, state business was effectively run by

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<v Speaker 1>the leaders of the two factions within the Privy Council,

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Cecil and Essex. Spurred by news and rumors that

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<v Speaker 1>Philip intended to launch a second armada, Elizabeth prepared an

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<v Speaker 1>expedition to destroy the new fleet before it could get moving.

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<v Speaker 1>Essex seemed like the obvious choice to command. In March,

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth pointed Essex and Lord Howard, who had previously defeated

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<v Speaker 1>the Armada, as joint commanders, the latter having vastly more experience.

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<v Speaker 1>Both made for Plymouth to muster their men in ships.

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<v Speaker 1>But then, on May the sixteenth, alarming news reached the

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<v Speaker 1>Queen the Spanish had taken Calais. She immediately recalled Howard

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<v Speaker 1>and Essex to her side. The fleet, she said was

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<v Speaker 1>needed to defend the coast. Both men grudgingly returned, as

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<v Speaker 1>did Raleigh, who had only recently just come back from Guinea.

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<v Speaker 1>He was reluctantly by the queen appointed Rear Admiral, and

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<v Speaker 1>the expedition once more received the green light. On the

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<v Speaker 1>third of June, Elizabeth formally appointed cecil Secretary of State

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<v Speaker 1>opposed he had filled an all but name since fifteen ninety.

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<v Speaker 1>On the same day, the expedition sailed for Spain, where

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<v Speaker 1>the following month Essex carried out a daring and very

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<v Speaker 1>successful raid on the rich port of Cadiz quote the

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<v Speaker 1>Pearl of Andalusia. Some of Philip's ships were being kept

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<v Speaker 1>in readiness there for the invasion of England. Taken unawares,

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<v Speaker 1>Spanish forces in the area could do little, and for

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<v Speaker 1>about two weeks, English troops ransacked and burned the town,

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<v Speaker 1>mostly ignoring Essex's orders to spare its churches and religious houses.

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<v Speaker 1>Raleigh would later observe quote, if any man had a

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<v Speaker 1>desire to see Hell itself, it was then most lively

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<v Speaker 1>figured end quote. He had actually distinguished himself, particularly during

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<v Speaker 1>the fighting, although he was severely wounded in the leg

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<v Speaker 1>and had to walk with a stick for a long

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<v Speaker 1>time thereafter. It was in fact he who had made

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<v Speaker 1>many of the critical decisions that had ensured success, but

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<v Speaker 1>his rival, Essex, was determined to take all the credit himself.

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<v Speaker 1>Raleigh's praises remained unsung. Predictably, the reconciliation between the two

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<v Speaker 1>didn't long survive cad Is. When Elizabeth received the first

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<v Speaker 1>reports of victory, she wrote to Essex, quote, you have

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<v Speaker 1>made me famous, dreadful, and renowned, not more for your

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<v Speaker 1>victory than for your courage. Let the army know I

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<v Speaker 1>care not so much for being queen as that I

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<v Speaker 1>am the sovereign of such subjects. Now Full of success,

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<v Speaker 1>Essex botched the ransoming of a Spanish merchant fleet. Trapped

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<v Speaker 1>in the harbor, its owners decided to burn their ships

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<v Speaker 1>rather than lose the twenty million ducats on board of

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<v Speaker 1>the English. Undaunted, Essex decided that rather than to go

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<v Speaker 1>on and attack Lisbon, where the bulk of Phillips or Modelae,

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<v Speaker 1>his forces should try to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet

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<v Speaker 1>as it left ports bound for the Indies. But his

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<v Speaker 1>colleagues overreled him thereby depriving the English of the chance

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<v Speaker 1>to sive thousands of pounds worth of booty. To make

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<v Speaker 1>matters worse, Essex gave most of the loot from Catas

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<v Speaker 1>to his men, rather than reserving it for the Queen.

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<v Speaker 1>That being said, Essex had finally achieved his ambition and

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<v Speaker 1>proved himself a hero. And when he returned to England

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<v Speaker 1>he looked like a second Drake or even Scipio. For Connus,

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<v Speaker 1>one wrote, quote, he took a charter of the people's hearts,

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<v Speaker 1>which was never canceled end quote. Preachers raised him as

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<v Speaker 1>the champion of Protestantism and spoke of his honor, justice

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<v Speaker 1>and wisdom. There was no doubt he was the most

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<v Speaker 1>popular and important man in the kingdom. Next week we

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<v Speaker 1>shall see how Essex flies too close to the sun,

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<v Speaker 1>And then that same sun sets on Elizabeth in England,

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<v Speaker 1>ending what is relatively short but pivotal reign of the

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<v Speaker 1>Tudor dynasty. On