Elizabeth I: The Life of Gloriana – Instant Access Replay

With a first class experts including Dr Elizabeth Norton, Dr Elizabeth Goldring, Dr Linda Porter, Dr Tracy Borman, Dr Estelle Paranque, Dr Owen Emmerson, Christine Hartweg and, of course, Claire Ridgway, this event focuses on the life of Queen Elizabeth I.

Place: Online, here. Instant access from the comfort of your own home.
Dates: Right now! Lifetime access.
Price: $50 (approximately £39.50, AUD 74.80, €46.60)

Everybody has heard of Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess, the Virgin Queen, but not many know or understand the obstacles and challenges she faced, both before she became queen and then ruling a country in a male-dominated world.

Henry VIII famously changed the course of English history with his determination to marry Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, and then caused shockwaves around Europe when he had her beheaded just 3 years after their marriage. Elizabeth was just two years old when she lost her mother, was made illegitimate and removed from the line of succession.

Elizabeth had to overcome the stigma associated with her background, cope with being sexually harassed then losing her beloved stepmother, convince her half-brother the king that she hadn't been plotting with his uncle, and then suffer imprisonment in the Tower during her half-sister's reign after being accused of involvement in rebellion. All that in her first 21 years!

Elizabeth became queen on 17th November 1558, but her 44-year reign was never going to be easy - being a female ruler, the pressure to marry, religious divisions, plots against her, handling factions at court, dynastic challenges, threat of invasion and war, excommunication... The list goes on - yet her reign is known for its Golden Age and she has gone down in history as one of England's greatest monarchs.

Explore Gloriana's life and reign in TEN UNIQUE expert talks, plus bonus talk and interview:

  • Elizabeth's early life and Thomas Seymour - Elizabeth Norton. Historian Elizabeth Norton, author of “The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor”, which is a detailed study of this period of Elizabeth’s life, explores what we know about Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth in 1547 and 1548. What do we know about Elizabeth's relationship with Thomas Seymour? Did he sexually abuse her? Did he want to marry her?
  • Elizabeth I's Early Life - Claire Ridgway. Claire introduces Elizabeth I by exploring her background, her early life as first the heir to the throne and then bastard, her relationships with her four stepmothers and her father, and the people who surrounded her in her early years.
  • Elizabeth in danger - Claire Ridgway. Claire explores the events of early 1554 which led to Elizabeth being arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Why was Elizabeth implicated? What happened to her in the Tower? Why was she released? What was house arrest like for her? What happened next?
  • Elizabeth's women - Tracy Borman. Based on her best selling book, "Elizabeth's Women", Tracy Borman explores the fascinating relationships that Elizabeth I had with the women who influenced her most. From her scandalous mother, Anne Boleyn, to her greatest rival, Mary Queen of Scots, and the ‘flouting wenches’ who served her at court, they show Elizabeth in a surprising new light.
  • Elizabeth and the Boleyn Family - Owen Emmerson - It is often said that Elizabeth I was happy to draw comparisons between herself and her father, calling herself "the lion's cub", and that she chose to distance herself from her mother, Anne Boleyn, but is that true? In his talk, Dr Owen Emmerson explores Elizabeth I's Boleyn connections and how she made reference to her Boleyn roots.
  • Elizabeth and Robert Dudley - Elizabeth Goldring. Did Robert Dudley have his wife killed so that he could marry Elizabeth I? Was the Virgin Queen really a virgin? Elizabeth Goldring separates fact from fiction, answering these and other questions as she tells the thrilling story of one of history's greatest romances.
  • Elizabeth's relationship with the French - Estelle Paranque. During the course of her reign, Elizabeth had to deal with five different French kings and a powerful queen mother who saw herself as Elizabeth’s equal. From defiance to distrust to conspiracy to marriage propositions to unexpected friendships, Elizabeth developed her personal relationship with each monarch and their resident ambassadors. She showed preferences but in the end she always dealt with them with caution and respect and was more than a mere counterpart. She often became an advisor and a mediator.
  • Elizabeth and her relationship with Mary, Queen of Scots - Linda Porter. The rivalry between cousins Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots is one of the most famous in British history, the stuff of endless biographies, romantic novels, Hollywood films and frequent exhibitions. Yet there are different views among historians about the significance of this fraught relationship. In this talk, Dr Linda Porter examines the upbringing of these two women, their experience as ruling queens, their attitudes to marriage and the importance of Mary’s fateful decision to seek Elizabeth’s help in regaining her Scottish throne. Linda also considers who was the real victor of this deadly rivalry between two queens who never actually met.
  • Elizabeth and the men she trusted - Claire Ridgway. As a female ruler in a male-dominated world, Elizabeth was surrounded by men who wanted to advise her and even control her. Who could she trust and who did she trust? In this talk, Claire explores some of the men Elizabeth trusted and kept close to her.
  • The reign of Gloriana - Claire Ridgway. Elizabeth I's reign has gone down in history as a Golden Age, but what made it so? Claire explores the many achievements of Elizabeth and her government before looking at the uglier side of the Elizabethan period, including the persecution of Catholics.
  • BONUSElizabeth I Myths - Claire Ridgway. Elizabeth I is surrounded by many myths and in this talk, Claire examines a few of them, including the Bisley Boy Legend, the idea that Elizabeth had illegitimate children, and the theory that she had "testicular feminization".
  • PLUS The scandalous death of Amy Robsart - Christine Hartweg. Claire interviews Christine Hartweg, author of the excellent "Amy Robsart: A Life and Its End" about the death of Robert Dudley's wife, Amy (née Robsart) in September 1560. Her death caused a scandal with rumours that she'd been murdered, and it still causes controversy today. Learn more about Amy and Dudley from Christine and Claire.
    • Register now for Elizabeth I: The Life of Gloriana

      Full price $50.00 (approximately £39.50, AUD 74.80, €46.60)
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      Dorothy
          

      I'm so delighted to be part of this event! What a superb series Claire has created!