1 00:00:02,970 --> 00:00:05,660 - Under tudor rule, England was taken 2 00:00:05,660 --> 00:00:09,150 from a medieval kingdom plagued by civil war 3 00:00:09,150 --> 00:00:12,320 and developed into one of the most powerful nations 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,500 in the renaissance world. 5 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:16,920 But from phantom pregnancies to the use 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,410 of bizarre methods of contraception, 7 00:00:19,410 --> 00:00:22,730 it was often the most intimate and tragic moments 8 00:00:22,730 --> 00:00:25,630 of these monarchs' lives that dictated 9 00:00:25,630 --> 00:00:27,800 the fate of the country. 10 00:00:30,510 --> 00:00:34,210 In this episode, we look at the life of queen Elizabeth I. 11 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:39,090 She was an attractive, charismatic and vivacious young girl 12 00:00:39,090 --> 00:00:42,910 who took the throne at the age of just 25, 13 00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:46,330 but her early years were lived in fear of assassination 14 00:00:46,330 --> 00:00:49,700 by the supporters of Mary queen of scots. 15 00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:53,090 Although she fashioned herself as the virgin queen, 16 00:00:53,090 --> 00:00:56,520 she had a series of passionate liaisons. 17 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,340 Obsessed with her personal appearance, 18 00:00:59,340 --> 00:01:02,030 she was also overly fond of sugar, 19 00:01:02,030 --> 00:01:04,810 which left her teeth black and rotten. 20 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,340 As she grew older, there were ever more desperate attempts 21 00:01:09,340 --> 00:01:13,830 to stay attractive and to cover her pockmarked face, 22 00:01:13,830 --> 00:01:17,820 caking on thick layers of white lead and vinegar 23 00:01:17,820 --> 00:01:20,280 to preserve the mask of youth. 24 00:01:21,310 --> 00:01:25,000 Welcome to "the private lives of the tudors." 25 00:01:44,770 --> 00:01:47,340 Princess Elizabeth was only third in line 26 00:01:47,340 --> 00:01:49,060 to the throne of England, 27 00:01:49,060 --> 00:01:52,860 so when her father, Henry viii, died aged 55 28 00:01:52,860 --> 00:01:54,700 at his palace in whitehall, 29 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:57,600 the crown passed to her brother, Edward. 30 00:01:59,150 --> 00:02:01,800 But not wanting to declare Henry dead, 31 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,570 his accession had to be kept a secret. 32 00:02:05,980 --> 00:02:07,830 They didn't want to risk people knowing 33 00:02:07,830 --> 00:02:10,120 that the country was without a king, 34 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,990 so they even had meals delivered to Henry's room 35 00:02:12,990 --> 00:02:15,870 to make it look like he was still alive. 36 00:02:15,870 --> 00:02:20,800 But three days later, on the 31st of January, 1547, 37 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,010 they announced the death of Henry 38 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:27,920 and proclaimed his son king Edward vi of England. 39 00:02:31,740 --> 00:02:35,900 Aged just nine and under the charge of the privy council, 40 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:38,410 Edward was put into a rigid routine 41 00:02:38,410 --> 00:02:42,660 of ceremony and official business, a stark contrast 42 00:02:42,660 --> 00:02:45,990 to the glittering world of his father's court. 43 00:02:47,940 --> 00:02:50,210 - The boy that arrives is a stranger. 44 00:02:50,210 --> 00:02:52,200 We know little about him. 45 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,830 We see the king really only from a distance 46 00:02:55,829 --> 00:02:58,819 and darkly, as it were, through a glass. 47 00:03:00,050 --> 00:03:02,070 He has a very strong personality. 48 00:03:02,070 --> 00:03:06,660 He's bright, like all of these children. 49 00:03:06,660 --> 00:03:08,870 He's self-confident about himself. 50 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,470 But there's also this very cool, detached, 51 00:03:14,470 --> 00:03:19,050 very willful personality, almost cold and peremptory. 52 00:03:22,290 --> 00:03:24,490 - Evidence of this still survives 53 00:03:24,490 --> 00:03:26,800 in the king's personal writings. 54 00:03:28,670 --> 00:03:31,460 This is now my office at Hampton court palace, 55 00:03:31,460 --> 00:03:34,190 but it was originally built for Edward vi. 56 00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:36,790 And it may have been here 57 00:03:36,790 --> 00:03:40,560 that the young prince started his journal, aged about 11. 58 00:03:41,750 --> 00:03:44,980 Edward was the only one of the tudors to keep a diary, 59 00:03:44,980 --> 00:03:47,430 but, sadly, it's rather lacking 60 00:03:47,430 --> 00:03:51,310 in titillating gossip and scandal, as you might expect 61 00:03:51,310 --> 00:03:54,500 for something written by someone so young. 62 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:57,290 But it's also lacking in emotion. 63 00:03:57,290 --> 00:03:59,140 There's an entry from the day 64 00:03:59,140 --> 00:04:02,660 that Edward's favorite uncle was executed, 65 00:04:02,660 --> 00:04:07,340 and he simply records, "on this day, the Duke of somerset 66 00:04:07,337 --> 00:04:10,497 "had his head cut off on tower hill." 67 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,200 The journal ends abruptly in 1553, 68 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,110 when Edward falls very seriously ill. 69 00:04:21,459 --> 00:04:24,189 Edward is stricken with a mystery illness, 70 00:04:24,190 --> 00:04:27,260 possibly some kind of chest infection brought on 71 00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:29,320 by a recent bout of measles. 72 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:31,960 He is reported to be suffering 73 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,190 from shortness of breath and a dangerous fever. 74 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,590 - His reign is one of remarkably good health. 75 00:04:41,590 --> 00:04:44,420 He only has a bout of measles in 1552. 76 00:04:44,420 --> 00:04:46,970 That may be the start of things going wrong. 77 00:04:47,860 --> 00:04:49,760 - It can be a much more serious disease 78 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,130 than we often give it credit for being. 79 00:04:52,129 --> 00:04:53,639 It might have been tuberculosis. 80 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,070 It might have been fighting sickness. 81 00:04:56,070 --> 00:04:59,260 But he was only weakened at the end of his life. 82 00:04:59,260 --> 00:05:01,080 He wasn't weak from day one. 83 00:05:03,070 --> 00:05:05,720 - It was his father's greatest fear. 84 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,210 Henry had obsessed about protecting Edward 85 00:05:08,210 --> 00:05:10,950 from any illness during his lifetime, 86 00:05:10,950 --> 00:05:14,690 but after only six years, five months and seven days 87 00:05:14,690 --> 00:05:19,690 on the throne, Edward was dead at the tender age of 15. 88 00:05:24,590 --> 00:05:28,940 The crown would now pass to his half-sister Mary. 89 00:05:30,370 --> 00:05:33,070 She had a rocky start to her reign. 90 00:05:33,070 --> 00:05:35,340 Edward had been a staunch protestant 91 00:05:35,340 --> 00:05:38,650 and didn't want a catholic to inherit his crown. 92 00:05:38,650 --> 00:05:41,750 A plot to usurp Mary and place the protestant 93 00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:44,360 lady Jane grey on the throne of England 94 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,050 very nearly succeeded. 95 00:05:46,940 --> 00:05:49,740 But Mary was made of stronger stuff, 96 00:05:49,740 --> 00:05:51,820 and the attempt was short-lived. 97 00:05:54,450 --> 00:05:58,520 Mary's first priority as queen is to find a husband, 98 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,020 and the man she chooses is Philip of Spain. 99 00:06:05,899 --> 00:06:08,209 - The only reason she's having to think about a marriage 100 00:06:08,210 --> 00:06:10,870 is because she's been given the responsibility 101 00:06:10,870 --> 00:06:14,440 of being a queen; She now needs to ensure the succession. 102 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,810 It's the first duty of a monarch. 103 00:06:20,378 --> 00:06:23,608 - There are many stories about Mary tudor, 104 00:06:23,611 --> 00:06:26,371 and one of those stories is that she fell in love 105 00:06:26,370 --> 00:06:29,000 with a portrait of Philip ii, 106 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,540 or Philip of Spain as he then was. 107 00:06:31,540 --> 00:06:35,030 - Your majesty, it is my pleasure and honor 108 00:06:35,030 --> 00:06:36,790 to present to you this image 109 00:06:36,790 --> 00:06:41,790 of his most catholic majesty, king Philip ii of Spain! 110 00:06:44,100 --> 00:06:46,100 - She falls instantly in love with him 111 00:06:46,100 --> 00:06:48,670 after seeing only his portrait. 112 00:06:48,670 --> 00:06:52,630 She's besotted, but she's also naive, 113 00:06:52,630 --> 00:06:56,450 not blessed with good looks, and, age 37, 114 00:06:56,450 --> 00:06:58,600 is some 11 years his senior. 115 00:07:00,750 --> 00:07:03,910 - I trust this is a fair likeness. 116 00:07:03,910 --> 00:07:05,900 - The artist, senor titian, has captured 117 00:07:05,900 --> 00:07:08,320 his majesty most perfectly. 118 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,420 - He pleases us well. 119 00:07:12,470 --> 00:07:14,500 - The reality was that the marriage 120 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:18,290 between Mary and Philip was a political marriage, 121 00:07:18,290 --> 00:07:20,970 as indeed all royal marriages were. 122 00:07:20,970 --> 00:07:24,790 She asked Charles v, Philip's father, 123 00:07:24,790 --> 00:07:27,710 who had been her protector for many years, 124 00:07:27,710 --> 00:07:29,870 who he wanted her to marry, 125 00:07:29,870 --> 00:07:33,500 and it was his son Philip that he urged upon her. 126 00:07:37,060 --> 00:07:41,950 Mary tried to present herself as a romantic wife 127 00:07:41,950 --> 00:07:43,160 and may have gone through 128 00:07:43,159 --> 00:07:46,649 certain expressions of romantic love. 129 00:07:46,650 --> 00:07:48,500 But the reality for her 130 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:50,350 was that it was a political marriage. 131 00:07:53,530 --> 00:07:55,580 For Philip, it was even more a political marriage. 132 00:07:55,580 --> 00:07:57,920 He didn't want to marry Mary at all. 133 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,580 He was persuaded, if not coerced, 134 00:08:00,580 --> 00:08:04,300 by his father to accept Mary as his bride. 135 00:08:04,300 --> 00:08:06,740 - Your majesty, welcome. 136 00:08:07,940 --> 00:08:09,270 - Upon arriving in England 137 00:08:09,270 --> 00:08:11,560 and meeting Mary for the first time, 138 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:13,960 Philip finds her repugnant. 139 00:08:15,900 --> 00:08:20,210 He confides to a close attendant that Mary is no good 140 00:08:20,210 --> 00:08:24,190 from the point of view of fleshly sensuality. 141 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,620 But Philip does his duty and he marries the English queen. 142 00:08:37,700 --> 00:08:41,460 - The marriage, when it happens in July 1554, 143 00:08:41,460 --> 00:08:43,720 goes quite well, really. 144 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,740 Philip, he knows he's buying a woman who's past her best. 145 00:08:49,580 --> 00:08:52,560 - Philip had been married before and he had fathered a son. 146 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:53,470 This gave Mary hope 147 00:08:53,470 --> 00:08:56,080 that she could conceive a son for herself. 148 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,150 There was also a large age gap between them. 149 00:08:58,150 --> 00:09:00,750 Philip was them 27 and Mary's 38, 150 00:09:00,750 --> 00:09:02,870 so time was running out for him. 151 00:09:02,870 --> 00:09:04,950 She was very keen to get the marriage started 152 00:09:04,950 --> 00:09:06,300 and to share Phillip's bed. 153 00:09:09,260 --> 00:09:11,590 - Within days of her wedding to Philip, 154 00:09:11,590 --> 00:09:14,270 Mary believes she is pregnant. 155 00:09:14,270 --> 00:09:17,450 As the weeks progress, she shows all the signs, 156 00:09:17,450 --> 00:09:21,180 including morning sickness and a swollen belly. 157 00:09:21,180 --> 00:09:23,060 When the ninth month approaches, 158 00:09:23,060 --> 00:09:26,650 she enters her confinement at Hampton court. 159 00:09:26,650 --> 00:09:29,990 Everything has been prepared for the royal birth. 160 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:34,420 - Mary believed she was pregnant 161 00:09:34,423 --> 00:09:36,933 because she had the symptoms of pregnancy. 162 00:09:36,927 --> 00:09:41,567 Her stomach swelled; It's even said that she was lactating. 163 00:09:41,570 --> 00:09:45,500 She felt nauseous, and even her doctors were convinced 164 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:46,660 that she was pregnant. 165 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:49,990 The whole realm thought that Mary was pregnant. 166 00:09:56,288 --> 00:09:58,178 - When Mary entered her confinement, 167 00:09:58,180 --> 00:10:01,260 her midwives and other attendants would have given her 168 00:10:01,260 --> 00:10:04,840 a special tonic known as caudle. 169 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,650 This comprised ale mixed with various other ingredients 170 00:10:08,650 --> 00:10:13,620 such as sugar, honey, saffron and ginger. 171 00:10:13,620 --> 00:10:16,580 It was believed that this caudle would strengthen 172 00:10:16,580 --> 00:10:20,720 the expectant mother for the labor that lay ahead, 173 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,900 but the reality in Mary's case was that she didn't need it. 174 00:10:30,133 --> 00:10:32,453 - At this stage, there is no way of knowing 175 00:10:32,450 --> 00:10:34,050 you're pregnant for sure. 176 00:10:34,050 --> 00:10:37,200 These sort of pregnancy tests that we have today, 177 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:38,690 way in the future. 178 00:10:38,690 --> 00:10:41,190 Very difficult to know if you're definitely pregnant. 179 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:44,020 Very easy to mistake pregnancy 180 00:10:44,020 --> 00:10:46,570 for a whole host of other things. 181 00:10:49,060 --> 00:10:51,880 In November, she thinks that she can feel 182 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,130 the baby quicken inside her. 183 00:10:54,130 --> 00:10:56,500 She takes to her chamber in may. 184 00:10:56,500 --> 00:11:00,250 This is when you depart into your private apartment 185 00:11:00,250 --> 00:11:02,770 and seal yourself off, which was a normal thing 186 00:11:02,770 --> 00:11:04,370 for a wealthy tudor woman to do. 187 00:11:11,109 --> 00:11:13,249 - But the due date comes and goes, 188 00:11:13,250 --> 00:11:17,180 and many weeks later, there is still no sign of a baby. 189 00:11:17,180 --> 00:11:19,690 Mary's stomach decreases in size 190 00:11:19,690 --> 00:11:22,960 and it becomes obvious that it was a phantom pregnancy. 191 00:11:26,850 --> 00:11:29,240 - It has been said that Mary was not the only woman 192 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:33,250 in the 16th century who did have symptoms of pregnancy 193 00:11:33,250 --> 00:11:35,770 when they were not in fact pregnant. 194 00:11:37,220 --> 00:11:40,590 - Phantom pregnancy is actually a known medical condition. 195 00:11:40,590 --> 00:11:44,530 It's basically where a woman is so desperate to get pregnant 196 00:11:44,530 --> 00:11:46,720 that her body is actually deceived into thinking 197 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:47,970 that she is pregnant. 198 00:11:50,070 --> 00:11:52,900 Very sad, because of course Mary is made fun of 199 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:54,700 by lots of people after 200 00:11:54,700 --> 00:11:57,970 the pregnancy is discovered to be false. 201 00:11:57,970 --> 00:12:00,220 It must have been a terrible tragedy for her. 202 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:05,730 - Not only did she have to 203 00:12:05,730 --> 00:12:08,760 suffer the public ridicule, but she was also 204 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,360 seemingly abandoned by her husband. 205 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:14,700 - One of the things that happened as a result 206 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:16,930 of her failing to bear a child 207 00:12:16,930 --> 00:12:19,240 was that Philip then left England, 208 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:21,760 and for over a year she was without him, 209 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:23,550 begging him to return, knowing that 210 00:12:23,550 --> 00:12:25,400 she couldn't fall pregnant without him. 211 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,940 So on a personal level and a dynastic level, 212 00:12:27,940 --> 00:12:29,380 it was a terrible blow for Mary 213 00:12:29,380 --> 00:12:31,570 as queen and as a woman. 214 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,170 - But it wasn't the last time 215 00:12:36,170 --> 00:12:39,520 Mary would be mistaken in thinking she was pregnant. 216 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,640 Because two years later she began 217 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,320 to show signs of pregnancy again, 218 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,780 although many had their doubts. 219 00:12:49,290 --> 00:12:52,150 - The queen believes herself to be pregnant. 220 00:12:52,150 --> 00:12:54,730 She can only believe that for two reasons. 221 00:12:54,730 --> 00:12:56,820 One, that Philip is back in England. 222 00:12:56,820 --> 00:13:00,250 Secondly, that they must have had intercourse again. 223 00:13:00,250 --> 00:13:01,810 - She wrote to Philip, telling him 224 00:13:01,810 --> 00:13:03,600 that she was expecting a child. 225 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,130 His response was that he was delighted, 226 00:13:06,130 --> 00:13:08,640 but in reality he was quite skeptical, 227 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,530 as was Mary's court. 228 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,920 - This time hardly anybody believes her. 229 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,320 I think it was just the closest of her ladies around her 230 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,870 played along because they didn't want to upset her. 231 00:13:21,995 --> 00:13:23,905 - The gentlewomen of the privy chamber 232 00:13:23,910 --> 00:13:26,240 don't seem to treat her as if she's pregnant. 233 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,410 And by the middle of the year it's quite actually 234 00:13:28,410 --> 00:13:30,830 whatever the queen believed was happening, 235 00:13:30,830 --> 00:13:32,310 it hasn't happened. 236 00:13:34,010 --> 00:13:36,760 - Again, no arrangements were made for her lying-in. 237 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,640 By the time that her due date arrived, 238 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:41,420 there was a silence in court. 239 00:13:41,420 --> 00:13:43,210 She didn't go into confinement, 240 00:13:43,210 --> 00:13:44,880 and again the matter was dropped. 241 00:13:46,565 --> 00:13:48,065 - Your majesty,. 242 00:13:48,070 --> 00:13:49,960 - They were right to doubt her. 243 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:54,810 Mary wasn't pregnant, but she may have been gravely ill. 244 00:13:57,140 --> 00:14:02,140 By may 1558, Mary had become weak and dangerously sick. 245 00:14:05,730 --> 00:14:09,350 It seems possible that what she mistook for pregnancies 246 00:14:09,350 --> 00:14:12,710 were in fact something far more serious. 247 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,700 - There are a number of possibilities. 248 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:19,710 The sweat was raging through England, 249 00:14:19,710 --> 00:14:22,750 but it seems likely, given these two phantom pregnancies, 250 00:14:22,750 --> 00:14:24,980 that she was suffering from some condition, 251 00:14:24,980 --> 00:14:26,750 possibly some form of cancer 252 00:14:26,750 --> 00:14:28,740 that created these symptoms in her too. 253 00:14:31,260 --> 00:14:33,980 - Some doctors have argued 254 00:14:33,980 --> 00:14:36,440 that what Mary was experiencing 255 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,410 was a form of stomach bloating 256 00:14:39,410 --> 00:14:41,660 that was coming from some form of tumor, 257 00:14:41,660 --> 00:14:43,680 whether it was a ovarian tumor 258 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,070 or whether it was a stomach tumor. 259 00:14:46,070 --> 00:14:47,980 There might have been other illnesses, too, 260 00:14:47,980 --> 00:14:50,740 that created those kinds of symptoms. 261 00:14:53,220 --> 00:14:55,420 - Mary died later that year 262 00:14:55,420 --> 00:14:59,470 at St. James's palace in London, aged 42. 263 00:15:02,786 --> 00:15:05,826 Her husband, Philip, who was away in Brussels at the time, 264 00:15:05,830 --> 00:15:09,500 wrote of his regret at the passing of his wife. 265 00:15:11,380 --> 00:15:14,680 - The idea that Philip doesn't have any feelings for Mary 266 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,590 I think is probably false. 267 00:15:16,590 --> 00:15:18,200 It may not be a love match, 268 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,740 but he sees it as an important match, 269 00:15:21,740 --> 00:15:24,840 a family matter, if I can put it that way, 270 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,010 that touches him deeply and personally. 271 00:15:27,010 --> 00:15:29,190 And he obviously respects her enormously. 272 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,960 And that tells us something about Mary, I think, 273 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:37,130 because to be respected by somebody like that, 274 00:15:37,130 --> 00:15:40,900 a man brought up to be king of Spain, I think that implies 275 00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:43,010 that Mary herself must have had more 276 00:15:43,010 --> 00:15:45,180 than we often see from the distance, 277 00:15:45,180 --> 00:15:47,310 that we're allowed to get. 278 00:15:51,574 --> 00:15:54,234 - It had taken the death of both her younger brother 279 00:15:54,230 --> 00:15:57,220 and her older sister, but it was finally time 280 00:15:57,220 --> 00:16:00,000 for Elizabeth to take her turn on the throne. 281 00:16:02,860 --> 00:16:05,840 Age 25, Elizabeth was greeted 282 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,360 with open arms by her subjects. 283 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,310 As she paraded through the city 284 00:16:10,310 --> 00:16:12,170 on the Eve of her coronation, 285 00:16:12,170 --> 00:16:16,340 she was met by enthusiastic and adoring crowds. 286 00:16:17,780 --> 00:16:21,370 This was the start of England's golden age. 287 00:16:25,570 --> 00:16:29,420 She was attractive, charismatic and vivacious, 288 00:16:29,420 --> 00:16:31,610 and by the time she became queen, 289 00:16:31,610 --> 00:16:35,270 Elizabeth had already won the love of her people. 290 00:16:35,270 --> 00:16:37,000 But alongside the celebrations 291 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,030 that accompanied her accession, 292 00:16:39,030 --> 00:16:42,540 there was an underlying unease among her new subjects 293 00:16:42,540 --> 00:16:46,680 that they were once again being ruled by a woman. 294 00:16:51,590 --> 00:16:53,360 - Women were the possessions of their men, 295 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,820 their husbands or their fathers. 296 00:16:55,820 --> 00:16:57,150 They didn't own property. 297 00:16:57,150 --> 00:17:00,110 Everything they had, including themselves, bodily, 298 00:17:00,110 --> 00:17:02,050 was the possession of their husband. 299 00:17:03,700 --> 00:17:07,120 - People even debated in certain circles 300 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:08,939 whether women had souls. 301 00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:10,460 It was that kind of level. 302 00:17:12,109 --> 00:17:14,509 - But Elizabeth made it perfectly clear 303 00:17:14,510 --> 00:17:17,010 that she was no ordinary woman. 304 00:17:17,010 --> 00:17:19,800 She was a queen ordained by god, 305 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:21,450 and whether they liked it or not, 306 00:17:21,450 --> 00:17:22,970 she was going to rule them. 307 00:17:25,450 --> 00:17:28,330 - We think of women during the 16th century 308 00:17:28,329 --> 00:17:30,799 as being second-class citizens. 309 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,310 We have to remember that status always trumped gender. 310 00:17:35,310 --> 00:17:39,410 Women who came from a noble or a gentry background 311 00:17:39,410 --> 00:17:42,780 would be able to exercise authority and power 312 00:17:42,780 --> 00:17:45,650 over men who were of a lower social status. 313 00:17:47,490 --> 00:17:49,510 - It was a fairly unnatural concept 314 00:17:49,510 --> 00:17:51,930 for most englishmen and English women 315 00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:54,860 to be ruled by a woman who had the ultimate say, 316 00:17:54,860 --> 00:17:56,920 politically, dynastically, 317 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:58,530 over how the country was run. 318 00:18:00,270 --> 00:18:02,060 - Part of people's fear 319 00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:05,280 of having a woman on the throne was practical, 320 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,780 in that they didn't think that women could keep order. 321 00:18:08,780 --> 00:18:12,110 That's why Elizabeth's achievement was all the greater, 322 00:18:12,110 --> 00:18:16,940 because she did so much manage to keep herself on top. 323 00:18:19,610 --> 00:18:21,770 - Elizabeth understood PR 324 00:18:21,770 --> 00:18:24,410 and knew how to market herself to the public. 325 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,390 One of the way-she did this was through 326 00:18:27,390 --> 00:18:31,190 the beautiful and elaborate clothes she wore at court. 327 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,670 - Elizabeth was an iconic figure in terms of fashion. 328 00:18:35,670 --> 00:18:37,240 She set the style. 329 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:38,710 Women wanted to look like her. 330 00:18:38,710 --> 00:18:41,080 Men wanted to be in her favor. 331 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:45,350 - She was exceedingly clever 332 00:18:45,350 --> 00:18:47,160 at making the best of what she had. 333 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:48,830 She was never a wealthy monarch. 334 00:18:49,810 --> 00:18:53,770 All her clothes were recycled, time and time again. 335 00:18:53,770 --> 00:18:57,130 You think of all that beautiful embroidery that she wore. 336 00:18:57,130 --> 00:19:01,030 It could be taken off one dress and put onto another one. 337 00:19:01,030 --> 00:19:02,860 She was styled on a budget. 338 00:19:07,850 --> 00:19:10,810 - To better understand how Elizabeth would have dressed, 339 00:19:10,810 --> 00:19:14,060 I've come to meet collections curator eleri Lynn 340 00:19:14,060 --> 00:19:16,910 in the costume department at Hampton court palace. 341 00:19:18,450 --> 00:19:20,960 I want to get some first-hand experience 342 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:22,370 in what it would have been like 343 00:19:22,370 --> 00:19:24,820 to wear one of her exquisite dresses. 344 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,230 But to do that I need to get out of my 21st-century clothes 345 00:19:30,230 --> 00:19:32,130 and into some historic underwear. 346 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:38,870 So I'm all set in my tudor undies, and do your worst. 347 00:19:38,870 --> 00:19:43,440 - Now this very unassuming layer is very, very important. 348 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:44,940 So you're in your linen smock. 349 00:19:44,940 --> 00:19:46,920 It absorbs the sweat of the body, 350 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:48,750 keeping the outer garments clean. 351 00:19:48,750 --> 00:19:51,820 Most people would have changed their linens weekly, 352 00:19:51,820 --> 00:19:53,450 but as a member of the royal family, 353 00:19:53,450 --> 00:19:55,630 you're changing it many more times than that, 354 00:19:55,630 --> 00:19:57,780 possibly several times a day. 355 00:19:57,780 --> 00:19:59,410 - It's quite a cumbersome procedure, isn't it? 356 00:19:59,410 --> 00:20:01,650 But I have to say it feels nice. 357 00:20:01,650 --> 00:20:03,790 I suspect the other layers aren't gonna feel 358 00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:05,810 quite as comfortable, but shall we get started? 359 00:20:05,810 --> 00:20:08,570 - Absolutely, so the next layer is your bodice. 360 00:20:11,210 --> 00:20:14,130 - The elizabethan bodice was a type of corset 361 00:20:14,130 --> 00:20:15,990 worn by the women of the age. 362 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:18,530 - What the tudors didn't do 363 00:20:18,530 --> 00:20:20,870 was to get into their bodices straight away 364 00:20:20,870 --> 00:20:22,580 and just lace it up and that was that. 365 00:20:22,580 --> 00:20:24,120 They would do it in increments, 366 00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:26,760 because the whalebone in these bodies 367 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:28,720 would have warmed with your body heat. 368 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:29,950 - So it actually changes shape to your body? 369 00:20:29,950 --> 00:20:32,070 - Yes, and becomes a bit more comfortable 370 00:20:32,070 --> 00:20:33,890 and a bit more pliable. 371 00:20:33,890 --> 00:20:36,570 - You say whalebone; They're not real whalebone, surely. 372 00:20:36,570 --> 00:20:37,840 They don't go out hunting whales 373 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:39,710 just in the name of fashion. 374 00:20:39,710 --> 00:20:42,130 - In the 16th century, they have great voyages 375 00:20:42,130 --> 00:20:43,970 of discovery, crossing the Atlantic 376 00:20:43,970 --> 00:20:46,000 and finding these huge whale fisheries. 377 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,250 And they're bringing back all this whalebone. 378 00:20:49,540 --> 00:20:51,920 - Whalebone, during the elizabethan period, 379 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:55,140 was a highly prized commodity, so much so 380 00:20:55,140 --> 00:20:57,910 that it was considered a royal fish, 381 00:20:57,910 --> 00:20:59,370 meaning that to this day 382 00:20:59,370 --> 00:21:03,200 any whale found in English waters belongs to the monarch. 383 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,020 - Elizabeth is dressing, not only for fashion, 384 00:21:08,020 --> 00:21:09,960 but to project her might 385 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,820 and the power of her expanding empire. 386 00:21:12,820 --> 00:21:15,390 And so she wants to show all of these wonders, 387 00:21:15,390 --> 00:21:18,250 and what better way than to use whalebone 388 00:21:18,250 --> 00:21:20,860 in as many different ways as possible? 389 00:21:22,020 --> 00:21:24,230 - Next to go on is the bum roll, 390 00:21:24,230 --> 00:21:27,240 a kind of padded cushion often filled with feathers 391 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,600 and tied around the waist so it hung at the back. 392 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,320 This would act as a support for the hoop skirt, 393 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,220 known as a farthingale, which would have been stiffened 394 00:21:36,220 --> 00:21:39,720 with either bone or cane to add the rigid shape 395 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:42,620 we often associate with elizabethan women. 396 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,120 Now I've got the farthingale and the bum roll. 397 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:49,190 I'm beginning to get a feeling 398 00:21:49,190 --> 00:21:51,430 of what it must have been like to be a larger lady. 399 00:21:51,430 --> 00:21:53,300 And just the way I'm holding myself, 400 00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:55,250 I have to put my hands in front. 401 00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:56,610 You can't stand with them by your side 402 00:21:56,610 --> 00:21:59,600 because it's uncomfortable and probably looks a bit stupid. 403 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,090 - You can suddenly understand why the tudors 404 00:22:02,090 --> 00:22:03,790 are in the postures that they are. 405 00:22:05,070 --> 00:22:07,270 Tudor portraiture always shows the ladies 406 00:22:07,270 --> 00:22:10,230 with their hands sort of crossed or holding something. 407 00:22:12,380 --> 00:22:14,520 - The next layer is the petticoat, 408 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,270 followed by the elaborately decorated outer garment. 409 00:22:18,270 --> 00:22:21,470 This was the most opulent and expensive layer, 410 00:22:21,470 --> 00:22:24,440 often made from hugely valuable fabrics 411 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:28,160 such as silk and cotton imported from the Middle East 412 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,250 or fine velvets from Italy. 413 00:22:31,110 --> 00:22:33,780 And possibly the most recognizable item 414 00:22:33,780 --> 00:22:36,410 of elizabethan clothing, the ruff, 415 00:22:36,410 --> 00:22:39,860 made from the finest linen from Holland. 416 00:22:44,074 --> 00:22:47,764 Okay, so I've got my dress, I've got my ruff. 417 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:48,810 Where's the bling? 418 00:22:48,810 --> 00:22:50,000 I need some jewelry. 419 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,170 Elizabeth loved her diamonds and pearls and rubies. 420 00:22:53,170 --> 00:22:55,660 Can we have a little bit of that, perhaps? 421 00:22:57,090 --> 00:23:00,040 Elizabeth was particularly keen on her pearls 422 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,930 and is seen wearing them in many of her portraits. 423 00:23:02,930 --> 00:23:05,690 This was because they were considered to be pure 424 00:23:05,690 --> 00:23:09,850 and were used in tudor symbolism to represent virginity. 425 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,650 - She had a huge collection of jewels, 426 00:23:13,650 --> 00:23:15,830 many of them she'd inherited off her father 427 00:23:15,830 --> 00:23:17,690 from his many wives. 428 00:23:17,690 --> 00:23:20,590 One ring that we know is missing from your fingers now 429 00:23:20,590 --> 00:23:25,520 is a locket ring that she was found wearing when she died. 430 00:23:27,075 --> 00:23:28,865 It was a jeweled ring like any other, 431 00:23:28,870 --> 00:23:33,120 but it opened, and inside was a silhouette of herself 432 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,720 but also a lady in much earlier tudor dress 433 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,790 looking very, very much like the portraits 434 00:23:38,790 --> 00:23:40,190 that we know of Anne boleyn. 435 00:23:42,060 --> 00:23:44,010 - So before we quite finish, 436 00:23:44,010 --> 00:23:46,940 there is the piece de resistance, the crowning glory 437 00:23:46,940 --> 00:23:47,940 of course, the wig. 438 00:23:50,390 --> 00:23:52,320 Thanks to my able dressers here, 439 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:56,710 I have all of my outfit complete: My wig, my jewels, 440 00:23:56,710 --> 00:23:59,980 my beautiful gown and what lies underneath. 441 00:23:59,980 --> 00:24:02,420 I'm ready to Sally forth into court, am I not? 442 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:09,950 - She knew how to make an entrance. 443 00:24:09,950 --> 00:24:12,950 She knew how to capture her image in terms of portraits. 444 00:24:12,950 --> 00:24:15,420 And that was really the prevailing ideal 445 00:24:15,420 --> 00:24:17,030 of beauty of the time. 446 00:24:18,740 --> 00:24:21,580 - One big advantage that Elizabeth had 447 00:24:21,580 --> 00:24:23,920 was the fact that she had inherited 448 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,720 her mother Anne boleyn's sense of style. 449 00:24:27,850 --> 00:24:29,670 She did start off reasonably good looking. 450 00:24:29,670 --> 00:24:31,070 She had, oh that twist 451 00:24:31,070 --> 00:24:33,500 of being able to just look particularly good, 452 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:36,340 and also had incredible charisma. 453 00:24:36,340 --> 00:24:41,280 So Elizabeth was able to stand out amongst her ladies. 454 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,220 - Clothing was important to Elizabeth. 455 00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:45,450 It wasn't just an aesthetic question, 456 00:24:45,450 --> 00:24:47,040 it was about the status. 457 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:48,930 The more bling, the better. 458 00:24:48,930 --> 00:24:51,900 So if she could incorporate jewels, pearls, 459 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:53,930 different rich fabrics into her costume, 460 00:24:53,930 --> 00:24:56,260 the more status she projected. 461 00:24:56,260 --> 00:24:58,650 It was a very important status symbol, 462 00:24:58,650 --> 00:25:01,320 a very important sign of her power as queen. 463 00:25:04,780 --> 00:25:07,160 - In public Elizabeth carried herself 464 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,360 with an air of self assurance. 465 00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:12,640 She was confident and acted upon matters of state 466 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,270 with decisive action, defying the expectations 467 00:25:16,270 --> 00:25:17,850 of many of her critics. 468 00:25:19,570 --> 00:25:21,720 But for the most cynical members of her court, 469 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,000 there could be only one reason 470 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,110 for her display of strong leadership. 471 00:25:28,900 --> 00:25:32,770 - There were many rumors about Elizabeth's sexuality, 472 00:25:32,770 --> 00:25:35,290 about her gender, because she exhibited 473 00:25:35,290 --> 00:25:38,970 various masculine qualities such as strength, 474 00:25:38,970 --> 00:25:41,820 the ability to make a decision, authority. 475 00:25:41,820 --> 00:25:44,130 And the belief was that a woman couldn't actually 476 00:25:44,130 --> 00:25:46,370 display these, so the logical outcome 477 00:25:46,370 --> 00:25:49,290 was that surely Elizabeth must be a man in disguise. 478 00:25:51,940 --> 00:25:54,690 - Elizabeth was well aware of these attitudes 479 00:25:54,690 --> 00:25:57,400 and played the game very cleverly. 480 00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,830 She pretended to regret her sex, 481 00:25:59,830 --> 00:26:04,260 famously lamenting that she was a weak and feeble woman. 482 00:26:04,260 --> 00:26:08,180 But her reign would prove that this was just play-acting. 483 00:26:08,180 --> 00:26:10,830 Far from being constrained by her sex, 484 00:26:10,830 --> 00:26:13,110 she used it as a weapon. 485 00:26:18,260 --> 00:26:21,020 - Elizabeth used her sexuality at court for certain, 486 00:26:21,020 --> 00:26:23,610 because it was a function of her gender. 487 00:26:23,610 --> 00:26:26,860 As a woman, she interacted with her male courtiers 488 00:26:26,860 --> 00:26:29,800 in a different way than a king would have done. 489 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:31,310 She played up to them like lovers. 490 00:26:31,310 --> 00:26:34,000 She had favorites, gave them nicknames. 491 00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:38,560 This represented a very different style of queenship. 492 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:40,490 She vas inventing something new. 493 00:26:40,490 --> 00:26:43,910 She was establishing a court where she was the queen bee. 494 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,550 - She expected men to write poetry to her 495 00:26:48,550 --> 00:26:51,100 and pay her fulsome compliments, 496 00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:54,490 treat her almost like a mistress. 497 00:26:54,490 --> 00:26:56,640 And I think she enjoyed every minute of it. 498 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,320 - Elizabeth could be flirtatious or she could be teasing, 499 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,470 but for the most part she used something else, I think, 500 00:27:07,470 --> 00:27:10,820 as a political weapon, and that was courtly love. 501 00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:14,960 She was an object of devotion. 502 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,010 She would have knights who would do her service 503 00:27:18,010 --> 00:27:20,380 and would be utterly devoted to her, 504 00:27:20,380 --> 00:27:22,570 but they did not have any expectation 505 00:27:22,570 --> 00:27:24,450 of a sexual relationship with her. 506 00:27:24,450 --> 00:27:26,570 And Elizabeth played on that a great deal, 507 00:27:26,570 --> 00:27:28,460 as did her courtiers. 508 00:27:30,370 --> 00:27:32,700 - Like all monarchs, Elizabeth was expected 509 00:27:32,700 --> 00:27:36,210 to marry and produce an heir, but she made it clear 510 00:27:36,210 --> 00:27:38,050 from the outset of her reign 511 00:27:38,050 --> 00:27:41,330 that she had no intention of taking a husband. 512 00:27:42,900 --> 00:27:46,390 It has been assumed that this was pure statecraft. 513 00:27:46,390 --> 00:27:49,060 She did not wish to be ruled by a man. 514 00:27:49,060 --> 00:27:52,650 But the real reason behind Elizabeth's refusal to marry 515 00:27:52,650 --> 00:27:57,420 lay in her private fears sparked by her childhood traumas. 516 00:27:57,420 --> 00:28:00,170 She had just been shy of three years old 517 00:28:00,170 --> 00:28:03,010 when her mother Anne had been executed 518 00:28:03,010 --> 00:28:05,070 at the orders of her father. 519 00:28:05,070 --> 00:28:08,690 Five years later, her stepmother, Catherine Howard, 520 00:28:08,690 --> 00:28:11,260 had followed Anne to the block. 521 00:28:11,260 --> 00:28:14,880 Horrified, the eight-year-old Elizabeth had confided 522 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,360 to her companion Robert Dudley 523 00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:20,720 that she herself would never marry. 524 00:28:24,430 --> 00:28:27,170 - Her big problem was that she couldn't marry 525 00:28:27,170 --> 00:28:29,050 without compromising her authority. 526 00:28:29,050 --> 00:28:31,550 Because at that time a man was always thought 527 00:28:31,550 --> 00:28:33,890 to have authority over his wife, 528 00:28:33,890 --> 00:28:36,340 and Elizabeth was certainly not going to do that. 529 00:28:37,310 --> 00:28:38,650 - Elizabeth was faced by the question 530 00:28:38,653 --> 00:28:41,943 of whether she would marry, because women were not perceived 531 00:28:41,940 --> 00:28:44,900 to be able to govern themselves independently. 532 00:28:46,050 --> 00:28:47,730 - When you married as a woman, 533 00:28:47,730 --> 00:28:50,280 you literally became your husband's chattel. 534 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,210 Anything that you possessed before you were married 535 00:28:53,210 --> 00:28:54,600 became your husband's. 536 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,890 So you could bring a fortune to that marriage, 537 00:28:57,890 --> 00:29:00,260 and your husband could spend that entire fortune 538 00:29:00,260 --> 00:29:02,180 on his mistress, and there was nothing 539 00:29:02,180 --> 00:29:03,550 that you could do about it. 540 00:29:06,100 --> 00:29:08,450 - But there was also another reason; 541 00:29:08,450 --> 00:29:11,090 she was afraid of giving birth. 542 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:15,320 - Elizabeth had seen the dangers 543 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,320 of pregnancy and childbirth firsthand. 544 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:19,590 She had experienced the death 545 00:29:19,590 --> 00:29:23,260 of her stepmother Catherine parr during her teens, 546 00:29:23,260 --> 00:29:24,710 and she knew that that was something 547 00:29:24,710 --> 00:29:27,400 that could derail her from the throne. 548 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:28,990 It also meant if she married, 549 00:29:28,990 --> 00:29:31,350 she'd have to give power to her husband. 550 00:29:31,350 --> 00:29:33,550 She would become second place, 551 00:29:33,550 --> 00:29:37,590 and the idea of going through the pregnancy 552 00:29:37,590 --> 00:29:40,220 and the birth itself, with all the physical weakness 553 00:29:40,220 --> 00:29:42,880 that would cause, wasn't particularly compatible 554 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,950 with her presentation of either the virgin queen 555 00:29:45,950 --> 00:29:48,850 or the ultimate power that she personally wanted to wield. 556 00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:53,630 - Elizabeth was not inclined to marry, 557 00:29:53,630 --> 00:29:55,120 but neither was she prepared 558 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:59,050 to completely restrain her sexual desires. 559 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:07,150 Whether or not Elizabeth I was really the virgin queen 560 00:30:07,150 --> 00:30:10,910 has been one of the most hotly debated subjects in history. 561 00:30:10,910 --> 00:30:15,210 Although her iconic image was rooted in her virginal state, 562 00:30:15,210 --> 00:30:19,330 rumors about her sexual misconduct with a whole host of men 563 00:30:19,330 --> 00:30:20,930 were forever breaking out. 564 00:30:25,990 --> 00:30:28,300 - She did have relationships at court, 565 00:30:28,300 --> 00:30:31,710 but just how far these went took place behind closed doors. 566 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:37,270 - She did have a relationship with some of her courtiers 567 00:30:37,270 --> 00:30:38,940 which was more intimate, 568 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,150 sometimes expressed even in physical touching. 569 00:30:44,060 --> 00:30:46,540 It was erotically charged, 570 00:30:46,540 --> 00:30:48,820 and this created a style at her court 571 00:30:48,820 --> 00:30:50,890 which was obviously very different 572 00:30:50,890 --> 00:30:54,120 from that of her sister or her brother, 573 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,290 and indeed even that of Henry vii. 574 00:30:59,780 --> 00:31:02,820 - Among Elizabeth's many flirtatious relationships 575 00:31:02,820 --> 00:31:05,560 with her male courtiers, the one that inspired 576 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,850 by far the most gossip was that 577 00:31:07,850 --> 00:31:11,240 with her long-standing confidant Robert Dudley. 578 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,470 Friends since childhood, by the time 579 00:31:13,470 --> 00:31:16,750 that Elizabeth became queen, they were inseparable. 580 00:31:24,780 --> 00:31:28,220 A year after her accession, she had Dudley's bedchamber 581 00:31:28,220 --> 00:31:30,990 moved next to her own private apartments 582 00:31:30,990 --> 00:31:34,510 in order to make it easier for them to meet in secret. 583 00:31:34,510 --> 00:31:38,630 Before long, their relationship was causing so much scandal 584 00:31:38,630 --> 00:31:42,720 that Elizabeth had to go to great lengths to conceal it. 585 00:31:46,926 --> 00:31:49,416 - A very clear favorite from the start was Robert Dudley, 586 00:31:49,420 --> 00:31:52,100 with whom Elizabeth seemed to be very much in love 587 00:31:52,100 --> 00:31:53,650 in the early part of her reign. 588 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,460 She had nicknames from him, she kept his letters. 589 00:31:57,460 --> 00:31:59,160 They spent a lot of time together. 590 00:32:00,930 --> 00:32:03,560 I think it most likely that Elizabeth was aware, 591 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,880 as she said often, that she was married to her kingdom first 592 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,550 and everything else came second. 593 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,830 Possibly she had to subjugate the personal 594 00:32:12,830 --> 00:32:15,140 into the domestic, the political. 595 00:32:16,170 --> 00:32:18,680 Was prepared to have emotional connections 596 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:20,380 but not necessarily physical ones. 597 00:32:22,180 --> 00:32:23,640 - What made their relationship 598 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,350 all the more scandalous 599 00:32:25,350 --> 00:32:27,830 was that Dudley was already married. 600 00:32:32,810 --> 00:32:35,710 Things came to a head when his wife, Amy Dudley, 601 00:32:35,710 --> 00:32:39,050 was found dead at the bottom of a short flight of stairs. 602 00:32:43,090 --> 00:32:45,010 Elizabeth and her alleged lover 603 00:32:45,010 --> 00:32:47,370 were both implicated in the death. 604 00:32:48,810 --> 00:32:52,130 - She couldn't marry him, particularly after his wife, Amy, 605 00:32:52,130 --> 00:32:54,660 died in mysterious circumstances. 606 00:32:54,660 --> 00:32:57,810 She simply couldn't allow her name to be linked 607 00:32:57,810 --> 00:33:00,050 to what was possibly a murder plot. 608 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:05,890 - The rumors at court spread like wildfire. 609 00:33:05,890 --> 00:33:07,050 There were accusations 610 00:33:07,050 --> 00:33:09,030 that Dudley had his wife killed 611 00:33:09,030 --> 00:33:11,670 so he was free to marry Elizabeth. 612 00:33:14,090 --> 00:33:16,880 Although these claims were unsubstantiated, 613 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:18,690 they were enough to force the queen 614 00:33:18,690 --> 00:33:20,630 to distance herself from Dudley. 615 00:33:24,340 --> 00:33:25,900 There were even those who said 616 00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:29,570 she secretly bore him a love child. 617 00:33:32,410 --> 00:33:34,870 - Whether the relationship actually became physical, 618 00:33:34,870 --> 00:33:37,030 we can't say for certain. 619 00:33:37,030 --> 00:33:39,430 There was no recorded pregnancy as a result, 620 00:33:39,430 --> 00:33:42,000 but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. 621 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,010 - She was a very cautious lady, so that I don't think 622 00:33:45,010 --> 00:33:49,520 she would have engaged in any sex that would risk pregnancy. 623 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,180 But that doesn't mean to say that it wasn't sexual 624 00:33:52,180 --> 00:33:55,030 in the sense of erotic. 625 00:33:57,510 --> 00:33:59,700 - Elizabeth probably was bearing in mind, though, 626 00:33:59,700 --> 00:34:03,430 the danger to herself if she did conceive a child. 627 00:34:03,430 --> 00:34:05,130 She didn't want to run that risk. 628 00:34:07,030 --> 00:34:08,620 - Sex outside of marriage 629 00:34:08,620 --> 00:34:11,270 in elizabethan England was widespread, 630 00:34:11,270 --> 00:34:13,060 and there were even books published 631 00:34:13,060 --> 00:34:16,670 on the subject of lovemaking, but having children 632 00:34:16,670 --> 00:34:19,630 out of wedlock was a different matter altogether. 633 00:34:19,630 --> 00:34:22,480 So they had to find ways to prevent this. 634 00:34:24,750 --> 00:34:26,870 Birth control in the tudor period 635 00:34:26,870 --> 00:34:29,850 was rudimentary, to say the least. 636 00:34:29,850 --> 00:34:33,300 Some methods admittedly would still be employed today, 637 00:34:33,300 --> 00:34:37,130 such as coitus interruptus or the rhythm method, 638 00:34:37,130 --> 00:34:39,690 whereby a woman would abstain from sex 639 00:34:39,690 --> 00:34:42,660 during her most fertile period. 640 00:34:42,659 --> 00:34:44,629 But most of the tudor methods 641 00:34:44,630 --> 00:34:47,500 of birth control were outlandish. 642 00:34:48,670 --> 00:34:51,950 Some women wore amulets around the neck or thigh, 643 00:34:51,949 --> 00:34:54,149 often containing herbs that they believed 644 00:34:54,150 --> 00:34:57,710 to have contraceptive properties such as honeysuckle 645 00:34:57,710 --> 00:35:00,480 or oil of mint, but, bizarrely, 646 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,240 they would also sometimes contain oddities 647 00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:06,460 such as dried cat's liver, donkey dung, 648 00:35:06,460 --> 00:35:09,270 or even weasels' testicles. 649 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,170 But the most common methods involved 650 00:35:14,170 --> 00:35:16,590 inserting some kind of barrier, 651 00:35:16,590 --> 00:35:20,120 whether that was, bizarrely, a slice of lemon 652 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:24,820 or perhaps a piece of wax molded to shape. 653 00:35:24,820 --> 00:35:28,090 But the most popular was a sponge. 654 00:35:28,090 --> 00:35:32,930 Now this would be cut up and soaked in vinegar. 655 00:35:32,930 --> 00:35:34,980 The reason was that vinegar was believed 656 00:35:34,980 --> 00:35:39,020 to be doubly effective, because not only did it help 657 00:35:39,020 --> 00:35:42,310 the sponge to provide some sort of barrier, 658 00:35:42,310 --> 00:35:44,370 but the vinegar itself was thought 659 00:35:44,370 --> 00:35:47,280 to naturally repel a man's sperm. 660 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:51,890 Well, if Elizabeth had relied on any of these methods 661 00:35:51,890 --> 00:35:54,950 in order to prevent herself from falling pregnant, 662 00:35:54,950 --> 00:35:58,140 she would have been taking an enormous risk. 663 00:36:03,090 --> 00:36:05,980 - I'm not sure that there was any contraception 664 00:36:05,980 --> 00:36:09,580 that really worked in tudor England at all. 665 00:36:11,270 --> 00:36:15,380 - There was a form of post-coitus contraception, 666 00:36:15,380 --> 00:36:18,380 in other words, a form of early abortion 667 00:36:18,380 --> 00:36:21,680 that was practiced through herbal remedies 668 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,830 being used to induce an abortion. 669 00:36:24,830 --> 00:36:28,720 These were the ways in which historians now think 670 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:31,380 that contraception was practiced. 671 00:36:34,590 --> 00:36:36,190 - Whether they worked or not, 672 00:36:36,190 --> 00:36:37,520 most women would have learned 673 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,530 about these birth control methods 674 00:36:39,530 --> 00:36:41,860 through their female friends. 675 00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:43,990 Although Elizabeth did not have friends 676 00:36:43,990 --> 00:36:47,630 in the true sense of the word, she did become very close 677 00:36:47,630 --> 00:36:51,370 to a number of her most intimate attendants. 678 00:36:51,370 --> 00:36:54,600 They included Elizabeth fiennes de Clinton, 679 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,450 who facilitated her royal mistress's meetings 680 00:36:57,450 --> 00:37:02,250 with her male courtiers, and her old governess Kat astley, 681 00:37:02,250 --> 00:37:06,290 who knew many of her most intimate secrets. 682 00:37:06,290 --> 00:37:08,450 At least one of Elizabeth's ladies 683 00:37:08,450 --> 00:37:11,100 would even sleep in the same room as her. 684 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:13,330 This meant they were able to run errands 685 00:37:13,330 --> 00:37:16,300 for the queen at a moment's notice. 686 00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:18,770 - She did have a lot of ladies who served her faithfully 687 00:37:18,770 --> 00:37:20,760 all the way through her life. 688 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,720 Having said that, she was very bad-tempered, 689 00:37:24,720 --> 00:37:27,270 and when her life got stressy, 690 00:37:27,270 --> 00:37:31,360 the ladies could find themselves treated really quite badly. 691 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:34,880 They were pinched, and in fact she even broke the finger 692 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:36,510 of one of her ladies. 693 00:37:36,510 --> 00:37:39,240 So she could be a very difficult woman to work for. 694 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:45,110 - As age began to overtake Elizabeth 695 00:37:45,110 --> 00:37:46,500 and she had to face the fact 696 00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:50,240 that she was no longer the most desirable woman at court, 697 00:37:50,240 --> 00:37:54,140 she underwent an increasingly elaborate routine 698 00:37:54,140 --> 00:37:57,900 of dressing and makeup, including the use 699 00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:00,550 of a series of outlandish wigs 700 00:38:00,550 --> 00:38:03,310 as well as white lead on her face, 701 00:38:03,310 --> 00:38:07,550 which ironically did more to corrode her skin 702 00:38:07,550 --> 00:38:10,340 than aging ever could. 703 00:38:15,060 --> 00:38:17,010 - Elizabeth notoriously took a long time 704 00:38:17,010 --> 00:38:19,550 to get herself ready, to make herself presentable. 705 00:38:19,550 --> 00:38:22,310 It was very much a theatrical process. 706 00:38:22,310 --> 00:38:23,680 She would have had her ladies ready 707 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:25,830 to help prepare her skin. 708 00:38:25,830 --> 00:38:29,390 - She would use various compounds 709 00:38:29,390 --> 00:38:32,600 in order to make it whiter, to make it softer 710 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:34,630 and also to hide the blemishes 711 00:38:34,630 --> 00:38:37,570 which she had as a result of smallpox. 712 00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:41,840 - But Elizabeth's looks also fell victim 713 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,440 to her ever-expanding empire. 714 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:46,820 This was the age of discovery, 715 00:38:46,820 --> 00:38:49,330 and things that were once rare delicacies 716 00:38:49,330 --> 00:38:52,250 were now commonplace in the royal court. 717 00:38:54,340 --> 00:38:57,960 Elizabethan explorers were bringing back sugar 718 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,020 in greater quantities than ever before, 719 00:39:01,020 --> 00:39:05,680 and nobody benefited more from this than the queen herself. 720 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:08,750 Elizabeth was said to eat sparingly, 721 00:39:08,750 --> 00:39:11,960 but she had an incredibly sweet tooth. 722 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,250 She would add sugar to everything, 723 00:39:14,250 --> 00:39:19,250 not just cakes and chocolates but to wine and even salads. 724 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:21,620 And to make matters worse, 725 00:39:21,620 --> 00:39:25,620 Elizabeth used honey to clean her teeth. 726 00:39:25,620 --> 00:39:28,510 Well, not surprisingly those teeth soon started 727 00:39:28,510 --> 00:39:30,120 to rot and fall out, 728 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:33,010 which made Elizabeth' appearance change. 729 00:39:33,010 --> 00:39:35,690 Her face seemed rather gaunt, 730 00:39:35,690 --> 00:39:39,180 so she used what were known as plumpers, 731 00:39:39,180 --> 00:39:42,670 pieces of cloth that she would stuff into her cheek 732 00:39:42,670 --> 00:39:45,480 to make herself appear as she did before. 733 00:39:46,330 --> 00:39:49,020 Well, these had another advantage, 734 00:39:49,020 --> 00:39:51,700 because the plumpers would first be soaked 735 00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:55,950 in some sweet-smelling oil or potion, which helped 736 00:39:55,950 --> 00:40:00,930 to offset the stench of Elizabeth's foul breath. 737 00:40:03,830 --> 00:40:06,210 Towards the latter part of her life, 738 00:40:06,210 --> 00:40:09,360 Elizabeth was practically bald and toothless, 739 00:40:10,910 --> 00:40:13,620 a secret that the young Earl of essex 740 00:40:13,620 --> 00:40:15,270 accidentally discovered. 741 00:40:18,630 --> 00:40:22,540 The audacious Earl, who was more than 30 years her junior, 742 00:40:22,540 --> 00:40:25,100 played court to her like a lover, 743 00:40:25,100 --> 00:40:27,790 and Elizabeth was obsessed with him. 744 00:40:29,010 --> 00:40:31,520 But their liaison came to an abrupt end 745 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:35,070 when he burst into her bedchamber early one morning. 746 00:40:35,071 --> 00:40:36,081 Who's there? 747 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:37,630 - Your majesty, it's the Earl of essex. 748 00:40:37,630 --> 00:40:39,200 - How dare you come here unannounced? 749 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:40,250 Get away from here! 750 00:40:43,870 --> 00:40:45,320 - He was aghast to see her 751 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:47,840 stripped of her usual thick makeup and wigs. 752 00:40:49,950 --> 00:40:53,470 At court he laughed with his friends about what he had seen, 753 00:40:53,470 --> 00:40:55,960 saying she had a crooked carcass. 754 00:40:57,780 --> 00:41:00,090 But Elizabeth had the last laugh. 755 00:41:00,090 --> 00:41:03,520 She had him executed shortly afterwards. 756 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,630 - This is a time when no person of any standing 757 00:41:11,630 --> 00:41:13,430 is ever left on their own. 758 00:41:13,430 --> 00:41:15,340 You are always surrounded by people 759 00:41:15,340 --> 00:41:18,100 as a sign to how much influence you have. 760 00:41:18,100 --> 00:41:20,840 So private life wasn't ever really in it for them. 761 00:41:25,700 --> 00:41:28,910 As time went by, Elizabeth's reign continued 762 00:41:28,910 --> 00:41:32,040 with strength and the love of her people. 763 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:35,520 But while the years brought her reverence and respect, 764 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:38,440 they also brought her loneliness. 765 00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:42,280 She had outlived most of her longest-serving confidants, 766 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:44,050 and her flirtatious liaisons 767 00:41:44,050 --> 00:41:46,760 and romances had all but ceased. 768 00:41:48,510 --> 00:41:51,270 It was also noted by witnesses at court 769 00:41:51,270 --> 00:41:54,410 that the once vivacious and beautiful queen 770 00:41:54,410 --> 00:41:56,300 had started to fade. 771 00:41:58,620 --> 00:42:01,580 - Elizabeth at the end of her life, in private, 772 00:42:01,580 --> 00:42:04,930 would definitely have been no oil painting. 773 00:42:06,790 --> 00:42:10,530 - In later years, as she aged she deliberately asked 774 00:42:10,530 --> 00:42:13,840 for this to be concealed and portraits were created 775 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:15,900 to make her look youngster, youthful. 776 00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:21,150 - By the age of 69, Elizabeth had sat on the throne 777 00:42:21,150 --> 00:42:25,940 for 44 years, and having been married only to her country, 778 00:42:25,940 --> 00:42:28,910 she was to be the last of the tudor dynasty. 779 00:42:31,750 --> 00:42:34,650 But her memory and her family's legacy 780 00:42:34,650 --> 00:42:36,930 would continue to live on. 781 00:42:38,380 --> 00:42:39,930 - I think the tudors are remembered 782 00:42:39,930 --> 00:42:42,240 the way they'd like to be remembered, 783 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:45,520 particularly Elizabeth I and Henry viii, 784 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,700 because I would imagine that most of our first thoughts 785 00:42:48,700 --> 00:42:50,430 would be those famous portraits 786 00:42:50,430 --> 00:42:52,920 by people like holbein of Henry, 787 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,580 the armada portraits for Elizabeth, 788 00:42:55,580 --> 00:42:58,840 which show them in full splendor, 789 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:01,510 exactly the way they wanted to be remembered. 790 00:43:01,510 --> 00:43:04,220 So I think you have to say they got it right. 791 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,550 - To the very last she continued with her public duties 792 00:43:10,550 --> 00:43:12,460 and ruled with authority. 793 00:43:13,950 --> 00:43:16,310 But she began to suffer from ill health, 794 00:43:16,310 --> 00:43:19,120 which made her increasingly debilitated. 795 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:25,230 Elizabeth's reign was coming to a close. 796 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:36,940 She died in her private bedchamber 797 00:43:36,940 --> 00:43:40,490 at Richmond palace in march 1603, 798 00:43:40,490 --> 00:43:44,100 surrounded by only her closest female attendants. 799 00:43:44,100 --> 00:43:47,040 It was a death that was both dignified 800 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:49,970 and fittingly private.