[
  {
    "start": 0.0,
    "end": 6.24,
    "text": "After Queen Elizabeth I died, her advisers searched her belongings and found a letter buried deep in"
  },
  {
    "start": 6.24,
    "end": 14.4,
    "text": "them. When they looked closer, their blood ran cold. Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most famous"
  },
  {
    "start": 14.4,
    "end": 21.04,
    "text": "and notorious monarchs of England. In 1533 she was born into the biggest scandal of her time."
  },
  {
    "start": 21.76,
    "end": 26.88,
    "text": "Not many people can say that their own father executed their mother, but that's exactly what"
  },
  {
    "start": 26.88,
    "end": 32.96,
    "text": "happened to Elizabeth. Anne Boleyn fell out of King Henry's favour and he beheaded his queen on"
  },
  {
    "start": 32.96,
    "end": 41.94,
    "text": "May 19th 1536 when Elizabeth was two years old. Henry's third queen Jane Seymour moved into the"
  },
  {
    "start": 41.94,
    "end": 53.26,
    "text": "palace just 11 days later. In 1537 Elizabeth had a new baby brother Edward. Henry now had a male"
  },
  {
    "start": 53.26,
    "end": 59.18,
    "text": "heir and a fate hadn't intervened. Elizabeth might have played second fiddle to him all her life."
  },
  {
    "start": 60.22,
    "end": 65.26,
    "text": "King Henry died when Elizabeth was a teenager, leaving her in the care of her stepmother,"
  },
  {
    "start": 65.26,
    "end": 72.8,
    "text": "Catherine Parr. Parr almost immediately married a nobleman named Thomas Seymour,"
  },
  {
    "start": 72.8,
    "end": 79.2,
    "text": "integrating the princess into her household. Right away, the 40 year old Seymour began exhibiting"
  },
  {
    "start": 79.2,
    "end": 85.28,
    "text": "disturbing behaviours. First he would creep into Elizabeth's bedroom in his nightgown and tickle"
  },
  {
    "start": 85.28,
    "end": 91.6,
    "text": "her. He would also openly slap her on the bum. According to records from the time,"
  },
  {
    "start": 91.6,
    "end": 98.24,
    "text": "Catherine Parr did nothing to stop these inappropriate romps. In fact, she even participated in them."
  },
  {
    "start": 98.24,
    "end": 103.36,
    "text": "At least twice she helped her husband tickle Elizabeth, and then a particularly alarming"
  },
  {
    "start": 103.36,
    "end": 108.16,
    "text": "incident held the princess down as Seymour ripped the girl's dress into pieces."
  },
  {
    "start": 110.56,
    "end": 117.36,
    "text": "Sometime around May 1548, Catherine Parr made a shocking discovery. She stumbled across Seymour"
  },
  {
    "start": 117.36,
    "end": 123.92,
    "text": "and the teenage Elizabeth locked in an embrace. Whether from jealousy or fear for the girl,"
  },
  {
    "start": 123.92,
    "end": 132.53,
    "text": "Parr sent the princess away soon after. Meer months later, Catherine Parr died in childbirth."
  },
  {
    "start": 133.09,
    "end": 139.17,
    "text": "Now the exile of Elizabeth was truly alone, and Thomas Seymour wasted no time taking advantage"
  },
  {
    "start": 139.17,
    "end": 146.99,
    "text": "of her vulnerability. With his wife conveniently out of the way, the mourning Seymour turned"
  },
  {
    "start": 146.99,
    "end": 151.55,
    "text": "his attentions back to the princess. This time it would be as downfall."
  },
  {
    "start": 153.07,
    "end": 158.43,
    "text": "By this point, even the royal council had had enough of Seymour's creepy scheming,"
  },
  {
    "start": 158.43,
    "end": 163.71,
    "text": "and they charged him with treason for his plot to marry Elizabeth. The princess's tormentor"
  },
  {
    "start": 163.71,
    "end": 173.82,
    "text": "was executed on March 20th 1549. On July 6th 1553, Elizabeth's brother Edward,"
  },
  {
    "start": 173.82,
    "end": 178.86,
    "text": "who had become king in Henry's stead, died young, throwing the kingdom into chaos."
  },
  {
    "start": 179.42,
    "end": 184.54,
    "text": "For one, he named the upstart Jane Grey, not his sister's Elizabeth or Mary,"
  },
  {
    "start": 184.54,
    "end": 190.3,
    "text": "as his successor. Suddenly, Mary and Elizabeth found themselves fighting for their birthright,"
  },
  {
    "start": 190.38,
    "end": 193.66,
    "text": "and they joined forces to overthrow the usurping queen."
  },
  {
    "start": 197.28,
    "end": 204.0,
    "text": "In the end, Lady Jane Grey was the nine days queen. The sisters had her executed, and in August"
  },
  {
    "start": 204.0,
    "end": 212.54,
    "text": "1553, the elder Mary rode into London to officially reclaim her throne. It could have been a triumphant"
  },
  {
    "start": 212.54,
    "end": 220.8,
    "text": "moment of sisterly love, but that's not what happened. Elizabeth and Mary were very different"
  },
  {
    "start": 220.8,
    "end": 226.32,
    "text": "people, and not just because they had different mothers. Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon,"
  },
  {
    "start": 226.32,
    "end": 231.76,
    "text": "raised her to be a strict Catholic. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, born not just at the height of the"
  },
  {
    "start": 231.76,
    "end": 238.4,
    "text": "English Reformation, but practically because of it, was Protestant. This caused tension,"
  },
  {
    "start": 238.4,
    "end": 246.32,
    "text": "which became a crisis in 1554. Mary's reign was unpopular for her persecution of Protestants,"
  },
  {
    "start": 246.32,
    "end": 252.32,
    "text": "as well as her infamously gruesome method of burning heretics at the stake. So when a rebellion"
  },
  {
    "start": 252.32,
    "end": 258.32,
    "text": "broke out, Mary instantly suspected Elizabeth and threw her sister in the notorious Tower of London."
  },
  {
    "start": 260.38,
    "end": 265.98,
    "text": "For three terrifying months, Elizabeth's life hung in the balance at the tower. Even though"
  },
  {
    "start": 265.98,
    "end": 272.22,
    "text": "there's no evidence she participated in the rebellion, she was at Mary's mercy, and Mary wasn't much"
  },
  {
    "start": 272.22,
    "end": 278.46,
    "text": "for forgiveness. During this time, Mary's advisers whispered in her ear that while Elizabeth breathed,"
  },
  {
    "start": 278.54,
    "end": 284.46,
    "text": "her throne was never safe. The only thing to do, they said, was to execute her own sister."
  },
  {
    "start": 288.0,
    "end": 293.28,
    "text": "Thankfully, Elizabeth did have some supporters in Mary's court, and they eventually convinced the"
  },
  {
    "start": 293.28,
    "end": 299.2,
    "text": "Queen to spare her sister's life. But just because she was alive, didn't mean Elizabeth had it easy."
  },
  {
    "start": 301.46,
    "end": 308.42,
    "text": "On May 22, 1554, Mary exiled Elizabeth to the countryside and put her under house arrest."
  },
  {
    "start": 311.31,
    "end": 317.87,
    "text": "In late 1558, the young Elizabeth's life got turned upside down yet again. Queen Mary, who'd"
  },
  {
    "start": 317.87,
    "end": 323.63,
    "text": "been unhealthy for quite some time, died in November of that year, without having had any children."
  },
  {
    "start": 324.19,
    "end": 332.67,
    "text": "The Princess was now Queen Elizabeth the first. From the moment she became Queen, Elizabeth's"
  },
  {
    "start": 332.67,
    "end": 338.51,
    "text": "advisers assumed she would take a husband, not only to strengthen England's power, but also to help"
  },
  {
    "start": 338.51,
    "end": 344.83,
    "text": "produce the air that her late sister had tried and failed to have. Though she considered eligible"
  },
  {
    "start": 344.83,
    "end": 350.75,
    "text": "candidates until she was 50, she never married, and historians suggest that it was her dalliances"
  },
  {
    "start": 350.75,
    "end": 359.14,
    "text": "with Thomas Seymour that put her off the whole idea of matrimony. Elizabeth might have had no"
  },
  {
    "start": 359.14,
    "end": 366.18,
    "text": "husbands, but her romantic antics became infamous. One of her most notorious relationships was with"
  },
  {
    "start": 366.18,
    "end": 371.7,
    "text": "her handsome childhood friend Robert Dudley, who she seemed to be genuinely in love with."
  },
  {
    "start": 373.7,
    "end": 379.06,
    "text": "The problem was that he was already married, as wife Amy was suffering from breast cancer,"
  },
  {
    "start": 379.06,
    "end": 384.82,
    "text": "and it was assumed that she wasn't going to be around very long. But when her death did come,"
  },
  {
    "start": 384.82,
    "end": 388.9,
    "text": "it was much more suspicious and violent than anyone could have predicted."
  },
  {
    "start": 389.38,
    "end": 398.42,
    "text": "Amy died in September 1560, but not from breast cancer. She apparently fell down a flight of stairs,"
  },
  {
    "start": 398.42,
    "end": 407.54,
    "text": "leaving Dudley free to pursue the Queen. Historians agree that Elizabeth was fully prepared to marry Dudley,"
  },
  {
    "start": 407.54,
    "end": 414.82,
    "text": "only to be left heartbroken. As her childhood friend, Dudley held no political clout, and monarchs"
  },
  {
    "start": 414.9,
    "end": 420.74,
    "text": "from all over Europe were currently vying for the Queen's hand. Her counsellors told her, in no"
  },
  {
    "start": 420.74,
    "end": 429.3,
    "text": "uncertain terms, that if she married Dudley, they would revolt. In 1578, Dudley married Elizabeth's"
  },
  {
    "start": 429.3,
    "end": 434.9,
    "text": "distant relative, Lattice Knowles. When Elizabeth got wind of her true love's wedding, she was so"
  },
  {
    "start": 434.9,
    "end": 440.58,
    "text": "furious that she banished Lattice from her court and never acknowledged the nuptials for as long as"
  },
  {
    "start": 440.58,
    "end": 447.06,
    "text": "she lived. In the 1560s, Elizabeth terrified her Parliament when she caught smallpox without"
  },
  {
    "start": 447.06,
    "end": 453.78,
    "text": "an air in sight. Though she recovered, the house was beside itself and gave one last push to get her"
  },
  {
    "start": 453.78,
    "end": 460.02,
    "text": "to marry. The Queen even had to convene Parliament and give a public speech to assure them,"
  },
  {
    "start": 460.02,
    "end": 468.42,
    "text": "I will marry as soon as I can conveniently. But did she? No. By 1570, even her most anxious advisors"
  },
  {
    "start": 468.42,
    "end": 476.1,
    "text": "had given up all hope. Elizabeth's most better enemy was also one of her closest relatives,"
  },
  {
    "start": 476.1,
    "end": 483.86,
    "text": "her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. From the very beginning, Mary posed a threat to Elizabeth's"
  },
  {
    "start": 483.86,
    "end": 492.26,
    "text": "reign and religion, spurring a game of thrones for the ages. Eventually Mary's forces grew so strong"
  },
  {
    "start": 492.26,
    "end": 498.66,
    "text": "and her decisions became so erratic, Elizabeth had to take drastic action. She tore Mary away from"
  },
  {
    "start": 498.74,
    "end": 505.06,
    "text": "her baby son, James VI, imprisoned her in lock-leaving castle and then forced her to abdicate."
  },
  {
    "start": 505.7,
    "end": 511.14,
    "text": "Astonishingly, Mary spent the next 19 years of her life under Elizabeth's guard."
  },
  {
    "start": 512.58,
    "end": 518.42,
    "text": "Then Elizabeth discovered a dark truth. Mary, Queen of Scots, was helping incite a rebellion"
  },
  {
    "start": 518.42,
    "end": 524.9,
    "text": "against the English Crown from her jail cell. Elizabeth responded with a brutal show of force."
  },
  {
    "start": 525.86,
    "end": 534.82,
    "text": "On February 8th, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots met the axe at Fatheringay Castle. After Mary's death,"
  },
  {
    "start": 534.82,
    "end": 540.26,
    "text": "Elizabeth grew intensely remorseful and even claimed that she'd signed her cousin's warrant"
  },
  {
    "start": 540.26,
    "end": 548.21,
    "text": "without understanding her advisors would carry it out immediately. One of the most iconic moments"
  },
  {
    "start": 548.21,
    "end": 553.49,
    "text": "in Queen Elizabeth's already legendary reign was her defeat of the feared Spanish Armada."
  },
  {
    "start": 556.64,
    "end": 562.96,
    "text": "After Elizabeth's envoy Francis Drake raided Spanish ships, King Philip of Spain, Elizabeth's"
  },
  {
    "start": 562.96,
    "end": 568.24,
    "text": "ex-brother-in-law, decided he had quite enough of England and took immediate action."
  },
  {
    "start": 570.08,
    "end": 577.52,
    "text": "Philip sent his Spanish Armada to invade England in 1588, bent on destroying Elizabeth and her reign,"
  },
  {
    "start": 577.52,
    "end": 582.16,
    "text": "but the great naval power of Spain found themselves under-prepared and subsequently"
  },
  {
    "start": 582.16,
    "end": 588.96,
    "text": "outmaneuvered by the English ships. Philip's great hope was forced to run back to Spain in shambles."
  },
  {
    "start": 590.08,
    "end": 595.12,
    "text": "Elizabeth used the crisis of the conflict with Spain to turn herself into a warrior queen."
  },
  {
    "start": 595.68,
    "end": 602.88,
    "text": "When she inspected her troops on August 8th, 1588, she donned a silver breastplate under a white dress."
  },
  {
    "start": 602.88,
    "end": 608.88,
    "text": "Her speech has gone down in history. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman,"
  },
  {
    "start": 608.88,
    "end": 613.28,
    "text": "but I have the heart and stomach of a king and of a king of England too."
  },
  {
    "start": 616.77,
    "end": 622.85,
    "text": "The once beautiful queen took aging very hard, particularly with her smallpox scars and"
  },
  {
    "start": 622.85,
    "end": 628.93,
    "text": "oncoming baldness. Sir Walter Raleigh once called her a lady whom time had surprised."
  },
  {
    "start": 629.65,
    "end": 636.13,
    "text": "To combat the flow of time, Elizabeth slathered her face in poisonous cosmetics and insisted on"
  },
  {
    "start": 636.13,
    "end": 642.37,
    "text": "wearing wigs at almost all times. Her courtiers never let on that her beauty was fading"
  },
  {
    "start": 642.37,
    "end": 647.49,
    "text": "and continued to compliment her as if she was still the 25 year old queen of her coronation."
  },
  {
    "start": 648.13,
    "end": 652.69,
    "text": "Sadly, it seems as though Elizabeth started to believe them and played favourites with"
  },
  {
    "start": 652.69,
    "end": 659.57,
    "text": "whomever could compliment her the most. One of her favourites later in life was Robert Devereaux,"
  },
  {
    "start": 659.57,
    "end": 664.69,
    "text": "Earl of Essex, who took advantage of his good looks to get a great amount of power"
  },
  {
    "start": 664.69,
    "end": 670.77,
    "text": "with very little responsibility. In 1599 he deserted his high military post"
  },
  {
    "start": 670.77,
    "end": 676.61,
    "text": "for the umpteenth time and Elizabeth finally reprimanded him, putting him under house arrest"
  },
  {
    "start": 676.61,
    "end": 680.93,
    "text": "and taking away his luxuries. Devereaux repaid her with betrayal."
  },
  {
    "start": 682.21,
    "end": 688.77,
    "text": "In 1601 the Earl of Essex plotted his very own rebellion. His plan was to kidnap the queen and"
  },
  {
    "start": 688.77,
    "end": 694.61,
    "text": "take power for himself, except he didn't count on the fact that nobody liked him and he had"
  },
  {
    "start": 694.61,
    "end": 700.93,
    "text": "close to zero supporters. Elizabeth caught wind of the meager plot and finally coming to terms with"
  },
  {
    "start": 700.93,
    "end": 709.89,
    "text": "her misjudgments had him beheaded. Elizabeth's last years were full of heartache and tragedy."
  },
  {
    "start": 709.89,
    "end": 715.49,
    "text": "In the autumn of 1602, just months before her own death, many of her friends and loved ones"
  },
  {
    "start": 715.49,
    "end": 721.57,
    "text": "passed away, leaving the queen depressed and despondent. According to those close to her,"
  },
  {
    "start": 721.57,
    "end": 727.33,
    "text": "she spent her last days lying motionless on cushions in an unremovable melancholy."
  },
  {
    "start": 729.94,
    "end": 737.54,
    "text": "Just before she died, Elizabeth finally chose a successor, at least unofficially. James the sixth,"
  },
  {
    "start": 737.54,
    "end": 744.74,
    "text": "the son of her fallen cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. Though she never publicly declared him a"
  },
  {
    "start": 744.74,
    "end": 754.59,
    "text": "successor, she apparently made her intentions known to her advisers. On March 24th 1603,"
  },
  {
    "start": 754.59,
    "end": 760.43,
    "text": "the Virgin Queen Elizabeth died during the early hours of the morning at Richmond Palace."
  },
  {
    "start": 760.43,
    "end": 766.19,
    "text": "She was 69 years old and her reign remains one of the most famous in British history."
  },
  {
    "start": 767.87,
    "end": 774.27,
    "text": "After Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years and Queen Victoria who reigned for 63,"
  },
  {
    "start": 774.27,
    "end": 780.43,
    "text": "Elizabeth I is the third longest reigning British Queen, sitting on the throne for 44 years."
  },
  {
    "start": 782.86,
    "end": 788.54,
    "text": "Since she had no heir, the House of Tudor, which began in 1485 with Henry VII,"
  },
  {
    "start": 788.54,
    "end": 796.74,
    "text": "ended with Elizabeth. Her reign was truly a golden age for many. In addition to Francis Drake's"
  },
  {
    "start": 796.74,
    "end": 802.66,
    "text": "feats at sea, literature blossomed in the Elizabethan era, with the likes of William Shakespeare and"
  },
  {
    "start": 802.66,
    "end": 811.25,
    "text": "Christopher Marlow writing masterworks. Before she became the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I lived in"
  },
  {
    "start": 811.33,
    "end": 818.37,
    "text": "penury after her mother's execution. Her father Henry VIII ignored and neglected her so completely"
  },
  {
    "start": 818.37,
    "end": 824.45,
    "text": "that Elizabeth's guardians had to beg the king for finances to provide her with clothes that fit her."
  },
  {
    "start": 826.51,
    "end": 832.91,
    "text": "Later when she became Queen, she collected more than 2000 dresses for herself. Not only did she"
  },
  {
    "start": 832.91,
    "end": 838.35,
    "text": "start many fashion trends, but her clothes were routinely tweaked and updated and carefully"
  },
  {
    "start": 838.35,
    "end": 844.27,
    "text": "chosen based on what Luke she needed to convey. She was also generous with her things and passed"
  },
  {
    "start": 844.27,
    "end": 853.12,
    "text": "on hand-me-downs to her ladies in waiting. After Elizabeth died, her advisers searched her belongings"
  },
  {
    "start": 853.12,
    "end": 860.08,
    "text": "and found a letter. Its contents were heartbreaking. It was a letter from her old lover Robert Dudley"
  },
  {
    "start": 860.08,
    "end": 866.56,
    "text": "who had died just after the Spanish Armada in 1588, but even more touching than the letter itself"
  },
  {
    "start": 866.56,
    "end": 872.0,
    "text": "was the note Elizabeth had scrawled on it. She marked it as his last letter to her."
  }
]