Summary
Overview
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the formative years of Elizabeth I, from her mother Anne Boleyn's execution when she was not yet three years old through her adolescence. The episode chronicles her childhood neglect, the succession of stepmothers, her exceptional education, the disturbing behavior of Thomas Seymour, and her emergence as a politically astute teenager during the turbulent reigns of Edward VI and Mary I.
Elizabeth's Early Childhood Neglect and Loss
Following Anne Boleyn's execution, Elizabeth's circumstances drastically change from princess to bastard. Her great-aunt Lady Bryan writes desperately about Elizabeth's lack of clothing and resources as Henry VIII orders the child kept from his sight. At just three years old, Elizabeth loses her mother, her status, and much of her household support, though Mary Tudor surprisingly shows kindness to her newly equal half-sister.
- Lady Bryan writes about Elizabeth lacking basic clothing - no gowns, kirtles, petticoats, smocks, kerchiefs, sleeves, bodices, handkerchiefs, mufflers, or caps
- Elizabeth officially proclaimed a bastard and no longer a princess, now just 'Lady Elizabeth'
- Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour just 10-11 days after Anne Boleyn's execution
- Mary Tudor shows magnanimity, calling Elizabeth 'sister' and even praying for Anne Boleyn's soul
- Elizabeth loses Lady Bryan as her governess when Edward is born, as she's assigned to the young prince
" Now as my lady Elizabeth is put from that degree she was in and what degree she is at now I know not by hearsay I know not how to order her or myself or her women or grooms I beg you to be good lord to her and hers, and that she may have raiment, for she has neither gown, nor kirtle, nor petticoat, nor linen for smocks, nor kerchiefs, sleeves, rails, bodices, handkerchiefs, mufflers, nor caps. "
" Why governor how happy yesterday lady princess and today but lady Elizabeth. "
Elizabeth's Exceptional Education
Despite her uncertain status, Elizabeth receives an extraordinary education under the guidance of Catherine Champernown (Kate Ashley) and later Roger Ascham. By age six, she impresses courtiers with abilities comparable to a 40-year-old woman. Her education includes Greek, Latin, French, Italian, music, dancing, riding, and hawking, positioning her as one of the most educated people in Europe by her teenage years.
- Catherine Champernown (Kate Ashley) becomes Elizabeth's governess and will remain with her until death decades later
- At age six in December 1539, a courtier reports Elizabeth appears as smart as a woman of 40 years old
- Henry VIII becomes sufficiently impressed to want regular updates on Elizabeth's progress in scholarship, music, dancing, sewing, riding, and hawking
- By 1543, Henry rehabilitates Elizabeth, reinstating her in the line of succession after Edward and Mary
" She have taken great labor and pain in bringing of me up in learning and honesty. "
" Man for man woman for woman they are extremely impressive they are surely the most proficient and impressive dynasty in English history... the Tudors don't produce a waste "
📚 4 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future The Rest Is History episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new The Rest Is History episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.