Elizabeth Tudor was born into a world in which her future depended upon the ambitions, marriages and decisions of others. The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, she was barely three years old when her mother was executed, and her position within the royal family changed dramatically as her father’s marriages and the question of the succession reshaped the Tudor court.

This episode follows Elizabeth through the dangers of her childhood and adolescence: her changing status, her education, the complicated influence of Thomas Seymour, her imprisonment in the Tower of London, and the years of uncertainty under her half-sister Mary I. Surrounded by political and religious divisions, Elizabeth learned to navigate a world in which a careless word or an unfortunate association could have devastating consequences.

By November 1558, Mary was dead and Elizabeth had become Queen of England. The young woman who had spent much of her life trying to survive other people’s decisions now faced the challenge of making decisions of her own.

Researched, written and read by Paul Carmichael

This script is written with particular care taken to distinguish contemporary evidence from later interpretation. Where Elizabeth's motives or psychological responses cannot be established, the script avoids presenting inference as fact.

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