In the last years of Elizabeth I’s reign, many of the preoccupations of earlier decades had been abated. Mary, Queen of Scots had finally been executed in 1587; the Spanish Armada was defeated the following year; and the question of the Queen marrying had been shelved. And yet these were years of extraordinary challenge to crown and country, when the woman at the helm was elderly and apparently indecisive.

To round up Queenship month on Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by historian and author Dr. Alex Gajda to discuss the critical last decades of Elizabeth I’s reign and her legacy, and reflect upon its relevance to the current Queen Elizabeth in her Platinum Jubilee year.

For this episode, recorded at St.Cross College Oxford, the Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie, the Producer and Editor was Rob Weinberg.

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