A History of Britain by Simon Schama

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Factual: History

Simon Schama journeys through 5,000 years of life in the British Isles.

The secret of who we are. Simon Schama journeys through 5,000 years of life in the British Isles.

Series 1

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A History of Britain by Simon Schama: Series 1: Episode 7: The Body of the Queen

The Body of the Queen

Episode 7

Episode 7: The Body of the Queen

BBC Two - A History of Britain by Simon Schama, Series 1, The Body of the Queen

Simon Schama examines the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary.

Simon Schama examines the long, tangled relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed by royal command in 1587.

Queen Elizabeth I was one of the country's most intelligent monarchs, ruling a Protestant rogue state in a Catholic world. But it was her long, tangled relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots that would test her the most. 

Elizabeth never married. Mary married twice but it ruined her. A magnet for conspiracy and intrigue, Mary tormented Elizabeth until finally executed for treason. But it was Mary not Elizabeth who gave birth to an heir. Simon Schama asks if it was the politican Elizabeth, or the mother Mary, who won in the end.

A History of Britain by Simon Schama: Series 1

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A History of Britain by Simon Schama

Series 1

Episode 7: The Body of the Queen

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