Hatton: Elizabeth I's Favourite?

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

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4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

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Summary

In the cut-throat world of the Elizabethan court, Sir Christopher Hatton became one of Elizabeth I’s favourites. After catching her eye in 1561, Hatton was quickly promoted to the Privy Council, making a significant impact on Elizabeth’s complex religious policy. Yet Hatton has often been overshadowed by such Tudor heavyweights as Dudley, Cecil and Walsingham.

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Dr. Neil Younger about Hatton’s rise from minor gentry to the Queen’s closest aide, and addresses the burning question: were Elizabeth and Hatton lovers?

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	So Christopher Hatton was one of Elizabeth the first favourites. He was also a man of talent
0:13.1	and over his lifetime he held positions as gentleman Pensioner, captain of the Queen's
0:17.4	Guard, gentleman of the Privy Chamber, vice chamberlain, high steward of the University
0:21.9	of Cambridge, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Knight of the Gata, Privy Councillor,
0:27.2	and eventually Lord High Chancellor of England. Although the Hatton family had a long
0:32.6	pedigree, Christopher was the first to rise so high in service to a monarch. After an
0:37.9	education at Oxford which he did not complete, he enrolled in the Inner Temple in London,
0:43.4	and it was while he was there that he said to have caught the eye of the Queen in 1561.
0:48.7	So how did he come to win her favour and crucially what role did he go on to play in Elizabethan
0:54.4	politics and religion? What should we make of the rumours put about that he and Elizabeth
0:59.5	were lovers or that he was in love with her? And how did he compare to his contemporaries?
1:05.4	Finally, what difference did he make to the Elizabethan regime? And how can we chart this
1:11.6	influence? To address these questions and many others, I'm very pleased to welcome Dr. Neil
1:17.4	Younger, senior lecturer in early modern history at the Open University. Dr. Younger has previously
1:22.9	researched him taught at the University of Birmingham Durham and found a built university in the
1:27.0	USA and he specialises in Tudor politics, government and court culture. Having written and
1:33.0	published widely on the period, I'm delighted he can be with us today to talk about his most
1:37.1	recent monograph, Religion and Politics and Elizabethan England, the Life of Sir Christopher
1:42.6	Hatton, which was published in 2022 by Manchester University Press.
1:52.9	Dr. Younger, I'm delighted to welcome you to not just the tutors. I'm really excited to talk about
1:58.5	Hatton. I feel like he's someone people don't talk enough about. So thank you so much for your
2:02.5	book and for your time today. Thank you, I'm delighted to be here. Why do you think that Hatton has
	...

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