Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact on the British Isles of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, the most poweful man in the court of Elizabeth I. He was both praised and attacked for his flexibility, adapting to the reigns of Protestant and Catholic monarchs and, under Elizabeth, his goal was to make England strong, stable and secure from attack from its neighbours. He sought control over Ireland and persuaded Elizabeth that Mary Queen of Scots must die, yet often counselled peace rather than war in the interests of prosperity.
With
Diarmaid MacCulloch Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford
Susan Doran Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford
and
John Guy Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
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| 0:12.8 | at BBC In Our Time. |
| 0:14.7 | I hope you enjoyed the programs. |
| 0:16.7 | Hello, William Cecil, 1520 to 1598, |
| 0:19.8 | was at the centre of power in the Tudor world for over 50 years, |
| 0:23.4 | from the death of Henry VIII to the advent of James I. |
| 0:27.2 | He advanced under the Boyking Edward VI, |
| 0:29.6 | survived under Mary and thrived under Elizabeth, |
| 0:32.4 | and the Protestant cause flourished with him. |
| 0:34.9 | He was Elizabeth's most trusted advisor, |
| 0:37.2 | yet he went behind her back to her Mary Queen of Scots executed, |
| 0:40.4 | and he both encouraged Elizabeth to marry and blocked her from marrying. |
| 0:44.3 | We'd meet to discuss the life in times of William Cecil, Lord Burley, |
| 0:47.6 | our German McCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church |
| 0:50.8 | at the University of Oxford, John Galli, |
| 0:53.5 | fellow of Clark College University of Cambridge, and Susan Doran, |
| 0:56.9 | Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford, |
| 1:00.0 | John Galli, how close was William Cecil to the centre of power when he was born? |
| 1:04.6 | He's born on the periphery of power. |
... |
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