Synopsis

To counter the perceived danger posed by Catholics, Elizabeth considered marriage with the Duke of Anjou. Walsingham uncovered evidence of a plotted assassination against her, and upon discovering a knife in her bedchamber, Elizabeth dismissed the Duke and ordered the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots. The subsequent guilty verdict compelled her to authorize Mary’s execution, an act that provoked Spain into dispatching its Armada against England. Yet, the English prevailed in the ensuing naval confl