This Sceptred Isle, Vol. 4: Elizabeth I to Cromwell 1547-1660

The award-winning story of Britain, from the arrival of Julius Caesar in 55BC to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, specially written for BBC Radio 4 by Christopher Lee, narrated by Anna Massey and featuring extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples read by Paul Eddington and Peter Jeffrey.It was in the reign of Elizabeth I that England became a Protestant nation. Her reign saw the flowering of the Renaissance in England, the growth of trading, slaving and piracy as well as the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots.Elizabeth united England as never before but it was her successor, James VI of Scotland who became the first ruler of Great Britain as it was called for the first time.Jame's son, Charles I, decided he could rule without benefit of Parliament; and then religion, Scotland and Ireland began to lead towards bitter Civil War which would bring the irresistible rise of Oliver Cromwell and eventually end with the removal not just of the King but of the monarchy itself.