Elizabeth Stuart: Pawn, Avenger, Queen

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Well, now it's like some Hogan's Heroes-ish stuff is being added to this Disney-type movie. And, I've planted in my brain a reminder that there could be a trick involving the question of which Lord Salisbury is which that may help turn the tide - since nobody else knows Lord Salisbury survived.

This is an incredible ride so far.

 

[piratedude]

Tbh its hard to believe anyone that was inside Westminster would have survived, a ton of black powder going off is nothing to sneeze at. Lord Salisbury had to have been outside at the time of the explosion. Purhaps he was running late?

Otherwise this is great so far

 

[BigDestiny]

Tbh its hard to believe anyone that was inside Westminster would have survived, a ton of black powder going off is nothing to sneeze at. Lord Salisbury had to have been outside at the time of the explosion. Purhaps he was running late?

Oh yes. I've seen a reconstruction of the explosion. If Cecil had been in chambers when the bomb went off, he'd be chunky salsa. Fortunately he was indeed running late. Whether by design or luck is not yet determined.

 

[Jammy]

This is good - enjoying this alot.

I like that Cecil has survived.

 

[piratedude]

You know I just realized that theoretically, Queen Bess 1&2 can personally act as judge in the trials of the plotters, since the case that established that the crown couldn't didn't happen on account of james 6&1 being turned into mincemeat.

She probably shouldn't unless she's a child prodigy like her namesake and can demonstrate she is knowledgeable in law, and even then it might be bad form

 

[BigDestiny]

Chapter Ten: February 1611

There was an Irish delegation in London. Meant to discuss an end to hostilities, they were also a valuable resource for the Queen's party.

Elizabeth asked for a priest and a disguise for her so she could slip into the Tower with the appearance of a nun. It seemed the least likely pair to be hindered, and if things got bad she would need a Catholic priest.

There was always the possibility that Catesby had ordered Raleigh's execution. Or tortured him. But it seemed particularly ominous when they finally encountered guards loyal to the council, and they laughed at the two. "Raleigh probably could use a priest rite now."

This urged Elizabeth on at a greater speed.

It didn't take long to find the right cell with her loyal guards guiding her. But what she found wasn't good.

Raleigh lay on the floor of his cell, a pool of blood beneath him. Elizabeth opened the cell and hurried to him. "Sir Walter!"

"Majesty," he gasped weakly. "You shouldn't have come."

"I'll not leave you here." Elizabeth checked for wounds, finding a knife puncture in his stomach.

"It's too late," Raleigh insisted. "Belly wound. Catesby wants me to go slowly."

Elizabeth nodded, determined. "Of course he does. That'll give us room to maneuver. Father, help me bind his wound."

The priest moved forward, seeking to assist. But Raleigh had been there too long and he was slipping away. "I don't know what I can do," the priest admitted.

"No. Please." Elizabeth tried not to weep but the idea of going on without Raleigh was terrifying. "Hold on. I have excellent doctors back at the Palace. Help me get him up, priest."

Raleigh gasped as he was shifted, and he shook his head. "Father, your time would be better spent in prayer for me."

"Ma'am, I think he's right," the priest admitted.

"No...." But she objected no further and the priest began to pray.

"I fear I don't know your rites, sir," the priest told Raleigh.

"Any prayers are better than none," Raleigh replied.

"I can't do this without you," Elizabeth insisted.

"You'll be fine on your own," Raleigh told her. "I have been too lax in my aid to you. Without me, you'll put your plans into place and free your people."

"I will. I promise."

* * *

Elizabeth came back to her chambers to find Frederick there waiting for her. "Raleigh?" he asked.

"He's dead." The tears began to flow finally.

Frederick wrapped his arms around her. He hadn't ever done that before. Her being Queen hadn't made that quite proper, even for an electoral prince. But she didn't seem to mind.

He thought he'd try to protect her, even though he doubted she'd take him up on it. "I can get us to the Palantine in time to get us to a real Sunday service."

But Elizabeth shook her head, bracing herself to be Queen again. "I can't leave my kingdom. I can't let that man win."

"He'll try to marry you again," Frederick suggested. "Now that Raleigh can't protect you."

The Queen nodded. "That's why I needed an Irish priest. A protestant minister wouldn't matter to Catesby."

Frederick was puzzled. "I don't understand."

There were tears in her eyes, but her smile was warm and genuine. "Marry me."

"What?"

"Wasn't that why you were here? Why not now?"

Frederick blushed. "It was. And it might give Garnet pause. But it won't stop Catesby long."

"I don't need long," Elizabeth told him. "And we can be married properly at our leisure. But for now I hope you'll want to help me with this."

Frederick grinned; what else could he say? "I do."

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

So, Frederick is still ostensibly in hiding, and he is going to wind up married to the queen, so when Catesby finds out she is already married, he will have to try to figure out to who, and... Oh, this is going to be fun. I will be quite busy for a bit and may not reply if I do have time to read but this is indeed a very fun story.

 

[BigDestiny]

Chapter Eleven: St. Valentine's Day 1611

When Catesby entered the Queen's chambers next, he grabbed the wine out of her hand, swallowed it in one gulp and threw the glass against the wall.

"Will that do? Or shall I get two more glasses?" She asked coldly, with a gesture to Fawkes and Garnet who had entered with him.

Catesby sneered. "No games, girl. I know Raleigh was working for you to undermine my authority."

"You have no authority except what I let you believe I'd given you."

"We should kill you," Fawkes snapped. "Try again with one of your namesake's cousins."

"We won't though," Catesby countered. "You have no power. Not now that I'm Prime Minister again and your protector is dead. Yes. I killed Raleigh myself."

The Queen set her jaw. "Yes. I was there when he did die."

"Really?" Catesby was a little surprised but calm. "When I'm your husband I'll have to keep you on a short leash."

"I will never marry you," Elizabeth declared.

"Oh but you will. You have no choice now."

"No, it's too late for that." Frederick stepped out from behind the Queen's screen with the Irish priest Elizabeth had brought with her to the Tower. "The Queen is my wife now."

Fawkes laughed at her. "You married this peasant?"

"Right," Frederick mused. "We've never been introduced. I'm Frederick, the Electoral Prince of the Palantine."

The cabinet members were astonished and none spoke at first. At length Garnet turned to the priest. "A Calvinist?"

The priest shook his head. "Irish Catholic, my lord."

"It was legal then?" the shocked archbishop asked.

"According to our traditions, yes."

Frederick nodded. "That may not matter to them, but it counts to you, doesn't it."

"Why?" Garnet asked.

"Your cohorts would see the Irish pushed out of our own lands," the priest told him. "The Queen promised us the Pope could have total spiritual authority over us, as long as we gave her all temporal authority."

Garnet sagged. "I see."

"You can't possibly accept this," Fawkes shouted.

"There are ways around that," Catesby insisted. "We have control of the officers of most of the army. She can't compete with that."

"Can't I? You've spread your forces thin battling the Calvinists. I've sent more of them out since then. I wasn't sure I had enough yet here in the metropolis but it turns out there were more than enough to arrest your co conspirators at the Tower."

The three ministers looked at each other in shock. Catesby closed on the Queen and Frederick drew his sword.

But Catesby never reached her.

Catesby fell, suddenly struggling to breathe. Then his body started trembling with seizures. The Queen just stared down at him, camly. "I've been meaning to do something about you snatching my wine without so much as a by your leave."

Fawkes had no idea what was going on; at this point witchcraft wasn't unbelievable. "What have you done?"

"Something they use on vermin," she told him. "My apothecary assures me it's very painful. The least I could do for the man that oversaw the death of my father." But maybe too quick because Catesby was dead.

Fawkes drew his own sword, calling out, "Guards! The Prime Minister has been slain!"

The guards came, but to Fawkes' surprise, they surrounded and disarmed him. "Orders, your Majesty?"

"Have him drawn and quartered. Now."

Fawkes was dragged out, shouting in impotent fury. Elizabeth didn't even glance at him as she closed in on Garnet. There were still several guards in the room and the archbishop realized how much danger he was in. "Your Majesty, I--"

"Enough! I'm not going to kill you."

Garnet knelt at her feet. "Thank you, my dear sweet child."

"Get out of here," she demanded. "Go to Rome and tell him of the deal I've made with my Catholic subjects. There will be no more wars of religion here. The days of men killing for God in Britain is over."

"Yes ma'am."

Elizabeth turned to the remaining guards. "I want him on a boat out of England by nightfall. Kill anyone he stops to speak to." She turned to Frederick, sheepishly realizing she never even told him her plans on religion let alone asked her new husband.

But as Garnet was hustled out and Catesby's body was taken away (previously arranged to join Fawkes'), Frederick looked quite content to have such a powerful wife. "Freedom for all. I like it."

"Thank you."

The priest was dismissed, encountering Cecil on his way in. "I see things went as you wished," he noted.

"Catesby went faster than I'd have liked," she admitted. "But it was more practical."

"Funnier too," Frederick suggested. The newlyweds shared a smile."

"Shall I send for a real minister to marry you two?" Cecil suggested.

The teens shared another glance, the Prince again deferring to the Queen. "Not yet," Elizabeth ordered. "Catesby was right about his support in the army. We need to wait for the response to our messages. The Scots, Irish, and Welsh marching to the center." She quickly drew out the situation, looking exactly like the triangle graffiti around the country.

"I was wondering about that symbol," Frederick admitted.

"We will be ready," Cecil told her. "I would beg though that I won't have to wait as long as my father."

Elizabeth and Frederick looked at each other again. And though she did not answer him, Cecil knew he wouldn't wait long.

 

[AntoniousTheBro]

holy shit gods righteous fury came down on those arseholes. good riddance i say and nice too see a deal stuck between the queen and catholic subjects i can see this helping them in the long run with at least minimised hatred between the parties. maybe we can get rid of the marriage laws and even better allow Catholics to take the throne it would save Britain a lot of wars fought "cough" Jacobite rebellion "cough"

 

[piratedude]

allow Catholics to take the throne

Unlikely so long as The Crown remains the head/govenor of The Church of England. Not to mention that no one in the isles is going to want Catholics in charge again for a long while.

 

[piratedude]

It sounds like this is an opportunity to make a lot of deals with the various constituent parts of the kingdom to really secure the peace. It'll be interesting to see what happens next

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Glad this got up this weekend; as one of my high school friends used to say, "good riddance to bad rubbish." Frederick is right - Catesby's death was funnier. (I wonder if she got the idea from Hamlet." )

Am I the only one who pictured Garnet stumbling over his feet trying to get out of there once he was dismissed?

To continue the above cartoony motif, I thought the order for Fawkes might be "put to the rack, burned aat the stake, and beheaded."

Will kids 40 years from now remember memes like those my age recall Loony Tunes lines?

Just checked Wikipedia - is this the Winter King? If so, things will get interesting as the butterflies start to hit Europe near the end of the decade.

I wonder if Elizabeth keeps the name Stuart in honor of her father, or does the name have to be changed to Palatine-Simmern, or maybe just Simmern for short since they're not int he Palatine.

 

[piratedude]

Just checked Wikipedia - is this the Winter King? If so, things will get interesting as the butterflies start to hit Europe near the end of the decade.

He is

I wonder if Elizabeth keeps the name Stuart in honor of her father, or does the name have to be changed to Palatine-Simmern, or maybe just Simmern for short since they're not int he Palatine.

Most likely she takes freddy's name. Not that surnames matter much to royals, i don't think any of the Hanoverians had the same surname.

 

[BigDestiny]

Chapter Twelve: May 1611

The arrival of the Queen's armies resulted in a pause among the rebel groups. There was a reorganization and then fighting began in earnest.

The Catholics however had surrendered when they received an unexpected response from the Pope. To everyone's surprise, he accepted Elizabeth's compromise, asking only that she not punish innocent Catholics for the actions of a few.

This compromise however, had led to a rejuvenation of the Puritan cause as the idea of sharing Britain with less strict Christian denominations was unacceptable to them. It seemed beating them was the only possible solution.

They had been joined by an unexpected group, who professed loyalty to the Commons. They had seen the set up of the Parliaments in Scotland Ireland and Wales, which had surrendered control over issues affecting all the kingdoms to the monarch, including a permanent income that would prevent government paralysis in case of another cataclysm.

The Parliamentarians feared that a similar arrangement in England would deprive Parliament of its previous powers and fought in its name. Even though Parliament had been prorogued since the cataclysm and at last look a full third of the Lords had a Regent and a bedtime.

Many Parliamentarians however, were not good enough for the Puritans, so the Royalists were able to divide and conquer. Ultimately the rebels were defeated but it left the question of what to do with them.

Frederick entered Elizabeth's dressing room to find her looking anxious. "Why the long face, my beautiful wife?"

"I am not looking forward to passing judgement today," she admitted. "We wouldn't be free if we hadn't taken advantage of the Puritan rising. I feel like I owe them, but how can I let them go on and destabilize the realms?"

Frederick nodded, but he wasn't their sovereign so he had a better vantage point. "I suppose this is one of the times you should avoid what's right for you and do what's best for your kingdoms."

That simplified things a great deal. She nodded and they left for Westminster. They entered Westminster hall and the Queen took her throne. The Parliamentarians had already been sentenced so it only remained for her to pronounce sentence on Puritanism itself.

"We have given this matter a great deal of thought," she announced. Elizabeth turned to the leaders who had been brought here. "Although I personally would wish to show mercy, as Queen I know that there will be peace in these realms only if all are willing to live together. I ask one last time if you will do that."

"We bear no ill will to your Majesty," one of the leaders told her. "But we are answerable to God. If we are not welcome here, allow us to leave for the continent."

The Queen shook her head. "I cannot export this trouble to our neighbors and allies. While you say you bear no ill will, you did take up arms against my rule. Those of you who led the uprising will die by simple beheading."

Cecil, who was now Duke of London and the new Prime Minister, leaned in unintrusively. "Ma'am, the usual punishment for common treason-"

"I know," she calmly interrupted. "But I'm satisfied with this."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Puritan leaders were unhappy, but silent as she turned back to them. "The remainder of your people will be sent to America to settle some distance from the colonies we already have. Hopefully they will cause no trouble and I won't have to deal with them more harshly."

The men accepted their fate and were calmly led out. Elizabeth addressed the crowd. "My peoples. These islands are now at peace once more. It is our wish that we attend a ceremony of thanksgiving in London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Caernarfon. At which time my marriage will be formalized in the various faiths and the Electoral Prince will take his place not as King, but as Prince Consort."

This had already been decided in Cabinet, so there was little reaction. Cecil called out to the crowd, "God save the Queen. God save the Prince Consort."

The crowd loyally repeated it, to the delight of those prayed for. They were unaware how much they would need that help during what would be the longest trip taken by a British monarch in several generations. Especially when it was discovered that the Queen was pregnant, before the various marriage ceremonies had been completed.

 

[piratedude]

I know she's rather young, but keep in mind that at least in public/court the Queen ought to be using the majestic plural rather than singular

 

[BigDestiny]

I know she's rather young, but keep in mind that at least in public/court the Queen ought to be using the majestic plural rather than singular

They didn't really have court before this so there's a bit of a learning curve. She did use the majestic plural a few times, though. I liked how the mix highlighted her mixed feelings.

 

[BigDestiny]

Chapter Thirteen: December 1611

The Queen's pregnancy, while embarrassing, was something that they could conceal until after the ceremonies in the capitals.

Coming back to London and practical matters was far more difficult. While the heart of the Commons was not wiped out like the Lords had been, years of war had reduced the number of upstanding men available to stand.

The result was a Parliament of fresh faces and precious little experience. Which caused no end of debate as few could keep a diplomatic head and they ended up taking forever to build a consensus.

The biggest issue of the day was the fact that apparently colder days were causing crop failures. Which led to higher prices. No one could agree on what to do, of course. Bills to stabilize pricing were strongly objected to, by those representing England's farmlands. Subsidies were blocked by the Lords on the grounds that they couldn't afford it in the long term.

They needed more food, but no one knew how to make that happen.

Elizabeth fiddled with a map while Cecil read out another report on how the rationing of the harvest was going. She had half an idea but no idea if it could work. "Cecil, how warm is it in the Americas?"

The Prime Minister's brow crinkled. "I'm not sure ma'am. I can find out, though. What are you looking for?"

"We need more grain," she reiterated. "If there's less coming in per acre, maybe we need more acres."

Cecil considered that. "The biggest problem will be having enough men to tend larger fields. But if it's warmer that might not be a problem."

But just when they might have a solution to that problem, fate brought them another. Sir John Churchill requested an audience and he had bad news. "Your Majesty. We've received word from the Palatinate. I fear the Prince Consort's father has died."

Elizabeth gasped. While Frederick hadn't seen his father in years, the Prince valued their relationship greatly. "This will be a great shock to him. Cecil, if you could-"

"Of course, ma'am. I'll have the information you asked for when you're ready to resume."

* * *

Frederick was crushed by the news, but he was even more upset by the timing. "It's the middle of winter. What if I go out there and can't get back for the baby?"

"We'll manage. I knew when I married you that things would get complicated when this happened."

"We never thought it would be so soon," he replied hotly.

Elizabeth thought that given her father-in-law's lifestyle, that she had believed that. But her husband was too angry to hear that. "I wish I could go with you."

Frederick sighed, anger suddenly gone. "Now that really isn't possible. Such a journey is tiring enough for an expectant mother in summer."

"Well do what you have to," she assured him. "If I need to, I'll just stall the baby."

The unexpected remark made Frederick laugh, a little frantically. "If anyone could it would be you."

Elizabeth left him to prepare. And thought herself that this would be another lonely Christmas. Or would it? She'd won over adversity before. If anyone could do it, it would be her.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

I don't know how practical getting grain from America would be but that is the sort of thing that a monarch should come up with when they are that young and just trying out ideas, it is good that she is not going to think only in terms of what they have seen his practical so far but is willing to think outside the box. Even if it becomes impractical it shows that she has tried.

 

[piratedude]

Its a bit early for grain production in Britain's american colonies to be at a level that they could support the mother country as well as themselves, not that they have many yet. I think they only have Newfoundland, Virginia, Bermuda, and a small island south of modern Massachusetts. And of course just in the last post she gave leave for the puritans to set up another colony who knows where.

 

[BigDestiny]

Chapter Fourteen: January 1612

My dearest husband,

I hope your New Year has been pleasant. Things are well here. The plan to grow grain abroad and bring it here has, alas, come to nothing. But although prices are still high, the people are not starving.

I missed seeing you at the end of the old year. The baby has grown quite a bit, and the extra weight makes me rather tired with all the work I do. Still I am managing.

Your loving wife,
Elizabeth



My beloved wife and queen,

I am so glad to have gotten your letter. Everyone is so tense, and the Palatinate an armed camp (or rather several armed camps). I am delighted to be reminded of peace and prosperity and home.

Here we are surrounded by trouble. The United Duchies and Netherlands truces will expire at any moment. The upcoming Emperor is even more closed minded than the current one. And I had forgotten how disjointed our domains here are. Makes one miss the security of an island.

I have meetings with the members of the Protestant Union next week. If we can agree to a defense plan, I should be free to return after that.

Until then,
Your besotted husband
Frederick



Dearest Frederick,

I was very alarmed to hear about the tense situation in the Palatinate. I had Lord Cecil brief me on the situation and I think I would sleep more soundly if you controlled the territory in between. If it would help, we have some land here vacated by the Cataclysm. Perhaps some of your neighbors would be willing to trade their German territories for ones here in 'peace and prosperity'. Please let me know if I can be of any use.

Your devoted wife,
Elizabeth