OTD 1553. Death of King Edward VI at the age of 15 at Greewich Palace. A strict and even bigoted Protestant, Edward's "Devise" to alter the succession, bypassing both his half sisters in favour of Lady Jane Grey was to prove unsuccesful 👑🪓
Despite the looming tragedy, comes this scene.
The sisters’ faces says it all. 😌
Alicia von Rittberg (as Princess Elizabeth Tudor)
Romola Garai (as Princess Mary Tudor)
Oliver Zetterström (as King Edward VI)
From the season finale, “To Death We Must Stoop”
BECOMING ELIZABETH (2022)
[+] ..more on QUEEN ELIZABETH I 👑
[+] ..more BIOPICS 🎥
- Thomas Seymour harassing Elizabeth is disturbing to watch (rightly so!) but she is portrayed as a way too responsive to his advances. I really don’t understand this show Elizabeth’s attraction to him, he is revolting. I want to slap her and the showrunners.
- Catherine Parr is even more unlikable than in the previous episode (and a bit crazy?), I don’t buy her “love” and “kindness” for Elizabeth. She and Elizabeth still come across as two strangers.
- Does the show suggest that being ambitious is evil?
- I don’t understand how Elizabeth being under their roof would help Seymour and Catherine? It’s not like she was of huge importance then.
- Mary’s offer to Elizabeth to come to live with her is Leti’s fiction but in this show’s verse it would make sense to go to live with her. Also, there’s no evidence of Mary asking Elizabeth to be her advocate before Edward.
- Romola Garai as Mary is spot on; love her scenes with Elizabeth and Edward; Elizabeth having empathy for Mary and trying to comfort her – awww.
- Oliver Zetterström as Edward is really good too. Both Mary and Edward seem in character and seem to be the only ones who have religious thinking on this show. Common, their contemporaries would not call them fanatics!
- Thomas and Catherine having sex three steps away from their underage wards – really, what the hell?
- Love seeing Robert Dudley and their friendly banter with Elizabeth.
- “I have right to make reckless, selfish, foolish decisions?” Mmm, I get the idea, but it’s kind a dumb line; decisions yes, but why would one want to be reckless, foolish and selfish? Imo, Elizabeth would not have said that. And if this means that having sex with Seymour is some empowerment for her I’M NOT OKAY WITH SUCH A PORTRAYAL. Elizabeth would have been very well aware of the importance of her virginity, they make her look very stupid.
- Now we know what Reiss’s phrase about “hormone fuelled decisions” means. Too bad that’s little to do with history.
Saw all of Becoming Elizabeth, the Channel 4 drama about the early days of Elizabeth Tudor as she was growing up during Edward's reign. It was interesting to see how the rivalry played out between the 3 siblings, Mary, Edward and Elizabeth and all the politics of the court. Also Bella Ramsey popped up playing Lady Jane Grey. It also went into how Elizabeth had been groomed/abused by Thomas Seymour who was married to her stepmother, Catherine Parr (Elizabeth was living with them at the time). Thomas ended up being excecuted for treason after he tried to stage a coup to put Elizabeth on the throne.
I think there's probably a whole article to be written about why the Tudors hold us a fascination for us and continue to be revisited in film/TV etc. over the years.
Also I read the show was cancelled after only one series which seems a real shame. And I'm going to say Oliver Zetterström who played King Edward VI is a name to watch out for.
Alicia von Rittberg - Elizabeth Tudor / Romola Garai - Mary Tudor / Oliver Zetterström - Edward Tudor / Jamie Blackley - Robert Dudley / Jamie Parker - John Dudley / Jessica Raine - Catherine Parr / Alexandra Gilbreath - Kat Ashley / John Heffernan - Edward Somerset / Ekow Quartey - Pedro
[Historical fiction novel set sometime in the Middle-ages/Renaissance. In order to have more creative freedom, I've decided to create fictional kingdoms but, since I have thought of no names yet, I'll use the names of the places they're inspired by when describing the characters. For now, at least. It will be updated when I've come up with decent names]
Families => Main characters
Rúadhán & Cecilia. They live on Celtic-like island (think of a remote Greek Island but settled by Celts) with their four children Órla, Mairéad, Clarice and Giuliano. Cecilia was an "Italian" noblewoman of the House of Contarini—that's probably a placeholder name, but I really like it and the Contarini family were an actual Venetian noble family—who gave up everything she had (or was disowned, I still have to decide on that) to marry Rúadhán (he is a merchant and traveled a lot, that's how they met).
Fancasts:
Rúadhán=> Engin Öztürk
Cecilia=> Selma Ergeç
Órla=> Şeyma Burcu Gül
Mairéad=> Isolda Dychauk
Elena=> Synnøve Karlsen
Giuliano=> Ruairi O'Connor
Royal Family (the country is supposed to be akin to Tudor England)
I don't have a name for the king and queen (might as well end up being emperor/empress) yet, I only know he married three times and two of his wives executed.
Children from his first marriage (from left to right): Princess Elizabeth, Princess Alexandra, Princess Mary
Fancasts:
King=> Anthony Head
Queen=> Hülya Avşar
Princess Elizabeth=> Gaia Weiss
Princess Alexandra=> Gözde Türker
Princess Mary=> Holliday Grainger
King's second wife and son, Prince Arthur.
Queen #2=> Vildan Atasever
Prince Arthur=> Max Irons
Third marriage to Queen Jane and son Henry.
Queen Jane=> Annabelle Wallis
Prince (later King) Henry=> Oliver Zetterström
-
Lady Catherine, the King's illegitimate daughter, her mother is unknown.
Fancast=> Astrid Berges-Frisbey
House of Venier (family crest=> eagle)
I don't know about titles. Italian nobility (they're Italian) used 'Messer' and 'Madonna' so I guess I might keep them. They're nobles, so why not.
Messer Piero and Madonna Maddalena and their children Leonardo/Lorenzo(?), Laura and Lucrezia. Lorenzo (placeholder name for now, but I think it will stick) serves as Ambassador and ends up marrying Elena/Helena
Fancasts:
Piero=> Dustin Hoffman
Maddalena=> Tülin Özen
Leonardo/Lorenzo=> Daniel Sharman
Laura=> Gonca Sariyildiz
Lucrezia=> Merve Boluğur
Matilda Lutz as Lisa (I still have to pick a name)=> Leonardo/Lorenzo's twin sister.
Both countries (both the "Italian" and the "English" one might have "Ottoman" influences as a result of an alliance)
Main couples:
Also, these two up above are basically a more historical version of Elenwë from my LOTR/Silmarillion fic "The Lady of Ithilien"
These are the main characters, this post will be updated periodically as I come up with new ones!
KING HENRY’S CHILDREN, IN ONE ROOM
After all that’s happened.. it’s quite a special scene.
Alicia von Rittberg (as Princess Elizabeth Tudor)
Romola Garai (as Princess Mary Tudor)
Oliver Zetterström (as King Edward VI)
Scene from the episode, “What Cannot Be Cured”
BECOMING ELIZABETH (2022)
[+] ..more on QUEEN ELIZABETH I 👑
[+] ..more BIOPICS 🎥