The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1939

This love story began long before that day in 1596 when Robert Deveraux, Earl of Essex, triumphantly entered the gates of Whitehall Palace following his victory over Spain. The entire court was abuzz with talk that the young earl was on the verge of becoming King of England, for his love affair with the queen was destined for a magnificent climax. The queen, however, gave the victor a cold reception, and accusations rained down on him like a cornucopia: there was wastefulness, and the sinking of the Spanish Armada, along with which tons of gold—which England, ravaged by war, so desperately lacked—had gone down with the ship. In the end, instead of a reward for his exploits, the hero received nothing but a slap in the face from Elizabeth herself. Consumed by resentment and bitterness, he withdrew to his ancestral estate near London. Days passed. The queen, realizing her mistake, sought a reason to bring her offended lover back to the palace, and a reason was found—the war with Ireland...