Who Tells the Story?
In August 1999 Cornwall experienced a total eclipse of the sun on a cloudy day. Positioned along the south coast, BBC and other journalists reported the national disappointment. Locals and tourists on the north coast had a wonderful view, including perfect Baily’s Beads, but our story was not told.
From the start, I wanted my historical crime novels to include a wide range of perspectives, not just those at court. What was Tudor life like for surgeons, cleaners, militiamen, middle-ranking officials and spies? My debut Paying in Blood introduces Alexander Baxby, an ambitious young man from humble origins, submerged in late Elizabethan rivalry and espionage after vowing to discover the truth about a suspicious death. Proud to have served with the 2nd Earl of Essex at the Capture of Cadiz, Baxby is horrified to learn of his subsequent imprisonment in the Tower. How could Queen Elizabeth’s favourite, the “people’s hero”, fall from grace so quickly?
In addition to his popularity, Essex had established his own network of supporters and spies, a potential threat to Robert Cecil’s dominance. England had no civil service. Following in his father William’s footsteps, Robert used his wealth and position as Elizabeth’s chief minister to run economic, legal, foreign and security affairs through the system of patronage. Alongside, the Bishop of London Richard Bancroft wielded immense power too, acting on Archbishop Whitgift’s behalf, the Church’s religious monopoly being enshrined in the Acts of Supremacy and Conformity. Through its High Commission and deanery courts, a hierarchy of bishops, pursuivants and apparitors, enforced compulsory church attendance, policed morality and burnt heretics. Going against the orders of the aging Queen, Essex, Cecil and Bancroft all sent representatives to Scotland to discuss hand-over terms with King James. Essex did not live to manage the succession.
It is difficult to construct a coherent account of the “Essex Rebellion” in February 1601. Previously, the Queen had confined the Earl to York House on the Strand, for deserting his post in Ireland without her permission. She had also removed his sweet wine monopoly, an important source of his income. Possibly as a result of Cecil summoning him to Whitehall, Essex broke the terms of his sentence by leaving York House. A crowd gathered to “march on Whitehall”, “lead a popular uprising” or other purpose. They do not seem to have travelled far. The Earl of Northampton, Bancroft and Cecil are variously given credit for this failure. Essex was tried and beheaded for treason. In some accounts, his followers provoked Cecil by staging Shakespeare’s Richard II play, which was banned at the time due to contemporary parallels with the circumstances of Richard’s abdication. Others say Essex was influenced by what he saw when he entered the Queen’s privy chamber on his return. Some details remain elusive, such who Essex intended to put on the throne if he toppled Elizabeth, and whether he had stockpiled weapons for this purpose.
Given the Orwellian levels of surveillance and control, it would have been difficult for anyone to argue against Cecil and Bancroft. There were no journalists with microphones, or onlookers posting newsworthy video clips on social media. Bancroft could dictate sermons and associated prayers to be read in every parish. The Church controlled the print industry too, only licensing presses to print books and pamphlets from its approved list. There had been subversive ones before, infamously Martin Marprelate tracts which mocked the bishops’ hypocrisy. Their authors were executed on Bancroft’s orders. Unauthorised material could only be printed illegally or smuggled from the continent. Later, Whitgift, Bancroft and Cecil jointly reported that Elizabeth indicated for James to be her successor on her death bed, information no-one else could verify.
Whilst writing this article, it has been interesting to see how on-line searches have changed since Sharpe Books published Paying in Blood. The results list fewer articles by academic historians now. It proved harder to find the names of Essex’s key supporters. Most noticeably, search result pages are dominated by a summary compiled by the provider’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine. Even if one seeks other sources later, it is hard to ignore these given their prominence. Perhaps in the future, people will compare accounts from rival AI engines rather than statesmen, clerics and favourites at court. With providers not disclosing the algorithms and source material they use, will voices continue to be missed, such as those on the north coast of Cornwall who watched the entire solar eclipse?
Karen Haden is the author of Paying in Blood, published by Sharpe Books.
