The Duke of Anjou's disastrous attempt to seize Antwerp — the so-called 'French Fury' — doomed his prospects as lord of the Netherlands, broke Elizabeth's engagement to him, and blunted her strategy to use him against Spain.

41:48are essentially the heartlands of the Protestant resistance. And they just do not want a Catholic prince, right? >> Even if he comes with Elizabeth's seal of approval. And meanwhile, Onju, he doesn't really just want to be a lord. He wants to be the king of the Netherlands. And so he's becoming increasingly annoyed by all the restrictions that have been placed on him by the Dutch rebels. And in January

42:121583, he launches an attempted coup in Antworp, which is the great economic ideological powerhouse of the Low Countries. It's by far the richest city in Europe, quite possibly the world. It's as large as Paris. It's much larger than London. It's the great marketplace of this emerging global economy. And so if Oju can seize control of Antworp, then he will have a lot of cash behind him. and perhaps he he really can set

42:41about making himself king rather than just lord of the low countries. Unfortunately for him, it goes horribly wrong. His militia are wiped out in what becomes known as the French fury. And as a result of that defeat, his prospects in the low countries are doomed and by June he has left for France and he never returns. And he goes back to mommy, Katherine Demeditry, very formidable figure, and she is completely withering.

43:06And she says to him, [laughter] "Would to God you had died young. You would not then have been the cause of death of so many brave gentlemen." >> Wow, that's harsh. >> So any mothers out there wanting parenting tips for uh sons who let who let them down, >> listen and learn. And Elizabeth also reacts very harshly. She breaks off the engagement. So that attempt to secure

43:28the defeat of the Spanish in the low countries is blocked. Is, you know, he's not going to um establish his rule there. And all the while she's been maneuvering to get onu uh in place in uh in the Netherlands, her Catholic enemies likewise have been on maneuvers. And even as Elizabeth and the eyes of her privy council and government are fixed on the low countries, a new conspiracy

43:51is brewing in France. And it's a new conspiracy, but it is a conspiracy with goals that will be very familiar to people who've been listening to our early episode. These goals are a Catholic invasion of England, the toppling of Elizabeth, the replacement of Elizabeth as Queen by Mary Stewart. And as Burley's head of intelligence in London puts it, writing to Lord Burley as the first kind of