# How Persia Influenced Elizabeth I

An episode of [Not Just the Tudors](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1564113869), 26 Oct 2026, 47 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/not-just-the-tudors/e/6ad1f43d3243d006bb378283/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=7iFt3dWB_lU-tkJ4OLyzuIQt0WFQ4Y90bVB7Q70-XWg

Could an ancient Persian drama have stopped Mary, Queen of Scots from being executed? When Queen Elizabeth I faced an agonising dilemma over her captive cousin, a performance about Cyrus the Great offered her a provocative lesson: executing an anointed monarch risked shattering divine protection, while mercy signalled ultimate power. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ebrahim Joseph whose groundbreaking research shows how early modern England turned to Persian history to navigate existential political threats, foreign policy, and the dangerous limits of crown authority. MORE When Europe met Islam Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Elizabethans and Islam Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™ Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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