Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: The Shadow War (Part 5)
The Rest Is History

Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: The Shadow War (Part 5)

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 9, 20261 hr 1 min
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Who was the charismatic Sir Philip Sidney, a beloved but also suspect courtier to Elizabeth I? Why, in 1585, was England in such danger from a Spanish invasion? And, would Sydney, with his friend Sir Francis Drake, help to save their beloved queen? Join Tom and Dominic as they plunge into the high point of the Tudor Cold War: with Philip II brooding on war in Spain, Holland ablaze, and religious tension gripping Europe, what would Elizabeth I do? *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian A...

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Sentence 9 of 12 · 0:48

So the Emperor of Abyssinia annoyed about this has kidnapped a number of British

. .

and it is no exaggeration to say it is massive.

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 26%A2 35%B1 23%B2 14%C1 2%
  • 84% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 161 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
  • 351 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

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0:00

Hello everyone and before today's show I have incredibly exciting news for you about a live show. On Friday the 4th of September Dominic and I will be at the Southbank to do something that we have not done before. So you will be the first people to hear it. We are telling the story of what is the ultimate Victorian adventure.

0:28

The date is 1868. The location is Abyssinia and the Emperor of Abyssinia has been writing letters to Queen Victoria who rather rudely has not replied to them. So the Emperor of Abyssinia annoyed about this has kidnapped a number of British

0:48

subjects in response. Britain sends an expedition to rescue the captives. and it is no exaggeration to say it is massive. On this expedition, 13,000 soldiers, 40,000 animals, including 44 elephants, and the British even put down a railway line to transport everything.

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