1603

1603 was the final year of the Elizabethan era, the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Ireland and Wales. (PROSE: A History of Humankind ^[+]Loading...["A History of Humankind (novel)"])

In February, Elizabeth was in residence at Windsor Castle. She had a final consultation with John Dee, who told her she was certain to die, but the throne was secure in James' Protestant hands. He also foresaw there would one day be another queen in her familial line who would "rule over the greatest Empire this world has ever known". The Seventh Doctor was hidden in the room during this final consultation. The meeting with Dee ended with the monarch sending Dee on a fool's errand to seek the Doctor at William Shakespeare's quarters in Stratford — a bit of subterfuge that was Elizabeth's repayment for the Doctor's help at her coronation in 1588. (PROSE: Birthright ^[+]Loading...["Birthright (novel)"])

At some point after this, William Lethbridge-Stewart travelled to London with James VI of Scotland in preparation for the latter's coronation as James I of the United Kingdom. Their arrival at London was triumphant, marked by what the Eighth Doctor called "a glorious parade, a magnificent spectacle." (PROSE: The Dying Days ^[+]Loading...["The Dying Days (novel)"])

Also during this year, Francis Pearson wrote The Adventures of Macbeth's Head. (PROSE: Managra ^[+]Loading...["Managra (novel)"])

Sometime in this year, a school was opened in England. The Doctor came to the school in this year and learned of a secret room hidden in the school's chapel. (COMIC: Fear Buds ^[+]Loading...["Fear Buds (comic story)"])