Starz has released the first trailer for Becoming Elizabeth, an upcoming historical drama series that will explore the life of Queen Elizabeth I before she rose to the throne. By putting the youth of Elizabeth in the spotlight, the new series intends to reveal unknown stories of the Tudor era, showing how an orphanage teenager became the most influential person in all of England.

The trailer introduces us to Alicia von Rittberg as the young Elizabeth Tudor. In the middle of a fateful night, Elizabeth’s sister, Mary (Romola Garai), wakes the young girl, rushing her to leave the castle immediately. The turmoil is caused by King Henry VIII’s death, which leads to the precocious coronation of nine-year-old son Edward (Oliver Zetterström), the rightful male heir to the throne.

Edward is clearly too young to lead a country, so different noble families try to manipulate the boy to ensure his ruling happens in their favor. The power dispute also drags Mary and Elizabeth into the political game, as arranged marriages are set for them to keep the Tudor lineage alive and the whole country united. However, Elizabeth is unwilling to just bow down and obey, as she starts to play her own game in the Tudor court. The series promises to chronicle the disputes happening after the king’s death, eventually leading to Elizabeth becoming Queen.

Becoming Elizabeth also stars Jessica Raine (The Informer, Patrick Melrose) as King Henry’s widow, Catherine Parr; Tom Cullen (Weekend, Black Mirror) as Thomas Seymour, who quickly marries Catherine while setting his gaze over Elizabeth; and John Heffernan (The Pursuit of Love, The Crown) as the Duke of Somerset, who takes the position of Lord Protector as soon as the old King dies.

Other cast members include Jamie Blackley (Greed, The Last Kingdom), Alexandra Gilbreath (Tulip Fever), Jamie Parker (1917), Leo Bill (Rare Beasts, In Fabric), Oliver Zetterström (The Midnight Gang, The Romanoffs), Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us), Ekow Quartey (This Way Up), Alex Macqueen (Sally4Ever, Peaky Blinders), and Olivier Huband (I Hate Suzie, A Discovery of Witches).

Becoming Elizabeth is written and executive produced by creator Anya Reiss. Other executive producers include The Forge’s George Ormond (National Treasure, Great Expectations) and George Faber (Shameless, The White Queen) with Lisa Osborne (Little Dorrit, Man in an Orange Shirt) producing.

Becoming Elizabeth premieres on Starz on June 12. Check out the new trailer below.

Here’s the official synopsis for Becoming Elizabeth:

Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor, played by Alicia von Rittberg (Fury, “Charité,” “Genius”), was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court. The death of King Henry VIII sees his nine-year-old son Edward, played by Oliver Zetterström (The Midnight Gang, “The Romanoffs”), take the throne and sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power when Elizabeth, Edward and their sister Mary, played by Romola Garai (“The Hour,” “The Miniaturist”) find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England and the powers of Europe who vie for control of the country.

via Collider