“The Serpent Queen: ”France Is ‘Divided’ as Minnie Driver's Queen Elizabeth I Arrives in Season 2 Trailer (Exclusive)

Catherine De Medici, the Serpent Queen, will do whatever it takes to keep control in season 2 of the Starz series

The problems facing “The Serpent Queen'' of France, Catherine de Medici are looming large.

In the first trailer for season 2 of The Serpent Queen, which PEOPLE can exclusively premiere, France is falling into "political and religious turmoil" as Catherine (Samantha Morton) "struggles to maintain her power" — and two new arrivals threaten to shake things up.

"The country is divided with this so-called prophet," Catherine, the "Serpent Queen," says, referring to Edith (Isobel Jesper Jones), the "new mysterious prophet" who sparks tension across France as her loyal following vows to "challenge the current religious establishment," per the synopsis.

With the masses rallying behind Edith, Catherine's court "turns to their own schemes for selfish benefit," as the Guises "commit unholy acts while the Bourbons turn to a familiar sovereign, Queen Elizabeth I of England, in hopes of personal gain."

The arrival of Queen Elizabeth (Minnie Driver) increases tensions for the Serpent Queen, as war is looming — either with the Protestants or with the Catholics — and she declares, "We all must choose a side."

Related: This Is Why Queen Elizabeth I Died a Virgin at Age 69

In season 2 of the Starz series, Catherine "struggles to elevate her country and to ultimately realize that she can only succeed by sinking to the lows of some of the people around her," executive producer Justin Haythe tells PEOPLE ahead of the trailer's release.

"The original genesis of this entire idea was to take a real villain from history — and that's what Catherine de Medici has become — and to have her plead her case to us, to have her explain to us, 'This is why I did what I did. What would you have done?'"

Related: Minnie Driver Recalls 'Agony' of Breakup with Matt Damon in Public Eye After 'Good Will Hunting'

The decision to bring Queen Elizabeth into the fray was somewhat of a creative liberty, Haythe admits.

"In history, there's no substantiated meeting that actually took place, but nobody can prove that Queen Elizabeth didn't take a secret trip to Europe for a private peace conference with somebody like Catherine," he says. "They corresponded a lot in letters, which is a lot less interesting than having these two powerhouse women in the same room. And that's a big feature of the new season — I'm fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine of Medici because they, in a way, were two of the most powerful people in Europe at a time when women had no legal rights."

Driver, 54, is "a revelation" as the so-called Virgin Queen, Haythe praises.

"She's an agent of chaos," he says of Queen Elizabeth I. "Minnie walks that line perfectly, meaning that she is completely unexpected while giving us a version of the character we will recognize."

Haythe adds, "There's a recklessness and a danger to her version of Queen Elizabeth that is — it's frightening and it's hugely entertaining."

The Serpent Queen also stars Danny Kirranne, Ray Panthaki, Raza Jaffrey, Bill Milner, Angus Imrie and Emma McDonald.

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The Serpent Queen season 2 premieres July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

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