Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603)

The second daughter of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I proved to be one of England’s most popular and successful monarchs. Her reign saw England expand its influence in Europe and the Americas, while the Elizabethan era brought about a renaissance in English culture.

Born on 7th September, 1533, Elizabeth was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. But at the age of two Elizabeth’s father, the King had her mother executed for treason and Elizabeth was deemed illegitimate. Along with her elder sister Mary, from Henry’s first marriage, Elizabeth’s was estranged from her father. When Henry VIII’s only son and heir to the throne Edward IV died at the age of fifteen, Mary became Queen, following a coupe against the ill fated Lady Jane Grey. When Mary rode triumphantly into London, Elizabeth rode at her side. But the relationship between the two half sisters was soon to turn sour.

Mary was a Catholic and Elizabeth was a Protestant. To marry Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, divorced Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon and in doing so split from Rome and established the Protestant Church of England. This deeply divided England, leading to decades of religious persecution on both sides.

With Mary as Queen, the Catholics were in power, but after a revolt by Protestant nobles opposed to Mary’s marriage to the Catholic King of Spain, Phillip, Mary feared an attempt to put Elizabeth on the throne. Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London and there were even calls for her execution.

But when Mary died, Elizabeth was installed on the throne and the balance of power swung back to the Protestants. The Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity again established the Church of England and separated England from Rome and it was the Catholics who were now persecuted under Elizabeth’s rule. There were many plots during this time, and Elizabeth’s chief rival was her Catholic cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, until Elizabeth had her executed.

Further intrigues in the court of Elizabeth I centred on whom the Queen should marry. Various suitors were proposed, from the French, Spanish and English nobility, but Elizabeth refused to marry and for this reason is known as the Virgin Queen. Many theories have been put forward as to why Elizabeth refused to marry, perhaps it was her traumatic childhood watching her father with his many wives and mistresses, her desire not to acquiesce any of her power or that of England to another country, or that the one man she would have married, her one true love Robert Dudley with whom she reputedly had an affair, was unacceptable and she refuse to marry another.

Elizabeth proved to be an astute and able Queen and her reign eventually brought about some much needed stability in England. This Elizabethan era witnessed a cultural renaissance in England. During this time playwright William Shakespeare came to prominence, while overseas English expansionism was brought about through great seafarers such as Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh, and the establishment of the English colony of Virginia in North America.

But English expansionism was to deepen the conflict between England and the dominant world power at the time, Spain. In 1588, Spain launched the Spanish Armada, with a grand fleet of 130 ships carrying 30,000 men intent on invading England. All across the south coast of England, beacons were lit as the Armada was sighted sailing up the English Channel. Before her troops at Tilbury, Elizabeth delivered her celebrated speech, stating, “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a King, and of a King of England too!’

Drake and Hawkins continually harried the fleet along the Channel, before they launched an attack with fire ships off the coast of France, in the Battle of Gravelines. As the Spanish fleet tried to flee they were further attacked by English ships who forced the remainder into the North Sea and around the treacherous coasts of Scotland and western Ireland, where bad weather sank what the Drake’s ships missed. The defeat of the Spanish Armada became one of the most famous episodes in English history and cemented the popularity of Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth I died in 1603 at the age of 69 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots. Thus ending the tumultuous Tudor dynasty and ushering in the equally illustrious Stewart dynasty and combining for the first time the thrones of England and Scotland.