Elizabeth I
(Elizabeth I of England, Queen Bess)
1533–1603
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Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her mother fell out of favor with Henry soon after her birth, however, so for her early life Elizabeth was neglected. Henry's sixth wife, Catherine Parr, helped restore her fortunes, and before Henry's death she was named third in line to the throne after her younger brother Edward VI and her older sister Mary I. Although Elizabeth was raised as a protestant, she was too politic to make her personal beliefs a major issue. She therefore remained on reasonably good terms with both the Protestant advisors during her brother's reign, and the Catholic advisors during her sisters reign. She was however, suspected of being involved with a protestant rebellion that occurred early in Mary's reign, and was imprisoned on that account. She denied wrong-doing however, and on Mary's recommendation, was eventually released.
When Elizabeth ascended to the throne, she proceed to govern as a Protestant, but did not actively persecute Catholics, and in some cases allowed Catholics to hold high positions in government. Her toleration of religious differences is one of the finer points of her administration and helped unify the country at a time when civil war would have been disastrous.
In many other matters of administration, Elizabeth played both sides of an issue, and it was often exceedingly difficult to tell where she really stood on a matter. This was probably her most striking personality trait, but her ambivalence often worked out well for England. For example, she kept many of the princes of Europe who courted her on their best behavior for years, while never agreeing to marry of them. She publicly condemned the free-booters who attacked Spanish ships while privately supporting them, and encouraging their enterprises. She supported the war of Independence in the Netherlands without provoking a full-scale war with Spain, and most strikingly, she feigned shock and horror when she found that her rival Mary, Queen of Scots had been executed, and blamed the "miscommunication" on the attendant who had delivered the warrant which she herself had signed.
Instead of marrying, Elizabeth had a series of "favorites" and courtiers who competed for her favor. The most famous of these were Robert Dudley, (a.k.a the Earl of Leicester), Sir Walter Raleigh, and the Earl of Essex. The later two came to bad ends, but all three benefited greatly from her favor during most of their lives. She never, however, granted much power to any of her favorites, and left much of the government of the realm in the capable hands of Lord Cecil. Elizabeth's court was also known for its daring seaman, the most notorious being Sir Francis Drake. Sir Richard Grenville, Sir Martin Frobisher, and Sir Humphrey Gilbert were also important explorers of the Elizabethan age. English literature also thrived under her reign, during which William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and Ben Jonson wrote many of their masterpieces.
Although Elizabeth managed to avoid a war with Spain for the early part of her reign, eventually, the two countries came into open conflict. By the time Anglo Spanish Wars broke out however, England was in a good position to defend itself, and had a great many daring sea-men ready to meet the Spanish in battle at sea. The Great Armada was one of the most important naval battles in history because by destroying almost the entire Spanish fleet, England ended Spain's domination of the seas. This not only freed England from the threat of invasion by Spain, but also opened up the possibility of English settlement in the New Worlds.
The other war of significance near the end of Elizabeth's reign was the Nine Years War in Ireland. England and Ireland had been at war for much of the 16th century, but it was not until the final years of Elizabeth's reign that the Irish overlords were driven entirely out of Ulster. Elizabeth died after a reign of forty-four years, and was succeeded by her grand-nephew, James VI of Scotland (later James I of England).
Key events during the life of Elizabeth I of England:
| Elizabeth is born | |
| Execution of Anne of Boleyn | |
| Death of Henry VIII | |
| Death of Edward VI; Mary ascends to the throne | |
| Elizabeth accused of conspiring against Mary | |
| Death of Mary; Elizabeth ascends to the throne | |
| Becomes involved with Robert Dudley | |
| Catholic rebellion under Thomas Howard is put down. | |
| Desmond Rebellion in Ireland | |
| Drake returns form voyage around the world | |
| Elizabeth makes the acquaintance of Sir Walter Raleigh | |
| Founding of Roanoke Colony in Virginia | |
| English army sent to support the Netherlands against Spain. | |
| First Battle of Cadiz | |
| Great Armada | |
| Deaths of sea-farers Hawkins and Drake | |
| Nine Year's War in Ireland | |
| Death of Lord Cecil | |
| Death of Earl of Essex | |
| Death of Queen Elizabeth |
| Book Links |
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Other Resources
| Long Captivity in | Mary Queen of Scots by Jacob Abbott |
| Elizabeth of Tudor in | Historic Girls by E. S. Brooks |
| Rival Queens in | Stories From English History, Part Second by Alfred J. Church |
| Progress of Liberty in England in | The Story of Liberty by Charles C. Coffin |
| Heirs of Henry VIII—continued in | Christian Persecutions by Asa Craig |
| England under Elizabeth in | The Story of England by Samuel B. Harding |
| Kings and Queens in | Back Matter by books/lord/westminster/_back.html |
| How the Princess Elizabeth Became a Prisoner in | Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall |
| How the Imprisoned Princess Became a Queen in | Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall |
| Golden Days of Good Queen Bess in | The Awakening of Europe by M. B. Synge |
| Elizabeth Queen of England and Mary Queen of Scots in | The Tudors and the Stuarts by M. B. Synge |
Image Links | ||
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 Elizabeth in the Tower in Queen Elizabeth |
 Elizabeth's Progress to London in Queen Elizabeth |
 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth in Queen Elizabeth |
 Elizabeth in her Last Hours in Queen Elizabeth |
 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth in Mary Queen of Scots |
 I myself will make him a knight.' in Thirty More Famous Stories Retold |
 Without your help, my lords! Without your help!' in Historic Girls |
 Queen Elizabeth in Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary |
 Queen Elizabeth in Stories From English History, Part Second |
 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth in The History of Russia |
Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the Golden Hind at Deptford in The Story of Sir Francis Drake |
 Queen Elizabeth in The Story of the English |
 Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth in Story of the Thirteen Colonies |
 Raleigh erects Queen Elizabeth's standard in America in Famous Men of Modern Times |
 Shane O'Neill and his clansmen interviewing Queen Elizabeth in Ireland: Peeps at History |
Elizabeth, Queen of England in Back Matter |
Elizabeth defied by Mary Stuart in Back Matter |
 Walter sprang forward and spread his handsome cloak on the muddy spot. in The Men Who Found America |
 Stepping gently on the cloak, she passed on in The Story of Sir Walter Raleigh |
 Quickly pulling off his cloak he threw it upon the ground. in Our Island Story |
 Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth in Great Englishmen |
 Elizabeth receiving the news of her accession in The Tudors and the Stuarts |
 Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the Golden Hind. in The Tudors and the Stuarts |
 Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury in The Tudors and the Stuarts |
 The last moments of Queen Elizabeth in The Tudors and the Stuarts |
 Elizabeth, Queen of England in In the Days of Queen Elizabeth |
 Princess Elizabeth of England in In the Days of Queen Elizabeth |
 Queen Elizabeth in In the Days of Queen Elizabeth |
 Elizabeth signing death warrant of Mary Stuart. in In the Days of Queen Elizabeth |
 Queen Elizabeth at Greenwich in In the Days of Queen Elizabeth |
 Queen Elizabeth in European Hero Stories |
 Queen Elizabeth Carried in State in European Hero Stories |
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| King of England famous for marrying and dispensing with six wives. | |
| Second wife of Henry VIII. Executed when she fell from grace. | |
| Eldest daughter of Henry VIII. Tried to restore Catholicism to England. | |
| Robert Dudley | Favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth. Granted many favors, but not much power. |
| Greatest sea adventurer. Sailed around the world, harassed Spanish ships. Fought in Armada. | |
| Walter Raleigh | Courtier of Queen Elizabeth. Explorer, mastermind of the Jamestown colony in Virginia. |
| Favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Involved in a conspiracy and died in prison. | |
| Favorite of Queen Elizabeth's court. Was a poet, soldier, courtier, and adventurer. | |
| Elizabethan era poet. Wrote The Fairy Queen. | |
| Richard Grenville | One of Elizabeth's famous sailors. Involved in War with Spain and settlement of colonies. Died defending the Revenge. |
| Greatest dramatist in the history of the English language. | |
| William Cecil | Minister of Queen Elizabeth throughout her entire reign. |