Who was Elizabeth I? | History for Year 6 PDF Download

Elizabeth's Family

• Elizabeth I, born in September 1533 as Princess Elizabeth, was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry’s desire to marry Anne led to his break from the Catholic Church in Rome, establishing the Church of England with himself as its head, thus diminishing the Pope’s authority. 
• Henry sought a male heir, but he and Anne only had Elizabeth. In 1536, Anne was executed for treason, and shortly after, Henry married Jane Seymour, one of Elizabeth’s four stepmothers. Elizabeth had two legitimate half-siblings: Mary, born in 1516 to Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and Edward, born in 1537 to Jane Seymour. When Henry died in January 1547, Elizabeth was third in line to the throne.

Who Was the Young Elizabeth I?

• At two and a half years old, Elizabeth lost her mother to execution, and Henry declared her illegitimate. About a year later, Elizabeth reportedly questioned why she was addressed as “Lady Elizabeth” instead of “Lady Princess.” 
• Despite her mother’s tragic end, Elizabeth admired her father, inheriting his red hair and bold personality, later referring to herself as the “Lion’s cub.” She was deeply affected by Henry’s death, weeping uncontrollably. Like other royal children, Elizabeth grew up away from court in residences like Hatfield House, under the care of her governess, Katherine Ashley, who remained a lifelong confidante. 
• Highly educated, Elizabeth was fluent in French, Italian, Welsh, Spanish, Latin, and some Greek by age 14, tutored by Protestant scholars like Roger Ascham. She was noted for her diligence and intellectual talent.

Elizabeth's Journey to Becoming Queen

• At 13, when Henry died, Elizabeth’s brother Edward ascended the throne, ushering in a turbulent period for her. She grew close to her final stepmother, Catherine Parr, and lived with her and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour, ambitiously plotting to marry Elizabeth if Catherine died, was suspected of scheming to seize the throne from Edward. 
• Elizabeth faced intense scrutiny during interrogations but maintained her innocence, escaping execution, while Seymour was put to death. After Edward’s death at 15, Elizabeth’s half-sister Mary overthrew Edward’s chosen successor, Lady Jane Grey, to become queen. 
• As a Catholic, Mary’s reign posed risks for the Protestant Elizabeth, especially when Mary planned to marry Catholic King Philip II of Spain, sparking a Protestant rebellion led by Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger. 
• Rumors suggested the rebels aimed to place Elizabeth on the throne, leading to her interrogation and two-month imprisonment in the Tower of London, followed by four years of house arrest. In November 1558, upon Mary’s death, Elizabeth inherited the throne, declaring it a divine miracle.

What Issues Did Elizabeth Face?

Elizabeth inherited a kingdom fraught with challenges:

• Governance: She inherited a Catholic-dominated government from Mary, despite being Protestant herself.
• Finances: England was burdened with debts accumulated under Henry, Edward, and Mary, requiring careful financial management.
• Religion: As a moderate Protestant, Elizabeth faced the challenge of transitioning England from Mary’s Catholicism without sparking widespread opposition.
• Legitimacy: Declared illegitimate after her mother’s execution, Elizabeth needed to prove her rightful claim as a Tudor monarch, especially given Anne Boleyn’s unpopularity.
• Marriage: In a patriarchal society, marriage was expected to secure alliances and an heir, but choosing the wrong husband risked rebellion or loss of power.

Government Under Elizabeth I

England had faced instability, economic struggles, disease, rebellion, and poor harvests. Elizabeth inherited a debt-ridden kingdom and a largely Catholic government. Cautious from her early experiences, she guarded her royal authority closely, ruling with a commanding presence akin to her father but with greater involvement in daily governance. Unlike Mary’s large Privy Council of about 40 members, which Elizabeth found inefficient, she streamlined it, retaining some of Mary’s councillors while appointing loyal and capable ones like William Cecil, her chief minister, and Robert Dudley, her childhood friend. Over time, she replaced Mary’s councillors with her own trusted advisors.

Who Were Elizabeth's Key Councillors?

Elizabeth’s key councillors included William Cecil, her chief minister, and Robert Dudley, who both played critical roles in advising her and managing the kingdom.

The Question of Marriage

• In Tudor England’s patriarchal society, women were deemed inferior and unfit to rule alone. Elizabeth was expected to marry to produce an heir and secure alliances. However, marriage carried risks, as seen with her cousin Lady Jane Grey, forced into a marriage that led to her execution, and Mary I, whose marriage to Philip II of Spain triggered wars and rebellions. 
• Marrying an Englishman of lower status or a foreign prince risked power struggles or foreign conflicts. 
• Despite pressure from Parliament and suitors, including Robert Dudley, Elizabeth rejected all proposals, using her unmarried status to present herself as devoted to her people, famously declaring she’d rather be ousted than forced to wed.

Religion Under Elizabeth I

• Henry VIII, Elizabeth's father, broke from the Catholic Church primarily to annul his marriage and secure a male heir, driven by concerns over power and succession rather than a commitment to Protestantism. 
• He remained Catholic until his death. Edward VI advanced his father’s reforms, embracing devout Protestantism. 
• Mary I reversed these changes, restoring Catholicism to align England with its earlier religious state. Initially, Elizabeth I sought a 'middle way,' establishing an inclusive Protestant Church that allowed her authority while accommodating former Catholics. 
• Later in her reign, she persecuted Catholics, and by her death, England was firmly Protestant.

The Elizabethan Religious Settlement

• Elizabeth faced a complex challenge as queen, shaped by her father Henry VIII’s establishment of the Church of England to marry her mother, and her own Protestant upbringing. Many Protestants who fled during Mary I’s Catholic restoration returned upon Elizabeth’s accession, but she inherited a predominantly Catholic government and Parliament, requiring her to balance cooperation with religious reform for England’s stability.
• With William Cecil’s guidance, Elizabeth reinstated a moderate Protestantism through the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, enacted via Parliament. This settlement established England as Protestant while making concessions to include Catholics within the new Church, earning it the name ‘middle way.’ Elizabeth took the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England, possibly to appease those who believed a woman or only the Pope could be head of the Church.
• The settlement mandated that all clergy and royal officials swear an Oath of Allegiance to the Church of England or face dismissal. Churches were standardized, replacing Catholic imagery with the royal coat of arms. Attendance at the new Church was compulsory for all—Catholic, Protestant, or Puritan—with fines for non-compliance. A new Book of Common Prayer, written in English, was introduced to appeal to both Catholics and Protestants. Church music, a Catholic tradition, was permitted, and priests were required to wear vestments, which radical Protestants opposed, though Protestant priests could marry.

Elizabeth's Foreign Policy

• Europe: Elizabeth initially pursued peace to avoid costly wars, ending Mary and Philip’s conflict with France. Though Protestant, she sought amicable relations with Catholic Spain, but tensions grew. Philip’s vast empire included the Netherlands, where Protestant rebels opposed his Catholic rule. Elizabeth, pressured by advisors like Robert Dudley, supported these rebels, straining relations further. Philip’s anger peaked after the 1587 execution of Mary Queen of Scots, leading to the 1588 Spanish Armada’s failed invasion of England, defeated by storms and superior English ships. The war with Spain continued beyond her reign.
• Beginnings of the British Empire: Elizabeth’s reign laid the foundation for the British Empire. In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh established the Roanoke colony in North America, which failed, but the later Jamestown colony succeeded in 1607. The name “Virginia” may reflect Elizabeth’s “Virgin Queen” nickname or derive from the Algonquin language. Elizabeth supported privateers like John Hawkins and Francis Drake, who plundered Spanish ships, enriching themselves and the crown. Some were involved in the early slave trade, though England’s major role in it developed later. Elizabeth also chartered the East India Company, which later colonized much of India.

How Did Elizabeth Deal with Rebellions?

• Elizabeth faced rebellions, primarily linked to religion and her Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. In 1568, Mary fled to England after being implicated in her husband’s murder. She became a focal point for Catholic plots, including the 1569 Revolt of the Northern Earls, where nearly 5,000 men aimed to restore Catholicism and crown Mary. 
• Elizabeth’s forces crushed this uprising, but three more plots followed. Mary’s involvement in one led to her 1587 execution for treason. Elizabeth faced fewer rebellions than prior Tudor monarchs, and none were significant enough to derail her policies.

Elizabeth and Ireland

Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in the 1540s, imposing English governance and sparking resistance. In 1593, Hugh O’Neill led a major rebellion to end English rule, achieving victories but ultimately failing after Elizabeth’s death. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, sent to suppress O’Neill, instead signed a treaty, angering Elizabeth. Banished from court, Devereux launched a 1601 rebellion in London against Elizabeth’s advisors, like Robert Cecil, but it failed.

Key Points

• Elizabeth I, a Tudor monarch, ruled England from 1558 to 1603. 
• Initially an unlikely queen as the last in line among Henry VIII’s legitimate children, her early life was marked by danger following her mother’s execution. 
• Her reign transformed England’s religion, society, arts, trade, and exploration, shaping the nation profoundly by her death.