Elizabeth I

Lore & Background

Elizabeth was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she was two, her parents' marriage was annulled, her mother executed, and Elizabeth declared illegitimate. Henry restored her to the line of succession when she was 10. After Henry's death, her half-brother Edward VI ruled until 1553, bequeathing the crown to Lady Jane Grey, but Mary became queen instead. During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.

Upon Mary's death in 1558, Elizabeth succeeded and set out to rule by good counsel, depending heavily on William Cecil. She established an English church, later the Church of England, as its supreme governor. Despite numerous courtships, she never married, earning the nickname 'Virgin Queen'. She was succeeded by James VI of Scotland.

In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and siblings. She was relatively tolerant in religion, though after the pope declared her illegitimate in 1570, several conspiracies threatened her life, defeated with help from Francis Walsingham's secret service. She was cautious in foreign affairs, manoeuvring between France and Spain, and by the mid-1580s war with Spain became unavoidable.

Reader's Guide

Elizabeth I's 44-year reign provided stability after the short, disastrous reigns of her half-siblings and helped forge a sense of national identity. The Elizabethan era is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, the prowess of English maritime adventurers like Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Her religious settlement evolved into the Church of England. Some historians depict her as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler who enjoyed more than her fair share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, economic and military problems weakened her popularity. She is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor in an era when government was ramshackle and limited, and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems and religious civil wars.

Did You Know?

• Elizabeth was two years and eight months old when her mother Anne Boleyn was executed.
• She was one of the best educated women of her generation, learning French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, and possibly Welsh, Cornish, Scottish, and Irish.
• A translation of Tacitus from Lambeth Palace Library was confirmed as Elizabeth's own in 2019.
• Her motto was 'video et taceo' ('I see and keep silent').

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"'Twas God the Word that spake it,He took the Bread and brake it:And what that Word did make it,That I believe and take it." — Elizabeth I "Much suspected by me,Nothing proved can be, Quoth Elizabeth prisoner." — Elizabeth I "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." — Elizabeth I "I am already bound unto an husband, which is the kingdom of England... for every one of you, and as many as are English, are my children and kinsfolks." — Elizabeth I