Legacy of Queen Elizabeth I

• Robert Cecil was Elizabeth's key adviser and she appointed him master of the Court of Wars. He would later go on to advise James I
• Elizabeth's reign is often referred to as a 'golden age' due to the cultural achievements e.g. the works of William Shakespeare. She also had great success in thwarting the Spanish Armada in 1588 - Elizabeth claimed that God had secured their victory and 'Scattered the armada'
• Elizabeth ended the religious divisions of Mary I and Edward VI. "The Revolution of 1559" was set out in two Acts of the Parliament of England. The Act of Supremacy of 1558 re-established the Church of England's independence from Rome, with Parliament conferring on Elizabeth the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England, while the Act of Uniformity of 1559 outlined what form the English Church should take, including the re-establishment of the Book of Common Prayer. Elizabeth created religious stability – a compromise between Catholicism & Protestantism
• Subsides from parliament in Elizabeth's reign were undervalued. There was severe inflation in the 1590's with the income of the monarchy failing to rise at the pace of inflation. Elizabeth left debts of £350,000, spending more than the crown earned. War with Spain and Ireland had been costly
• Parliamentary subsidies had declined throughout Elizabeth's reign and by 1601 MP's were complaining about the burden of taxation. They also complained about Elizabeth's granting of Monopolies - grants to individuals which allowed them to manufacture or distribute certain articles for profit
• Robert Cecil thought James VI of Scotland was the strongest claimant to the English Throne bu Elizabeth refused to acknowledge this publicly. In 1601, Robert Cecil started negotiations with James to ensure a peaceful transition once Elizabeth died.