youtube video

• Henry VII


  King of England since 1547
• Henry VII always wanted a son, a male heir who would continue and secure the Tudor Dynasty
• When Anne Boleyn became pregnant with Henry's second child, astrologers, midwives and Royal doctors confidently predicted that she would give birth to a son
• When Elizabeth was born on September 7th 1533 in Greenwich, the initial reaction was not of joy but of disappointment
• Henry failed to attend his daughter Elizabeth's festivities and parties, establishing a clear example of Elizabeth's upbringing
• Although Henry publicly accepted his daughter Elizabeth, she was set aside due to her mother's arrest and execution, which led to her being declared illegitimate
• Despite this animosity, Elizabeth received the Royal education and was influenced in her religious views by her father's sixth wife, the Protestant Katherine Parr
• Elizabeth's path to becoming Queen seemed unlikely as both her siblings had to die without heirs for her to become Queen
• Elizabeth's younger brother Edward became king when Henry passed away in 1547, but he died at a young age
• Elizabeth's sister Mary inherited the throne in 1553, a reign marked by her attempt to restore Catholicism in England and the persecution of Protestants, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary"
• Elizabeth was careful and conformed during her sister's rule, but she was imprisoned for 2 months and placed on house arrest for her alleged connections to the Wyatt Rebellion, which aimed to prevent Mary's marriage to Spanish King Philip II
• When Mary died childless in 1558, Elizabeth ascended the throne and was crowned Queen of England on January 15th, 1559
• Elizabeth's authority and rule as Queen of England


  • She could call and dissolve parliament, declare war and make peace, point and dismiss ministers and judges, and determine who to marry and who to name as a successor
• Members of the Royal Court that surrounded the Queen

  • Personal servants
  • Entertainers
  • Nobility
  • Ambassadors
  • Foreign visitors
  • Other influential government members
• The Privy Council


  • A group of around 10 to 20 influential figures that advised the Queen and managed the administration of government
  • The Queen's most trusted advisers and ministers
• Patronage system


  The Queen could give and take away titles and positions of power to whoever she pleased in exchange for their loyalty
• The two houses of Parliament

  • House of Lords (comprised of noble men and Bishops)
  • House of Commons (elected)
• Elizabeth didn't call Parliament much during her reign, only summoning them 13 times, mostly to grant her taxes
• Lord Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace


  • Noblemen appointed by Elizabeth to govern the counties and raise local militias, and to keep law and order in their localities
• William Cecil


  Elizabeth's most influential and longest-serving Minister and adviser, he became Secretary of State in 1558 and was made Lord Burghley in 1571, he was also Lord Treasurer and responsible for the government's money, he was loyal to Elizabeth and had a say on several issues
• Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester


  An ambitious adviser and Elizabeth's closest Minister during the start of her reign, their relationship was so intimate that rumors spread of a secret romance between them, he was a determined Protestant and had several affairs, scandals and pregnancies within the court, leading to his banishment
• Francis Walsingham


  Elizabeth's spy master, he attended to the Queen's security and ran a network of spies and agent provocateurs who were employed to encourage suspicious people to plot against her to justify their arrest and execution
• Elizabeth inherited the throne at a terrible time, with religious instability, the loss of Calais, the high cost of war, epidemic disease, and poor harvests during her sister's reign creating an atmosphere of despair and crisis
• Elizabeth had to overcome the prejudice and stereotype surrounding female rulers at the time, especially after the disaster of the later stages of her sister Mary's reign
• There was pressure on Elizabeth to find a husband who could rule for her, and to produce an heir, as if Elizabeth died without an heir there would be a risk of civil war
• Potential husbands for Elizabeth

  • Philip II of Spain (her sister's former husband)
  • Francis, Duke of Anjou (French King's brother and heir)
  • Eric of Sweden
  • Charles of Austria
• Elizabeth rejected all the potential foreign contenders and the only person who had a chance was her favorite adviser and possible crush, Robert Dudley
• Elizabeth decided to stay as the Virgin Queen, placing England's stability and security over the dynasty's continuation
• Elizabeth and Parliament clashed over issues of religion, freedom of speech, and monopolies, but she managed to mediate these problems
• Towards the end of her reign in 1601, Elizabeth faced a threat within her own Privy Council and what would later be known as the Essex Rebellion
• The Essex Rebellion was led by Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex, who had a falling out with Elizabeth and attempted to dethrone her, but was captured, arrested and eventually executed for treason
• Following Henry VIII's break from Rome in 1534, England experienced several years of religious upheaval and the establishment of national Catholicism
• Religious groups in England at the time

  • Catholics
  • Protestants
  • Puritans
  • Lutherans
  • Calvinists
  • Zwinglians
• Catholics


  Believed the Pope in Rome was the absolute head of the church, followed by Cardinals, Bishops and Priests
• Protestants


  Did not follow the Pope, but still believed in the importance of Archbishops and Bishops
• Puritans


  The most extreme Protestants, who did not think Archbishops and Bishops were necessary
• Elizabeth's personal religious beliefs remained somewhat of an enigma, as she didn't elaborate much on them, but she was both religious and interested in Protestantism
• The Elizabethan religious settlements of 1559 aimed to firmly position Elizabeth's Protestant views in English Christianity and remove the Pope's authority from England, while seeking to appease Catholics, Puritans and other Protestant groups
• Act of Uniformity (1559)

  Made church attendance mandatory on Sundays and holy days, and created the new Book of Common Prayer, angering both Catholics and Puritans
• Act of Supremacy (1559)


  Made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, eliminating the Pope's authority, and required all clergy and Royal officials to swear an oath of allegiance to her