Elizabeth I was born in 1533 and was the only child of Anne Boleyn to survive. She was only three when Henry VIII had Anne Boleyn beheaded. She was well educated and a talented musician. She inherited the throne of England following the death of her half-sister Queen Mary. Henry VIII had changed the religion of England from Catholic to Protestant. Queen Mary was a devout Catholic and restored the Catholics. Elizabeth once again reformed the Church and re-established Protestantism but did not persecute the Catholics until later in her reign, after there had been several attempts by Catholic... Show more

Elizabeth I was born in 1533 and was the only child of Anne Boleyn to survive. She was only three when Henry VIII had Anne Boleyn beheaded. She was well educated and a talented musician. She inherited the throne of England following the death of her half-sister Queen Mary.

Henry VIII had changed the religion of England from Catholic to Protestant. Queen Mary was a devout Catholic and restored the Catholics. Elizabeth once again reformed the Church and re-established Protestantism but did not persecute the Catholics until later in her reign, after there had been several attempts by Catholic rebels to kill her.

Mary Stuart, the Queen of the Scots, was Elizabeth's cousin and was seen by many to be the rightful heir to the throne.

After her husband, Lord Darnley, was murdered, she fled to England. She was a threat to Elizabeth and was imprisoned for 19 years. Against the wishes of Elizabeth, Mary was executed for plotting against her. This angered King Philip II of Spain since Mary was a Catholic. He launched an armada of ships and men to invade England and to restore the power of the Catholic Church. The armada was defeated and England remained Protestant. Two further invasion attempts were repelled a few years later.

During the last years of her reign, Elizabeth faced some difficult times. There were several plots against her life as younger courtiers and Catholic sympathisers attempted to seize power. She became more and more anti-Catholic as her reign went on, her middle way had failed and she had many prominent Catholics executed. This was very low-key compared with what was happening over the other side of the English Channel as there were brutal conflicts between the two religions throughout Europe.

Other rulers and key political figures in Europe were surprised at how England developed under Elizabeth. Queens were not generally regarded as being as strong rulers as Kings. She remained single, historians suggest that this was to ensure that the nobles remained loyal and would not rebel in the hope that they could marry her. She had a dark side and had a network of spies to uncover plots and keep her safe. By the end of her reign, the Church of England was safe and there was no chance of a war of religion. When she died, James VI of Scotland inherited the throne peacefully and England had its first overseas colony in America.

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