Queen Elizabeth I

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

Hatfield House

Quick Facts

Significance:

Queen of England

Place of Birth:

Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, England

Date of Birth:

September 7, 1533

Place of Death:

Richmond Palace, Surrey, England

Date of Death:

March 24, 1603

Place of Burial:

City of Westminster, London, England

Cemetery Name:

Westminster Abbey

Most well-known for ushering in a golden age in England as the longest-reigning Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I was a powerful leader during a very eventful period in English history. Her reign, now known as the Elizabethan era, was marked by significant advancements in culture and the expansion of the English Empire. However, it was not without its challenges. Queen Elizabeth I was surrounded by controversy from the time she was two years old until her death. The “Virgin Queen” ushered England into prosperity in a way no Tudor monarch had, and few monarchs repeated after.

Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533, in the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. Her mother was Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, Elizabeth's father. At the time of her birth, England was at the beginning of the English Reformation, and the changes were not being accepted easily. Henry VIII annulled, or essentially cancelled, his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne, and in doing so, had broken away from the Catholic Church. The country was in turmoil, and Queen Anne was less popular than Queen Catherine.  Hopeful to have a male heir to the throne, the birth of Elizabeth did not help Anne improve her standing. The princess was sent to live in the country at Hatfield House with many servants and Henry VIII’s first child, her older half sister Mary. When Elizabeth was just two years of age, her mother was beheaded, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.

Once declared illegitimate, Elizabeth’s life changed. She was removed from the line of succession and the next year, sent to the household of her newborn half-brother, Edward. She had a governess to tend to her needs and a tutor for her education. Elizabeth was an exceptional student who learned quickly and was often praised for her passion for learning. With her Protestant education, she was one of the most educated women of her time.  In 1543, Mary and Elizabeth were restored to the succession behind their half-brother Edward. A few years later, in 1547, Henry VIII died, and his son was crowned King Edward VI. What followed was years of political and religious turmoil. Edward, a sickly child, only ruled until 1553, and upon his death, he set aside the line of succession and made Lady Jane Grey his heir.  However, she was deposed after nine days, and Mary ascended the throne. Being a devout Catholic, Queen Mary I made radical changes in the hopes of returning England to the Catholic Church. Because Elizabetha was raised Protestant, Mary did not trust her and imprisoned her in the Tower of London.

After her imprisonment in the Tower and subsequent house arrest ended in 1555, Elizabeth stayed away from court, other than a few required appearances. In November of 1558, Queen Mary I named Elizabeth as her heir and died a few weeks later. Queen Elizabeth I was officially crowned on January 15, 1559. She was careful to include both Catholic and Protestant elements in the service, appealing to most of her subjects.

With her well-rounded education, Queen Elizabeth I had the knowledge to quickly make sweeping changes to the country. She reinstated the Act of Supremacy, putting herself as the head of the Church of England, but was not nearly as strict as her father or siblings. During her rule, there was widespread religious tolerance in England, allowing both Catholics and Protestants to practice without fear of persecution. She used the fact that she was a woman in a man’s world to her advantage, surrounding herself with trusted advisors and making the men who wished to be heard work for her attention. Queen Elizabeth I also created a haven for the arts. Playwrights like William Shakespeare rose to prominence and even performed for the Queen.

The rule of Queen Elizabeth I was not without its trials.  There were many who believed Elizabeth was not Henry’s child or that his marriage to Anne Boleyn was not valid, and Elizabeth was never a legitimate heir. Her cousin, the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, was frequently called the legitimate ruler of England instead of Elizabeth. When Mary fled to England in 1568 after being forced to abdicate, Elizabeth imprisoned her for 19 years because she was a perceived threat to her throne. Another major concern surrounding the English Queen was her lack of marriage and an heir. After Elizabeth I became queen, advisors quickly began searching for a suitable husband. She refused to marry and, at one point, said she was “married to her country.” Her father's failed marriages and her sister's troubled marriage to Philip II likely influenced her choice to remain unwed.

In 1583, Sir Walter Raleigh approached Queen Elizabeth I about allowing him to explore the New World. Colonization was taking off in Europe, and Raleigh wanted to get in on the action. Queen Elizabeth I already permitted English privateers to attack Spanish ships, but she tried to avoid an outright war with Spain.  Raleigh’s plans for his colony in the New World would increase the privateering attacks against the Spanish. Nevertheless, she granted Raleigh a seven-year charter on the condition that he would remain in England. Raleigh agreed to the plan and sent two ships in 1584. When the 1584 voyage returned, the Algonquian men Manteo and Wanchese met with Queen Elizabeth I, and she further confirmed England’s interest in the New World. However, European politics would soon doom the Roanoke colonization.

While the second voyage, the military colony of 1585-86, was struggling, Queen Elizabeth was facing her own set of challenges. Her imprisoned cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, was schemed to have Elizabeth I killed in what is now known as the Babington Plot in1586. With Mary now directly involved in a bid for the English throne, Parliament urged Queen Elizabeth I to execute her. Elizabeth reluctantly signed the warrant, and on February 8, 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded. King Philip II of Spain (and Elizabeth’s former brother-in-law) was enraged by Mary’s execution. With Mary’s death, the hope for returning England to the Catholic faith disappeared. King Philip II was also frustrated by England’s privateering and interference in Spanish-controlled parts of the New World. With Mary’s death serving as the final straw, Philip prepared for war.

In 1588, King Phillip II launched the Spanish Armada, intent on attacking England. Queen Elizabeth I, with an inexperienced navy, conscripted all English ships for combat. At the same time, Governor John White desperately tried to get back to the colony left on Roanoke Island in 1587 after a third voyage to the New World. When White and Raleigh approached the Queen for assistance, she refused to let their supply ship leave. The Spanish Armada was defeated through a combination of bad weather, good timing, and maneuverable English ships, giving Queen Elizabeth her most significant military victory. However, her focus on winning the battle against Spain in Europe led to the failure of England’s colonization attempt in North America. John White never found the colony at Roanoke Island, and Queen Elizabeth stopped pursuing colonization in the New World after this disaster.

The remaining years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign were relatively uneventful. There was one more major attempt at insurrection from 1599 to 1601, but otherwise, the end of Elizabeth’s rule was peaceful. Queen Elizabeth I passed away on March 24, 1603, concluding a 44-year reign.  One of the longest reigns in English history, the Tudor dynasty came to an end when her successor, King James I, took the throne, beginning the Stuart dynasty. Elizabeth I faced challenges from very early on in her life and used some of them to her advantage. She could play the political game as well as the men around her and had an education as good as or better than those around her. Queen Elizabeth I supported the arts, particularly literature and theatre, and ushered her country into a golden age.  Her impact led to calling her reign the Elizabethan Era, and her legacy far outweighs that of her siblings and parents. Queen Elizabeth I paved the way for the beginning of making England a superpower in Europe. Even with all her success in England, Elizabeth could not extend that success past England’s shores. Permanent English colonies in the New World did not come until after her death and were influenced by the failed colonies from her rule. While she laid some of the groundwork, Queen Elizabeth I made very little impact outside of the European continent.