ELIZABETH I OF ENGLAND: BIOGRAPHY - HISTORY - 2025

Elizabeth I of England (1533 - 1603), also called Elizabeth I in English, was one of the most prominent queens of England. She ruled from 1558 until her death in 1603. During her time on the throne, England positioned itself as a major European power in politics, commerce and the arts.

His reign was threatened on several occasions, but thanks to his cunning, courage and majesty he was able to face all the conspiracies against him. Furthermore, it further unified the nation by defending it from foreign enemies.

English: Unknown, via Wikimedia Commons

Elizabeth I was in charge of establishing Protestantism and giving a stop to the radicalism of the Roman Catholic Church that reigned in Europe. To achieve her purpose, she nullified the return of Catholicism and consolidated the Anglican Church of her father Henry VIII.

In addition, she was famous in her time for maintaining her virginity and for not getting married, despite the number of suitors she had while in power.

The reign of Elizabeth I is also known for the so-called "Elizabethan era", represented as the Golden Age of England. This time marked the beginning of what was called the "English Renaissance", characterized by the constant development of poetry, literature, music and the arts.

Biography

Birth and early years

Elizabeth I of England was born on September 7, 1533 in the Greenwich district, near London, England. Elizabeth was the daughter of the Tudor King Henry VIII and her second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was named "Elizabeth" in honor of her grandmothers Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth of Howard.

Elizabeth's early years were difficult due to England's separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII separated England from the Catholic entity in order to dissolve her first marriage, contracted with Catherine of Aragon.

Following these decisions, the king anxiously waited for his second wife, Anne Boleyn, to give birth to a male heir, considered key to a stable dynasty. For that reason, the birth of Elizabeth was a resounding disappointment to King Henry.

Before Elizabeth was 3 years old, the king had her mother beheaded on charges of adultery and treason. In addition, he declared his marriage to Ana Bolena invalid, which made his daughter Isabel illegitimate.

Following these events, Elizabeth was separated from her family and educated away from King Henry's Hatfield house, so there is insufficient knowledge of her early years. At the age of 6 her serious and precocious character came to light. Henry VIII did not exclude her from his life.

Youth and studies

In 1537, the king's third wife, Jane Seymour, gave birth to Edward, the King's first male child. Despite this, the king did not neglect Elizabeth and, otherwise, had the same affection and dealings with all her children. In fact, Elizabeth was present at all ceremonies and was declared third in line to the throne, despite what happened to her mother.

From the age of 10 on, he spent a long time in the company of his half brother Edward and his stepmother and last wife of King Catherine Parr. She gave the girl loving attention. Elizabeth had several tutors, but the best known was the Cambridge humanist, Roger Ascham.

He received a rigorous education reserved for male heirs, which consisted of studies focused on classical languages, history, rhetoric, and moral philosophy. According to many of his tutors, he was persevering in his learning. In addition, he managed to perfectly learn Latin, Greek, French and Italian.

On the other hand, he studied theology and absorbed the principles of English Protestantism in his period of educational training. When she completed her formal education, she became one of the most cultured young women of her generation.

Emotional crisis

When King Henry VIII died in 1547, Elizabeth's half brother, Edward VI, became king at age 9. Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour, Eduardo's uncle.

From that moment on, Isabel was affected by Seymour's wicked actions. Eduardo's uncle sexually harassed the young woman on various occasions. Parr, instead of confronting her husband, did not deny his inappropriate activities against Isabel. This caused serious psychological damage to the future queen.

On top of that, Thomas Seymour tried to gain control of the royal family. When Parr died, Seymour took another look at Isabel with the intention of marrying her.

His perverse behaviors again emerged, for which he was immediately arrested on suspicion of wanting to marry Elizabeth and overthrow the protector of England.

Previous reigns: Jane Gray and Mary Tudor

When Edward VI died at the age of 15, Lady Jane Gray was to be the successor to the crown. Maria - Isabel's sister-sister - was a fervent Catholic. On the other hand, Gray was a faithful believer in Protestantism, a religion that had prevailed in England since Henry VIII expelled the Catholic Church.

On the other hand, he had declared in the will that both Maria and Isabel were illegitimate and even expelled them from the succession.

Jane Gray was proclaimed queen on June 10, 1553; however, after nine days she was deposed from the throne due to the support of the Privy Council of England for Mary as the new queen. Isabel kept her stepsister's side.

The solidarity on the part of Elizabeth towards Mary did not last long, as the devotion to the Roman Catholic Church of Mary caused her to get rid of the Protestant Church in which Elizabeth had been educated.

The popularity of Maria was falling little by little due to its strict rules in the Catholic Church and to marry Felipe of Spain. Felipe was the son of the Roman Emperor Carlos V, an active and radical Catholic like his family.

For that reason, the English people thought that Elizabeth should confront them with the religious policies of her sister Maria.

Imprisonment of Elizabeth I and succession

In 1554 the Wyatt Rebellion began, named after one of its leaders, Thomas Wyatt. One of the reasons for the rebellion was the unpopular decision of Queen María to marry Felipe of Spain. However, the rebellion was suppressed shortly after its start.

Isabel was blamed for having been part of the conspiracy. She was taken to court, interrogated, and imprisoned in the Tower of London in March of that same year. Isabel defended her innocence, arguing that she had not participated in the rebellion.

Soon after, she was transferred to the Woodstock Tower, where she spent a year under house arrest. In 1555 Elizabeth was called to court to witness the apparent pregnancy of Mary, as well as the birth of her nephew.

Queen Maria turned out not to be pregnant, and the chances of Elizabeth's ascent to the throne became more and more secure. When Felipe of Spain ascended to the Spanish throne in 1556, she thought of Isabel as a better ally than Mary.

When Mary fell ill, King Philip convinced her to recognize Elizabeth as his heir. The queen died shortly afterward, eventually making Elizabeth Queen of England.

Triumphal entry and first days on the throne

Before the death of her sister, Isabel was educating herself and making plans for her government. At age 25, Isabel came to the throne supported by all the English people. Both her entry into London and her coronation had become a public holiday.

A girl presented him with a Bible translated into English, prohibited during the reign of Mary. Isabel immediately took the Bible, kissed it, and placed it on her chest. With that gesture, the people were relieved that the Reformation would soon come.

The new queen immediately began to form her government and issue proclamations. One of her first actions was to reduce the size of the Privy Council to eliminate Catholic members and to form a group of trusted and experienced advisers.

Establishment of Protestantism

Early in her tenure, both Elizabeth and her advisers felt threatened by the prospect of a Catholic crusade in England. For that reason, Elizabeth tried to find a Protestant solution that would not earn the scorn of English Catholics.

As a result, Elizabeth restored Protestantism in England and, through the Act of Supremacy passed by Parliament in 1559, the antipapal statutes of Henry VIII were revived. In addition, Queen Elizabeth I was declared supreme governor of the Church, above papal power.

Through the Act of Supremacy and the decisions of Elizabeth I, the so-called "Elizabethan religious pact" was given. The queen had tolerance for English Catholics, although the Catholic Church was seen as a foreign institution.

Elizabeth's rule began cautiously, but constant work was done to transfer these liturgical reforms to local parishes throughout the kingdom. Priests and temporary officers had to take the oath of royal supremacy or lose their positions, in addition to being treated as traitors.

Later, the oath was extended to university students and members of Parliament. The royal commissioners were in charge of ensuring doctrinal and liturgical conformity.

Suitors and possible marriage

In 1959, Elizabeth's crush on Robert Dudley, who had been her long-time friend, was evident. Dudley's wife was suffering from an illness and Isabel considered marrying Robert in the event that his wife died.

When Robert Dudley's wife passed away, he himself interceded to marry the queen. In fact, many historians claim that Amy Dudley's death was not accidental, but possibly it was Robert who drove the death to marry Elizabeth.

Many of the queen's advisers disagreed with the marriage. Isabel always viewed Dudley as her favorite candidate for marriage, but she never solidified her decision.

On the other hand, there were a number of foreign suitors who longed for Elizabeth's hand. Some of them were: Felipe of Spain, King Eric XIV of Sweden, Archduke Carlos of Austria and Enrique, Duke of Anjou.

While marriage negotiations were a key element in Elizabeth's foreign relations, the queen rejected the hand of all suitors.

Even so, Isabel always had a crush on Robert, and even expressed feelings of jealousy towards Robert's new wife, Lettice Knollys. They never got married.

Problems of succession of Elizabeth I: María Estuardo

Following Elizabeth's decision not to marry, Parliament debated the issue of the succession to the throne. Not having a descendant, three possible heirs were considered: María Estuardo, Margarita Tudor and Catherine Gray, all being descendants of Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth was opposed to the French presence that was in Scotland. The queen feared that the French would invade England and as a consequence, she placed Mary Stuart on the Scottish throne.

In 1562, the issue of succession was aggravated because Queen Elizabeth fell ill with chickenpox. Although she recovered quickly, Parliament pressured her to get married. Isabel, dissatisfied with the pressure imposed on her, dissolved Parliament for several years.

A year later, Catherine Gray, died leaving two descendants. The children were not fit for the position; María Estuardo positioned herself more and more as the heir to the English throne.

Maria had other problems related to the murder of her second husband, Henry Stuart. Maria quickly married after Stuart's death, making her a prime suspect in the murder. She was arrested and imprisoned in a Scottish castle.

Catholic conspiracies

Following the suspicions of the murder by María Estuardo, the Scottish lords forced her to abdicate in favor of her son James VI. For this, James was raised as a Protestant. Maria escaped to England, where she was intercepted by the English army to be transferred to France.

In 1569, Maria Estuardo became the focus of attention of the Northern Rebellion by Catholic nobles, who wanted to depose the throne of Elizabeth. The main objective of the Catholic uprising was to free Mary Stuart to marry Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, and place her on the English throne.

The Northern Rebellion expected support from Spain, but King Philip was reluctant to participate in such confrontations. Little outside support made Isabel stand up to the conspiracies.

A year later, the banker Florentino Ridolfí planned to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I to place María Estuardo on the throne, but was discovered by the queen's close friend, William Cecil. The conspirators were executed.

Background to the Anglo-Spanish War

After the political, economic and religious panorama that England and Spain faced, the war between the two nations seemed inevitable. Both Isabel I and Felipe II of Spain had been enduring the differences, but a series of inconveniences in different areas caused the beginning of the conflict.

On the one hand, the Empire of Felipe II grew more and more: it had annexed the Portuguese Empire, in addition to having increased its expansionism throughout the Americas. For these reasons, Elizabeth I felt completely threatened.

England had managed to gain the support of the main enemies of the Spanish crown: the Netherlands and the pretender to the Portuguese throne, Antonio de Portugal. The Netherlands were under Spanish rule and Antonio had managed to be proclaimed king before the Spanish intervention in Portugal.

In the religious aspect, England confronted Spanish Catholicism with its Protestant tendency. Felipe II had signed a treaty a year before the conflict, in which he promised to combat the Protestantism of Isabel I.

On the other hand, England had begun new expeditions to the Indies for economic purposes, which was not to the liking of King Philip II.

Anglo-Spanish war

The war began between 1585 and 1586, when the English captain Francis Drake began looting all over the Iberian west coast, La Palma and even in the West Indies. Hence, Felipe II ordered the creation of a fleet with the aim of invading England.

Drake's military expedition was successful, destroying more than 100 Spanish ships and several fortresses. For that reason, the invasion plans by the Spanish to England were delayed for a year.

On the other hand, the execution of María Estuardo in 1587 offended all European Catholics, so that that same year Felipe received an authorization from the Pope to depose Isabel, who had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church many years ago.

In 1588, the Spanish Invincible Armada managed to attack the English fleet; however, weather conditions caused more than 35 Spanish ships to be destroyed. The following year, the English Counter-Navy deployed several ships, but sinking and captures by the Spanish caused serious losses to the British.

The war continued for several years; both nations lost a great quantity of ships and material goods. The English navy ended up much weaker than that of its Iberian adversaries.

Elizabethan period

The Elizabethan era was born with the arrival to the throne of Elizabeth I and lasted until after her death.

This era is recognized as one of the most fascinating periods in the history of England. It developed throughout the reign of Elizabeth I and was noted for its explorations, economic growth, the boom in the arts, and the expansion of literature.

At this stage, the first theaters in England were born by the hand of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. In terms of economics, the bases were created for the development of industrial activities and there was an increase in exports of raw materials.

Great wealth accumulated for the kingdom due to the expansions and explorations of Sir Francis Drake. In addition, several towns were founded in North America in honor of Queen Elizabeth.

The music also represented a strong boom thanks to the composer William Byrd, who was one of the most recognized musicians of the late Renaissance era. This period was synonymous with the so-called "English Golden Age", which represented the height of the English Renaissance.

Elizabethan architecture was characterized by the Gothic style trend, maintaining the Renaissance style in the ornamental elements.

Elizabeth I, the virgin queen

Following the queen's rejection of all her suitors, including her childhood love Robert Dudley, Elizabeth remained single, childless, and (apparently) a virgin. For that reason, Elizabeth I of England is called "the Virgin Queen."

The queen had a congenital anomaly known as vaginal agenesis; poor formation of the female reproductive organs. According to her, this condition rendered her incapable of marriage.

Given her condition of not being able to procreate or bring heirs to the throne, she made the decision to never marry and continue to maintain the prestige of being "the Virgin Queen."

On the other hand, the unpleasant events with Thomas Seymour affected her psychologically for the rest of her life, preventing her from maintaining a normal relationship with another man. It is presumed that this was one of the reasons why she never married Dudley.

Death

As of 1598, Isabel thought of Jacobo Estuardo (son of María Estuardo) as the successor to the English throne. In fact, she sent a group of regents to take charge of the child's education.

In the fall of 1602, the queen fell into a severe depression due to the continuing deaths of her closest friends. Her health began to deteriorate rapidly. In 1603, she became ill and slowly drowned in melancholy, locked in the Richmond Palace.

Her closest advisers tried to comfort her; however, the queen was slowly approaching death. On March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died in the early hours of the morning in one of her royal palaces at the age of 70.

The next morning his closest advisers and some council members began preparations to proclaim James Stuart the next king of England. Elizabeth was buried in Westminster Abbey, along with her half-sister Mary I.

References

1. Elizabeth I of England, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Elizabeth I, John S. Morrill, Stephen J. Greenblatt, (2018). Taken from Britannica.com
3. The Elizabethan period, publishers of British Coincil, (nd). Taken from esol.britishcouncil.org
4. The Anglo-Spanish War, Mariam Martí, (nd). Taken from sobreinglaterra.com
5. Elizabeth I's love life: was she really a “Virgin Queen” ?, Portal History Extra, (2015). Taken from historyextra.com