Mary I and Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I: Challenges and Achievements

• Elizabeth inherited a kingdom with various issues, including a government filled with powerful Catholics and significant debts.
• She faced the challenge of selecting capable advisors to help her rule, while also addressing England's economic hardship and debt.
• Elizabeth had to navigate the religious landscape, being a moderate Protestant in a kingdom where her sister had restored Catholicism.
• She needed to establish her legitimacy as the rightful queen, as her father had called her illegitimate and her mother was unpopular.
• Elizabeth was careful and protective of her royal power, ruling her court as powerfully as her father, and being more involved in the day-to-day running of the country than him.
• She reduced the size of the council, replacing some of Mary's councillors with new, loyal, and capable members, including William Cecil and Robert Dudley.
• Elizabeth's initial approach to religion was to create an inclusive Protestant Church, but she later persecuted Catholics, leading to England becoming a Protestant country by the time of her death.
• With the help of William Cecil, Elizabeth reinstated a more moderate form of Protestantism in England, creating the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.
• The settlement, also known as the 'middle way', made England Protestant but compromised to keep Catholics within the new Church.
• Elizabeth was titled Supreme Governor, rather than Supreme Head, of the Church of England, to appeal to those who objected to a woman as head of the Church.
• All clergy and royal officials were required to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the new Church of England, and all churches were to be uniform in appearance.
• The new Church required attendance by everyone, introduced a Book of Common Prayer in English, allowed church music, and permitted Protestant priests to marry and wear vestments.

The Reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I

• In 1537, Jane gave birth to Edward, Henry VIII's long-awaited son, who became the heir to the throne.
• After Henry VIII's death in 1547, his son Edward became king at the age of nine, but fell seriously ill within five years.
• Powerful men, including the dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk, plotted to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne as queen to maintain Protestant control.
• When Edward died, Northumberland declared Jane to be queen, but Mary, Edward's Catholic sister, announced herself as the rightful queen, leading to Jane's imprisonment and execution.
• Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary," attempted to restore the Catholic faith in England and ordered the execution of many Protestants, earning her the nickname.
• Mary's marriage to the Catholic king Philip of Spain in 1554 was met with disapproval in England, and she failed to produce an heir, leading to war with France.
• Mary died in 1558, and Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, inherited the throne.
• Born in 1533, Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was executed on charges of treason, leaving Elizabeth third in line to the throne.
• Elizabeth faced instability and danger during the reigns of her half-siblings, Edward and Mary, as she was suspected of being involved in plots to seize the throne.
• Elizabeth was interrogated and spent time in the Tower of London during her half-sister Mary's reign, fearing execution due to her Protestant leanings.
• In November 1558, Elizabeth learned about the death of Mary I, and she inherited the throne, becoming Elizabeth I.
• The reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I were marked by religious turmoil, power struggles, and the efforts to maintain or change England's religious identity.