The Life and Reign of Elizabeth I, Queen of England | Vie et règne d’Élisabeth Ire, reine d’Angleterre | Leben und Herrschaft von Elisabeth I., Königin von England | Vida y reinado de Isabel I, reina de Inglaterra | Vita e regno di Elisabetta I, regina d’Inghilterra | Życie i panowanie Elżbiety I, królowej Anglii | Жизнь и правление Елизаветы I, королевы Англии | 伊丽莎白一世，英格兰女王的一生与统治 | イングランド女王エリザベス1世の生涯と統治 | 잉글랜드 여왕 엘리자베스 1세의 생애와 통치
To get a better sense of England’s history, it helps to look at the people who shaped it. Today’s focus is on Elizabeth I — a queen whose reign left a lasting mark on the country and helped define a golden age. Her story is full of power struggles, religious conflict, and personal strength, which made her one of the most memorable figures in British history. It’s also a good chance to revisit the history of religious divisions in Europe — a topic that will be coming up yet again in my posts.
Elizabeth I (1533–1603) was one of England’s most remarkable monarchs. Her reign, spanning from 1558 to 1603, is known as the Elizabethan Era, widely regarded as a Golden Age in the nation’s history. She governed during a time of intense religious turmoil, which she managed to navigate with careful balance, ultimately establishing a strong Protestant state. Her rule marked a flourishing of literature and maritime expansion, laying the foundations for England’s future global influence. However, her reign was also shadowed by her fraught relationship with a rival claimant to the throne — Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth never married, earning her the title of the Virgin Queen, as she symbolically married England. Yet her persistent refusal to take a husband or name an heir stirred anxiety over the kingdom’s future and the stability of the succession.
Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Although initially recognised as a legitimate heir, she was declared illegitimate and removed from the line of succession after her mother’s execution in 1536. Later, however, an Act of Succession passed by Parliament during Henry VIII’s lifetime reinstated her in the order of succession – though without restoring her full status as a lawful daughter. Before Elizabeth came to the throne, it was held by her half-brother Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died young at the age of 15. He was succeeded by Mary I, daughter of Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon – a devout Catholic who died without issue. Upon her death in 1558, Elizabeth ascended the throne as the last surviving, legally acknowledged daughter of Henry VIII, in accordance with his will and the law of succession. Her claim to the crown was contested primarily by the Catholic faction and the supporters of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, who regarded Elizabeth as illegitimate, since the Catholic Church had never recognised Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. The Pope had refused to annul Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and thus Elizabeth – being the daughter of his second wife – was viewed by Catholics as born out of wedlock. As a result, Mary Stuart, the great-granddaughter of Margaret Tudor (Henry VIII’s sister), was considered by many as the rightful heir to the English throne.
The Life and Reign of Elizabeth I, Queen of England | Vie et règne d’Élisabeth Ire, reine d’Angleterre | Leben und Herrschaft von Elisabeth I., Königin von England | Vida y reinado de Isabel I, reina de Inglaterra | Vita e regno di Elisabetta I, regina d’Inghilterra | Życie i panowanie Elżbiety I, królowej Anglii | Жизнь и правление Елизаветы I, королевы Англии | 伊丽莎白一世，英格兰女王的一生与统治 | イングランド女王エリザベス1世の生涯と統治 | 잉글랜드 여왕 엘리자베스 1세의 생애와 통치
The key figures in this story, from left to right, are Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and granddaughter of his sister.
Elizabeth I’s childhood was difficult, politically charged, and filled with uncertainty, despite her birth as a princess and the daughter of a king. She was born on 7 September 1533, the child of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. From the beginning of the pregnancy, there had been an expectation that the baby would be a boy – a male heir to the throne – so the birth of a girl was a deep disappointment to the king. When Elizabeth was just three years old, her mother was accused –almost certainly falsely – of treason, incest, and witchcraft, and was executed in 1536. At the same time, Henry VIII declared Elizabeth illegitimate, removing her from the line of succession. Elizabeth, however, remained at court and received an exceptional education, far exceeding the standards of the time – for both women and men. She was taught classical languages, logic, rhetoric, and philosophy. Elizabeth became fluent in Latin, Greek, French, and Italian, and wrote with remarkable elegance and precision. During the reign of her half-brother, Edward VI, she was kept at the margins of power, but the greatest danger came during the rule of Mary I. As a Protestant and a potential heir to the throne, Elizabeth was viewed with deep suspicion by the queen. In 1554, she was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London on suspicion of involvement in a plot against Mary. Although no evidence of her guilt was found, she spent several months living in fear for her life.
As queen, Elizabeth restored Protestantism, originally introduced in England by her father Henry VIII following the Catholic reign of her sister, Mary I, by passing acts, which established a form of religious compromise. It is important to recall that a central motivation for Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church was his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, as she had failed to produce a male heir, and he wished to marry Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother – something the Pope refused to permit. Elizabeth’s religious policy, however, was at times inconsistent. Though often seen as the architect of a compromise between Catholics and Protestants, in reality her reign was not free from religious persecution, particularly against Catholics. These intensified following her excommunication. In 1570, Pope Pius V issued the bull declaring her a heretic and an illegitimate monarch. He released her subjects from their duty of obedience to her, leading to serious political and religious consequences. The excommunication gave moral support to Catholic plots against Elizabeth and heightened the threat posed by Catholic powers, especially Spain. In its wake, the queen increased repression of Catholics, treating them as potential traitors.
The relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots was complex – marked by political tension, personal mistrust, and a struggle for power. Though the two queens were related – they differed in nearly every respect: Elizabeth was a Protestant who ruled a stable England, while Mary was a devout Catholic whose reign in Scotland ended in rebellion and forced abdication. In 1568, Mary fled to England, hoping Elizabeth would help her reclaim her throne. Instead, she was immediately imprisoned and remained in captivity for the next 19 years, held in various castles. Elizabeth saw her both as a royal cousin and a serious threat to the English crown. Following the plot by nobles – a plan to assassinate Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne – Mary, though not directly involved in the conspiracy, was tried for treason, sentenced to death, and executed on 8 February 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle. Mary’s death had serious consequences: it damaged relations with Catholic powers in Europe, particularly Spain, and partly contributed to the attempted Spanish Armada invasion.
The figures in this part of the story, from left to right, are Pope Pius V, who excommunicated Elizabeth, and King Philip II of Spain, who sought to restore Catholicism in England – and likely to extend Spain’s sphere of influence.
The Spanish Armada launched its attack on England in 1588, driven by escalating religious, political, and economic tensions between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. King Philip II of Spain, a devout Catholic, aimed to overthrow Elizabeth I and restore Catholicism in England, especially after her excommunication by the Pope in 1570. Tensions were further fuelled by Elizabeth’s support for the Protestant Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, and her tolerance of English privateers like Francis Drake, who frequently raided Spanish ships and colonies. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587 – a Catholic figure seen by many as the rightful heir to the English throne – became a major turning point. For Philip, it confirmed the heretical nature of Elizabeth’s rule and provided a clear justification for military action. The Spanish plan involved uniting their fleet with ground forces in the Netherlands before invading England. However, the campaign ended in complete failure — the English launched a successful counterattack, and storms in the North Sea destroyed much of the retreating Armada. The defeat was seen as a major victory for Elizabeth I, firmly establishing England as a rising naval power.
The aforementioned Francis Drake played a significant role in Elizabeth I’s foreign policy as a key figure in her indirect conflict with Spain. Operating as a privateer under a royal letter of marque, he attacked Spanish ships and colonies, bringing substantial wealth to England and weakening Philip II’s power, all while avoiding formal war. Though seen as piracy by the Spanish, Drake’s actions fit perfectly into Elizabeth’s strategy of provoking and undermining her rival without officially declaring war. At the same time, Elizabeth supported his voyages of exploration, and his successful circumnavigation of the globe (1577–1580) boosted England’s prestige as an emerging maritime power. His knighthood in 1581 sent a clear message: Elizabeth not only approved of his actions, but regarded him as a crucial part of her policy toward Spain and England’s growing global ambitions.
The Life and Reign of Elizabeth I, Queen of England | Vie et règne d’Élisabeth Ire, reine d’Angleterre | Leben und Herrschaft von Elisabeth I., Königin von England | Vida y reinado de Isabel I, reina de Inglaterra | Vita e regno di Elisabetta I, regina d’Inghilterra | Życie i panowanie Elżbiety I, królowej Anglii | Жизнь и правление Елизаветы I, королевы Англии | 伊丽莎白一世，英格兰女王的一生与统治 | イングランド女王エリザベス1世の生涯と統治 | 잉글랜드 여왕 엘리자베스 1세의 생애와 통치
Although Elizabeth I was not a patron of the arts in the traditional sense, her reign created an exceptionally fertile environment for the growth of culture, literature, and theatre. She valued poetry, theatrical performances, and education, and while her financial support was often more symbolic than systematic, her court attracted writers and actors alike. She supported the development of theatre by granting licences and royal protection, which allowed companies like the Lord Chamberlain’s Men – associated with William Shakespeare – to flourish. Culture also served political purposes: through art, Elizabeth’s image as a powerful, almost divine monarch was carefully shaped, and the flourishing of literature helped to engage the public and strengthen national identity. During this time, the English language rose significantly in status as a medium of high culture – Elizabeth herself often used it in public speech, and the works of Shakespeare and others helped elevate it to a literary force of its own.
The next two figures in this story – though they likely never met – are William Shakespeare, one of the founding fathers of the English language in everyday use, and Francis Drake, whose legacy straddles the line between pirate and explorer, but who undeniably contributed to England’s growing wealth. Both men lived and rose to prominence during the Elizabethan era.
In domestic affairs, Elizabeth I ruled with a great deal of caution – often bordering on suspicion and authoritarianism – which was reflected in the development of an extensive intelligence network. His web of spies operated both at home and abroad, effectively uncovering plots, assassination attempts, and any signs of opposition to the queen. While this system ensured internal stability and protected Elizabeth from genuine threats, it also led to restrictions on freedom of speech and civil liberties. Discussions about religion or the royal succession were closely monitored, and public commentary on such matters could be considered treasonous. As a result, society lived under a sense of suspicion and self-censorship, making Elizabethan England – despite its cultural flourishing – a state with a tightly controlled public sphere.
Although Elizabeth I spent much of her reign successfully strengthening the state and the economy – maintaining relative internal peace and supporting trade and the growing middle class – by the end of her rule, the socio-economic situation began to deteriorate. The costs of prolonged conflict with Spain, increased spending on defence and naval forces, along with poor harvests and rising inflation, led to higher taxes, unemployment, and soaring prices. The lower classes were hit hardest, as they saw little benefit from the era’s overseas expansion and cultural flourishing. Social discontent was growing, increasingly at odds with the official image of a powerful and prosperous England.
The Life and Reign of Elizabeth I, Queen of England | Vie et règne d’Élisabeth Ire, reine d’Angleterre | Leben und Herrschaft von Elisabeth I., Königin von England | Vida y reinado de Isabel I, reina de Inglaterra | Vita e regno di Elisabetta I, regina d’Inghilterra | Życie i panowanie Elżbiety I, królowej Anglii | Жизнь и правление Елизаветы I, королевы Англии | 伊丽莎白一世，英格兰女王的一生与统治 | イングランド女王エリザベス1世の生涯と統治 | 잉글랜드 여왕 엘리자베스 1세의 생애와 통치
Elizabeth I was known for her use of intense white face powder, which became a distinctive element of her royal image. Made from toxic lead-based white, the powder was used to hide the scars left by smallpox and to give her skin the pale, unnatural hue then considered a mark of aristocratic purity and social superiority. Her makeup was completed with reddened lips and cheeks, often coloured using equally harmful substances. Despite the damage these cosmetics caused over time, Elizabeth continued to use them, carefully crafting the image of an ageless and untouchable queen. In her later years, she became increasingly obsessed with her appearance and the effects of ageing; according to some accounts, she had mirrors removed from her palaces so she would not have to see the toll taken on her skin by the very makeup that had helped build her legend.
Elizabeth I died on 24 March 1603 at the age of 69, at Richmond Palace near London. Her death followed a long period of declining health – she suffered from weakness, insomnia, and depression. In her final days, she refused to lie down or allow doctors near her. She died childless, bringing an end to the Tudor dynasty. After her death, the throne passed to James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England, the first monarch of the Stuart dynasty. A great-grandson of Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, and the son of Mary Stuart, he held a legitimate and recognised claim to the English succession. His accession marked the beginning of the personal union between England and Scotland.
Although some Catholics hoped James might restore their faith, given his mother’s background, he maintained Protestantism as the state religion, and after the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, Catholic persecution intensified. Later, his grandson James II – the last Catholic monarch of England – would attempt to reintroduce Catholicism during his reign, but was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The throne then passed to his Protestant daughter Mary II and her husband William of Orange, firmly re-establishing Protestant rule and ensuring that Catholicism would never again return as the state religion in England. I told the story of James II, Mary, and William after a short trip to the Netherlands. You can find it in one of my previous post.