Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I was queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603. Her reign established a durable Protestant settlement and saw the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Elizabethan Religious Settlement: The laws and policies that established a Protestant Church of England under Elizabeth I. It defined the religious compromise at the center of her rule.
Henry VIII: King of England from 1509 to 1547, whose break with Rome began the English Reformation. His religious and dynastic decisions shaped Elizabeth's inheritance.
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley: English statesman who served Elizabeth I as a leading adviser and lord treasurer. He was her most influential long-serving political adviser.
Spanish Armada: The Spanish fleet sent against England in 1588, defeated during its campaign in the English Channel and North Sea. Its failure became the defining military crisis of Elizabeth's reign.
Elizabeth I's succession: The political problem of who would inherit the English throne after Elizabeth I, who died childless. Her refusal to name an heir left the transfer of power uncertain.
Privy Council of England: A body of advisers and administrators that assisted English monarchs in governing the realm. Its members translated royal policy into administration and advice.
Anne Boleyn: Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 and mother of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's contested legitimacy began with the political crisis surrounding her mother.
Francis Walsingham: English statesman and spymaster who served Elizabeth I as principal secretary. His intelligence network exposed plots against the queen.
Anglo-Spanish War: The conflict between England and Spain from 1585 to 1604, fought across Europe and the Atlantic. The Armada was one episode in a wider war that outlasted Elizabeth.
Marriage of Elizabeth I: The courtship negotiations and political debate over whether Elizabeth I should marry. Marriage diplomacy never produced a husband or a settled succession.

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