Elizabethan Age begins
Queen Mary I the monarch of England and Ireland since 1553 dies and is succeeded by her 25-year-old half-sister Elizabeth.The two half-sisters both daughters of King Henry VIII had a stormy relationship during Marys five-year reign.Mary who was brought up as a Catholic enacted pro-Catholic legislation and made efforts to restore the pope to supremacy in England.A Protestant rebellion ensued and Queen Mary imprisoned Elizabeth a Protestant in the Tower of London on suspicion of complicity.
After Marys death Elizabeth survived several Catholic plots against her though her ascension was greeted with approval by most of Englands lords who were largely Protestant and hoped for greater religious tolerance under a Protestant queen.Under the early guidance of Secretary of State Sir William Cecil Elizabeth repealed Marys pro-Catholic legislation established a permanent Protestant Church of England and encouraged the Calvinist reformers in Scotland.In foreign affairs Elizabeth practiced a policy of strengthening Englands Protestant allies and dividing her foes.Elizabeth was opposed by the pope who refused to recognize her legitimacy and by Spain a Catholic nation that was at the height of its power.
In 1588 English-Spanish rivalry led to an abortive Spanish invasion of England in which the Spanish Armada the greatest naval force in the world at the time was destroyed by storms and a determined English navy.With increasing English domination at sea Elizabeth encouraged voyages of discovery such as Sir Francis Drakes circumnavigation of the world and Sir Walter Raleighs expeditions to the North American coast.The long reign of Elizabeth who became known as the Virgin Queen for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare.By her death in 1603 England had become a major world power in every respect and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of Englands greatest monarchs.
