Queen Elizabeth I Takes the Throne

On this day in history, November 17,1558, Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne of England at the age of twenty-five. Her father had been King Henry VIII, and her mother was Anne Bolelyn, the king's second wife, who he later had beheaded. Elizabeth's half-brother, Edward VI, became king when their father died in 1547, but he had always been a sickly child and died at the age of 15 in 1553. 

Half-sister Mary, Henry's oldest child, then became queen. But Mary was a devout Catholic, and she tried to force everyone to turn back to Catholicism, including Elizabeth, who was a Protestant. During the revolts and upheaval that followed, Mary earned the nickname "Bloody Mary." Mary died on November 17, 1558, and Elizabeth succeeded her.

Elizabeth's reign was far from easy. Political intrigue still ran throughout the nobility, and Spain remained a constant threat. However, for the average Englishman, Elizabeth brought stability. Although she said she was a Protestant, which makes sense, given the fact that her father had distanced himself from the Catholic church, so he could have his first marriage annulled and marry Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth allowed her subjects more choice in how they worshiped, and she wore a crucifix around her neck. She also refused to listen to the more radical Protestants, like the Puritans.

After a long reign, Queen Elizabeth died in 1603. She would have been 70 years old that September. With her, the Tudor dynasty also died out. She had never married, although she'd been heavily courted and is said to have considered marriage for a time. She had no heirs. Her relative, James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary Queen of Scots, became James I of England and took Elizabeth's place. 

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