Queen Elizabeth I

1533- The Birth of a Female Heir: King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

1533

Queen Elizabeth I was born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on September 7th in Greenwich, England, the Palace of Placentia. However, Henry VIII was humiliated because he wanted a son very badly, so he felt like he had not been blessed by God.

1536- Anne Boleyn’s disgraceful fall: The Execution

1536

Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth’s mother) was beheaded by a French swordsman for incest, witchcraft, adultery, and conspiring to kill her husband when Elizabeth was only 2 years old, causing her to lose in her line of succession, named a bastard. Though Historians believe the charges were fake, issued by Henry VIII so he can marry Jane Seymour, in hopes of producing a male heir. Anne’s actual “crimes” were failing to produce a male heir and refusing to restrain her headstrong personality.

1547- Mourning the loss of our ruler: the beloved King Henry VIII// The next King of our country: young Edward VI

1547

King Henry VIII dies of natural causes, being obese in the Palace of Whitehall, London. He had injured his leg in 1536 from a jousting accident, and this prevented him from exercising. Therefore, Elizabeth’s half-brother Edward VI, the only son to survive infancy, became king at only nine years old, crowned on the 20th of February. This meant that at least seven years would need to pass before he could marry and create an heir of his own.

1553- In grief: the loss of our new ruler King Edward VI// Queen Mary I: all hail the first female monarch of England

1553

King Edward VI died of tuberculosis at the age of 15 in the Palace of Placentia, having only ruled the country for about 6 years. Without an heir to the throne due to Edward VI’s young age, the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary succeeded the throne instead on the 1st of October, being the first Queen of England to rule in her own right.

1558- The tragic loss of England’s courageous ruler: Queen Mary I// The coming of England’s second female monarch: Queen Elizabeth I, half sister of Queen Mary I

1558

Queen Mary I, also known as Mary Tudor, and nicknamed ‘Bloody Mary’ during her reign by her Protestant opponents, died at age 42 during an influenza epidemic. Her reign redefined the contours of the English monarchy and proved that queens could rule as kings, though for much of her life, she struggled to defend her right to the throne as a female and a brutal ruler.
Elizabeth I was to ascend the throne upon her half-sister, Mary I’s death on 17 November, as the second female monarch of England.

1559- The long-awaited Coronation: All hail Queen Elizabeth I

1559

Elizabeth I’s coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on Sunday, 15th of January. The Queen emerged from the ceremony to greet her people, wearing her crown and carrying the orb and sceptre as their ruler at the age of 25. In her coronation, she also coronated the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. It was created by Elizabeth in an attempt to unite the country after the changes in religion under former rulers, designed to settle the divide between Catholics and Protestants.

1562- Queen Elizabeth I pauses ruling: deathly ill with smallpox

1562

On 10th October 1562, Queen Elizabeth I was ill at Hampton Court Palace at the age of 29, with smallpox, nearly dying. While she was busy recovering to get back to the ruling, she made Robert Dudley protector of the kingdom. However, smallpox caused her to lose some of her hair so she started wearing wigs. It left her face scarred too, so she took to wearing white lead makeup to cover the scars, which may have later caused her blood poisoning, ultimately taking part in her death.

1564- The Birth of Playwright: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe

1564

Some of the greatest playwrights, William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were born on April 24 and baptized on February 26 respectively. Their plays, soon to be written, would play a part in transforming English culture as a whole, to be lovers of literature and plays. When Shakespeare got older, people started to enjoy his plays, including Queen Elizabeth I. In fact, she loved them so much that she wanted Shakespeare to write more.

1569- Queen Elizabeth’s danger to the throne: The Rising of the North

1569

The Rising of the North, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. Around 6,000 rebels, including forces from Scotland, marched in support of the Earls. They captured Barnard Castle and took to the port of Hartlepool. However, the revolt was quickly quashed by the forces of Elizabeth I, led by the Earl of Sussex.

1570- The Pope’s order: Queen Elizabeth’s excommunication from the Catholic Church

1570

In February 1570, Pope Pius V declared that Elizabeth was a heretic and so she was excommunicated by way of a Papal Bull (an order). This Bull released Catholics from any loyalty to Elizabeth and ordered them to remove her from the throne. However, the Pope had overestimated his power over Catholics in these countries. English and Welsh Catholics preferred to keep quiet about their religious beliefs and remained loyal to Queen Elizabeth. Most did not want the Pope to have political power too.

1574- The opening of the Burbage’s ‘The Theatre’: Making history as England’s first permanent theatre

1574

The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located, in Shoreditch. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England, by Richard Burbage and James Burbage. The Theatre is considered the first theatre built in London for the pure purpose of theatrical productions. The Theatre has a history with important acting troupes such as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which employed Shakespeare as actor and playwright.

1577- Francis Drake leads the First English world voyager under the Queen's command

1577

Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, naval officer, and politician. He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth, secretly commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I to set off on this expedition to go against the Spanish colonies on the American Pacific coast. Hence the first English world voyager was actually made to raid Spanish ships and ports.

1580- Francis Drake, the first English Voyager: Pirate or Knight?

1580

Francis Drake finally succeeded in leading the first English Voyager to sail around the world. Returning home as the world’s richest pirate, having taken him 3 years to sail 36,000 miles. His expedition caused conflict with the Spanish, and Francis Drake, having completed the first circumnavigation of the world, was then knighted by Queen Elizabeth aboard his ship, the Golden Hind, a couple of months later.

1587- Mary Queen of Scots conspiring against Queen Elizabeth I: The Execution

1587

Mary Queen of Scots was executed by beheading in the Great Hall of Fotheringhay Castle, aged 44, on 8 February by the orders of cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Mary had been imprisoned for 19 years by Elizabeth, for being a Catholic threat to the town after she fled to England in 1567, following her abdication of the Scottish throne. She was accused of conspiring against Queen Elizabeth and so was convicted on 25 October 1586, sentenced to death.

1588- Queen Elizabeth’s great defeat of the Spanish Armada

1588

The Spanish Armada, a fleet of Spanish ships led by Spanish commander Medina Sidonia with the purpose of overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I, had been defeated with Lord Howard of Effingham put in charge of England’s defense. This defeat of the Spanish is considered one of England's greatest military achievements, and one that helped to boost Queen Elizabeth’s popularity amongst the people.

1599- The opening of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite Globe Theatre

1599

The Globe, an Elizabethan theatre which opened in Autumn 1599 in Southwark, on the south bank of the Thames, in an area now known as Bankside, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. It was also Queen Elizabeth’s favorite theatre, as she loved to go see plays there. She loved Shakespeare’s plays too.

1601- Essex’s rebellion: Queen Elizabeth’s fading control

1601

Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1601 against Queen Elizabeth. He attempted to gather the people of London to start a rebellion and overthrow the government, but failed and was executed for treason.
The Essex rebellion was important for Elizabethan England because it showed that her control over her kingdom was fading by the end of her reign, showing how even the most powerful people were willing to disrespect and fight against her.

1603- The mourned loss of one of England’s greatest monarchs: Queen Elizabeth I

1603

After 45 years of rule, Queen Elizabeth I of England dies, and King James VI of Scotland ascends to the throne, uniting England and Scotland. Elizabeth I died on 24 March, and many believe that she died from blood poisoning, by using lead-based makeup.
Queen Elizabeth, is now known as one of England’s greatest monarchs and the “Virgin Queen” for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage. Hence by the end of her reign, England had become a major world power in every respect.