ELIZABETH I

The Protestant Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603. She was born in 1533, the only child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

She chose as her chief minister a middle-class civil servant, William Cecil, who became one of the best advisors any monarch of England ever had. They showed tolerance towards other religions. For years, the queen's position was threatened by the Catholic claimant to the throne, Mary, Queen of Scots. After ÒBloodyÓ Mary's death in 1558, Elizabeth backed a moderate form of Protestantism against both Catholics and radical Protestants, such as the Puritans, for whom the Church of England was not reformed enough. She passed two laws called the Religious Settlement of 1559. Although Catholics and Protestants alike criticized her settlement for being too moderate, there was no open warfare and Protestantism was slowly established.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England became a prosperous trading nation. From the start of the 16th century, sailors from Devon and Cornwall sailed across the Atlantic to fish for cod in the seas off Newfoundland. Then English sailors started trading with Spanish America. In 1562 the seaman John Hawkins bought slaves in Sierra Leone, Africa, and took them to Hispaniola in the West Indies where he traded them for hides and sugar. He sold these goods in England for such a profit that Elizabeth herself invested money in his next voyage.

Other sailors turned to piracy, attacking Spanish treasure ships taking silver back from America. This, and the fact that Elizabeth had sent a military force to the Netherlands to help Dutch rebels in their fight against Spanish rule, angered Philip II of Spain so much that in 1588 he sent a fleet of fighting ships called the Armada to attack England. It was unsuccessful but the war with Spain continued until after Elizabeth's death in 1603.

England prospered in spite of war with Spain. Elizabeth was a hard-working and intelligent monarch. Art, music and literature flourished as the country enjoyed a time of stability. The plays of William Shakespeare, the poetry of Edmund Spenser and the miniatures of Nicholas Hilliard are among the artistic highlights of the Elizabethan era. Spenser's The Faerie Queen is a well-known allegorical poem about Elizabeth. Elizabeth travelled a great deal around England so that people could see her. She took her courtiers with her and stayed at large country houses. After hunting, she often enjoyed an elaborate meal in the open air.

Under Elizabeth's rule the textile and iron industries expanded and towns grew in size. Poor Laws were passed recognizing that some people might be genuinely unable to find employment and were in need of support from the parish. The Poor Laws were also designed to try to prevent starvation in years when the harvest failed.

Elizabeth never married and so avoided sharing her power with a foreign king. But she attracted to her service capable and adventurous men such as Sir Francis Drake. In 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh named Virginia after her. By creating a cult of personality around herself she strengthened her personal rule. The nickname 'Good Queen Bess' is a reflection of her popularity with her subjects and the wealth which England enjoyed under her rule. In 1601 the Earl of Essex, once a favourite, attempted to organize a rebellion against her chief minister Robert Cecil. He failed and was tried for treason and executed. When Elizabeth died in 1603, an exciting period of English history died with her.

Garage Conversion Company Scotland
We are the Scottish branch of the first and leading garage conversion specialist company in the United Kingdom.