When Elizabeth became Queen in 1558 on the death of her half-sister Mary, England had a decent relationship with Spain. Mary’s marriage to Philip of Spain obviously helped to cement this even if the marriage itself was not a success. There were those in the Privy Council and Parliament

Elizabeth’s England was far from united. As well as religious and financial issues, local problems were to become an issue. Whereas the South was well represented at Court and in the Privy Council, the North was not. This was bound to cause resentment. It was certainly the case, that

Roman Catholicism was enforced in England and Wales during the reign of Mary I. Protestants were persecuted and a number were executed as heretics. Many fled for their own safety to Protestant states in Europe. However, all this changed on the death of Mary and the accession of Elizabeth

When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, she inherited a difficult financial situation and a debt of £227,000. Over £100,000 of this was owed to the Antwerp Exchange who charged an interest rate of 14%. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth was engaged in expensive financial issues, especially foreign

Elizabeth I was queen from 1558 to 1603. In her reign, Mary, Queen of Scots was executed and the Spanish Armada was defeated. Elizabeth I never married so the Tudor dynasty ended with her death in 1603. Her legal heir was James VI of Scotland. He, a Stuart, became