Background
Elizabeth was the half-sister of Queen Mary, who died in 1558, meaning that Elizabeth took the throne. During her reign, the nation began to lead the Protestant nations throughout Europe, started the beginning of a world empire, and had a cultural renaissance. She had a very troubled early life. She was imprisoned for some time, which meant she quickly learned how to hide her feelings. She inherited a big religious problem from Mary, and she took it upon herself to fix it.
Religious Policy
Elizabeth soon began to realize that compromise was a very good way to help solve these religious problems. She didn’t want to see the split of England over a religious dispute. She therefore go Parliament to initiate the Elizabethan religious settlement in 1559. Under the Act of Supremacy, Elizabeth was said to be “the only supreme governor of this realm, as well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes, as temporal.” She said this so that she wouldn’t anger the Catholics or the radical Protestants. In order to restore the Book of Common Prayer as the outline for the church service, she passed the Act of Uniformity. She also came up with the Thirty-Nine Articles, which helped to lay out the new theological issues that were between Calvinism and Lutheranism, even though she herself was basically a Protestant.
The religious plan worked for the most part, except that the Catholics and Puritans were against it completely. Mary, the queen of Scotland, was a Catholic, and also the cousin of Elizabeth. The reason that she was such problem was the fact that she was next in line to the English throne. Mary was thrown out of Scotland in 1568 by some Scottish Calvinists, and she then sought refuge in England, where Elizabeth put her under house arrest for 14 years. During that time period, she planned multiple plots for the assassination of Elizabeth, all of which failed. Elizabeth finally had enough in 1587, and after a huge plot was discovered, Elizabeth had Mary beheaded.
The Puritans, however, posed an even bigger threat. The Puritans wanted to remove any Catholicism from the Church of England. They got their inspiration from the Calvinist theology. Despite their efforts, Elizabeth was able to keep them under control.
Not only was Elizabeth able to have knowledge and skill religiously, but also in government and foreign affairs. She had an outstanding administrative system, and for foreign policies she heavily relied on Sir William Cecil and SIr Francis Walsingham. She was also able to keep Parliament organized and in good shape, meeting only 13 times during her reign.
The religious plan worked for the most part, except that the Catholics and Puritans were against it completely. Mary, the queen of Scotland, was a Catholic, and also the cousin of Elizabeth. The reason that she was such problem was the fact that she was next in line to the English throne. Mary was thrown out of Scotland in 1568 by some Scottish Calvinists, and she then sought refuge in England, where Elizabeth put her under house arrest for 14 years. During that time period, she planned multiple plots for the assassination of Elizabeth, all of which failed. Elizabeth finally had enough in 1587, and after a huge plot was discovered, Elizabeth had Mary beheaded.
The Puritans, however, posed an even bigger threat. The Puritans wanted to remove any Catholicism from the Church of England. They got their inspiration from the Calvinist theology. Despite their efforts, Elizabeth was able to keep them under control.
Not only was Elizabeth able to have knowledge and skill religiously, but also in government and foreign affairs. She had an outstanding administrative system, and for foreign policies she heavily relied on Sir William Cecil and SIr Francis Walsingham. She was also able to keep Parliament organized and in good shape, meeting only 13 times during her reign.
Foreign Policy
Elizabeth was very cautious and wary of the moves that other countries were making. She knew that if England went to war, it could be very harmful to her kingdom. It has been said, however, that she told English seamen to pillage the Spanish ships as well as their colonies. A man named Francis Drake was very good at this, especially since the Spanish ships were carrying a lot of gold and silver. Even though Elizabeth was a supporter of English piracy, and gave help to French Huguenots and Dutch Calvinists to hurt France and Spain, she acted completely innocent, and avoided alliances that could result in war. She eventually became involved in the Netherlands, however, and this caused even more friction between England and Spain. Philip II of Spain decided to take action against Elizabeth, believing that when the Spanish arrived, the English would revolt against her. He also believed that this was the only way for him to have a chance to stop the revolt in the Netherlands. The conquering of England would also mean it would turn back to Catholicism, which seemed to be God’s will. Philip then got a fleet of Spanish warships that would meet up with the duke of Parma in Flanders and go across the English channel for the invasion.
The Spanish Armada
This Spanish invasion of England seemed like the perfect plan for Philip, however it was a huge failure. When the Spanish fleet left Spain, it was not full of the ships or troops that Philip had intended to send. The English were also prepared, and had long-range cannons, which were a huge disadvantage to the Spaniards. As one Spanish officer said,”we are sailing against England in the confident hope of a miracle.” That miracle never happened, however. The English fleet was able to fire cannons upon the Spanish, and damaged their ships heavily. This forced the Spanish to have to sail above Scotland and Ireland to get back to Spain, but on their way, they were also battered by storms. The English and Spanish did continue to fight over the next 16 years, but the English victory over the Spanish armada proved England’s dominance, and insured the continued following of Protestantism.