Message:19517 In: TODAY.WW
From: KF5JRVDate: Tue, 24 Mar 26 09:48:00 Z
Newsgroups: TODAY.WW
Subject: Today in History - Mar 24
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After 44 years of rule, Queen Elizabeth I of England dies, and King James VI of Scotland ascends to the throne, uniting England
and Scotland under a single British monarch.
The daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1558 upon the death of her half-sister Qu
een Mary. The two half-sisters, both daughters of Henry VIII, had a stormy relationship during Mary’s five-year reign. Mary,
who was brought up as a Catholic, enacted pro-Catholic legislation and made efforts to restore the pope to supremacy in England
. A Protestant rebellion ensued, and Queen Mary imprisoned Elizabeth, a Protestant, in the Tower of London on suspicion of comp
licity. After Mary’s death, Elizabeth survived several Catholic plots against her; although her ascension was greeted with ap
proval by most of England’s lords, who were largely Protestant and hoped for greater religious tolerance under a Protestant q
ueen. Under the early guidance of Secretary of State Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth repealed Mary’s pro-Catholic legislation, e
stablished a permanent Protestant Church of England, and encouraged the Calvinist reformers in Scotland.
In foreign affairs, Elizabeth practiced a policy of strengthening England’s Protestant allies and dividing her foes. Elizabet
h was opposed by the pope, who refused to recognize her legitimacy, and by Spain, a Catholic nation that was at the height of i
ts power. In 1588, English-Spanish rivalry led to an abortive Spanish invasion of England in which the Spanish Armada, the grea
test naval force in the world at the time, was destroyed by storms and a determined English navy.
With increasing English domination at sea, Elizabeth encouraged voyages of discovery, such as Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavig
ation of the world and Sir Walter Raleigh’s expeditions to the North American coast.
The long reign of Elizabeth, who became known as the “Virgin Queen” for her reluctance to endanger her authority through ma
rriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare.
By her death in 1603, England had become a major world power in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one
of England’s greatest monarchs.
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