The Issues with Elizabeth I Becoming Queen of England (Edexcel GCSE History)

Why did the People of England Question Elizabeth's Succession? - Summary

The Divine Rights gave 16th-century monarchs ultimate power to rule England. Elizabethans believed that to question this power was to question God. Almost every person in England believed in Christianity. The fear of going against God's will ensured that most of a monarch's subjects would remain loyal. 

When Elizabeth became queen in 1558, she faced questioning about her legitimacy. Her father, Henry VIII, had married six times. This created a complicated line of succession. Some of her subjects argued that she was not the rightful queen of England. This was due to the issues surrounding Henry's marriage to Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn. 

Elizabeth's succession faced further questioning due to her gender. In this period, people viewed women as inferior to men. It was rare for a woman to inherit the English throne. Elizabeth's half-sister, Mary I, was the first queen who ruled England due to her own right of succession. 

These factors meant that some of Elizabeth's subjects were questioning her reign from its beginnings. Elizabeth's biggest test would be how she overcame these issues to prove her legitimacy.

Elizabeth I - Legitimacy

• Legitimacy was a fundamental belief in Elizabethan England

• To secure the line of succession, a monarch would have to prove that they produced an heir in wedlock

  • If the previous monarch could not produce an heir, the succession would pass to the closest male or blood relative

• In Elizabeth's case, controversy and claims of illegitimacy surrounded her birth

• The flow diagram below explains the issue of Elizabeth's legitimacy

Why did Elizabeth's background cause people to question her legitimacy?

• English Catholics never accepted Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon

  • As a result, they never saw Elizabeth as being born in wedlock

• Henry killed Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn

  • Henry accused Anne of high treason. Treason is any action that attacks the monarch or the country. This was the most serious crime a person could commit

  • After Anne's execution, Henry publicly declared Elizabeth as illegitimate through an Act of Parliament

    • Henry re-established Elizabeth's legitimacy seven years later. The impression of illegitimacy remained strong amongst some of her subjects, however

Elizabeth I - Gender

• It was rare for a queen to rule in her own right in 16th-century England

• Medieval Christianity taught that women were inferior to men

  •  In the household, men expected women to obey their orders

• Monarchs led their armies into battle

  • As a woman, society would not see Elizabeth as strong enough to do this

• Society viewed women as incapable of ruling a country

  • In the 16th century, most women received little to no education

    • There was a popular belief that women were not as intelligent as men

  • Women were seen as too emotional

    • The people expected their monarch to make difficult decisions

    • Society believed that men were more ruthless than women

Elizabeth I - Marriage

• Marriage was a contentious issue for Elizabeth

  • Elizabeth's childhood experience of her father's marriages traumatised her

  • As a woman, society expected her to marry

  • To fulfil her duty as a monarch, she would need to have children. Elizabeth needed a husband to ensure her children's legitimacy

    • Childbirth was incredibly dangerous in this period. It was not uncommon for women to die during childbirth

Advantages and Disadvantages of Marriage for Elizabeth

Did Elizabeth marry?

• Throughout her reign, Elizabeth's Privy Council presented Elizabeth with many suitors. These included:

  • Philip II of Spain

    • Philip was previously married to Elizabeth's half-sister, Mary. Elizabeth declined his offer

  • Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

    • Historians argue that Elizabeth loved Dudley. Dudley's wife died in suspicious circumstances. This scandal meant Elizabeth could not marry Dudley

  • King Eric of Sweden

    • England viewed Sweden as a weak power. A marriage between Eric and Elizabeth would not increase England's reputation as a European power

  • The Duke of Alençon

    • Elizabeth promised marriage to Alençon to gain his armed forces

    • As a French King, many of England would not accept him becoming Elizabeth's husband

• Elizabeth had no intention to marry. She died unmarried and with no children

England's First Queen Regnant

• Elizabeth learnt a lot of lessons from England's first queen regnant, Mary I

  • Mary was Elizabeth's half-sister

  • Mary died in 1558. Elizabeth succeeded as queen after Mary's death

• Mary's reign from 1553 to 1558 had caused Elizabeth many issues when she became queen

  • Mary married King Philip II of Spain. The marriage was unpopular among her subjects

  • Spain and England formed an alliance and fought against France. The war ended in disaster

  • The war with France impacted the royal treasury. England had £300,000 of debt. The harvest in 1555 was very poor, leading topoverty and disease

  • Mary was a devout Catholic. She persecuted England's Protestants. She burned 300 people to death for their religious beliefs

• Mary's failures as a monarch had convinced many people in England that queens should not rule alone