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Period: Sep 7, 1533 to
Queen Elizabeth
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Jan 1, 1555
Chaos of Queen Mary
Queen Mary I, Elizabeth's sister, returns England to the Roman Catholic Church and executes 300 Protestants. Mary's husband, King Philip II returns to Spain. This violent execution act earns Mary the nickname "Bloody Mary". -
Nov 17, 1558
Queen Mary's Death
Queen Mary I dies, leaving way for Elizabeth to ascend to the throne. This accession had been long awaited by Elizabeth. First her younger brother, King Edward VI, inherited the throne at only nine years old until he died. Then Mary, and finally Elizabeth now had the throne. -
Nov 17, 1558
Queen Elizabeth's Accession to the Throne
Elizabeth I takes hold of the throne, during a time of war with France. England had good relationships with Spain at her time of coronation. Philip II was the reigning monarch of the Spanish. -
Jan 1, 1559
Relations with Spain Deteriorate
With Queen Mary's recent death, King Philip of Spain is left alone, and Queen Elizabeth is told she should marry him to keep relations with Spain. Elizabeth does not do this, and relations with Spain start to dwindle, causing tension to rise. (In fact, Elizabeth spent her whole reign and life unmarried). -
Jan 1, 1559
Act of Supremacy
Elizabeth calls for the Act of Supremacy to be passed, which re-establishes the Protestant Church of England. This act manages to separate Spain and England further, due to Philip II of Spain being a devoted Catholic. Tensions continue to rise furthermore. -
Jan 1, 1568
Cecil's Bullion Seize
Elizabeth's main advisor, William Cecil, approved the seizing of Spanish Bullion Ships, which were carrying gold. This seize weakened the two countries' relationship extremely. -
Walter Ralegh
Meanwhile of Spain and England's conflict, Queen Elizabeth granted Walter Ralegh permission to explore Eastern America. Ralegh established Roanoke, and even though the town mysteriously disappeared, it was still the start of American exploratio, asRoanoke was one of the first English colonies in America. Later on, after Elizabeth's reign, Ralegh will be executed on the account of treason, but for now he is an explorer. -
Betrayal of the Spanish
Elizabeth wanted and asked for peace with the Spanish, but the Spanish was secretly training a gigantic naval force with the intentions to sail and attack England. By now, Spain had become the largest and toughest naval force in the world. Spain did not want peace and set off for England. -
Defeat of the Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada finally reached England, and they attempted to over throw Elizabeth, but Elizabeth was ready for them and fought back. The English ships defeated the Armada exceptionally well. The English victory shocked the Spanish and other countries as well. -
England Becomes the New Naval Power
With the defeat of the Spanish Armada under her belt, Elizabeth now had room to train England to become the most feared naval power on the globe. With Spain out of the waters, England now had the capability to do mostly whatever it desired by ocean, including the exploration of America. This new power led to the spawning of English colonies in North America.
