J.A. Downes

When Elizabeth ascended to the throne on November 17, 1558, at age 25, England was virtually bankrupt with a debt of over £300,000 (equivalent to millions today) and torn by religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

Elizabeth I’s 1559 Religious Settlement required all clergy and officials to swear an oath recognising her as ‘Supreme Governor’ (not ‘Head’) of the Church of England – a deliberately gender-neutral compromise since many believed women couldn’t head the church. Only one Marian bishop, Anthony Kitchin of Llandaff, took the oath.

The Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 saw over 30,000 Catholic rebels march from Yorkshire demanding restoration of dissolved monasteries and removal of Protestant advisors like Thomas Cromwell. Henry VIII promised pardons and a parliament at York, then executed approximately 200 participants including leader Robert Aske, who was hanged in chains at York Castle.

Thomas Cranmer’s 1549 Book of Common Prayer revolutionised English worship by mandating services in English rather than Latin, but caused major rebellions including the Prayer Book Rebellion in Devon and Cornwall where over 4,000 died. Rebels demanded the restoration of Latin mass, calling the new English service a ‘Christmas game.’

Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon lasted 24 years (1509-1533), making it by far his longest relationship, yet he claimed it was never valid because she had briefly been married to his deceased brother Arthur in 1501.

Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, outlived him by 10 years and received a generous divorce settlement in 1540 that made her one of the wealthiest women in England, including Richmond Palace and Hever Castle.

Elizabeth I maintained a passionate correspondence with Thomas Seymour in 1547-1548 when she was just 14, leading to a scandal that nearly destroyed her claim to the throne when Seymour was executed for treason in 1549.