Queen Elizabeth I, successful and popular ruler of England for forty four years, died March 24, 1603, at the age of seventy. She was the last of the Tudor rulers.
When she came to the throne, the kingdom was in chaos. The Catholics and Protestants threatened to divide the country. Mary's previous reign had left England in a form of bankruptcy. France, England's traditional enemy, had advanced into Scotland, and Spain represented an even larger threat to the country. Also, many in England questioned Elizabeth's claim to the throne. Yet throughout her reign, she directed the country's affairs with wisdom as well as keeping fair.
First, she set out to stabilize the religious conflict left over from Mary's reign. She favoured neither Catholicism nor Protestantism, but co-operated wherever possible to ensure the peace. Though she preferred to avoid military actions, she sent an army to battle thorough Catholics carrying out massacres of French, Scottish, and mainland Protestants. Further confrontations ensued after King Philip II of Spain, revengeful after a rejected marriage proposal to the English queen, sent the mighty Spanish armada on a mission to plunder England. Elizabeth had previously ordered the construction of more ships than ever before. The armada was sunk before it even reached English soil, and then England enjoyed command of the oceans. Elizabeth instituted many changes and reforms, like reducing the size of the Privy Council, partly to make it operate more efficiently. She proved skilled at recruiting talented advisors and councillors, and removed the corrupt currency her father introduced.
Elizabeth became skilled in the art of diplomatic skill. Though she had a hot temper, she refrained from antagonizing the Parliament. She manipulated the various opposing factions, pitting one against another until they