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Elizabeth (Queen of England daughter)

Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII. and of Anne Boleyn; born in Greenwich, Sept. 7, 1533.

On Nov. 17, 1558, at the close of the reign of her sister, Mary, Elizabeth was recognized queen by Parliament.

The accuracy of her judgment showed itself in her choice of advisers. The first object of her reign was the settlement of religion, to effect which a parliament was called Jan. 25, and dissolved on May 8, its object having been accomplished.

Freed from the tyranny of Mary's reign, the Puritans began to claim predominance for their own dogmas, while the supporters of the Established Church were unwilling to grant them even liberty of worship. The Puritans, therefore, like the Catholics, were made irreconcilable enemies of the existing order, and increasingly stringent measures were adopted against them. But the struggle against the Catholics was the most severe, ch chiefly because they were supported by foreign powers. Many Catholics, particularly priests, suffered death during this reign. Elizabeth's first parliament requested her to marry, but she declared her intention to live and die a virgin; and she consistently declined in the course of her life Duc d'Alençon, Prince Erik of Sweden, the Archduke Charles of Austria, and Philip of Spain.

With the unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scots, were connected many of the political events of Elizabeth's reign. The detention of Mary in England (1568- 1587), whither she fled to the protection of Elizabeth, led to a series of conspir- ELIZABETH acies, which finally determined Elizabeth to make away with her captive. The execution of Queen Mary (1587), though it has stained her name to posterity, tended to confirm her power among her contemporaries. But Philip of Spain was not to be appeased, the execution of Mary lending edge to other grievances. called Elizabeth a murderess, and refused to be satisfied even with the sacrifice she seemed prepared to make of her Dutch allies. The Armada sailed May ン