Elizabeth I reigned as queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Her 44-year reign was so long and packed with momentous events that the second half of the 16th century is now known as the Elizabethan era and still regarded as a 'Golden Age' for England.
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Definition
Timeline
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7 Sep 1533Birth of Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn. She is the future Elizabeth I of England.
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17 Mar 1554Mary I of England detains her half-sister Princess Elizabeth (future Elizabeth I of England) in the Tower of London on suspicion of treason.
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1556 - 1598Reign of Philip II of Spain.
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1558 - 1603Reign of Elizabeth I of England.
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1558 - 1572William Cecil, Lord Burghley is the Secretary of State for Elizabeth I of England.
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17 Nov 1558Death from cancer of Mary I of England.
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1559Parliament formally asks Elizabeth I of England to marry.
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1559 - 1563The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, a set of acts and decisions which continue the English Reformation.
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1559Elizabeth I of England introduces a new compromise Book of Common Prayer.
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1559Robert Dudley is appointed Master of the Horse by Elizabeth I of England.
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Jan 1559Elizabeth I of England rejects the marriage proposal of Philip II of Spain.
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15 Jan 1559Coronation of Elizabeth I of England in Westminster Abbey.
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Apr 1559Elizabeth I of England reinstates the Act of Supremacy.
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May 1559The Act of Uniformity which bans the Mass service and sets out what the interiors of English churches should look like.
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Jul 1559The Royal Injunctions - 57 regulations on Church matters which continue the English Reformation.
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1560Rumours begin that Elizabeth I of England is in a relationship with Robert Dudley.
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8 Sep 1560Robert Dudley’s wife Amy Robsart is found dead lying at the bottom of a flight of stairs.
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1562 - 1563John Hawkins' first expedition to transport slaves from West Africa to the Americas.
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Oct 1562Robert Dudley is made a member of the Privy Council of Elizabeth I of England.
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Dec 1562Elizabeth I of England suffers an attack of smallpox.
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1563For a second time, Parliament formally asks Elizabeth I of England to marry.
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1563Elizabeth I of England bans the production of unofficial portraits of the royal person.
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1563The 39 Articles define English Protestantism.
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1564 - 1565John Hawkins' second expedition to transport slaves from West Africa to the Americas.
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28 Sep 1564Robert Dudley is made the 1st Earl of Leicester by Elizabeth I of England.
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1567 - 1568John Hawkins and Francis Drake lead an expedition to transport slaves from west Africa to the Spanish West Indies. The fleet is attacked at San Juan de Ulúa.
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May 1568Elizabeth I of England confines the exiled Mary, Queen of Scots.
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14 May 1568Mary, Queen of Scots flees Scotland and seeks sanctuary in England.
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1569There is a rebellion in the north of England against Elizabeth I of England and stirred up by the earls of Northumberland and Westmorland.
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Feb 1570The Pope excommunicates Elizabeth I of England.
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1571The Duke of Norfolk plots with Spain to mount an invasion of England and crown Mary, Queen of Scots the queen of England (the Ridolfi plot).
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1572 - 1573Francis Drake explores Panama and seizes a Spanish silver mule train.
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1572 - 1598William Cecil, Lord Burghley is the Lord Treasurer of Elizabeth I of England's government.
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1576London receives its first playhouse, founded by James Burbage and simply known as The Theatre.
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1576 - 1578Martin Frobisher explores Labrador in search of the fabled North-West Passage.
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1576The first purpose-built and permanent theatre in England is built in London, the Theatre.
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1577 - 1580Francis Drake circumnavigates the world in his ship the Golden Hind.
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4 Apr 1581Elizabeth I of England knights Francis Drake after his circumnavigation of the globe.
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1584The Throckmorton Plot sees a Spanish ambassador work with Mary, Queen of Scots to try and replace Elizabeth I of England.
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1585Rober Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester leads an expeditionary force to help Protestant rebels in the Netherlands.
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1585 - 1587Sir Francis Drake attacks Spanish vessels and ports in the Spanish Main.
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Apr 1585 - Jul 1585Settlers sail to Virginia in North America to create England's first colony on Roanoke Island.
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1586The Babington Plot sees Mary, Queen of Scots embroiled in a plot with Anthony Babington to oust Elizabeth I of England.
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1586 - 1588Thomas Cavendish circumnavigates the globe, only the third man to do so.
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Jul 1586The Treaty of Berwick, a peace treaty, is signed between England and Scotland.
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14 Oct 1586Mary, Queen of Scots is tried and, found guilty of plotting against Elizabeth I of England, is condemned to death.
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1587Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester returns to the Netherlands to assist Protestant rebels there.
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1 Feb 1587Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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8 Feb 1587Mary, Queen of Scots, guilty of plotting against Elizabeth I of England, is executed.
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Apr 1587Sir Francis Drake attacks Cadiz.
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22 Jul 1587A second wave of settlers arrives to form the Roanoke Colony in Virginia, North America.
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30 May 1588The Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain leaves Lisbon.
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Jul 1588 - Aug 1588The Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain is defeated in its attempt to invade England.
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9 Aug 1588Elizabeth I of England visits her land army at Tilbury which was assembled to repel the invasion of the Spanish Armada of Philip II of Spain.
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c. 1589William Shakespeare writes his first play, 'Henry VI Part I'.
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Apr 1589 - Jul 1589The Drake-Norris Expedition (aka English Armada or Don Antonio Expedition) attacks Lisbon and ships of Philip II of Spain. It is not successful.
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1590Edmund Spenser writes his poem 'The Fairie Queen' with its central figure of 'Gloriana', identified with Elizabeth I of England.
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1592A wave of Black Death plague closes all theatres in London for one year.
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Aug 1592 - Sep 1592Sir Walter Raleigh is imprisoned in the Tower of London for marrying in secret a lady-in-waiting of Elizabeth I of England.
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3 Aug 1592A fleet of English ships funded by Sir Walter Raleigh captures the Portuguese treasure ship, the carrack Madre de Deus.
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c. 1593William Shakespeare writes his play 'Romeo and Juliet'.
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Aug 1595John Hawkins and Francis Drake lead an unsuccessful expedition against Spanish ships and settlements in Panama and the Caribbean.
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Jun 1596A large English fleet lands and captures the Spanish port of Cadiz.
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1597Elizabeth I passes the first of her Poor Laws.
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Aug 1598William Cecil, Lord Burghley dies.
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1599Opening of the Globe Theatre in London.
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31 Dec 1600The East India Company is given a charter to trade in India and the Indian Ocean by Elizabeth I of England.
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1601Elizabeth I of England passes the second batch of Poor Laws.
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24 Mar 1603Elizabeth I of England, aged 69, dies of ill health at Richmond Palace.
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25 Jul 1603Coronation of James VI of Scotland as King James I of England in Westminster Abbey.
