Notes

Introduction:
- Secrecy. Deception. Scandal.
- Through trials and tribulations, Elizabeth I led her country to success
- She had to face religious divisions that left unchecked could lead to civil war, powerful foreign threats, and even murderous plots orchestrated by her own cousin.
- So today, let's explore her struggles and successes that overall led to a long, successful reign.

P1: Religious Differences
- 3 factions Catholics, Puritans protestants
- Most monarchs took either the side of cath or protest and brutalized the other
- Elizabeth, though protestant, was lenient in the way she wrote the laws of the church
- She made church officials swear loyalty to her
- prevented a potentially bloody uprising and helped unify the country


P2: Conflicts With Spain
- Still external conflicts with other countries
- Philip of Spain, head of a powerful catholic nation, proposed to Elizabeth, and she declined. She never married, and was known as 'the virgin queen'
-This, among privateering, conflicts over the Netherlands, and a history of conflict lead to a naval war which Elizabeth ultimately won through superior tactics and advisors

P3: Mary, Queen of Scots
- Elizabeth also had to deal with several plots to dethrone her and put her cousin, Mary, on the throne
- Mary was a threat, as she was catholic and had strong ties to France
- The Catholic lords who had lost power in parliament and lands in the south plotted in the north where catholicism was more widely practiced.
- Eventually, Elizabeth was forced to execute Mary, for fear her cousin would finally succeed in breaking out and leading the rebellion against her.

Conclusion:

_ In conclusion, Elizabeth faced many challenges during her reign.
- However, though there were doubts to her legitimacy, her policies, and her divine right to rule, she overcame all of these obstacles and solidified herself as what could debatably be seen as the greatest reign in the entirety of the Tudor era.
- Thank you