Elizabeth I

In November 1558 the young Elizabeth became queen of England. Norman Jones looks at evidence from the state papers to show how those close to her viewed the challenges faced in the early days by Elizabethan England.

Marie Rowlands charts the changing fortunes of a religious minority.

Did it matter that the fifth Tudor monarch was a woman rather than a man? Retha Warnicke investigates.

R. E. Foster surveys the changing interpretations and introduces the key facts.

John Foxe’s graphic and angry work depicting the persecutions inflicted by the Roman Catholic church, was partly a response to the rising tide of intolerance across Europe in the mid-sixteenth century, but more specifically to the recent persecution of Protestants in England. David Loades describes the impact of one of the most significant books of its time.

Sebastian Walsh looks at a forgotten friend and adviser to Queen Elizabeth from the early years of her reign.

Alexander Wilkinson considers what the French made of the controversial royal who played a pivotal role in the French wars of religion, both as Queen of Scots and Queen of France.

Will Saunders examines the diverse and changing interpretations of the Queen's relations with her Councillors.

Robin Evans extols the outstanding success of 1588: not the defeat of the Spanish Armada but the publication of the Welsh Bible.

Susan Doran looks at what it meant to be a female monarch in a male world and how the Queen responded to the challenges.