Succession to Elizabeth I

Common card · No. 216279

The succession to Elizabeth I, the childless queen of England and Ireland, was an open question from her accession in 1558 to her death in 1603, when the crown passed to James VI of Scotland, an event known as the Union of the Crowns. While the accession of James went smoothly, the succession had been the subject of much debate for decades. In some scholarly views, it was a major political factor of the entire reign, even if not so voiced. Separate aspects have acquired their own nomenclature: the "Norfolk conspiracy", Patrick Collinson's "Elizabethan exclusion crisis", the "Secret Correspondence", and the "Valentine Thomas affair". The topics of debate remained obscured by uncertainty. Elizabeth I avoided establishing the order of succession in any form, presumably because she feared for her own life once a successor was named. She was also concerned with England forming a productive relationship with Scotland, whose Catholic and Presbyterian strongholds were resistant to female leadership...

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