A Female Ruler: Marriage, Succession and Parliament

When Elizabeth became queen in 1558, many people doubted that a woman could rule effectively. Sixteenth-century society expected men to govern; a queen was expected to marry and let her husband take charge.

Elizabeth faced three linked difficulties throughout her reign:

• Marriage — should she marry, and if so, whom?
• The succession — who would inherit the throne, since she had no child?
• Authority — could she command the loyalty of powerful nobles and manage Parliament as a woman ruling alone?

She turned these weaknesses into strengths by refusing to settle any of them quickly. Delay kept her options open and her rivals guessing. This slide sets up the three problems that the rest of the lesson explains in turn.

Elizabeth famously presented herself as married to her kingdom. The image of the "Virgin Queen" turned her unmarried status from a weakness into a symbol of devotion to England.

Elizabeth was expected to marry, and for decades she kept suitors in play. Each candidate offered advantages but carried serious risks.

Suitor	Advantage	Risk
Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester)	English, loved by Elizabeth, trusted	The suspicious death of his wife Amy Robsart (1560) caused scandal; jealousy at Court
King Philip II of Spain	Powerful Catholic ally; had been married to Mary I	Would tie England to Catholic Spain and risk foreign domination
Francis, Duke of Anjou (French match, 1570s–80s)	Alliance with France against Spain	French and Catholic; unpopular with English Protestants

Marriage brought a fundamental problem: a husband would expect to share or take her power, and a foreign husband could drag England into war. An English husband would raise one noble family above the rest and split the Court.

By staying single, Elizabeth kept her independence and used the prospect of marriage as a diplomatic bargaining tool. As she aged, marriage and children became impossible, and the question faded — but the succession remained unresolved.

Because Elizabeth never married, she had no direct heir. This was a constant source of anxiety for her ministers and Parliament, who feared a disputed succession could plunge England into civil war or foreign invasion.

Naming an heir was itself dangerous:

• A named successor could become a rival power centre, attracting plotters hoping to speed up their reign.
• The strongest claimant, Mary, Queen of Scots, was a Catholic — unacceptable to Protestant England.

Elizabeth therefore refused to name a successor publicly, insisting the matter was hers alone. When Parliament pressed her, she used her Royal prerogative to shut down debate. The issue was only resolved at her death in 1603, when her advisers arranged for James VI of Scotland (Mary's Protestant son) to succeed as James I of England.

Elizabeth's refusal to settle the succession frustrated Parliament for decades, but it protected her from the plots that a named heir would have encouraged.

Parliament in Tudor England was not a permanent body. It met only when the monarch summoned it, and its main job was to grant taxation and pass laws the Crown wanted.

Elizabeth kept Parliament firmly in its place:

• She summoned it only about 13 times in her 45-year reign.
• Across the whole reign it sat for a total of roughly 35 months.
• She managed it largely through her Privy Councillors, who sat in the Commons and steered debates.

Clashes came when MPs tried to discuss matters Elizabeth regarded as hers alone. The main flashpoints were:

Issue	Why Parliament raised it	Elizabeth's response
Marriage & succession	Fear of a disputed succession	Refused to discuss it; claimed it as her prerogative
Religion	Puritan MPs wanted stricter Protestant reform	Blocked bills; imprisoned outspoken MPs
Freedom of speech	MPs like Peter Wentworth claimed the right to debate anything	Denied it; had Wentworth imprisoned
Monopolies (1590s)	They raised prices and angered the public	Eventually gave way, promising reform in 1601

Exam link: the June 2024 paper asked "How convincing is Interpretation A about Queen Elizabeth and Parliament?" Strong answers used the facts above — 13 Parliaments, roughly 35 months sitting, management through Privy Councillors, and the freedom-of-speech clashes.

The clearest test of Elizabeth's authority at the end of her reign was the revolt of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex — once her glamorous young favourite.

The sequence of events:

1590s   Essex rises as a court favourite, but is rash and demands rewards
1599    Sent to crush rebellion in Ireland; fails and returns without permission
1600    Disgraced; stripped of his monopoly on sweet wines and his income
Feb 1601 Leads ~200 followers into London to force his way back to power
Feb 1601 The rising collapses within a day; Essex is arrested
25 Feb 1601 Essex is tried and executed

Essex misjudged completely. He believed London would rise behind him, but the city stayed loyal to the Queen. His rebellion failed within a day.

What the rebellion shows:

• Elizabeth's authority was still strong even in the last years of her reign.
• The patronage system had a limit: a favourite denied rewards could turn dangerous, but the wider nobility stayed loyal to the Crown.

Essex's fall is a case study in Court politics: it reveals both the rewards of royal favour and the ruin that followed its loss.

1. Saying Elizabeth "hated" or "ignored" Parliament

Elizabeth used Parliament when she needed money and managed it skilfully through her Privy Councillors. She resisted its attempts to discuss the succession and religion, but she did not simply ignore it.

2. Confusing the marriage and succession problems

Marriage was about whom Elizabeth should wed; the succession was about who would inherit if she had no child. They are linked but distinct — keep them separate in an answer.

3. Overstating the danger of Essex's rebellion

Essex's revolt collapsed in a single day and won little support. Use it as evidence that Elizabeth's authority remained strong, not that it was crumbling.

4. Vague claims about Parliament's power

Tudor Parliaments met rarely and only when summoned. Avoid describing them like a modern Parliament — quote the figures (about 13 Parliaments, roughly 35 months sitting) to show precise knowledge.

5. Forgetting how the succession was resolved

Elizabeth died in 1603 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. Knowing this end point strengthens an answer on the succession.