Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, in Greenwich. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth ascended the throne after the death of her half-sister Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon and the wife of the Spanish King Philip II.
Mary's reign is associated with an attempt to restore Catholicism in England. When Elizabeth came to power, she reinstated the Anglican Church, with the monarch as its head, as established by her father. This move provoked resistance from the Catholic clergy and a segment of the nobility.
Elizabeth I's reign marked a significant turning point in English religious history. Her father, Henry VIII, had broken away from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England, primarily for political and personal reasons, including his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. When Mary I, a devout Catholic, became queen, she sought to reverse her father's reforms and restore Catholicism, which led to the persecution of Protestants and earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary."
Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 1558 heralded the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, a series of laws and policies that established a moderate form of Protestantism as the national faith. The Act of Supremacy (1559) reaffirmed the monarch's role as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and the Act of Uniformity (1559) mandated the use of an English Prayer Book and attendance at Anglican services.
The religious settlement attempted to strike a balance between Catholic and Protestant practices, reflecting Elizabeth's own cautious approach to religious matters and her desire to maintain political stability. However, her policies faced opposition from both Catholic recusants, who refused to attend Anglican services, and radical Protestants, who sought further reforms. Despite these challenges, Elizabeth's religious policies laid the groundwork for a relatively stable period of religious coexistence in England.