Category: Elizabeth I

A page from the Lords' Journals in 1585 with three columns of text
Tudor, 16th Century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Elizabeth I, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, Parliamentary Life

Power struggles and group dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 3 February, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the History of Parliament, will be discussing Power Struggles and Group Dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5. The seminar takes place on 3 February 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online … Continue reading Power struggles and group dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5

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Georgian Lords, 14th Century history, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Art, Fashion and Material Culture, Buildings and Architecture, Constituencies, Edward VI, Elections, Elizabeth I, George I, George III, Georgian, Henry VII, History of Parliament Trust, James II, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute, Local History, Medieval, Oliver Cromwell, Religious history, Stuart, Tudor

Descended from a giant: the Worsleys of Hovingham

The recent death of HRH the Duchess of Kent, who was married to the late queen’s cousin at York Minister in 1961, reminds us of her family’s long association with Yorkshire. This has included two brothers who served as archbishop of York and several members of her family who were elected to Parliament. Dr Robin Eagles considers the Worsley family’s connection with the north of … Continue reading Descended from a giant: the Worsleys of Hovingham

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Art, Fashion and Material Culture, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, The First Elizabethan Age, Tudor

When tinsel was only for the rich: dressing to impress in early modern England

Wondering what to wear to a Christmas or New Year party? Deciding how to look one’s best can be a dilemma – but at least our fashion choices aren’t dictated by Acts of Parliament. In Tudor and Jacobean times it was a different story, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… In 21st-century Britain, clothes are seen as a means of expressing … Continue reading When tinsel was only for the rich: dressing to impress in early modern England

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Elizabeth I, Religious history, Tudor

Richard Bancroft and the English mission to Emden, 1600

Richard Bancroft is well known to students of late Elizabethan and Jacobean England. A relentless enemy to nonconformist puritans, Bancroft served first as bishop of London (1597-1604) and then as archbishop of Canterbury (1604-1610). However, towards the end of Elizabeth’s reign this familiar prelate’s ecclesiastical career was briefly interrupted by a little known diplomatic episode, as Dr Andrew Thrush, the editor of our Elizabethan House … Continue reading Richard Bancroft and the English mission to Emden, 1600

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Tudor, Women and Parliament

Elizabeth I’s Swedish lady of the privy chamber: Helena Ulfsdotter née Snakenborg, marchioness of Northampton

As we mark Women’s History Month throughout March, here Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our Lords 1558-1603 project, looks into the life of Helena Snakenborg. How did this Swedish native become key figure in the court of Elizabeth I? One of the most striking features of Queen Elizabeth I’s funeral, held on 28 April 1603, is that the place of Chief Mourner in the procession … Continue reading Elizabeth I’s Swedish lady of the privy chamber: Helena Ulfsdotter née Snakenborg, marchioness of Northampton

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Tudor

The man who would be king (-consort): Henry Fitzalan, earl of Arundel

Many of the leading figures at the Elizabethan court, like the queen’s chief minister, William Cecil, Lord Burghley and the royal favourite Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, need no introduction. However, there were many other prominent men at the Elizabethan court, some of whom remain obscure even to Elizabethan historians. In the following blog, Dr Andrew Thrush, the editor of our House of Lords 1558-1603 … Continue reading The man who would be king (-consort): Henry Fitzalan, earl of Arundel

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Health and Medicine, Religious history, Tudor

What if Elizabeth I had Died in 1562?

It is easy to take the long reign of Elizabeth I for granted. But less than four years after Elizabeth ascended the throne, her life was nearly cut short, threatening to bring down the curtain on the Tudor dynasty. What might have ensued is explored by Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our Lords 1558-1603 section… On 10 October 1562 Elizabeth I, England’s 29-year old queen, the last … Continue reading What if Elizabeth I had Died in 1562?

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Stuart, 17th Century history, Elizabeth I, James I, Tudor

The First Accession Council

In modern Britain, the death of a monarch has little political impact; the work of government continues uninterrupted, apart from a period of official mourning. But four centuries ago, when the king or queen actually ran the government, the situation was more complicated, as Dr Ben Coates of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… When the succession of Charles III to the throne was formally proclaimed … Continue reading The First Accession Council

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Scottish History, Tudor

The ‘Answer Answerless’ and Elizabeth I’s attitude towards the Parliament of 1586-7

In the latest blog from our First Elizabethan Age series Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our Lords 1558-1603 section, discusses the words- or lack of- given by Elizabeth I on this day 1586, and some of the more unusual features of the monarch’s sixth Parliament… At Richmond Palace on 24 November 1586, four hundred and twenty-six years ago to the day, Elizabeth I delivered a … Continue reading The ‘Answer Answerless’ and Elizabeth I’s attitude towards the Parliament of 1586-7

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The First Elizabethan Age, 16th Century history, Elizabeth I, Scottish History, Tudor

Execution or murder? Elizabeth I and the problem of how to kill Mary Queen of Scots

Dr Andrew Thrush, editor of our Lords 1558-1603 section, discusses the thorny issue that faced Elizabeth I in the wake of the discovery of Mary Queen of Scots’ role in the Babington Plot of 1586… On 1 February 1587 Sir Francis Walsingham and his fellow Secretary of State, William Davison, wrote on behalf of Elizabeth I to the privy councillor Sir Amias Paulet, one of … Continue reading Execution or murder? Elizabeth I and the problem of how to kill Mary Queen of Scots

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