New
New
Year 8
Elizabeth I and the succession: The Virgin Queen
I can explain why Elizabeth never married.
New
New
Year 8
Elizabeth I and the succession: The Virgin Queen
I can explain why Elizabeth never married.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Elizabeth succeeded her sister Mary I to the throne.
- Elizabeth had foreign suitors in marriage such as Philip II of Spain .
- There were rumours of Elizabeth loving the Earl of Leicester.
- By 1580 Elizabeth used propaganda to present herself as the 'Virgin Queen' after rejecting all suitors.
- Elizabeth's successor was the Scottish king James VI of Scotland and I of England.
Keywords
Succession - the succession is the process of inheriting a title, such as becoming the king or queen
Suitor - a suitor is someone who pursues a relationship with a particular person in an attempt to marry them
Propaganda - propaganda is communication such as paintings used to influence or persuade an audience of a certain idea
Common misconception
Elizabeth was the first female ruler of England.
There were female rulers before Elizabeth, including her sister Mary I immediately preceeding her.
Get students to consider how many of Elizabeth's problems stemmed from the issue of her gender by asking them how each problem would change or not if she was a king. You could compare her issues to issues faced by former kings.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
How many wives did Henry VIII have?
Q2.
What is a 'monarch'?
a type of weapon
a type of archway
a religious building
Q3.
Match the key term to its definition.
a Christian who considers the Pope their religious leader
a Christian who rejects the authority of the Pope
the leader of Catholicism and the Bishop of Rome
Q4.
Place the Tudor monarchs in the order in which they ruled.
Q5.
What was the Reformation?
The time when England and Scotland joined together
The time when the royal family regained control of England
The time when England lost its land in France and France became united
Q6.
Is a portrait a primary or secondary source?
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
In what year did Elizabeth I become queen?
1509
1547
1553
Q2.
Elizabeth followed Catholicism when Mary was queen. What did she follow when she was queen herself?
Q3.
Which of Elizabeth's suitors was previously married to her sister Mary I?
Robert Devereux
Robert Dudley
William of Orange
Q4.
Why did Elizabeth not want to get married?
she tried but she kept getting rejected
she wasn't allowed to
Q5.
What is the term given to communications such as paintings used to influence or persuade an audience of a certain idea?
Q6.
Who became king of England after Elizabeth died in 1603?
Eric XIV of Sweden
Philip II of Spain
Henry IV of France
Additional material
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