When Mary I died in 1558, Elizabeth I, her half-sister became queen. Elizabeth I used parliamentary acts to help her make England Protestant. For example, people who did not attend the Anglican Church had to pay a fine. The monarchy benefited from the break with the Catholic Church because it took over church lands and consolidated its power.

Religion also entered into the question of who should succeed Elizabeth I. In a monarchy, the oldest child usually inherits the throne. But Elizabeth I did not marry and had no children. Her closest relative and heir, Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland, otherwise known as Mary Queen of Scots, was a Catholic.

The prospect of Mary Queen of Scots becoming queen of England horrified English Protestants. However, it also delayed the plans of Philip II of Spain to invade England and force a Catholic ruler on the English people.

In 1568, to...