Elizabeth I and the succession: The Virgin Queen
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why Elizabeth never married.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many wives did Henry VIII have?
Q2.What is a 'monarch'?
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?
Q6.Is a portrait a primary or secondary source?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In what year did Elizabeth I become queen?
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?
Q4.Why did Elizabeth not want to get married?
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?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Elizabeth I and the succession: The Virgin Queen, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Elizabeth I and the succession: The Virgin Queen, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Elizabeth I: why has Elizabeth been represented so differently? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.