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ALVA, FERDINANDO ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, DUKE OF.
Commander of the Spanish forces in the Netherlands in the years before the Armada.
 

ANJOU, FRANCIS, DUKE OF (1554-1584)
Fourth son of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici. Although twenty years Elizabeth's junior, he was considered a suitor for Elizabeth's hand for many years.
 

ANNE OF CLEVES (1515-1557)
Fourth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of the Duke of Cleves. It was hoped that the marriage would bring an alliance with the German Protestants following the break with the Church of Rome. Reputedly, when Henry met her, he did not find her very attractive, and so divorced her. However, she fared well and was known affectionately as the "King's sister".
 

ARTHUR, PRINCE OF WALES (1486-1501)
He was the eldest son of Henry VII. He married Katherine of Aragon in 1501, but died not long after. As Katherine had declared that the marriage had never been consummated, she married afterwards Henry VIII, becoming his first wife, but when Henry wished to divorce her, he used her marriage to his brother as the reason, stating that the Bible did not allow the marriage of a man with his brother's widow.
 

ARUNDEL, HENRY FITZALLAN, EARL OF
A suitor to Queen Elizabeth in the early years of her Queenship.
 

ASCHAM, ROGER (c1515-1568)
A renown English scholar. In 1548, after writing a treaty on Archery for Henry VIII, he was appointed tutor to Elizabeth. He did not lose favor under Edward VI or Mary I and also served Elizabeth. He wrote The Scholemaster, dealing with the art of education.
 

ASHLEY, JOHN,
A distant cousin of Anne Boleyn, he was a servant of Elizabeth's from childhood, and married her governess Katherine Ashley.
 

ASHLEY, KATHERINE,
Governess to Princess Elizabeth in childhood, and Mistress of the Robes and Chief Lady-in-Waiting to Elizabeth as Queen. She married Elizabeth's distant cousin, John Ashley. She was probably the only real mother figure that Elizabeth knew.
 
 

BABINGTON, SIR ANTHONY (1561 - 1586)
He was a devoted English Catholic. He has given his name to a plot to kill Elizabeth that resulted in the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was one of the ringleaders of the plot, which was intended to rise English Catholics against Elizabeth in conjunction with a foreign invasion of England, murder the Queen, free Queen Mary, and put her on the throne. The plot was discovered by Sir Francis Walsingham, and Babington along with the other conspirators, was executed in the September of 1586.
 

BACON, FRANCIS, (1561-1626)
He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon. He was also the nephew of William Cecil, Lord Burghley. He was a clever man, a politician, philosopher, and essayist. His works include Essays (1597) Advancement of Learning (1605) and Novum Organum.
 

BARNWELL, ROBERT,
An Irish Catholic conspirator, executed under Queen Elizabeth for treason.
 

BEAUFORT, MARGARET, (1443-1509)
She married Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, in 1455. She was Henry VII's mother and the great grand mother of Queen Elizabeth.
 

BEDFORD, FRANCIS RUSSELL, EARL OF,
A soldier, and privy counselor to Queen Elizabeth.
 

BEDINGFIELD, SIR HENRY,
Custodian of Princess Elizabeth during her imprisonment at Woodstock in the reign of Mary I.
 

BLOUNT, BESSIE,
She was a mistress of Henry VIII and had a son by him, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond.
 

BOLEYN, ANNE, (c1507-1536)
She became Henry VIII's second wife early in 1533 when she was already ready pregnant with Elizabeth. She was Queen for the legendary "thousand days" between 1533 and 1536. Disappointed because she did not bear him a son, Henry tired of her, and she was beheaded on false charges of adultery in May 1536, when Elizabeth was only 2 years old.
 

BOLEYN, MARY,
Anne Boleyn's sister, thus aunt to Queen Elizabeth. She was also a mistress of Henry VIII, and married William Carey, a gentlemen of Henry's Privy Chamber.
 

BOLEYN, SIR THOMAS, EARL OF ORMONDE AND WILTSHIRE
Father of Mary and Anne Boleyn.
 

BONNER, EDMUND,
Bishop of London under Queen Mary I
 

BOTHWELL, EARL OF see JAMES HEPBURN, 4^th EARL OF BOTHWELL
 

BRYAN, LADY, MARGARET,
Governess to Mary, Edward, and Elizabeth.
 

BURBAGE, CUTHBERT (1566-1636)
He built the original Globe Theater in London in 1599.
 

BURBAGE, JAMES (1530-1597)
He built the first English Theater, simply named "The Theater". He was the father of Richard and Cuthbert Burbage.
 

BURBAGE, RICHARD. (c1567-1619)
He was the leading actor of the Lord Chamberlain's men, and is thought to have been the first actor to play Shakespeare's Hamlet, Othello and Lear. He also appeared in first productions of Ben Jonson.
 

CAMPION, EDMUND (1540-1581)
English Jesuit and Catholic martyr. He was also a scholar and poet. He became a Jesuit in 15 73 and in 1580 was sent to England as a missionary. He was reluctantly executed for treason by Elizabeth's government in 1581.
 

CAMPION, THOMAS, (1567-1620)
Poet and musician. He wrote The Art of English Poesie (1602) and Bookes Of Ayres, in which he composed both the words and music.
 

CAREY, HENRY, BARON HUNSDON,
He was the son of Mary Boleyn. He was thus first cousin to Queen Elizabeth. He was a Privy Councilor and Lord Chamberlain.
 

CAREY, KATHERINE
The daughter of Mary Boleyn and sister of Henry. First cousin of Queen Elizabeth. She married Francis Knollys.
 

CAREY, ROBERT, EARL OF MONMOUTH (c.1560-1639)
A courtier. He delivered the news of Elizabeth's death to James I.
 
 

CARLOS, DON, (1545-1568)
He was the illegitimate son of King Philip II of Spain. He proved to be mentally unstable and was imprisoned after a plot to kill his father.
 

CATHERINE DE MEDICI, (1519-1589)
She married King Henry II of France in 1533. She was initially overshadowed by her husband's mistress Diane de Poitiers (1490-1566), but later as Queen Mother of France, was very powerful. Three of her sons were kings, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, and her fourth son, also called Francis, was considered as a suitor to Elizabeth. She was also mother in law to Mary, Queen of Scots, who married her second son, Francis.
 

CECIL, SIR WILLIAM, LATER LORD BURGHLEY (1520-1598)
Secretary of State and Lord treasurer under Queen Elizabeth. He was chief Minister to Elizabeth after surviving the political intrigues of the preceding reigns. He was a man of great administrative ability, and responsible for much of the success of Elizabeth's reign. Elizabeth trusted his judgement, and they worked well together for forty years. An ardent Protestant, he was very much suspicious of the Catholic powers in Europe, and was a keen advocate of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her execution, which Elizabeth denied responsibility for, caused the only one serious breakdown in their relationship. Cecil was soon restored to favor, however, and Elizabeth grieved deeply at his death in 1598.

CECIL, ROBERT, LATER EARL OF SALISBURY (1563-1612)
Son of  Sir William Cecil, and like his father he became Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth. He retained his influence under King James I and was made Earl of Salisbury. Robert Cecil was largely responsible for the smooth transfer of power to James when Queen Elizabeth died.
 

CECILIA, PRINCESS OF SWEDEN,
She acted as ambassador for her brother, King Eric, in his suit to marry Queen Elizabeth. She was delivered of a baby boy during her visit to England.
 

CHAPUYS, EUSTACE,
Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire.
 

CHARLES, ARCHDUKE,
The son of Ferdinand and brother of Maximilian. He was a suitor to Queen Elizabeth in the early years of her reign.
 

CHARLES V (1500-1558)
Holy Roman Emperor (1519-56). He was the father of Philip of Spain, and a nephew of Catherine of Aragon. Like his son, he was probably the most influential ruler in Christendom during the reign of Henry VIII.
 

CHARLES IX (1550-1574)
King of France, suitor to Queen Elizabeth.
 

CHEKE, SIR JOHN,
Greek scholar and Royal tutor.
 

CLINTON, EDWARD FIENNES, LORD,
Privy counselor to Queen Elizabeth and first Lord of the Admiralty.
 

COBHAM, HENRY
Lord Warden of the Cinque ports under Queen Elizabeth.
 

COLIGNY, ADMIRAL ,
Leader of the Hugeunots in France.
 

COOKE, SIR ANTHONY,
Greek scholar and royal tutor. Father of Mildred Cooke, second wife of William Cecil.
 

COOKE, MILDRED,
Daughter of Sir Anthony, second wife of Sir William Cecil, mother of Robert Cecil. She had a reputation as a very learned woman and able scholar.
 

COURTENAY, EDWARD,
Descendant of Edward IV. He was considered by many as a husband for Queen Elizabeth.
 

CRANMER, THOMAS,
Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII, and sympathetic to Anne Boleyn. He was executed under Queen Mary I for heresy.
 

DACRE, LEONARD,
Catholic rebel against Queen Elizabeth.
 

DARNLEY, LORD see HENRY STUART, LORD DARNLEY
 

DAVISON, WILLIAM,
Secretary of State under Elizabeth. Elizabeth blamed him for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, but he was probably only acting on the instructions of more powerful men in the government like Walsingham and Burghley. He was imprisoned, but was soon released, and although never again returned to his position, was allowed to live comfortably.
 

DERBY, EARL OF, EDWARD STANLEY,.
Privy counselor to Queen Elizabeth.
 

DEVEREUX, ROBERT, EARL OF ESSEX. (1567-1601)
Queen Elizabeth's tragic last favorite. Although in legend their relationship has been seen as romantic, in all probability, it was more like that of mother and son. When Robert's father lay dying, he asked the Queen and Cecil to take care of his young son, and both honored his wishes. When his mother married the Earl of Leicester, he too took an interest in the young man's future. It seemed that Robert had a glittering life ahead, having the love and care of the most important people in England - the Queen, Leicester, and Burghley. But perhaps familiarity bred contempt, and Robert was often reluctant to give the Queen the respect she deserved. In 1601 he led a rebellion against the aging Queen, for which he was tried, found guilty of treason, and executed. The Queen had signed his death warrant, but she grieved deeply at his death, and it troubled her until her own death, only two years later.
 

DRAKE, SIR FRANCIS, (c.1543-1596)
Seafarer and privateer, commander of the English fleet during the Armada. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world in his famous ship called the Golden Hind.
 

DUDLEY, AMBROSE, EARL OF WARWICK,
Third son of the Duke of Northumberland and brother of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

DUDLEY, AMY, (d.1560)
The first wife of Robert Dudley, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in the September of 1560. Her death made it impossible for Queen Elizabeth to marry him.
 

DUDLEY, GUILDFORD,
Fourth son of the Duke of Northumberland, brother of Robert Dudley, and husband of the Lady Jane Grey, executed under Queen Mary.
 

DUDLEY, JOHN, LORD LISLE, LATER DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND. (1504-1553)
Lord Protector of England under King Edward, executed under Queen Mary for attempting to usurp the throne after Edward's death, for his daughter in law, Lady Jane Grey. He was the father of the Dudley brothers, including Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
 

DUDLEY, LORD HENRY,
Youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland and brother to Robert Dudley. He was killed while fighting in France.
 

DUDLEY, JOHN, EARL OF WARWICK,
Eldest son of the Duke of Northumberland and brother of Robert Dudley. He died during Mary's reign.
 

DUDLEY, MARY,
Sister to Robert Dudley. She married Sir Henry Sidney, and her son was the famous poet Sir Philip Sidney. She was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth, and nursed the Queen when she had the smallpox, catching the disease herself, which left her face very scarred.
 

DUDLEY, KATHERINE,
Sister of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,
 

DUDLEY, ROBERT, EARL OF LEICESTER,
Queen Elizabeth's great favorite. Son of the Duke of Northumberland, Protector of England during the reign of  Edward VI. For aiding his father in the attempt to make Lady Jane Grey queen, Dudley was imprisoned in the Tower. He narrowly escaped death. He came into prominence very early at Elizabeth's court, and seemed that the young Queen had fallen in love with him. Whatever the truth of their relationship, the death of his wife in suspicious circumstances meant that the Queen could never marry him without the danger of a political uprising. He remained the Queen's favorite until his death in 1588, despite his secret marriage in 1578 to Lettice Devereux, Countess of Essex. In his later years, he very much became a champion of Protestantism, and was chosen by the Queen to lead the expedition in the Netherlands.
 

EDWARD VI, (1537-1553)
The only legitimate son of Henry VIII. He was only a child when he became King of England in 1547 and was only 16 when he died in 1553. He is known as "The Boy King".
 

ELIZABETH, OF YORK,
The wife of Henry VII, and grandmother to Queen Elizabeth.
 

ERIC, KING OF SWEDEN
A suitor of Queen Elizabeth. So eager was he to marry the new English Queen, that he even planned on visiting her in person, but bad weather and the reluctance of the new Queen held him back. Instead he married a peasant girl who he saw outside his palace and fell instantly in love.
 

FELTON, JOHN,
Catholic dissident, executed for posting a papal Bull against Queen Elizabeth.
 

FERIA, DON GOMEZ SUAREZ DE FIGUEROA,
Spanish ambassador to Queen Elizabeth. He married one of her maids of honor, Jane Dormer.
 

FITZROY, HENRY, DUKE OF RICHMOND,
The illegitimate son of Henry VIII. He died aged 17 .
 

FOIZ, PAUL DE,
French ambassador to Queen Elizabeth
 

FRANCIS II
King of France, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, died aged 16 .
 

GARDINER, STEPHEN,(1493-1555)
Bishop of Winchester under Henry VIII. He was chief minister to Queen Mary I.
 

GILBERT, SIR HUMPHREY,
A soldier and seafarer, kinsman of Sir Walter Raleigh,
 

GREY, LADY CATHERINE,
A descendant of Princess Mary Tudor, sister of Lady Jane Grey and cousin of Queen Elizabeth. She illegally married the Earl of Hertford for which both were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Already pregnant, Catherine was delivered of a baby son. Elizabeth forbade the couple to see each other, but her orders were not strictly kept by Catherine's custodians, as Catherine soon conceived another child.
 

GREY, LADY FRANCES,
Countess of Dorset, later Duchess of Suffolk, daughter of Princess Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, mother of Jane, Catherine, and Mary Grey.
 

GREY, LADY JANE, (1537-1554).
The tragic Nine Days Queen. Married against her will to Guildford Dudley, when Edward VI died in 1553, Jane was proclaimed Queen by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. The coup failed, and Lady Jane was placed in the Tower. Although pardoned, her father's involvement with Thomas Wyatt's scheme, resulted in her being executed along with her husband in 1554.
 

GREY, MARY,
Sister of Catherine and Lady Jane Grey. She learnt nothing from the ill fate of her sister, as she married illegally Thomas Keys, and too was imprisoned.
 

GREY, LORD HENRY, EARL OF DORSET, LATER DUKE OF SUFFOLK,
Father of Jane, Catherine, and Mary, executed for conspiracy against Queen Mary.
 

GRESHAM, SIR THOMAS, (c.1518-1579)
Financier, adviser to Queen Elizabeth, and founder of the Royal Exchange.
 

GRINDAL, EDMUND (1519-1583)
Archbishop of Canterbury
 

GRINDAL WILLIAM,
A tutor to Princess Elizabeth.
 

HATTON, CHRISTOPHER, (1540-1592)
A long time favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Tradition has it that he danced his way to her attention, but he was a very clever and able man, and worthy of the trust she placed in him. He was made a Privy Councilor and later Lord Chancellor of England.
 

HAWKINS, SIR JOHN,
A seafarer and naval commander during the Armada .
 

HENEAGE, SIR THOMAS,
A courtier. He was favored by Queen Elizabeth, and at one time appeared to have supplanted Robert Dudley in her affections after the couple had argued, but this state of affairs did not last long, and Dudley very soon once again monopolized her favor.
 

HENRY II
King of France and father in-law of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Boleyn was his mistress for a time. He was killed while jousting.
 

HENRY III
King of France, killed by the Huguenots
 

HENRY STUART, LORD DARNLEY(1546-1567),
He was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the second, but eldest surviving, son of Matthew Stewart, the Lord Lennox, and his wife, Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, daughter of Henry's sister, Margaret Tudor. He was a thus a cousin to Queen Elizabeth. In 1565, he married Mary. Mary refused Darnley the Crown matrimonial. The marriage was unsuccessful, and jealous of Mary's attention to David Rizzio, he plotted his murder. He was murdered in 1566, when his house at Kirk O Field was blown up. His body and that of his page was found under a tree, unmarked by the explosion. It appears that they had been strangled before the house was blown up. Darnley's body was buried in the tomb of James V in the Chapel of Holyrood.
 

HERBERT, MARY SIDNEY
Elizabethan writer, poet, and patron of the arts. Daughter of Sir Henry Sidney and Lady Mary Dudley (sister of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester). Married Henry Herbert, Earl of Pembroke.  Sister of Sir Philip Sidney.
 

HOWARD, KATHARINE, (d.1542)
She was the fifth wife of Henry VIII and a cousin to Queen Elizabeth. By the time of their marriage, Henry was aging, and Katherine was not faithful to the King. She was executed on the charge of adultery.
 

HARRINGTON, SIR JOHN, 1561 - 1612.
Poet, courtier, and inventor of the water closet. He was the son of John Harrington and Isabel Markham, who were friends and servants of Queen Elizabeth, and had been imprisoned with her in the tower when she was Princess. She was godmother to him. He attended court, and was always held affectionately by the Queen. He did get into trouble with the Queen on several occasions, but was always forgiven. Much of what we know about the court in the last years of Queen Elizabeth's reign comes from his writings.
 

HEPBURN, JAMES,  4^th EARL OF BOTHWELL (c.1535-1578)
A Protestant Scottish nobleman. In 1568 he married Mary, Queen of Scots, becoming her third husband. The marriage proved disastrous for Mary as it was believed Bothwell had murdered her second husband, Darnley, and the marriage resulted in her being deprived of the throne. Mary divorced him in 1570. He died insane in a prison in the Netherlands.
 

JEWEL, JOHN, (1520 - 1571). BISHOP OF SALISBURY.
As a Protestant in the reign of Queen Mary, he went abroad. He returned to England on the accession of Queen Elizabeth, and was made bishop of Salisbury. He was sympathetic towards Puritans. He defended the established Church, and was a writer. One of his most important pieces of writing was his Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae (written in Latin in 1562 and translated into English in 1564 by Anne Bacon, mother of Francis Bacon) in which he justified the position of the Anglican Church. He was a patron of scholars, and kept a kind of school in his palace at Salisbury, where he trained poor boys who held academic promise. He died in September of 1571.
 

HOWARD, LORD WILLIAM OF EFFINGHAM,
A privy counselor and great uncle of Queen Elizabeth.
 

HUNTINGDON, HENRY, EARL OF,
A courtier of Queen Elizabeth. Descendant of Edward III

INNOCENT V
Pope of Rome
 

JAMES V, KING OF SCOTLAND
Father of Mary Queen of Scots, died when Mary was only one week old
 

JAMES, KING JAMES VI OF SCOTLAND, AND LATER JAMES I of ENGLAND
Son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. He was raised a Protestant by the Scottish Lords, and although King of Scotland from his youth, he was not made King of England until Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603.
 

JOHN OF AUSTRIA, DON,
Spanish Regent in the Netherlands.
 

KATHERINE OF ARAGON (1485-1536)
Henry VIII's first wife, and mother of Queen Mary. Although married to Henry for over 20 years, when it became clear to him that she would not bear him a son that would live, he divorced her and married Anne Boleyn. To gain the divorce he had to break with the Church of Rome, as his plea to the Pope for divorce on the basis that Katherine had married his brother, failed. Katherine never recognized the divorce, and proclaimed herself always to be his rightful wife. Neither would Mary recognize the divorce. Their willfulness angered Henry, and he kept them from each other's company in the hope that they would yield. They never saw each other again, as Katherine died, probably from cancer.
 

KNOLLYS, SIR FRANCES,
A privy counselor. He married Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn
 

KNOLLYS, LETTICE,
The daughter of Sir Francis Knollys and Katharine Carey; wife of Viscount Hereford, the later first Earl of Essex and mother of Penelope and Dorothy Devereux and Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex; later wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and of Sir Christopher Blount.
 

KNOX, JOHN,
Scottish Protestant preacher and writer.

LEICESTER, EARL OF, SEE ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER.
 

MARGARET TUDOR (1489-1541)
The eldest sister of Henry VIII. She married James IV of Scotland. She was grandmother to Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley.
 

MARLOWE, CHRISTOPHER,
A famous playwright. He was murdered in a tavern. Author of plays such as The Massacre of Paris, and Dr Faustus
 

MARPRELATE, MARTIN,
The pen name of the anonymous Puritan pamphleteer under Queen Elizabeth
 

MARY, QUEEN OF ENGLAND.(1516-1558)
The eldest daughter of King Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Following her parent's divorce, Mary had a difficult time, and suffered greatly. A devoted Catholic, when she became Queen, she returned the country to the Catholic faith. She married Philip II of Spain, but died childless in the November of 1558 after only a five year reign.
 

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, (1542-1587)
A cousin to Queen Elizabeth .Catholic, executed for treason in 1587.
 

MARY TUDOR (1496-1533)
The youngest sister of Henry VIII. She first married against her will the King of France, but after his death, she rebelliously married her lover, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Her daughter was Lady Jane Grey's mother.
 

MEDINA SIDONIA, DUKE OF,
The commander of the Spanish forces during the Armada.
 

MELVILLE, SIR JAMES,
An ambassador for Mary Queen of Scots to Queen Elizabeth. He has left us his memoirs which contain many interesting accounts of meetings with Queen Elizabeth and her courtiers.
 

MENDOZA, BERNADINO, DE
The last Spanish Ambassador during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. When relations with Spain had deteriorated too far, no Spanish Ambassador was present at the Court.
 

MORAY, EARL OF, JAMES STEWART,
The illegitimate son of James V of Scotland, half brother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Although he initially supported the rule of his sister, he was involved in her downfall.