F.A.Q.

1. Why, if Elizabeth Tudor became Queen on 17 November 1558, was she not crowned until 15 January 1559?

Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I, died on 17 November 1558. She had no children, despite having been married for four years, so Elizabeth was next in line to the throne. Elizabeth was immediately proclaimed Queen, and immediately had all the powers and privileges of a sovereign, but a monarch must always be crowned. The coronation ceremony is the formal investing of power in a sovereign. The new king or queen takes an oath to serve the people and to rule justly and wisely. Coronations take time to organise, so it was a few weeks into her reign before Elizabeth was actually formally crowned Queen of England.