“At least Liz the First wasn’t paranoid. The Catholics really were out to get her.”
Interesting theory. My view. Elizabeth’s rule of 50+ years and punishment of Catholics was not justified self-defense.
Henry VIII? Loser who started a religion like Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard. He delayed the progress of metallurgy, beer making and global marketing. Notice how the industrial revolution in England started in 1850 with textiles, not 1650.
Not my theory. The Pope called for her death. There were plots around England to kill her. Remember the Spanish Armada? Spain attempted to invade England to displace Elizabeth and wipe out the Protestant reformation in the British Isles. John Knox in Scotland was calling for the eradication of the 'monstrous regimen of women', in reference to Elizabeth and Mary of Scotland.
She did bump off her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. Read arguments over the years. Was Mary really trying to dethrone Liz or was it the men around her? Was she just trying to stay alive?
My kid’s grade school library had a book praising Queen E. It mentions Elizabeth imprisoned her cousin and “later Mary died”. Forgets to mentioned Liz offed her! (Reminds of “The Clinton Body Count” compiled by Angelfire.)