17th November 1558: Elizabeth I succeeds her half-sister Mary to become Queen of England

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and, despite being declared illegitimate following the annulment of her parents’ marriage, came to the throne as the next in line behind her Catholic half-sister under the terms of the Third Act of Succession.

19th May 1536: The execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of the future Elizabeth I

Although found unanimously guilty by a jury of 27 peers, the evidence against Anne was questionable. Only the Flemish musician Mark Smeaton admitted to having an affair with her, and this confession is reputed to have been extracted under torture.