The death and succession of Gloriana

Underrepresented claimants to Elizabeth I's crown

Date: 11 April 2025

Author: Lauren Shaw

In the early hours of the morning on 24 March 1603, Richmond Palace lay quiet as the 69-year-old Elizabeth I took her final breath. Her passing marked the accession of James VI/I to her throne and the emergence of the Stuart dynasty within England. But this was certainly not a foregone conclusion at the time.

Here, PhD researcher Lauren Shaw considers some of the other potential heirs to Elizabeth’s crown, and their treatment at the Queen’s hands.

Queen Elizabeth I beat considerable odds and ruled England for 44 years, leaving behind a legacy that would have her named as one of England’s greatest monarchs for centuries to come. Yet, as the sun set on the Elizabethan ‘Golden Age’, it also set on the Tudor dynasty.

Elizabeth was the last Tudor monarch, dying as she lived – single and without an heir. Her successor, James VI of Scotland, was proclaimed King James I of England by the Queen’s councillors a matter of hours after her death.

Painting of a woman looking at the viewer, wearing a crown with her hand against her head. Beside her stands an elderly man on her left and a skeleton on her right. Above her head are two cherubs. — *Image: Queen Elizabeth I (1538-1603) in Old Age, c.1610. © Bridgeman Images*

Like Elizabeth, James was a direct descendant of Henry VII. James’s mother, Mary Queen of Scots — whose own claim to the English throne ended with her execution in 1587 — was Elizabeth’s cousin. She and James were therefore the Queen’s closest living relatives, but England and Scotland were longstanding enemies. Therefore, a Scottish claimant to the English crown would always be controversial.

Before her death, Elizabeth never outrightly named her successor, possibly out of fear of losing vital support. During the 1590s, there was a growing line of potential heirs, some, perhaps not surprisingly, favoured even above James VI himself.

The Queen’s determination not to name her successor created huge concern within the Elizabethan government. The succession crisis consumed the state, but the issue also spilled into the conversations of the populace. It became a topic of discussion across the social levels.

In about 1594, a book attributed to the exiled Jesuit priest Robert Persons was published that ignited the debate. In A conference about the next succession to the crowne of Ingland, Persons investigated and weighed up the claims of 16 potential heirs to Elizabeth’s crown. James was included within the long list of potential successors, but his claim was certainly not presented as the most legitimate or the most appealing.

An sepia-toned illustration from showing genealogy of English monarchs and potential heirs to Elizabeth I. — Image: An illustration from 'A conference about the next succession to the crowne of Ingland', showing the genealogy of English monarchs and potential heirs to Elizabeth. From the British Library Collection, p. 269.

The Puritans’ Contenders

Robert Persons also focused on the internal disunity between Puritans and Protestants and the favoured contenders on both sides. The most notable choices for these religious factions were James VI, Lady Arabella Stuart, Edward Seymour Lord Beauchamp, and Henry Hastings third Earl of Huntingdon.

Persons’ favoured choice was not James, the eventual king, but he presented a neck-and-neck grapple between Edward Seymour and Henry Hastings. Both were Protestants, both were English, both had royal blood, and both had been ostracised by Elizabeth because of their claim.

An unlikely favourite: the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain

The religious divide that had gripped England throughout Elizabeth’s reign had a significant impact on the proposed candidates for the throne, splitting most of the candidates into the groups of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans. Once Mary Queen of Scots had been executed, many Catholics preferred a Spanish heir.

In A conference about the next succession to the crowne of Ingland, Robert Persons implies that his favoured candidate was of the Spanish line, the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain. Despite her Catholicism, her gender, the anti-Spanish feeling after the Armada, and his supposed impartiality, Persons promotes Isabella’s claim above all others. But why?

Persons presented Isabella as the most legitimate heir to the English throne because of her direct Lancastrian heritage dating back to the 14th century. The Wars of the Roses had concluded with the supposed unification of the warring houses of Lancaster and York through the marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

But a Lancastrian heir was still presented as a superior claimant at the close of the next century. Perhaps old wounds had not yet fully healed, or perhaps it was a convenient way to promote the claim of a Catholic successor.

A miniature circular portrait of a woman dressed in rich Tudor clothing, holding her infant son. Her son is also wearing rich clothing including a black gown with gold sleeves, and a hat — *Image: Portrait miniature of Lady Katherine Seymour, nee Grey, Countess of Hertford, holding her infant son. Bridgeman Images*

Edward Seymour and The Grey Line

Edward Seymour’s claim came through his mother, Katherine Grey, sister of the once Queen, Lady Jane Grey. Henry VIII and Edward VI’s wills had placed the Grey line above that of James’ Stuart line, meaning that Katherine Grey herself had a legitimate and strong claim on Elizabeth’s throne.

As a result, Katherine became a political hot potato. Early into Elizabeth’s reign, she had secretly married Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, and became pregnant. This created a huge scandal and a threat to Elizabeth; Katherine and her offspring could become figureheads for future rebellions.

Elizabeth imprisoned Katherine and her husband in the Tower of London. The marriage was annulled, and their two sons were declared illegitimate. Katherine spent the remainder of her days under house arrest until her death in 1568.

Her marriage was never validated by the Queen, and her sons Edward and Thomas were never legitimised. However, even in the last years of Elizabeth’s reign, Katherine’s son Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp was still seen by some as the rightful heir to the throne, and many argued for his case.

Henry Hastings and the Plantagenet line

Henry Hastings was also viewed as a threat by Elizabeth. Hastings’ parents, Catherine Pole and Francis Hastings, were both descendants of the Plantagenet line, the dynasty usurped by the Tudors. This meant that even though Hastings was not a close relative to Elizabeth, he did have royal blood and an ancestry that included centuries of English monarchs.

Hastings was first presented as a serious claimant to the throne by the Protestants during the early succession crisis of Elizabeth’s reign. In 1562 Elizabeth fell seriously ill with smallpox; so ill in fact that her council believed she would not survive. As the Queen had failed to name her successor, Hastings was put forward as a potential heir to the crown in opposition to the Catholic claimant Mary Queen of Scots.

When she regained consciousness, Elizabeth discovered the discussions concerning her death and heir, and her distrust of Hastings was sparked. Despite his assurance of his loyalty, Elizabeth shunned him and in all but name banished him from court.

Although he was able to gain back some trust, his political career was certainly diminished and he remained a serious, and perhaps the favourite, contender for the throne throughout his life.

In the end, Hastings died childless a year after the publication of Persons’ book, removing him and his line from the race.

A portrait of a man wearing a ruff, black cap and an elaborate chain. — *Image: Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon by unknown artist, late 16th-early 17th century. © National Portrait Gallery, London*

The Queen’s Choice?

As Elizabeth I lay dying at Richmond Palace, the decision had finally been made on who should succeed her, and the sun rose on the new Stuart dynasty on the English throne.

Elizabeth chose James Stuart as her successor because of his blood and religion, but was also persuaded by her personal advisors that James was the best choice. However, she ensured that the identity of her heir was unknown until her mortality gave her no other option than to secure the line of succession.

Elizabeth spent much of her reign holding off her council from making her choose an heir and distancing potential successors both emotionally and physically. So spare a thought for those who Elizabeth chose to keep politically and socially distanced throughout her life.

Lauren Shaw
PhD Researcher, University of Roehampton, Historic Royal Palaces and The National Archives

Tudor Stuart Elizabeth I James I/VI