Who Really Deserved the Throne After Elizabeth I?

Did the crown pass peacefully to from the Tudors to the Stuarts when Elizabeth I died? The story goes that she finally named an heir on her deathbed – James VI of Scotland. But the sources aren’t always reliable

In this video, Tracy Borman rates the chances of other candidates who could have become king or queen after Elizabeth’s death, from the infamous Mary Queen of Scots to the obscure claimants who you might not have heard of.

Find out more with Tracy Borman's latest book The Stolen Crown: https://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/...

Listen to our podcast series on Elizabeth I’s Stolen Crown
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wuS...
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...

Find out more about the British Library’s research: https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts...

Image credits:
Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Attributed to British School, 16th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
James VI & I (1566-1625) c. 1620. Paul van Somer (c. 1576-1621) © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Mort d'Elisabeth, reine d'Angleterre, en 1603. Delaroche Paul (1797-1856). Paris, musée du Louvre. © GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Gérard Blot
James I (1566-1625) 1613 - 1850. Attributed to British School. 17th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
William Grey charges with the English cavalry in the early stages of the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. British Battles on Land and Sea, volume 1. 1873. R. S. Marriotts (engraver).
Pitched combat between the English and Scottish forces at the Battle of Flodden. British Battles on Land and Sea, volume 1. 1873. James Grant.
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) c. 1558. François Clouet (c. 1520-1572) © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Francis II and Mary Stuart. Miniature taken by Catherine de' Medici's Book of Hours. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Portrait of James I (1566-1625), King of Engeland. Attributed to Lawrence Hilliard, 1600 - 1625. Rijksmuseum.
Edward VI (1537-53) c.1550. Attributed to William Scrots (active 1537-53) © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, Attributed to Hans Eworth (1515 - 1574) Wikipedia Commons.
Portrait of Lady Catherine Grey and her son, Edward © Collection of the Duke of Northumberland / Bridgeman Images
Lady Arbella Stuart, aged 16, by Nicholas Hilliard (detail). This portrait was discovered by art historians Emma Rutherford and Dr Elizabeth Goldring. © Private Collection
Bess of Hardwick, by unknown artist. Oil on canvas, probably 17th century. © National Portrait Gallery, London
Lady Arabella Stuart (1575-1615. Isaac Oliver. Nationalmuseum.
Lady Margaret Douglas (1515-78), Countess of Lennox. Attributed to Lawrence Hilliard, 1575. Rijksmuseum.
Richard III (1452-85) 1504-1520. Attributed to British School, 16th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Elizabeth of York (1465-1503) c. 1470-98. Attributed to British School, 16th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Edward IV (1442-83) 1524-56. Attributed to British School, 16th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Henry VI (1421-71) 1504-1520. Attributed to British School, 16th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Unknown woman, formerly known as Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury by Unknown artist
oil on panel, circa 1535. © National Portrait Gallery, London
Portrait of Henry Hastings KG, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon. English, dated 1588. I.46. Royal Armouries.
Depiction of Margaret Clifford Stanley from Jan van Belcamp’s “The Great Picture”, 1646. Lakeland Arts.
Dated oil portrait of Fernando Stanley, 5th earl of Derby, 1594. Wikipedia Commons
Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catharina, Daughters of Philip II, King of Spain c. 1569-70. Attributed to artist and workshop of Alonso Sánchez Coello (1531-88).
Portrait of Phillip II of Spain. Johannes Eillarts. Rijksmuseum.
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster c.1793. R Clamp (active 1789-98) © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Charles I (1600-1649) 1800-50. Attributed to British School, 19th century © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust

You can read Camden’s Annals of Elizabeth here: https://www.google.co.uk/books/editio...