An act of Parliament declared Elizabeth to be the true and lawful heir
to the crown[1] (S355); but her position was full of difficulty, if
not absolute peril. Mary Stuart of Scotland, now by marriage Queen of
France (S363),[2] claimed the English crown through descent from Henry
VII. She based her claim on the ground that Elizabeth, the daughter
of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was not lawfully entitled to the
throne, because the Pope had refused to recognize Henry's second
marriage (S349). Both France and Rome supported Mary Stuart's claim.
[1] See Genealogical Table, p. 207.
[2] After Elizabeth, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, stood next in order
of hereditary succession. See Table, p. 207.
On the other hand, Philip II of Spain (SS370, 374) favored Elizabeth,
but solely because he hoped to marry her and annex her kingdom to his
dominions. Scotland was divided between two religious factions, the
Catholics and the Protestants, and its attitude as an independent
kingdom could hardly be called friendly. The Catholics in the greater
part of Ireland were in a state bordering on rebellion, and were ready
to join in any attack on an English sovereign.