ABSTRACT
Accession Day The anniversary of Elizabeth 1's accession to the throne on 17 November 1558 was one of the few truly secular HOLIDAYS in the English CALENDAR. In the first decade of Elizabeth's reign, Accession Day, also known as Queen's Day or Coronation Day, was celebrated with the ringing of bells and the building of bonfires. After the defeat of the NORTHERN REBELLION in 1570, the anniversary became a day of national thanksgiving and festival. The Accession Day tilts, elaborate tournaments held before thousands of spectators at the Westminster tilt-yard, allowed young courtiers to display their martial prowess and their devotion to queen and country (see COURT; VIRGIN QUEEN). After the start of the war with SPAIN in 1585, the holiday became a patriotic celebration of Protestant England and its glorious queen (see PROTESTANTISM). Accession Day celebrations were revived under Elizabeth's successor, JAMES I, when her reign began to be seen as a golden age of national greatness. The date remained emotionally significant and was an occasion for patriotic celebrations well into the eighteenth century. See also CHRISTMAS; EASTER; WESTMINSTER PALACE.
