American Toby Jug Museum 

Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots thimbles produced by Francesca China of Longton, England, circa 1985. Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ascended to the throne at the age of 25 after the deaths of her half-brother, Edward VI, and her half-sister, Mary I. She re-established Protestantism, whereby her cousin, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), became a dangerous rival and useful tool in the hands of the Catholics who wished to see Mary on the English throne. After many conspiracies, Elizabeth consented to her cousin's execution. This murderous act, the subsequent persecutions of Catholics and England's foreign policy enraged King Philip of Spain, and, in 1588, the Invincible Armada set sail to attack England.