War, succession, and courtly entertainments: Elizabeth I's summer progress of 1591

The article presents a study of Elizabeth's summer pro­gress in 1591 — the only one that brought the Queen to the South of England during the years of the Anglo-Spanish war (1585—1604). It shows that the main political aim of the progress was to reach a working compromise with the Catholics of the Southern counties, since they bore the financial burden of the coastal defense and were growing discontented over the intensifying religious persecution. In the course of entertainment given to Elizabeth I at Cowdray Cas­tle, its Catholic owner, Viscount Montague, successfully presented himself as a loyal subject of the monarch and as a leader of the lo­cal community. The success of the Cowdray entertainment strength­ened his political position in the county of Sussex. Another enter­tainment given to the Queen — the one at Elvetham, the manor of Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, failed to please her because the Earl addressed his bid not only to legitimize his son but also to get him acknowledged, however indirectly, as heir to the Crown of Eng­land, not to Elizabeth but rather to her councilors and courtiers who could have offered their support. Addressing the national political elite and ignoring the Queen's wishes endangered the political ca­reer of the Earl of Hertford and his sons during the 1590s.

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