On this date in 1558 the disastrous reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which would last for 44 long years, commenced.
The illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, her long rule saw the Elizabethan Religious Settlement which was brought about due to pragmatism rather than religious conviction, and indeed there's reason to believe that Elizabeth personally shared the religious convictions of her half sister Mary but chose not to continue to pursue them in order to make civil compromises. Her long reign guaranteed the success of the settlement and it many injustices for centuries.
