William Cecil Lord Burghley
William Cecil Lord Burghley (1520-98), English statesman. On Elizabeth I’s accession to the throne (1558) he was made her sole secretary and in 1572 be-came Lord High Treasurer, a post he held until his death. As the queen’s adviser he had considerable influence on Elizabethan policy. A firm believer in England’s role as a leader of European Protestantism, Burghley was responsible for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, thus ensuring a Protestant succession.
