elizabeth i succeeded her half-sister mary i as queen of england in 1558. elizabeth's accession was disputed due to the questioned legitimacy of the marriage of her parents – henry viii and anne boleyn. under henry viii and his advisor thomas cromwell, power was gradually shifted from regional institutions to royal control. this course was encouraged by elizabeth's counsellors such as william cecil and a policy of centralization was the approach favoured by elizabeth herself at least in regards to the northern border region.