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| Elizabeth I Queen of England 1533 - 1603 The last Tudor monarch |
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| Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558 and reigned until her death in 1603. Her reign is often called the Golden Age of England because it was a time of great achievement and prosperity. Elizabeth's reign was during one of the more constructive periods in English history. Literature bloomed through her encouragement of the performers. Elizabeth's religious compromise between protestants and catholicism laid many fears to rest and helped unite the kingdom. Fashion and education came to the fore because of Elizabeth's penchant for knowledge, courtly behavior and extravagant dress. Good Queen Bess, as she came to be called, as well as Glorianna, maintained a regal air until the day she died. |
| She died in 1603, at the age of 69, and was buried with great magnificence in Westminster Abbey. |
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| Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn, the second of Henry's six wives. Born in September 1533, she did not have a happy or stable childhood. Her mother was beheaded when she was three years old and she was declared illegitimate. In 1544 Parliament reestablished her in the succession after her half brother, Edward (later Edward VI), and her half sister, Mary. |
| Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had only one surviving child with Henry, Mary. Henry wanted a male heir, so he asked the pope to annul the marriage. Because the pope refused, Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic church and set himself up as head of the church in England. |
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| Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, gave birth to a son, Edward. Henry died when Edward was 10 years old, and the boy came to the throne as Edward VI. Elizabeth and Edward were both brought up in Henry's new church, The Church of England. |
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| When Mary died, there were two claimants to the throne. If Elizabeth did not succeed, the next heir was Mary Stuart of Scotland, a Catholic. A brief poltical stuggle of potential alliances ensued. Spain backed Elizabeth because Mary Stuart was to Marry a Frenchman which would ally both England and Scotland with France. King Phillip hoped by placing his allegiance with Elizabeth that she would marry him and secure an alliance between Spain and England. Her refusal of marriage is often rumored the reason why Spain eventually attacked Britan... and failed. |
| Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five years old., She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by religious discord. Her sense of duty was admirable, though it came at great personal cost. She was committed above all else to preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects was legendary. |
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| Click the castle to go in and pay your respects. |
| Meet The Family: |
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| HENRY VIII King and Father Henry gave Elizabeth a house of her own in the country. He paid little attention to her, and her governess complained that the princess "hath neither gown, nor kirtle, nor petticoat." Henry provided excellent tutors, however, and Elizabeth showed a love for learning. |
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| Poor Henry was on a constant search for a male heir . |
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| Their half sister Mary was brought up a Roman Catholic. When Edward died in 1553, Mary became queen and at once made Catholicism the state religion. Mary suspected Elizabeth of plotting with the Protestants to gain the throne and had her imprisoned for two months in the Tower of London. |
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