The First of the Elizabeth’s: Queen Elizabeth

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“’I am already bound unto a husband which is the Kingdom of England.’” (Briscoe). These words were spoken by none other than Queen Elizabeth I, one of the most prominent monarchs of England. Elizabeth’s childhood impacted the decisions she made as Queen of England. The Queen is well known for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots as well as for defeating the Spanish Armada. Being the ‘Virgin Queen’ also added to her popularity. Elizabeth’s reign is considered to some to be an “era of glory” (Trueman), but her early years leading up to her reign were less than favorable. Henry VIII did not set a good example in Elizabeth’s early years. Elizabeth was born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on September 7, 1533. Henry had wanted a son so severely that he had had his previous wives beheaded since they gave him no sons (Eakins). Anne thought that she was expecting a boy, but sure enough, Elizabeth came out. This was somewhat of a disappointment to the King. In May of 1536 (Sparknotes), before Elizabeth was even three years old, Henry had Anne’s head cut off after he – possibly falsely – charged her with incest and adultery. Henry then remarried Jane Seymour who would soon expect a son. Jane died shortly after the birth of Edward VI. Katherine Parr was Elizabeth’s last stepmother as well as Henry’s sixth and final wife. Katherine had an older daughter than Elizabeth – Mary (Eakins). Henry VIII’s health was declining, however. Many of Elizabeth’s relatives would take charge of England before Elizabeth would. Henry VIII died in January of 1547 (Sparknotes) meaning that Elizabeth’s half-brother, Edward VI, was next in line for the thrown at age ten (Trueman). Meanwhile, Dowager Queen Katherine had to take care of Elizabeth (Eakins). Kat... ... middle of paper ... ...l with Mary trying to take the crown from her or the Spanish Armada invading England to try to bring back Catholicism. Works Cited Briscoe, Alexandra. “Elizabeth I: An Overview.” BBC. BBC, 17 February 2011. Web. 30 April 2014. Eakins, Lara. “Elizabeth I.” The Tudor Monarchs. Lara Eakins, 2014. Web. 28 April 2014. “Elizabeth.” Luminarium. Anniina Jokinen, 18 June 2011. Web. 29 April 2014. “Elizabeth I.” BBC. BBC, 2014. Web. 29 April 2014. “Elizabeth I (1558-1603 AD).” Britannia. Britannia.com, 2011. Web. 28 April 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, LLC., 2014. Web. 28 April 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc., May 2014. Web. 4 May 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Sparknotes. Sparknotes LLC., 2014. Web. 3 May 2014. Trueman, Chris. “Elizabeth I.” History Learning Site. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, 2013. Web. 1 May 2014.

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