Queen Elizabeth I

The Major Accomplishments of Queen Elizabeth I

 It was a major accomplishment that she ever survived to become Queen of

England! Her mother was executed on the charge of Treason, adultery and
incest. She was branded a bastard by her father, King Henry VIII. She lost
her title of Princess Elizabeth and had to be referred to as Lady Elizabeth!
 As Princess Elizabeth she survived a scandal concerning herself and Thomas
Seymour, the husband of her stepmother Katharine Parr
 It was a major accomplishment to survive the questioning she endured at the
Tower of London when she was imprisoned there by her half-sister Mary
Tudor ( aka Mary I & Bloody Mary). She was accused of being involved
with the Protestant rebellion, led by Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger
 She was a very gifted scholar who was an accomplished linguist with the
ability to speak several languages including Latin, Greek, French, Spanish
and Welsh
 Her reign witnessed widespread increase in literacy and great achievements
in the arts - great poets and playrights emerged during her era such as
William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe and Sir
Walter Raleigh)
 The reign of Queen Elizabeth I also saw significant expansion overseas.
Great explorers were encouraged such as Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter
Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Richard
Greenville
 The new scientific thinking of the renaissance was encouraged and important
men such as Sir Francis Bacon and Dr. John Dee emerged during the
Elizabethan era
 She achieved an excellent reputation as a good and wise ruler, who was truly
loved by her people - she was highly accomplished in the art of rhetoric and
Public Relations
 Queen Elizabeth I surrounded herself with highly intelligent and loyal
advisors such as Sir William Cecil, Sir Francis Walsingham and Sir Robert
Cecil who gave her sound political advice
 A major accomplishment was the defeat of the Spanish Armada of 132 by the
English fleet of 34 ships and 163 armed merchant vessels under Lord
Howard of Effingham, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir John Hawkins
 The English navy defeated further attempts at invasion in 1596 and 1597
 Her reign saw several rebellions - from the Irish, “The Rising of the North”
and the Essex rebellion - all of which she defeated
 She survived various Catholic plots and conspiracies such as the Babbington
plot involving Mary Queen of Scots
 She was able to choose excellent advisors and statesmen but was not be
dominated by them. Elizabeth was firmly in control of all major policies and
England prospered under a stable Government
  Queen Elizabeth adopted a moderate religious policy. The Acts of
Supremacy and Uniformity (1559), the introduction of the Prayer Book of
1559, and the Thirty-Nine Articles (1563) were all Protestant in doctrine, but
preserved many traditionally Catholic ceremonies. Although a Protestant she
did not persecute Catholics with conviction - she adopted a moderate
approach
 She established Protestantism as the country's religion
 Queen Elizabeth established the Poor Laws - she achieved a new framework
of support for the needy
 Queen Elizabeth achieved recognition for England as a leading power in
Europe
 Queen Elizabeth I lead England as a woman, in what was very much a man's
World, and she did this with courage, intelligence and loyalty to her friends

TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT QUEEN ELIZABETH I

 Trivia Fact 1 - Queen Elizabeth I was born 7 September 1533 at Greenwich

Palace
 Trivia Fact 2 - The Father of Queen Elizabeth I was the nororious King
Henry VIII
 Trivia Fact 3 - The Mother of Queen Elizabeth I was Anne Boleyn
 Trivia Fact 4 - Queen Elizabeth I Died on 24 March 1603 (of blood
poisoning) - she was nearly70 years of age
 Trivia Fact 5 - Queen Elizabeth I Reigned for 45 years from 1558 - 1603
 Trivia Fact 6 - Her mother, Anne Boleyn, was accused of adultery and incest
( with her brother George Boleyn) and was beheaded at the Tower of London
 Trivia Fact 7 - Princess Elizabeth lived with her stepmother Katharine Parr
and her husband Thomas Seymour - she was sent away in disgrace amid
rumours that she was having an affair with Seymour!
 Trivia Fact 8 - Scandal followed Queen Elizabeth I when Amy Robsart, the
wife of her favourite courtierRobert Dudley (some say lover) was found dead
at the foot of her stairs - Dudley was suspected or arranging her murder so
that he would be free to marry Queen Elizabeth
 Trivia Fact 9 - Queen Elizabeth almost died of Smallpox in 1562 and was left
with scars on her face - these were covered with the heavy white make-up
which was fashionable at the time
 Trivia Fact 10 - She never met her cousin and rival, Mary Queen of Scots,
although she was imprisoned in England for many years
 The Family of Queen Elizabeth I

The Family of Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I was a member of the illustrious Tudor Dynasty. Facts, key dates
and timelines about her ancestry and her immediate family are as follows:

 Aug. 22, 1485 - Henry Tudor, grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I, wins battle
of Bosworth becoming Henry VII
 Henry VII cemented his succession and settled the friction between the
Yorkists and Lancastrians by marrying the Yorkist heir, Elizabeth of York
 Jan 16, 1486 - Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, daughter of
Edward IV
 Jun 28, 1491 - Birth of Prince Henry, future Henry VIII
 1509 - Accession of King Henry VIII - father of Queen Elizabeth I,
 18 February, 1516 - Mary, daughter of Henry and Katharine of Aragon is
born
 January 25th 1533 Henry marries Anne Boleyn - mother of Queen Elizabeth
I,
 7 September 1533 Queen Elizabeth I the daughter of King Henry VIII and
his second wife, Anne Boleyn, is born
 May 15th 1536 Anne Boleyn tried for treason, adultery and incest in the
Great Hall of the Tower of London
 May 19th 1536 Anne Boleyn executed on Tower Hill. Anne's body and head
were buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula
 Within 24 hours of Anne Boleyn's execution, Jane Seymour and Henry VIII
were formally betrothed
 Edward VI born 12 October, 1537
 July 28th 1540 - 49 year old Henry married 19 year old Catherine Howard
 13th February 1542 - Catherine Howard is executed for adultery
 King Henry VIII dies 28 January, 1547
 Edward VI (Henry's son by Jane Seymour) becomes King of England
 6 July, 1553 King Edward VI dies of tuberculosis
 6 July 1553 - Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, is
proclaimed Queen of England
 Queen Mary I dies on November 17, 1558
 November 17, 1558 - Accession of Queen Elizabeth

The Spanish Armada

The Elizabethan Age - The Spanish Armada

On Sunday 7th August 1588 the fleet of the Spanish Armada lay in the English
Channel, close to the cliffs of Calais. The Spanish fleet intended to mount the
invasion and conquest of England by the Catholic King Philip II of Spain. The
success of the Spanish Armada would mean that Queen Elizabeth, viewed as a
Protestant heretic, would be deposed and the English people subjugated to Spanish
rule and forcibly converted to Catholicism. The English were fighting for their lives,
their freedom and their way of life.

The Spanish Armada

The Spanish Commander was the Duke of Medina Sidonia who led 19,000 fighting
men. The English were led by Lord Charles Howard of Effingham the Lord High
Admiral of England with men such as Lord Sheffield, Sir Richard Grenville, John
Hawkins, Martin Frobisher and, of course, Francis Drake. These supremely
important people and events have been detailed in the Spanish Armada section of
the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ten Great Events in History, by James Johonnot.
 Death of Queen Elizabeth I

The Death of Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I died on 24 March 1603 (of blood poisoning) - she was nearly70 years of age. Arguably
the greatest monarch that ever rule England. Under her rule England prospered, became a major power,
encouraged the Arts and great literature by William Shakespeare, John Donne, Christopher Marlowe and
Sir Edmund Spenser. Great explorers discovered new lands such as Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh,
Sir John Hawkins, Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Richard Greenville. It was indeed the Golden Age of
England. Queen Elizabeth had lived a long life but her health was declining.

Events leading to the Death of Queen Elizabeth I

The major event leading up to the death of Queen Elizabeth I was undoubtedly the death of Robert
Devereux (1566-1601), Earl of Essex who was executed on Tower Green on 25th February 1601. She
missed Essex and the was slowly losing the interest, and the firm grip, she had always had on the running
of the country. She was alone. The men she had loved and who had shared her life had nearly all gone. She
depended on Robert Cecil, whose father William, had served her so well in her Golden Years. Elizabeth
was slow in naming her successor but it was evident that she meant for James VI of Scotland, son of Mary
queen of Scots, to succeed her. The Courtiers were waiting for her death.

The Death of Queen Elizabeth I approaches

In March 1603 Queen Elizabeth was clearly unwell and seemed depressed. She retired to one of her
favourite homes - Richmond Palace. Stubborn as ever she refused to allow her doctors to examine her. She
also refused to rest in bed - she stood for hours on end, occasionally just sitting in a chair. Her condition
became worse and her ladies-in-waiting spread cushions across the floor. Queen Elizabeth eventually lay
down on the cushions. She lay on the floor for nearly four days - mostly in complete silence. She eventually
grew so weak that when her servants insisted on making her more comfortable in her bed she was unable
to argue with them. The end was clearly near for the great old Queen. Her Councillors gathered around
her. Soft music was played to soothe her. She had still not named James as her successor but she made a
sign to Robert Cecil and it was interpreted that this was her wish.

Queen Elizabeth I dies

It was obvious that the Queen was about to die and old Archbishop Whitgift was called to her bedside to
offer prayers. She was tended by her ladies-in-waiting and fell into a deep sleep. She never woke up.
When her death finally came on 24 March 1603 it was described as 'mildly like a lamb, easily like a ripe
apple from the tree'. The throne of England passed to the Protestant King James VI of Scotland who
became King James I of England. The day of her death was a Thursday, the same as for her father and
half-sister.

The Proclamation of the Death of Queen Elizabeth I

A proclamation of the Queen's death was written and preparations for the funeral began. The
proclamation of Elizabeth's death and the succession of King James was written to impart the news to the
people. Robert Cecil read the proclamation himself first at Whitehall and then at St Pauls. It was greeted
with stunned disbelief. Most of the population of England had known no other monarch than Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth I - The Cause of Death

The cause of the death of Queen Elizabeth was not confirmed as there was no post mortem. She was
generally believed to have died of blood poisoning possibly caused by the application of the white make-up
called ceruse - a mixture of white lead and vinegar, which was poisonous! Other possibilities are cancer or
quite simply old age. The body of Queen Elizabeth I was embalmed and laid in state in a lead coffin at
Whitehall. The coffin was then taken to Westminster where it stayed until the funeral

The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth I - 28 April 1603

The new King James was welcomed by the people of England. He was a Protestant, married and already
had an heir. His popularity did not last and perhaps a sign of things to come was indicated by the funeral
arrangements which he approved. The people showed the dead Queen the greatest respect and the funeral