Queen elizabeth I
Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
Born in September 1533, she did not have a happy or stable
childhood. Her mother was beheaded* at the Tower of London
when she was two and a half years old and she was declared
illegitimate. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife was kind* to her
but she died when Elizabeth was six years old. After her
father's death in 1547, Elizabeth had been taken* in by Henry's
sixth wife, Katherine Parr and her new husband Thomas
Seymour. However, she had to leave their house when
Katherine got jealous because Thomas was paying Elizabeth
too much attention (they were probably lovers).   
Elizabeth's half-brother Edward VI had become king when Henry VIII died and had changed the religion
of England to Protestantism but when he died the throne* went to her half-sister, Mary, who was a
Catholic. Mary saw Elizabeth, a Protestant, as a threat* to her position and had her imprisoned in the
Tower of London.
Elizabeth, a protestant, came to the throne in 1558 after her sister, Mary I, died.
 The later years of Elizabeth's reign are sometimes referred to as a Golden Age. During this time,
England and Elizabeth faced several major challenges.
First, Elizabeth had to deal* with the growing threat* of Mary Queen of Scots. who had a strong
and legitimate (especially in the eyes of Catholics) claim* to the throne of England. When Mary fled*
Scotland in the 1560s, she was arrested in England, where she had hoped for the protection of her cousin
Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew Mary was a threat, because she was a Catholic and wanted the throne.
Eventually*, an assassination plot* arose* in Mary's name, and Elizabeth signed her death warrant*.
Mary was executed in 1587, on February 8th, at Fortheringhay.
The King of Spain, Philip II, a fervent catholic who wanted all countries to be catholic, was
furious. As a result, the greatest military threat to Elizabeth's reign came a year later, when the Armada
from Spain sailed toward Britain. England won and became the supreme naval power that it was in the
1600 and 1700s. The country became rich.
Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603 at Richmond Palace and was succeeded by James I (James VI of
Scotland), the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. The Tudor dynasty ended and passed to the Stuarts.
beheaded : décapité kind : gentil taken in : acceuilli dans la maison throne : trone threat : menace to deal with
: s'occuper de claim : reclamation/exigence fled : (to flee : s'enfuir) eventually = finally warrrant : arrêt (de mort) a
plot : complot arose : (to arise) monter/fomenter
When was she born ?__________________________________________________________________
Who was her father ?____________________________________________________________
How many wives did her father have ?____________________________________________________________
What happened to her mother ?____________________________________________________________
Who became Queen when her father died ?________________________________________________________
What did the new Queen see her as dangerous ?____________________________________________________
Where was Elizabeth imprisoned ?____________________________________________________________
How and when did she become Queen ?_________________________________________________________
Why did Phillip declare war on Britain ?__________________________________________________________
Name the fleet he sent to conquer Britain ?________________________________________________________
Who won, in what year ?____________________________________________________________
What is good for England ? ____________________________________________________________
Was Elizabeth a Tudor or a Stuart ? ___________________
Can you see the irony in Elizabeth's death ? No/Yes, ...___________________________________________
More about the Spanish Armada : http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/armada/lesson_index.html
http://www.historyonthenet.com/Tudors/spanish_armada.htm
More about Elizabeth : http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/year8links/elizabeth.shtml