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Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich

England. She was the second child of King Henry VIII from his second
wife Anne Boleyn. She was two years old when her mother died. Her
father ordered the execution of her mother and she was declared by her
father as an illegitimate child because her father wanted to have a boy as
an heir. Even though she was raised like any other royal child receiving
the appropriate upbringing and knowledge. When Henry died, Elizabeth
was taken under the care of his sixth wife Katherine Parr. In the following
years in 1554 Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London with the
orders of her sister Queen Mary Tudor as Mary believed that Elizabeth
was involved with the rebellion against her plan to marry Prince Philip of
Spain.
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Elizabeth’s coronation portrait

Elizabeth became Queen of England and Ireland on January 15,

1559, after her sister Mary Tudor died childless in 1558. She had to face
many problems which were inherited to her by the reign of her sister.
First of all, Elizabeth had to face the religion problem. Mary was a
Catholic and she tried to turn England into a Catholic religion in extremes
ways. She is well known in history by the nickname “Bloody Mary” due
to the punishments which she used. On the other hand Elizabeth was a
supporter of Protestant Religion so the English people accepted her
easily. She was named Supreme Governor of the Church of England but
due to her belief Elizabeth was excommunicated by the Pope Pius V
in1570. Another problem which she had to face was the war with France
which ended with England’s victory. She also supported the protestant
rebellions in Netherlands against Spain. Moreover she executed her
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cousin Mary Stuart Queen of Scotland because she was afraid of a

revolution against her as Mary was a Catholic and the perfect candidate to
succeed her on the English throne.

It is well known that she was also called “Virgin Queen” as she
never married even if she had many proposals. She used her availability
for political aims. Some support that Elizabeth was in love with Robert
Dudley, a member of her court. Their relationship was a source of gossip
after his wife’s death. During her reign a variety of art blossomed such as
literature, English theatre like Shakespeare, Spencer, and Marlowe. Also
during her reign became many voyages of discovery. Francis Drake was
the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and Walter Raleigh who
set up a colony on the east coast of North America which he named
Virginia after Elizabeth I, “the Virgin Queen”. In addition the fashion and
education came to the fore due to Elizabeth’s interest for courtly behavior
and extravagant dresses.

She died on March 24, 1603 and she was buried at Westminster
Abbey. With her death came the end of the house of Tudor. Elizabeth
took the reign at the age of 25 and she ruled for 44 years. The age in
which she had ruled, is called the Golden Age due to the blossom of arts
with her support or Elizabethan era.
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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

http://www.biography.com/people/queen-elizabeth-i-9286133

http://www.history.co.uk/topics/biography/queen-elizabeth-i

http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/ztfxtfr