Queen Elizabeth I (part 2)

Hey here is my Queen Elizabeth part 2 tell me how you like both parts...and if you have not read part 1 go below this post and read it first.

Edward and Elizabeth spent much time together. Both received a very impressive education, they were taught Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, History, Philosophy and Mathematics. As much as they enjoyed their childhood it was also filled with tragedy. Henry married Anne of Cleves. He divorced her soon after they were married. Henry’s fifth wife was Katherine Howard. They were married for a couple of years; before he beheaded her for no apparent reason. Henry’s sixth and final wife was Catherine Parr and she remained with him till the end of his death.

At the age of thirteen, Elizabeth’s father died on January 28, 1547. Henry’s death was kept a secret for three days. At the time of Henry’s death, Elizabeth and Edward were at the Palace Royal of Enfiled in Londen continuing their education when they were told of their father’s death. They both cried and held on to each other, not knowing what the future would hold. Edward became the King of England at the age of nine.

For most of Edward reign, Elizabeth had a quiet and peaceful life. She continued with her studies and spent a great deal of time visiting with her step-mother Catherine Parr. While spending time with her mother, Catherine became pregnant and had a daughter that she named Mary. Much to Elizabeth’s sorrow, Catherine died on September 1548 a few days after Mary was born.

Mary became queen on July 19 1553. When Mary became Queen she said that she was going to change England’s religion back to the Roman Catholic Faith, instead of it being Protestant like it was when she was growing up. Mary later became later know as “Bloody Mary” for her persecution to the Protestants. When Mary married Prince Phillip of Spain it made her even more up popular.

During Mary’s reign, there was a plot that formed to kill Mary, but it was discovered before the plan was carried out. Mary, because she disliked her sister, claimed that Elizabeth had done it, even when Elizabeth said she did not. Elizabeth was then sent to the tower where her mother was held, and beheaded.

For the next year or so Elizabeth was kept in constant terror of being sentenced to death or beheaded. In the last year of Mary’s reign, Mary became pregnant (she never ended up having the child), took Elizabeth out of the tower and sentenced her to in-house arrest, at Hatfield until her death.

Mary died on November 17, 1558, it was said that Elizabeth sitting under an oak tree, and upon hearing that she was Queen of England said “A Dominum factum est illud, et est mirabile in oculis notris”—“It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”

On January 15, 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England, they say that the total cost of her celebrations, not counting the coronation banquet was 16’741 back then, about 3.4 million today! Elizabeth had a very successful reign, and it is still referred to today as the Golden Age. Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603, and was succeed by James I.

If it were me, I would not want to be a princess in the sixteenth century! I would much rather be in the time period God put me in.

Katie