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Queen Elizabeth I Biography: Birth,Achievements,Life and Death

Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, to the monarch King Henry the Eighth and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her birth was not a celebrated one as the king coveted a son to carry on the name of the family. She was the final ruler from the Tudors and fifth in line. Her education was not lacking in any way and she was raised by nurses and governesses till she reached majority.

Queen Elizabeth I was often hailed as the Virgin Queen, Gloriana and Good queen Bess. She popularised the virginal look as well as the practice. The crown did not come easily to her. After her mother, Anne Boleyn was beheaded on suspicion of incest and treason, she was declared as illegitimate and her half brother even wrote her out of his will.

Queen Elizabeth I Biography

Queen Elizabeth Age

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Her other half-sister, Mary had her incarcerated for a year. She was a Protestant supporter, a fact that garnered her ill favour from Queen Mary. Finally, in 1558, at the 25 years of age, she ascended the throne. Her coronation took place at the Westminster Abbey ad she was received with adulation and happiness by her subjects. Her leaning towards Protestantism was a huge favouring factor.

Queen Elizabeth early life

Queen Elizabeth is believed to have an unhappy childhood where she was not allowed to enjoy affluence. Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was his second wife. Since Henry had hoped for a male heir this time, Elizabeth’s birth made him disappointed on both his daughter and his wife.

When Elizabeth was three years old, both her parents were beheaded on charges of adultery and treason for defying the pope. Henry’s marriage to Anne was viewed as invalid by the Roman Catholics from the beginning and thus rendered Elizabeth as their illegitimate daughter.

It is not known what emotional impact these events had on little Elizabeth but it is recorded that she became an extremely serious child by the age of six with unusual gravity. She was also imparted education usually reserved for men and was trained in history, classical languages, rhetoric and moral philosophy.

Autograph of Elizabeth I of England

Queen Elizabeth I Biography
Autograph of Elizabeth I

Her state of not being married was a piece for speculation far and wide, even today historians ponder over the reason for her refusal to marry. It may have been because of the tragic death of her mother, or fear of childbirth or the basic need to preserve power and control over one’s life, especially as her role as the monarch of England.

Did Queen Elizabeth I have lovers?

Yes, Queen Elizabeth I was believed to have many lovers, although, nobody knew for certain. Lord Roberts Dudley and Sir Francis of Ajou were purported to be two of her suitors whom she did not end up marrying. Sir Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake and Robert Devereux were her close friends and were also believed to be suitors.

Queen Elizabeth I facts

Queen Elizabeth I husband?

Queen Elizabeth I never married anyone, despite having multiple suitors.

Queen Elizabeth I children?

Elizabeth never married and remained childless.

Why didn’t Elizabeth I marry?

It is unclear why Elizabeth chose never to get married, but it was, possibly, to retain her power throughout her life and never her swayed by family matters.

Why did Queen Elizabeth never have a child?

It is a matter of speculation why Queen Elizabeth never chose to have a child. It was, possibly, to have control of her life and decisions and never get swayed from her position of power that she chose never to marry or have children.

Queen Elizabeth I successor?

Queen Elizabeth’s successor to the throne was James VI of Scotland who became James I of England.

What was Queen Elizabeth I’s interests?

Queen Elizabeth liked court entertainment through poetry, songs and dramas. She was also fond of hunting. Queen Elizabeth I was extremely well educated and was an expert in six different languages.

About Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth I accomplishments

Queen Elizabeth I took full advantage of this aspect of her personal life by manipulating political decisions. The period in which she ruled was the pinnacle of the renaissance. Art, drama, poetry and literature gained much importance and patronage.

She was very fond of masques and theatre. The theatres bore wings during her reign and boasted of playwrights like William Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton.

Queen Elizabeth I Biography

Conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth I

Plots against Queen Elizabeth?

There had been multiple plots to kill Queen Elizabeth and replace her with someone else. However, she was a very cautious ruler and all the plots against her failed.

Why were the Jesuits a threat to Elizabeth?

Elizabeth was expelled from Catholicism by a Papal Bull of Excommunication issued by the Pope in 1570. It was thus made clear that the Catholic church did not approve of her as the Queen and was a constant threat to her power.

Has there ever been an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth?

The Babington Plot was the conspiracy made against Elizabeth where the Catholics tried to kill her.

Who tried to kill Elizabeth?

The Catholics plotted against Elizabeth to kill her and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. It was possibly because Elizabeth was a protestant and her will was the law of the land, whereas, Mary was a catholic and could be manipulated by the Church.

Why was there a conspiracy to kill Queen Elizabeth?

People conspired against Elizabeth and tried to kill her because she was a protestant and ruled the country according to her will. She could not be manipulated or dominated by anyone. She was also a protestant, which means, she would not listen to the catholic church.

Mary, Queen of Scots, who was also Elizabeth’s first cousin, believed that she and a greater claim to the throne and therefore wanted to remove her.

Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots
Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots were greatest rival queens

Which plot was the biggest threat to Elizabeth?

The Babington plot in 1586 was the most dangerous plot made against Queen Elizabeth. The Catholics wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots, who was Elizabeth’s cousin. However, the actual long-term objective was to bring England under the control of the Catholic League of France with the help of King Philip II and his Spanish forces.

The plot failed and resulted in the execution of Mary who admitted to having conspired against Elizabeth.

Explorations were carried out in the high seas. Sir Francis Drake was her stalwart and his contribution to defeating the Spanish armada was no mean feat.

Did Mary ever meet Elizabeth?

No. Despite being two of the greatest rivals in history, Queen Elizabeth of England and Mary, Queen of Scots never met each other. They, however, did correspond and Mary’s letters to Elizabeth were used as a proof against her when she was accused of plotting against Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth I family tree
Queen Elizabeth I family tree

How did Queen Elizabeth I die?

Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 69 after having ruled England for forty-five years. Some people believed that she was killed and the cause of her death was poisoning. However, post-mortems were not allowed in those days and therefore, the exact cause of her death is unknown.

Others suggest that she might have died due to pneumonia or sepsis. Interestingly, during the time of her death, it was found that Elizabeth’s coronation ring had grown into her flesh. It was because the ring was never removed from her finger during her forty-five years of reign.

When she fell sick, the doctors stated that the ring needed to be removed and Elizabeth died within a week of the removal of the ring.

Queen Elizabeth’s rule was known as the Elizabethan period and during her reign, England flourished politically, financially, internationally and also in the field of art.
Queen Elizabeth died in March 1603.

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