Elizabeth I Queen of England
Being the Queen of both Ireland and England, the early life of Elizabeth was
full of discontentment and disturbance from the time she was born for she was
the extreme failure to fulfill the expectation of her father King Henry VIII.
He is looking forward that he could bring forth a healthy son that is why he
sacrificed to change the progression in one direction of his country's important
past events just to marry Anne Boleyn. He has already his first daughter Mary,
sixteen years older than Elizabeth in his first wife Catherine of Aragon which
he decided not to divorce at the moment while transforming the beliefs and practices
of the religion. In September 7, 1533, Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace
where she begun to suffer the anger and disappointment of his father.
By the time Anne finally become pregnant of a son, Henry could not wait anymore
that he begun to fail in his health and become tired of her that he started
to manipulate overthrowing her in his Kingdom. Failure to give Henry a son,
Anne was killed on false charges of adultery and crime of sexual intercourse
and was decapitated on the Tower Green, Elizabeth was only three years old during
that time. Elizabeth like her sister Mary was withhold of her right to the throne
as the successor of the King because she was also declared as unlawful daughter
after their mother's marriage to Henry was considered without effect and void.
While King Henry waited eagerly to have a son, Elizabeth was sent out of the
existence from judicial tribunal as she was a memoir of her mother to Henry.
He married Jane Seymour, who indeed conceiving a longed son Edward VI of the
future, but died shortly after she gave birth. Elizabeth saw a proceeding succession
in her life in the arms of other stepmothers after Jane's death. There was Anne
Cleves who was been divorced after his father find her ugly, Catherine Howard
who was executed and beheaded for adultery and lastly Catherine Parr, the last
among Henry's six wives and who was first expected to marry the brother of late
Queen Jane, Thomas Seymour before she was captured by Henry's eye.
Catherine conveys both Mary and Elizabeth back to court until she became the
Queen of Dowager when King Henry VIII died. Thomas Seymour, another brother
of Jane became England's Lord Protector when young Edward VI could not be a
legitimate successor of his father on his early stage of life.
Elizabeth continues to live with her stepmother Katherine, but depart the palace
after Thomas Seymour became the present husband of Katherine. Gossips and hearsays
said that Elizabeth is having an affair with Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour and
was caught kissing and possibly in bed at same time. After Katherine gave birth
to her daughter named Mary, she died and was put in the ground of Sudeley Castle
leaving her husband unmarried once again.
Here comes the most dangerous years in the life of Elizabeth. Since she was
in line to rein the throne and the will of his late father as his heir, there
were many undertakings to remove her from the series of successors and in consequence
of that, a most in search- after bride. Her refusal to Thomas Seymour marriage
became a suspicious scheme or plan during the royal rule of Edward VI were she
was interrogated but was not punished for any charges. Nevertheless, after his
assault to kidnap the young king, Thomas Seymour was punished and killed for
treason.
Announcement following on the young King's health, having pulmonary tuberculosis
had spread all over the kingdom most especially for those who do not want Catholic
Mary to heir the crown. The plan has begun for his crown fearing that he will
die without a successor. In 1553, after Edward VI death, Lady Jane Grey (former
adherent of Henry VIII sister Mary) was announced as the Queen by his father,
gathering armies to bear with her. However, nine days after Jane sit the throne
as Queen, Mary the daughter of Henry VIII through her rightful followers move
to London together with her sister Elizabeth fight for her right as the royal
successor of his half brother Edward VI which resulted to the imprisonment of
Jane Grey and her husband Guilford. Briefly, Mary became a Queen of Catholics
and married Philip, the Prince of Spain that made her less popular.
The marriage of her mother, Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII initiated the fall of
England from Rome and her reign brought suffering to Protestants persecution
and saw Elizabeth as an image of new faith and prophet of their beliefs. Mary
captivates and put into prison Elizabeth without her little knowledge after
seeing some danger out of her due to some resistance and defiance uprising from
the people.
Elizabeth's imprisonment and entry to Tower is quiet exciting yet, a doubtful
one because she was deadly afraid of the place maybe due to her mother destruction
being buried in that palace. She decline to move as she was told to enter secretly
the Traitor's Gate to keep away the rise of the compassion from her followers
and supporters. Finally, the dark of the night and the cold brought by the rain
convinced her to enter and soon she became one of the popular prisoners of the
Tower. Pregnancy of Mary in her nearly 40's made Elizabeth no longer an important
threat that made the old Queen to stay back home at her residence in Hatfield.
There were reports said that the Queen has a large cyst in ovary that made her
belly to swell but no baby was born and health failures causing her sudden death
on November 17, 1558.
Information about Mary's death, made Elizabeth survive to become the legend
Queen of England which made her believed that what happened is God's will and
it is excellent in the eyes of the people. When she possessed the throne to
reign, she was automatically come down by many suitors to court her for all
they know, she never been married. Questions started to occupied peoples mind
why Elizabeth stays single up to now. Some propositions said that possibly because
she saw the way his father deals all his wives or maybe of extreme dislike because
he cannot marry Robert Dudley, the man he truly loves.
Dudley has been already married to Amy who died in few years after mysterious
condition at the time Elizabeth became a Queen. Afraid of any scandalous matter
to rise, she could no longer marry Dudley despite of his clean background and
doings but, she succeeded to play fool with her admirers for over twenty five
years more gaining treaties between countries, power, money and possessions
from gift on the favorable state of marriage. Arrangement was failed to the
Duke of Alencon named Francis, her serious rivalry. She also re-established
the Protestant Churches and religion in England and brings back into existence
the debased fabrication of coins.
The remaining years of Elizabeth as the Queen of England has been marked as
the "Golden Age" facing several serious trials including the growing
conflict of her cousin Mary Queen of Scotland who has a strong lawful claim
to the throne of England. Elizabeth already know that Mary is a threat so, she
had taken her into her custody and convicted into major mistakes that made her
signed the death warrant over Mary and made the final execution on 1587. Another
military declaration of intention happens some years later when the fleet from
Spain attacking toward England dominating it for becoming the paramount naval
and warship power. When Robert Dudley died, she kept the last message given
to her on her writing desk.
On March 24, 1603, Elizabeth died at Richmond Palace that made England the
most progressive and powerful country in the world. Her reigning power was followed
by James VI, son of the Queen of Scotland.
Original Authors:
Phil Post
Edit Update Authors: None
Updated On: 25/01/2007
