Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth's Family Many people think Elizabeth Tudor was the greatest English ruler of all time. She came from a powerful family. Before Elizabeth was born, her father, King Henry VIII of England, fell in love with Anne Boleyn while he was still married to his first wife. Henry wanted to end his marriage and marry Anne. This was not allowed in the Catholic Church at the time. Against the wishes of the Catholic Church, Henry started another church and ended his marriage. This church became known as the Church of England.

Henry was free of the Catholic Church. He married Anne Boleyn. Anne gave birth to Elizabeth Tudor on September 7, 1533. Anne was worried after she gave birth to Elizabeth. She thought that Henry might be unhappy with her for not giving him a son. She was right. Henry already had a daughter, Mary, with his first wife. He wanted a son to take over as king when he died. In time, Henry ended their marriage and had her put to death. Elizabeth was only three years old when her mother died.

Prince Edward In 1537, Henry married his third wife, Jane, who gave birth to Prince Edward. At last, Henry had the son he always wanted. Jane, however, died a few days after Edward was born. Henry's sixth and last wife was Catherine Parr. She told Henry to decide who would one day take over his throne, and finally he did. Prince Edward would be first in line, Mary would be second, and Elizabeth would be third. When Henry VIII died in 1547, nine-year-old Prince Edward became king. His rule as king was short. Edward died when he was only fifteen years old. Elizabeth's older sister Mary became queen.

Mary and Elizabeth Mary had been raised in the Catholic religion. In her time, some people began a new Protestant religion. Mary's goal as queen was to end the Protestant religion and make the Catholic religion England's main religion again. Mary did not like people who did not follow the Catholic teachings. She was known for her strict punishments and often ordered Protestants to be put to death. This earned her the nickname “ Bloody Mary. " Elizabeth, on the other hand, was Protestant. The faith was important to her, but Elizabeth attended Catholic church to please Mary. Mary didn't trust Elizabeth and believed she was practicing the Protestant faith in secret. When some people plotted to remove Mary as queen, she was sure that Elizabeth was behind it. Mary had Elizabeth arrested and put in jail for two months. When Elizabeth was let go, she remained under Mary's watch for a year.

Queen Elizabeth In 1558, Mary became ill and died. Elizabeth, who was next in line to the throne, was crowned queen on January 15, 1559. Elizabeth announced to the world that she was a Protestant. However, Elizabeth had an open mind. She worked with both Catholics and Protestants and tried to make peace. She was not always successful. Protestants thought she was too easy on Catholics, and some Catholics felt she turned her back on them.