Who was Elizabeth

• Born to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife
• Her stepmother was Jane Seymour
• Her half brother was Edward VI
• Her half sister was Mary I
• Her first cousin once removed was Mary Queen of Scots
• Henry VIII formed the CofE when the pope refused him a divorce. He destroyed the monasteries and took the knee for himself
• Henry married Anne Boleyn in 1533, when she was already pregnant with Elizabeth. he had Anne executed when Elizabeth was only 2
• When Henry died, the country was in poverty due to the money being spent on endless wars
• Edward VI was crowned at 9 years old. Made the CofE more Protestant and executed catholics who rebelled
• Poverty rose and so did unemployment among England. There was a rebellion in Norfolk in 1549
• After Edward died, Mary, a devout catholic, burnt 300 Protestants in an attempt to make an example and turn England catholic again. She married Philip II of Spain and people didn’t like it because he was a foreigner. She locked Elizabeth in the Tower of London after the 1554 rebellion
• Mary fought an unsuccessful war, there were poor harvests and died leaving the country in debt
• Elizabeth was a disappointment to her father, which meant more marriages to try and have a son
• She lost her mother, and was overlooked by her father when Edward was born
• She was educated and looked after however, prepared for court, and hoped to be married off to an influential foreigner
• She was fluent in 5 languages, good at music, riding, dancing and poetry. Tutors sing her praises
• After Henry died, she went to live with Catherine parr. After Catherine’s death, thomas seymour was executed for treason
• Locked up by Mary and noted her mistakes to avoid making them in future years
• Elizabeth was shaped vastly by the events of her childhood, and had many enemies and people to help her govern