Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth the Queen   • Queen Elizabeth I was born September 7, 1533 in Greenwich. She died March 24, 1603 in Richmond, Surrey.   • Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.   Henry had Anne beheaded in 1536. One of the reasons why he had her killed was because she did not give birth to a son. Henry wanted a son to replace him as king after his death.   • Elizabeth became Queen on November 17, 1558, the day Queen Mary died. She was crowned two months later on January 15, 1559, in a coronation ceremony.   • The Queen spoke Greek, French, Italian, Latin, and, of course, English.   • During her reign, England defeated the Spanish Armada. Because the Spanish navy was thought to be better than the British navy, this victory raised the status of England in Europe.   • Queen Elizabeth never married. She is sometimes called "The Virgin Queen."   Learn more about Elizabeth's life             Princess Elizabeth   • Elizabeth received a formal education. This was very unusual for her time; girls often did not go to school. Elizabeth studied such subjects as mathematics, history, geography, and astronomy.   • As a princess, Elizabeth gave her family gifts of prayers and poems she had translated herself, written out in her own hand, and decorated with embroidered covers. She was only eleven years old when she translated a poem from French into English.   • In 1554, when her sister Mary was Queen, Elizabeth was sent to the Tower of London as a prisoner. Mary believed that Elizabeth supported plots to remove her from power. • Elizabeth learned to play several musical instruments. She also loved to dance, ride horses, and hunt.   Learn more about the Tower of London