REIGN: 1558–1603
FATHER: Henry VIII / MOTHER: Anne Boleyn
HALF SIBLINGS: Mary Tudor and Edward VI
SUCCESSOR: James VI
OTHER NAMES: Gloriana, the Virgin Queen
Elizabeth inherited a very difficult situation when she came to the throne—her country had been torn apart by religious and political conflict for years. She restored relative peace and order while on the throne. With things running more smoothly at home, she was able to set her sights on the rest of the world. She sponsored explorers, positioned England as a world superpower, and helped English culture to develop and thrive.
Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, really wanted a son. Really, really badly. So badly that when he realized he and his first wife, Catherine, would only have a daughter together (Mary, see here), he started a whole new religion so he could divorce Catherine and marry someone else to try for a son.
Henry’s second wife was Elizabeth’s mother: Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was born, Henry was disappointed. He longed for a son, and when he didn’t get one, he had Anne’s head chopped off (Elizabeth was just three years old.) Henry married another woman, Jane. Jane did give him a son (thankfully for her). Now, Elizabeth had a half brother, Edward, who was four years younger than she was. The three half siblings—Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward—all lived in different palaces and didn’t see each other much. Elizabeth was raised mostly by her nanny and rarely saw her father, the king. She was only thirteen years old when he died, and Edward—only nine years old—became king. Elizabeth never expected to become queen.
Edward did not rule for long. He died at the age of fifteen. Upon his death, Elizabeth’s older half sister, Mary, became queen. Things then became even more complicated for the royal sisters. Mary had Elizabeth thrown into jail in the Tower of London for plotting to overthrow her (she hadn’t). Mary even ordered Elizabeth to be executed. But Elizabeth was eventually released. A few years later, the sisters made up and Mary decided Elizabeth could be her heir. Mary died at age forty-two, and Elizabeth became queen at age twenty-five.
Elizabeth was a very practical queen. She knew that in order to get anything done, she’d have to stop all the fighting about religion in her country. Soon after she became queen, Elizabeth passed several acts that helped bring an end to the religious power struggle (at least temporarily).
She also knew that the country had to stop overspending and to bring in more revenue (income). Elizabeth decided to get a better handle on England’s budget. She increased revenue through trade and established The Royal Exchange, a kind of early stock exchange. (Unfortunately, some of that revenue was made through stealing from the Spanish and through the slave trade.)
Elizabeth helped start the Age of Exploration while she was queen. With her backing, Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe—once in a single expedition. In her time, Sir Walter Raleigh and others set out to map and explore the world. This set the stage for the expansion of the British Empire that began after her death.
AT HER MAJESTY’S COURT
When Elizabeth became queen, she inherited over sixty royal residences! If it sounds like a lot of homes to take care of, it was. (Many were in a bad state at the beginning of her reign, and more fell down over the course of it.)
Elizabeth and her court of up to around a thousand people would move from palace to palace every few weeks. Some of her favorite dwellings were Whitehall, Hampton Court, Richmond, and Windsor. She liked to spend Christmas at Whitehall, for example, and Easter at Windsor.
Elizabeth hosted foreign ambassadors and other visitors at her court. During the day, she’d meet with advisors, then walk, ride, hunt, or sometimes hawk with members of the court. At night, lavish banquets were held with five courses, including dishes such as boar, venison, and sturgeon. After dinner, there would be music, dancing, and theater productions.
So many people living in once place at one time meant the palaces were very “lived in” (read: smelly and dirty) and had to be aired out every few weeks. The empty palace had to be cleaned and made ready for another royal visit at any moment. Elizabeth’s favorite palaces were so well cared for that you can still visit them today.
During Elizabeth’s reign, the arts flourished, especially drama and literature. She encouraged and supported playwrights and poets, including, most famously, William Shakespeare. Works written during the Elizabethan period are still considered some of the most important works in English literature.
But perhaps what Elizabeth is best known for is defeating the Spanish Armada, a fleet sent to destroy England in 1588. Until then, Spain was the undisputed sea power of the world. Spain’s control of the seas meant they had an advantage in everything from trade to exploration. But with this victory, England became a world superpower. Now England could develop its own trade relationships overseas, leading to colonization and the development of the empire.
Although her father didn’t have any expectations for her, Elizabeth had become a much, much better ruler than either he or her siblings ever were. She was able to help England grow from a small island kingdom to an important player on the world stage.
FORSOOTH, DOEST THOU SAYEST? VERILY!
If you were able to travel back in time, would you be able to understand the English spoken in Elizabeth’s England? There are several differences between the English spoken now and Elizabethan English, known as Early Modern English.
The period of Early Modern English describes a time when the pronunciation of vowels in English was starting to change. In Elizabeth’s time, tea was pronounced “tay” and hour was pronounced “oar,” for example. If you listened hard enough, though, you would probably be able to figure out what was being said.
There was also a lot of vocabulary at the time that you wouldn’t know, but you might be able to guess. For example: What does “How dost thou?” sound like? If you guessed “How are you?” you’d be right. Thee, thou, and thy were still used instead of you and your. Will was wilst; do was dost; why was wherefore; and are was art, as in “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”—Juliet’s famous question.
Many new words in the language were introduced in this period, too. Experts say that Shakespeare himself added nearly two thousand words to the English language, including puppy dog, alligator, and eyeball. He also introduced many phrases, such as “dead as a doornail” and “breaking the ice,” into the language.
The new Globe Theater in London now produces some of Shakespeare’s plays in the original pronunciation from the Elizabethan Era.
THE OTHER MARY
Although Elizabeth had a difficult relationship with her half sister Mary, things with her cousin Mary were even rougher. Because she shared their religion, some powerful Catholic people thought that Elizabeth’s cousin Mary Stuart, aka Mary Queen of Scots, should be queen instead of Elizabeth. Mary asked that Elizabeth name her as her heir. Elizabeth said that she didn’t want to name anyone as her heir—she had seen what had happened in her parents’ time and thought that was just asking for trouble. A lot of drama took place between the cousins over the course of many years. Mary was forced to abdicate her throne in Scotland to her half brother and came to England to seek Elizabeth’s help in getting it back. She got wrapped up in a plot to have Elizabeth overthrown. Elizabeth put Mary under house arrest. Then Elizabeth’s advisors had Mary’s head chopped off, possibly without Elizabeth’s knowledge. It was a sad end to a very unhappy family feud.
Elizabeth’s Legacy
The stability Elizabeth brought to England didn’t last, but she did help move her country toward becoming the global superpower it was during the reign of the next woman to take the throne: Queen Victoria (1819–1901).
WHEN ELIZABETH WAS QUEEN…
Ivan the Terrible (see here) was tsar of Russia
the Incan Empire fell completely to Spain
the colony of Roanoke (in what’s now North Carolina) was founded and its colonists later mysteriously disappeared