下载文档原格式
伊丽莎白女王的介绍英文作文50词左右全文共10篇示例，供读者参考篇1Hello everyone! Today I'm going to tell you about Queen Elizabeth I. She was a really cool queen from England a long time ago.Queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533 to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She became queen when she was only 25 years old, and she ruled England for 44 years until she died in 1603. That's a really long time to be in charge!Queen Elizabeth was known for being really smart and powerful. She was a great leader and she helped make England a strong and successful country. She was also really tough and she never got married because she didn't want anyone to be in charge beside her.Queen Elizabeth was a famous queen not just in England, but all over the world. People called her the "Virgin Queen" because she never married. She also defeated the Spanish Armada, which was a big fleet of ships sent by Spain to try to invade England. That was a really big deal at the time!Overall, Queen Elizabeth I was a super important and impressive queen. She did a lot of great things for England and she will always be remembered as one of the greatest queens in history. Thank you for listening to my report about Queen Elizabeth I!篇2Hello everyone, today I want to introduce you to Queen Elizabeth! Queen Elizabeth is a very important person in England. She is the Queen of the United Kingdom and has been ruling for a very long time.Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. She became Queen when she was only 25 years old, after her father, King George VI, passed away. She is now the longest-reigning monarch in British history, ruling for over 68 years. That's a really long time!Queen Elizabeth is very well-known for her love of corgis. She has owned over 30 corgis during her lifetime and they are always by her side. She also loves horses and is often seen riding them at royal events.Queen Elizabeth is also famous for her colorful outfits and beautiful hats. She always looks very stylish and elegant, whethershe is attending a royal event or just going for a walk in the countryside.As the Queen, Elizabeth has many important duties. She meets with world leaders, attends state ceremonies, and represents the United Kingdom at events around the world. People from all over the world admire her for her dedication to her country and her strong leadership.In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth is a very special and important person. She is loved by the people of the United Kingdom and respected by people all over the world. Long live the Queen!篇3Hello everyone, today I want to introduce to you a very important lady in history - Queen Elizabeth I! She was a queen of England a long, long time ago.Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533. Her parents were King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She became queen when she was only 25 years old, after her sister Queen Mary died. Queen Elizabeth I was a very smart and strong queen. She ruled England for 44 years, from 1558 to 1603.Queen Elizabeth I was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never got married. She said she was married to her country and her people. Queen Elizabeth I was a very good queen. She brought peace and prosperity to England. She loved her people and they loved her back.Queen Elizabeth I was also a very fashionable queen. She loved wearing beautiful dresses and big, fancy jewelry. She had long red hair and liked to wear it in elaborate styles. She was a very powerful queen too. She defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, which was a very big and important battle.Queen Elizabeth I died on March 24, 1603. She was 69 years old. Even though she is no longer with us, Queen Elizabeth I will always be remembered as one of the greatest queens in English history. We should all learn from her example and be strong, smart and kind, just like she was. Thank you for listening to my introduction of Queen Elizabeth I!篇4Hello everyone! My name is Elizabeth and I am here to tell you all about Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was a really cool queen who lived a long time ago, back in the olden days.Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, and she became queen when she was just 25 years old. She was known for being really smart and strong, and she ruled England for 44 years. That's a long time!Queen Elizabeth I was really brave too. She had to deal with a lot of challenges during her reign, like wars and stuff. But she always stayed calm and made good decisions. She was also really popular with the people because she cared about them and tried to make their lives better.One of the most famous things about Queen Elizabeth I was her fashion sense. She loved to wear beautiful dresses and jewelry, and she always looked really elegant and stylish. People all over the world admired her and tried to copy her fashion.Another cool thing about Queen Elizabeth I was that she was a patron of the arts. She loved music, poetry, and theater, and she supported a lot of famous artists and writers. She even had her own group of actors called the Lord Chamberlain's Men.In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth I was a truly amazing queen who is still remembered and admired today. She was smart, strong, brave, and stylish, and she made a big impact on the world. I hope you enjoyed learning about her! Thank you for listening!篇5Hello everyone, today I want to tell you about Queen Elizabeth! She is a super cool queen from England. Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. She became queen when she was only 25 years old!Queen Elizabeth's full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She has been queen for over 69 years! That's a really long time, right?Queen Elizabeth is a very special queen because she is the head of state of many countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. She is also the head of the Commonwealth, which is a group of 54 countries that used to be part of the British Empire.Queen Elizabeth is known for her sense of duty and dedication to her people. She has met many famous people, like Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill. She also has a cute corgi named Willow!Queen Elizabeth loves horses and has her own stable of them. She also enjoys reading, gardening, and spending timewith her family. She has four children, eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren!In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth is a fantastic queen who has done so much for her country and the world. We are so lucky to have her as our queen! Thank you for listening to my presentation about Queen Elizabeth. Bye bye!篇6Hello everyone, I am here to tell you all about Queen Elizabeth! She is a super cool queen from England, and she has been ruling for a really long time.First of all, Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. Wow, that's a long time ago! She became queen when she was only 25 years old, after her father, King George VI, passed away. She is now the longest reigning monarch in British history. That's so awesome!Queen Elizabeth is not just a queen, she is also a super stylish lady. Have you seen her outfits? She always wears colorful dresses and fancy hats. She even has a special handbag that she carries with her everywhere. She loves horses too, and she is really good at riding them. She has even won some horse racing competitions!Even though Queen Elizabeth is a queen, she is also a very kind and caring person. She visits hospitals, schools, and charities to help people in need. She even gives out awards to people who have done amazing things for their country. She is like a superhero in real life!In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth is a really awesome queen. She is stylish, kind, and always there to help her people. We are so lucky to have her as our queen. Long live Queen Elizabeth!篇7Elizabeth Queen is a super duper cool lady from England! She is like, super famous and important because she is the Queen of England. We call her Queen Elizabeth or Queen Liz for short.So, Queen Liz was born on April 21, 1926. Wow, that was like, a really long time ago! She has been the Queen for a super long time, since 1952 to be exact. She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history! Can you imagine being Queen for that long?Queen Liz is known for wearing really fancy clothes and hats. She loves to wave to people and meet with important leadersfrom other countries. She also has a bunch of cute corgi dogs that she loves to play with. How cool is that?Even though Queen Liz is super busy being the Queen, she still finds time to do lots of charity work and support important causes. She is a really kind and caring person, just like a real-life princess!Oh, and did you know that Queen Liz is also on money? Her face is on coins and banknotes in England. How awesome is that? She must feel like a superstar every time someone uses money with her face on it!In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth is a super amazing lady who is loved by people all over the world. She is a true queen in every sense of the word! Let's give three cheers for Queen Liz! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!篇8Elizabeth is a super cool queen from England. She was born a long time ago, in 1533. Her daddy was King Henry VIII and her mommy was Anne Boleyn. She had a pretty tough life because her daddy kept getting rid of his wives, but eventually, she became queen herself in 1558. She was super smart and talented.Queen Elizabeth I was a total boss lady. She was really powerful and did a great job ruling England. She was super popular with the people and they called her the "Virgin Queen" because she never got married. She was like "I don't need no man to help me rule this country!"Queen Elizabeth was a big fan of the arts. She loved music, dancing, and theatre. She even had a famous playwright named William Shakespeare around during her reign. She also loved to wear fancy clothes and big, poofy wigs. She was always dressed to impress!One of the coolest things about Queen Elizabeth was that she defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. She was like "Not today, Spain!" and kicked their butts in a big naval battle. She was a total warrior queen!Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, but she is still remembered as one of the greatest monarchs in English history. She was smart, powerful, and stylish. She was definitely a queen worth knowing about!篇9Hello everyone! Today I want to tell you about Queen Elizabeth!Queen Elizabeth is a very special lady. She is the Queen of the United Kingdom and has been the queen for a very long time. She is super old but still looks so graceful and elegant.Queen Elizabeth is very famous and everyone knows who she is. She lives in a big palace called Buckingham Palace in London. It's a really fancy place with lots of gold and jewels.As the queen, she has a lot of important jobs to do. She has to meet a lot of important people and go to fancy events. She even has her own special crown that she wears on special occasions.Queen Elizabeth is also very kind and caring. She does a lot of charity work and helps people who are not as lucky as she is. She also loves animals and has a lot of corgis, which are super cute dogs.I think Queen Elizabeth is a really cool queen. She is always smiling and waving to people and she looks so happy all the time.I hope I can meet her one day and maybe she can teach me how to be a queen too!That's all I have to say about Queen Elizabeth. I hope you liked my introduction to her. Thank you for listening!篇10Introduction of Queen ElizabethHi everyone! Today I want to talk about Queen Elizabeth of England. She is a super cool queen and has been ruling the country for a really long time. Let's learn more about her!Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. That means she is super old now, but still looks really elegant and beautiful. She became queen in 1952 after her father, King George VI, passed away. She is now the longest-reigning monarch in British history, wow!Queen Elizabeth is known for her amazing fashion sense. She always wears colorful outfits and fancy hats. She even has a signature style with her bright outfits and matching hats. She looks like a real-life princess all the time!Another cool thing about Queen Elizabeth is that she has met so many famous people. She has met presidents, celebrities, and even other royals from around the world. She is a really important person and everyone wants to meet her.Even though Queen Elizabeth is a queen, she is also a mom and a grandma. She has four children and many grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family and going on vacations with them. She is just like a regular grandma, but with a crown!In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth is a super cool queen who has been ruling England for a really long time. She is stylish, important, and loves her family. We are so lucky to have such an amazing queen in our country! Go Queen Elizabeth!。
历史上伊丽莎白一世是谁伊丽莎白女皇一世是英国历史上最杰出的君主，使英国成为一个世界海军主要列强国家。
下面是店铺搜集整理的历史上伊丽莎白一世的简介，希望对你有帮助。
历史上伊丽莎白一世的简介伊丽莎白一世(英文：ElizabethI，1533年9月7日-1603年3月24日)，名叫伊丽莎白·都铎，是都铎王朝最后一位君主，英格兰与爱尔兰的女王(1558年11月17日-1603年3月24日在位)，也是名义上的法国女王。
她是英王亨利八世和他的第二任妻子安妮·博林的女儿。
1558年11月，伊丽莎白的同父异母姐姐玛丽一世去世，伊丽莎白继承王位。
1559年1月15日，伊丽莎白正式加冕成为英格兰的女王。
伊丽莎白即位之初成功的保持了英格兰的统一。
经过近半个世纪的统治后，使英格兰成为欧洲最强大的国家之一。
英格兰文化也在此期间达到了一个顶峰，涌现出了诸如莎士比亚、弗朗西斯·培根这样的著名人物。
英国在北美的殖民地也在此期间开始确立。
伊丽莎白一世统治时期，在英国历史上在位时被称为“黄金时代”。
伊丽莎白一世于1603年3月24日在里士满王宫去世，她终身未嫁，因此被称为“童贞女王”,也被称为“荣光女王”、“英明女王”。
伊丽莎白一世的小故事在英国伊丽莎白一世统治期间，英语中出现了一个新成语叫“eat no fish”(不吃鱼)。
它产生的时代背景是这样的，伊丽莎白一世即位后(1558―1603在位)面临的首要任务是处理遗留的宗教问题。
她带领英国干脆利落地又转向了新教：在1559年，就很快颁布了新的《至尊法案》，重立英国国教，与罗马教廷决裂，重申英国国王为英国教会最高首领。
1571年，她又促使国会通过作为英国国教会官方教义的《三十九信条》，最终确立了英国国教。
作为《三十九信条》中的一项规定，英国国教会摒弃了天主教星期五不准吃肉(在天主教里，星期五不能吃肉，就吃鱼)的斋戒。
《三十九信条》在英国历史上意义重大，它一直沿用到今天。
伊丽莎白一世的一生英语Elizabeth I, Queen of England, was a remarkable ruler. She inherited the throne in a time of turmoil and uncertainty, yet she managed to steer the country towards stability and prosperity. Her reign is often seen as the golden age of English history.Born into a family of complex politics and power struggles, Elizabeth learned the game of the throne from a young age. She watched carefully as her siblings andparents vied for power, and she absorbed those lessons well. It was no surprise when she emerged as a strong-willed and determined queen.Elizabeth was a patron of the arts and culture. Under her reign, English literature flourished, with the likes of Shakespeare and Spenser producing some of their greatest works. She was also a lover of music and dance, and her palaces often echoed with the sounds of lively banquets and balls.But Elizabeth was also a shrewd politician. She knew how to play the game of diplomacy, balancing the powers of Europe while maintaining England's independence. She never married, and her "Virgin Queen" status became a symbol of her nation's autonomy.One of Elizabeth's greatest challenges was her relationship with her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. The two queens were distantly related but their fates were intertwined. Mary's claim to the English throne threatened Elizabeth's own power, and yet.。
In January 1559 Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England. She was the last of the great Tudor dynasty, a bright star who dazzled both the nation and the world.Elizabeth ‘s achievements has lasted for nearly four centuries and it’s easy to see why. She reigned for 45 tumultuous years. Her ships defeated the Spanish Armada and sailed round the globe. In her time, Shakespeare wrote plays and Spenser wrote poems.The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 and ruled England for almost 45 years. Her reign is known as The Golden Age, a time that saw the birth of Shakespeare, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the emergence of England as a world power.From the prison to the palaceElizabeth ‘s father was Henry VIII ,one of the most famous kings in England for his six wives. Henry divorced his first wife, Catherin of Aragon, because she had not given him a son he had been long for, but now her replacement Ann Boleyn had failed her principal duty as royal breeding machine, for she had only one daughter - Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Henry had fallen in love with another woman-Jane Seymour. By the time when Elizabeth was only three, Ann was soon accused of multiple adultery and executed. And their marriage wasdecleared null and void. Elizabeth was now illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne. So instead of the Right High and Mighty Princess, the Lady Elizabeth, inheritrix of the crown of England, she became the Lady Elizabeth, the King’s second bastard daughter. Although was brought up in the country away from the royal court, she studies languages from the age of four. She became fluent in French, Italian, Latin and Greek.In 1544, Henry reinstated Elizabeth and Mary in the succession. No woman had ever sat on the throne before. Now if Edward (Jane Seymour ’ s son) died without a heir, first Mary and then Elizabeth would become queen. Henry then sailed for France to fight a war, leaving his wife Katherine Parr, as regent in charge of the kingdom. Elizabeth now witnessed at first hand that an intelligent, well-educated woman could rule effectively.In 1546, Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII died, and little King Edward VI had stepped into his father’s shoes at the age of 9, while Elizabeth was only 13.In order to divorce Catherin of Aragon, Henry had broken away from Rome and made himself head of the church in England. The Catholic churches ,crosses and candles were being stripped everywhere. The new faith had the enthusiastic backing of Elizabeth’s brother, the young King Edward. But by 1553, the 15-year-old King was dying of tuberculosis. He was desperate to stop the religious reforms being undone by his Catholic sister Mary, who would succed under the terms of their father’s will. So he excluded her from the succession because she was a bastard. But it couldn’t stop Mary’s overwhelming sup port, for she wasElizabeth had inherited from her sister Mary a nation that was bankrupt, military weak and hemmed in by enemies. In the parlance of the time, the country was a bone between two dogs - France and Spain.Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed very slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then third in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, always considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the wake of a failed rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554.Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents.Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it a secure Church of England was established.Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.Elizabeth herself refused to 'make windows into men's souls ... there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles'; she asked for outward uniformity.Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church settlement probably saved England from religious wars like those which France suffered in the second half of the 16th century.Although autocratic and capricious, Elizabeth had astute political judgement and chose her ministers well; these included William Cecil, later Lord Burghley (Secretary of State), Sir Christopher Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Sir Francis Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State).Overall, Elizabeth's administration consisted of some 600 officials administering the great offices of state, and a similar number dealing with the Crown lands (which funded the administrative costs). Social and economic regulation and law and order remained in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, supported by unpaid justices of the peace.Elizabeth's reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, including those of Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, particularly to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognised by establishing the East India Company in at the very end of 1599.The arts flourished during Elizabeth's reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached itshigh point, theatres thrived - the Queen attended the first performance of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Tallis worked in Elizabeth's court and at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.The image of Elizabeth's reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called 'Gloriana', 'Good Queen Bess' and 'The Virgin Queen'.Investing in expensive clothes and jewellery (to look the part, like all contemporary sovereigns), she cultivated this image by touring the country in regional visits known as 'progresses', often riding on horseback rather than by carriage. Elizabeth made at least 25 progresses during her reign.However, Elizabeth's reign was one of considerable danger and difficulty for many, with threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northern England was in rebellion in 1569-70. A papal bull of 1570 specifically released Elizabeth's subjects from their allegiance, and she passed harsh laws against Roman Catholics after plots against her life were discovered.One such plot involved Mary, Queen of Scots, who had fled to England in 1568 after her second husband, Henry, Lord Darnley's, murder and her subsequent marriage to a man believed to have been involved in his murder, James, Earl of Bothwell..As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeth's prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and possible assassination plots, such as the Babington Plot of 1586.Mary was also a temptation for potential invaders such as Philip II. In a letter of 1586 to Mary, Elizabeth wrote, 'You have planned ... to takemy life and ruin my kingdom ... I never proceeded so harshly against you.' Despite Elizabeth's reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of Parliament and her advisers, Mary was tried, found guilty and executed in 1587.In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships - the 'Armada'. The Spanish Armada was intended to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as Philip II believed he had a claim to the English throne through his marriage to Mary.During Elizabeth's long reign, the nation also suffered from high prices and severe economic depression, especially in the countryside, during the 1590s. The war against Spain was not very successful after the Armada had been beaten and, together with other campaigns, it was very costly.Though she kept a tight rein on government expenditure, Elizabeth left large debts to her successor. Wars during Elizabeth's reign are estimated to have cost over £5 million (at the prices of the time) which Crown revenues could not match - in 1588, for example, Elizabeth's total annual revenue amounted to some £392,000.Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, Parliament was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeth's reign, five of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely used her power to veto legislation, she avoided confrontation and did not attempt to define Parliament's constitutional position and rights.Elizabeth chose never to marry. If she had chosen a foreign prince, he would have drawn England into foreign policies for his own advantages (as in her sister Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain); marrying a fellowcountryman could have drawn the Queen into factional infighting. Elizabeth used her marriage prospects as a political tool in foreign and domestic policies.However, the 'Virgin Queen' was presented as a selfless woman who sacrificed personal happiness for the good of the nation, to which she was, in essence, 'married'.Late in her reign, she addressed Parliament in the so-called 'Golden Speech' of 1601 when she told MPs: 'There is no jewel, be it of never so high a price, which I set before this jewel; I mean your love.' She seems to have been very popular with the vast majority of her subjects.Overall, Elizabeth's always shrewd and, when necessary, decisive leadership brought successes during a period of great danger both at home and abroad. She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years.。
伊丽莎白一世（16世纪英国女王）伊丽莎白一世（英文：Elizabeth I，1533年9月7日－1603年3月24日），名叫伊丽莎白·都铎，是都铎王朝最后一位君主，英格兰与爱尔兰的女王（1558年11月17日－1603年3月24日在位），也是名义上的法国女王。
她是英王亨利八世和他的第二任妻子安妮·博林的女儿。
1558年11月，伊丽莎白的同父异母姐姐玛丽一世去世，伊丽莎白继承王位。
1559年1月15日，伊丽莎白正式加冕成为英格兰的女王。
伊丽莎白即位之初成功的保持了英格兰的统一。
经过近半个世纪的统治后，使英格兰成为欧洲最强大的国家之一。
英格兰文化也在此期间达到了一个顶峰，涌现出了诸如莎士比亚、弗朗西斯·培根这样的著名人物。
英国在北美的殖民地也在此期间开始确立。
伊丽莎白一世统治时期，在英国历史上在位时被称为“黄金时代”。
伊丽莎白一世于1603年3月24日在里士满王宫去世，她终身未嫁，因此被称为“童贞女王”。
也被称为“荣光女王”、“英明女王”。
[1]中文名伊丽莎白·都铎外文名 Elizabeth Tudor别名童贞女王、荣光女王、英明女王国籍英国出生地普拉森舍宫出生日期 1533年9月7日逝世日期 1603年3月24日职业英格兰和爱尔兰女王信仰圣公会主要成就使国成为欧洲最强大的国家之一开创英国历史的“黄金时代”保持了英格兰的统一皇室都铎王朝在位 1558年11月17日—1603年3月24日伊丽莎白二世伊丽莎白二世（Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II），原名伊丽莎白·亚历山德拉·玛丽·温莎（Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor），全称“承上帝洪恩的大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国及其他领土和属地女王，英联邦元首，国教（圣公会）的捍卫者伊丽莎白二世”。
现任英国君主，英国、英联邦及15个成员国国家元首，国教会最高首领。
In January 1559 Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England. She was the last of the great Tudor dynasty, a bright star who dazzled both the nation and the world.Elizabeth ‘s achievements has lasted for nearly four centuries and it’s easy to see why. She reigned for 45 tumultuous years. Her ships defeated the Spanish Armada and sailed round the globe. In her time, Shakespeare wrote plays and Spenser wrote poems.The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 and ruled England for almost 45 years. Her reign is known as The Golden Age, a time that saw the birth of Shakespeare, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the emergence of England as a world power.From the prison to the palaceElizabeth ‘s father was Henry VIII ,one of the most famous kings in England for his six wives. Henry divorced his first wife, Catherin of Aragon, because she had not given him a son he had been long for, but now her replacement Ann Boleyn had failed her principal duty as royal breeding machine, for she had only one daughter - Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Henry had fallen in love with another woman-Jane Seymour. By the time when Elizabeth was only three, Ann was soon accused of multiple adultery and executed. And their marriage wasdecleared null and void. Elizabeth was now illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne. So instead of the Right High and Mighty Princess, the Lady Elizabeth, inheritrix of the crown of England, she became the Lady Elizabeth, the King’s second bastard daughter. Although was brought up in the country away from the royal court, she studies languages from the age of four. She became fluent in French, Italian, Latin and Greek.In 1544, Henry reinstated Elizabeth and Mary in the succession. No woman had ever sat on the throne before. Now if Edward (Jane Seymour ’ s son) died without a heir, first Mary and then Elizabeth would become queen. Henry then sailed for France to fight a war, leaving his wife Katherine Parr, as regent in charge of the kingdom. Elizabeth now witnessed at first hand that an intelligent, well-educated woman could rule effectively.In 1546, Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII died, and little King Edward VI had stepped into his father’s shoes at the age of 9, while Elizabeth was only 13.In order to divorce Catherin of Aragon, Henry had broken away from Rome and made himself head of the church in England. The Catholic churches ,crosses and candles were being stripped everywhere. The new faith had the enthusiastic backing of Elizabeth’s brother, the young King Edward. But by 1553, the 15-year-old King was dying of tuberculosis. He was desperate to stop the religious reforms being undone by his Catholic sister Mary, who would succed under the terms of their father’s will. So he excluded her from the succession because she was a bastard. But it couldn’t stop Mary’soverwhelming support, for she was proclaimed Queen ,whose vision was to lead England back to the true Catholic faith. Mary had stamped Catholicism on England with extraordinary violence, burning at the stake over 300 Protestant men, women, and children. Elizabeth’s Protestantism marke d her out as a potential enemy. In 1554, Elizabeth was sent to the tower for involving in a failed rebellion. However, Mary finally relented under pressure from her council to name Elizabeth as her successor. In 1559, Elizabeth was crowned as Queen of England.The Virgin QueenParliament petitioned the Queen asking her to pledge herself to a suitable international marriage. Three days later, she gave her responses. “Now the public care of governing the kingdom is laid upon me, to draw upon me also the cares of my marriage, may seem a point of inconsiderable folly. Yea, to satisfy you, I have already joined myself in marriage to an husband, namely the Kingdom of England. And for me it shall be a full satisfaction if, when I shall let my last breath, it m ay be engraven upon my marble tomb ’Here lieth Elizabeth, which reigned a virgin and died a virgin’.”Elizabeth had finally got the parliament to restore Protestantism in England. Queen Elizabeth is God’s direct representative here on earth-church and state are one.Elizabeth had inherited from her sister Mary a nation that was bankrupt, military weak and hemmed in by enemies. In the parlance of the time, the country was a bone between two dogs - France and Spain.Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed very slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then third in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, always considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the wake of a failed rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554.Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents.Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it a secure Church of England was established.Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.Elizabeth herself refused to 'make windows into men's souls ... there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles'; she asked for outward uniformity.Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church settlement probably saved England from religious wars like those which France suffered in the second half of the 16th century.Although autocratic and capricious, Elizabeth had astute political judgement and chose her ministers well; these included William Cecil, later Lord Burghley (Secretary of State), Sir Christopher Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Sir Francis Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State).Overall, Elizabeth's administration consisted of some 600 officials administering the great offices of state, and a similar number dealing with the Crown lands (which funded the administrative costs). Social and economic regulation and law and order remained in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, supported by unpaid justices of the peace.Elizabeth's reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, including those of Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, particularly to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognised by establishing the East India Company in at the very end of 1599.The arts flourished during Elizabeth's reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived - the Queen attended the first performanceof Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Tallis worked in Elizabeth's court and at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.The image of Elizabeth's reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called 'Gloriana', 'Good Queen Bess' and 'The Virgin Queen'.Investing in expensive clothes and jewellery (to look the part, like all contemporary sovereigns), she cultivated this image by touring the country in regional visits known as 'progresses', often riding on horseback rather than by carriage. Elizabeth made at least 25 progresses during her reign.However, Elizabeth's reign was one of considerable danger and difficulty for many, with threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northern England was in rebellion in 1569-70. A papal bull of 1570 specifically released Elizabeth's subjects from their allegiance, and she passed harsh laws against Roman Catholics after plots against her life were discovered.One such plot involved Mary, Queen of Scots, who had fled to England in 1568 after her second husband, Henry, Lord Darnley's, murder and her subsequent marriage to a man believed to have been involved in his murder, James, Earl of Bothwell..As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeth's prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and possible assassination plots, such as the Babington Plot of 1586.Mary was also a temptation for potential invaders such as Philip II. In a letter of 1586 to Mary, Elizabeth wrote, 'You have planned ... to take my life and ruin my kingdom ... I never proceeded so harshly against you.'Despite Elizabeth's reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of Parliament and her advisers, Mary was tried, found guilty and executed in 1587.In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships - the 'Armada'. The Spanish Armada was intended to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as Philip II believed he had a claim to the English throne through his marriage to Mary.During Elizabeth's long reign, the nation also suffered from high prices and severe economic depression, especially in the countryside, during the 1590s. The war against Spain was not very successful after the Armada had been beaten and, together with other campaigns, it was very costly.Though she kept a tight rein on government expenditure, Elizabeth left large debts to her successor. Wars during Elizabeth's reign are estimated to have cost over £5 million (at the prices of the time) which Crown revenues could not match - in 1588, for example, Elizabeth's total annual revenue amounted to some £392,000.Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, Parliament was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeth's reign, five of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely used her power to veto legislation, she avoided confrontation and did not attempt to define Parliament's constitutional position and rights.Elizabeth chose never to marry. If she had chosen a foreign prince, he would have drawn England into foreign policies for his own advantages (as in her sister Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain); marrying a fellow countryman could have drawn the Queen into factional infighting.Elizabeth used her marriage prospects as a political tool in foreign and domestic policies.However, the 'Virgin Queen' was presented as a selfless woman who sacrificed personal happiness for the good of the nation, to which she was, in essence, 'married'.Late in her reign, she addressed Parliament in the so-called 'Golden Speech' of 1601 when she told MPs: 'There is no jewel, be it of never so high a price, which I set before this jewel; I mean your love.' She seems to have been very popular with the vast majority of her subjects.Overall, Elizabeth's always shrewd and, when necessary, decisive leadership brought successes during a period of great danger both at home and abroad. She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years.。
