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Queen Elizabeth I - Historical profile

Tudor Rose
Elizabeth I, Queen of England
Reigned from November 17, 1558 (aged 25)
till her death in March 24, 1603 (45 years)

Princess Elizabeth Tudor - The Tudors Wiki
Coronation Portrait 1558

Elizabeth
Elizabeth I - The Tudors Wiki
c. 1560



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INTERESTING FACTS:

  • Queen Elizabeth traveled with more than three hundred carts to carry her luggage. Her entourage traveled ten to twelve miles a day.
  • For breakfast, Elizabeth I often had bread,ale, beer or wine and a good pottage made of mutton or beef.
  • Towards the end of her life, Queen Elizabeth I refused to have a mirror in any of her rooms.
  • Elizabeth's nickname for Sir Walter Raleigh was "Water.".
  • Elizabeth whitened her skin, as was the vogue in her time, with a mixture of egg, powdered eggshells, poppy seeds, white lead (a lethal ingredient), borax, and alum . The white lead ate into her skin,s o she had to apply more and more layers .When her hair began to thin (most likely from this poisonous mixture), she wore a huge spangled red wig.
  • During her reign , there was a tax put on men's beards.
  • She passed a law which forced everyone except for the rich to wear a flat cap on Sundays
  • In 1587, the queen wept when she heard that Mary, Queen of Scots, had been executed, before an audience at Fotheringay. Elizabeth had reluctantly signed Mary's death warrant, as persuaded by her advisors.
  • Her Coronation ring was one of her most prized possessions. She never removed it, in all the 45 years of her reign. In 1603, the ring had grown into her flesh. Her doctors insisted it had to be removed, and within a week she died. Elizabeth had a feeling about that ring which was why she kept it on all those years.
  • There were 2,000 dresses in her wardrobe.
  • Elizabeth hated the smell of leather.
  • When her rotten teeth were to be pulled, the Bishop of London had one of his extracted to show her how easy it was. It is said that her teeth were bad, because of her love of sweets.
  • After her teeth were removed, Elizabeth never appeared in public without pading out her mouth, with wads of cotton.
  • Her rumored last words were: "All my possessions for one moment of time." Many historians believe this statement is apocryphal.
  • Elizabeth died of infected tonsils at age 69.
  • Both Elizabeth I and Mary I are buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England.
  • Their Epitaph: "Consorts both in Throne and Grave, here we rest two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in hope of our resurrection."



Elizabeth
Elizabeth I - The Tudors Wiki
1575 - 1580 Pelican Portrait by Hilliard



Enemies:

Mary, Queen of Scots - the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret, Queen of Scotland. She was a dangerous rival for Elizabeth because her Tudor descent gave her a claim to the throne and because she was a Roman Catholic, making her a useful alternative to those who opposed Protestantism. The French supported her for a time.


King Philip II of Spain - husband of Queen Mary I. As the most powerful Catholic monarch in Europe, he was always dangerous to Elizabeth. The English defeat of his armada is considered a hugely significant event in Elizabeth's reign. However, it is interesting to note that he may have had a hand in lessening Mary I's anger towards Elizabeth during her time in the Tower. This is because he saw Elizabeth as a potential wife after Mary's death.


Queen Mary I: It is important to mention that while Mary and Elizabeth were sisters, Mary was not necessarily as cruel to Elizabeth as it is popularly believed. Elizabeth's epitaph says that sisters they are and they will be reunited in death or in the coming of the day of resurrection. However, though both did share a sisterly affection in Elizabeth's younger years, Elizabeth's avoidance in taking part in Catholic Mass and ceremonies during Mary's reign affected their later relationship. Mary placed Elizabeth in the Tower after she learned of a Protestant plot to overthrow her in her sister's name, and Elizabeth reasonably feared for her life.



UNFORGETTABLE QUOTES from Queen Elizabeth I during her reign:
  • "My loving people, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourself to armed multitudes for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people....I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any Prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm." -Speech at Tilbury

  • "My lords, the law of nature moves me to sorrow for my sister; the burden that is fallen upon me makes me amazed, and yet, considering I am God's creature, ordained to obey His appointment, I will thereto yield, desiring from the bottom of my heart that I may have assistance of His grace to be the minister of His heavenly will in this office now committed to me. And as I am but one body naturally considered, though by His permission a body politic to govern, so shall I desire you all...to be assistant to me, that I with my ruling and you with your service may make a good account to Almighty God and leave some comfort to our posterity on earth. I mean to direct all my actions by good advice and counsel." -Speech to Elizabeth's Council on November 20, 1558

  • "I will have here but one mistress, and no master!" - said to Robert Dudley in the movie, Elizabeth (1998)

  • "Better beggar woman and single than Queen and married."

  • "To me it shall be a full satisfaction both for the memorial of my name, and for the glory also, if when I shall let my last breath, it be engraven upon my marble tomb, 'Here lieth Elizabeth, which reigned a virgin and died a virgin.' " - to the House of Commons

  • "There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith. All else is a dispute over trifles." -said in response to the religious turmoil in England.

  • "I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England." -to Parliament

  • "I have no desire to make windows into men's souls." -said in response to the religious turmoil in England.
Elizabeth & her court
Elzabeth I's tomb
Literature
Non-Fiction:
  • Elizabeth and Mary by Jane Dunn
  • Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
  • Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey
  • The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age by Christopher Hibbert
  • Behind the Mask by Jane Resh Thomas
  • Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset
  • Elizabeth I: Collected Works by Leah S. Marcus, Janel Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose
  • Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works (Foger Shakespear Library) by Stephen W. May
  • The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power by Carole Levin
  • Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale
  • Elizabeth I: Her Life in Letters by Felix Pryor
  • Elizabeth I (Profiles in Power) by Christopher Haigh
  • Elizabeth I and Her World by Susan Watkins and Mark Fiennes
  • Elizabeth I: A Feminist Perspective by Susan Bassnett
  • Queen Elizabeth I by Susan Doran
  • The Men Who Would Be King: Suitors to Queen Elizabeth I by Josephine Ross
 Fiction:
  • I, Elizabeth: A Novel by Rosalind Miles
  • The Virgin's Lover by Phillipa Gregory
  • The Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory
  • Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 (The Royal Diaries) by Kathryn Lasky
  • Young Bess by Margaret Irwin
  • Beware Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer (Young Royals book)
  • The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell (goes back and forth between Anne's diary and Elizabeth's life)
  • Legacy by Susan Kay
  • The Fyre Mirror by Karen Harper
  • The Poyson Garden by Karen Harper
  • The Tidal Poole by Karen Harper
  • The Thorne Maze by Karen Harper
  • The Queene's Cure by Karen Harper
  • The Twylight Tower by Karen Harper
  • The Queene's Christmas by Karen Harper
  • The Fatal Fashione by Karen Harper
  • The Hooded Hawke by Karen Harper


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Keyword tags: Anne Boleyn Elizabeth I Henry VIII Katherine of Aragon Mary I showtime series The Tudors
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MissBrit Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots 1 May 31 2008, 3:50 PM EDT by MissBrit
MissBrit
Thread started: May 31 2008, 3:50 PM EDT  Watch
After watching Simon Schama's show on these 2 people, I now feel more empathy with both more so than I have done before.
Elizabeth when she was growing up, was under close watch from Mary I, Catherine of Aragon's daughter. There was often rumours that Elizabeth's supporters would overthrow Mary and get a Protestant Queen instead. Elizabeth said she was innocent. There was also talk of her being molested by Thomas Seymour when she was around 14, and some had apparently suggested she was pregnant with his child.
Also Mary Queen of Scots married the French dauphin, but he died young, and the French queen wanted her gone quickly, so she went back to Scotland, a strange world to her as it was so different to France. She marries Darnley and has a child. Darnley turned out to be gay, and when he was leaving her by herself, whilst he went out, "supposedly" with other men, she had a close friend, Rizzio. Darnley grew jealous as he thought they were having an affair, and Darnley and his men stabbed him to death as the heavily pregnant Mary wailed in fear. A pistol was then pointed at her stomach. Darnley is murdered, noone really knows if Mary is involved. After this she is forced to abdicate in favour of her son. She then marries Bothwell after he abducted her and "supposedly" raped her. He promised to help her regain the throne. He leaves her and is never seen again. She then asks for Elizabeth's help and goes to England.
Elizabeth isn't happy that Mary is in England. She wasn't sure of her true intentions and so held her captive. She also was feeling sorry for herself as Mary had a son, and she, Elizabeth, was of "barren stock" as she had none. Eventually Mary was beheaded, which Philip of Spain, felt was reason enough to invade England. Spain lost.
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Keyword tags: Elizabeth Elizabeth I Mary Queem of Scots Queen Elizabeth The Tudors
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MissBrit Elizabeth I v Mary Queen of Scots - opinions of them? 6 May 30 2008, 5:36 PM EDT by antoinette2
MissBrit
Thread started: May 11 2008, 2:52 PM EDT  Watch
Elizabeth, it seems, did have some of her mother's attributes when it came to Mary, Queen of Scots, and although Elizabeth was a great queen, I do feel both Elizabeth and Mary were jealous of each other. Elizabeth had England, whereas Mary had married (3 times, but still) and a son. The fact that she signed the death warrant for Mary's execution was bad enough, as she was killing a queen. Mary was shown no mercy and beheaded with an axe, unlike Henry who did show Anne mercy, and allowed for her to have a quick execution with a sword. I have read Elizabeth adored her father, but little reference is made as to her opinion of her mother, but she was only 3 when Anne died, so I doubt she has many memories of her. I'm surprised she loved her father so, as he was responsible for Anne's execution.

Mary, herself didnt have a good start, marrying the French dauphin at a young age, who suddenly dies, and the French Queen quickly wants Mary gone. So she returns to Scotland, marries Darnley, who was gay, but had his child, James VI of Scotland, and also the future James I of England. Then there was a conspiracy about her being involved with his murder. Then she marries Bothwell, who had, "supposedly", abducted and raped her and forced her to marry him. Whilst being held prisoner by Elizabeth, she miscarries his twins. Elizabeth and Mary never met in all those years. I do feel a bit of sympathy for Mary, even though she was after Elizabeth;s crown. But I guess, in the end, in death, she won as her son became king....
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