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The Children of Henry VIII

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:39:01 +0000

The royal family may have its problems these days, but as Alison Weir reminds us in this cohesive and impeccably researched book, the nobility of old England could be both loveless and ruthless. Weir, an expert in the period and author of a book on Henry’s VIII wives, focuses on the children of Henry VIII who reigned successively after his death in 1547:

Edward VI,
Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) and
Elizabeth I.

The three shared little–living in separate homes–except for a familial legacy of blood and terror. This is exciting history and fascinating reading about a family of mythic proportions.

From Publishers Weekly

The tragedy of four accidental rivals to a throne, three of them children?by different mothers?of a much-married despot, seems to lose none of its drama by frequent retelling. Along with the royal siblings, Weir (The Six Wives of Henry VIII) includes their cousin, the doomed Lady Jane Grey. Guiltless of the intrigues committed in the name of religion, power and property, Queen Jane was forced at 15 to reign for nine days in a futile attempt to block the accession of the fanatically Catholic Princess Mary.

The 300 burnings for heresy during the five years Mary ruled were eclipsed statistically by the hangings and beheadings for conspiracy and treachery. In the 11 years between the death of Henry VIII and the survival of his adroit daughter Elizabeth into the succession in 1558, rapacity had at least as much to do with the turbulence and the terror as religion. So many ennobled miscreants grasped for land, loot and legitimacy that readers will need a scorecard to match their names with their new titles.

Weir adds nothing fresh to the story, but her sweeping narrative, based on contemporary chronicles, plays out vividly against the colorful backdrop of Tudor England. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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The Children of Henry VIII is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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The Early Reign of Queen Elizabeth I

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:14:59 +0000

In her first year, Elizabeth made brilliant appointments that had much to do with her later success. The most important of these was Sir William Cecil, her chief advisor, who worked with her through her entire reign.

She gave Cecil’s opinions the utmost respect and consideration but in the end, all decisions were made by her alone.

An envoy who met her early during her reign said:

She gives her orders and has her way as absolutely as her father did.

People often compared Elizabeth’s temperament to her father’s, as she herself did.

She refused to allow Parliament, or the public, to discredit her on the basis of gender, saying:

I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England, too.

Young as she was, Elizabeth immediately proved herself a competent and capable monarch. One nobleman described her this way:

All her faculties were in motion, and every motion seemed a well guided action; her eye was set upon one, her ear listened to another, her judgment ran upon a third, to a fourth she addressed her speech; her spirit seemed to be everywhere, and yet so entire in herself as it seemed to be nowhere else.

It truly was a Golden Age for England

In the 45 years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign fewer people died in religious conflicts than in the three years Mary Tudor was queen. In all that time, Queen Elizabeth I of England burned only four men at the stake and although that seems like four too many by today’s standards, by the standards of the 1600’s it was almost negligible.

The four who died were Anabaptists, believers in total social equality, a concept that would have meant their deaths in any Christian country of the time. England’s religious conflicts were temporarily resolved, giving the country time to heal, grow, and prosper.

The Early Reign of Queen Elizabeth I is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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Queen of This Realm

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:06:00 +0000

In this Queen of This Realm “memoir” by Elizabeth I, legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy reveals the Virgin Queen as she truly was:

the bewildered, motherless child of an all-powerful father;
a captive in the Tower of London;
a shrewd politician;
a lover of the arts; and eventually,
an icon of an era.

It is the story of her improbable rise to power and the great triumphs of her reign–the end of religious bloodshed, the settling of the New World, the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Brilliantly clever, a scholar with a ready wit, she was also vain, bold, and unpredictable, a queen who commanded–and won–absolute loyalty from those around her.But in these pages, in her own voice, Elizabeth also recounts the emotional turmoil of her life: the loneliness of power; the heartbreak of her lifelong love affair with Robert Dudley, whom she could never marry; and the terrible guilt of ordering the execution of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. In this unforgettable novel, Elizabeth emerges as one of the most fascinating and controversial women in history, and as England’s greatest monarch.

From the Inside Flap

In this “memoir” by Elizabeth I, legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy reveals the Virgin Queen as she truly was: the bewildered, motherless child of an all-powerful father; a captive in the Tower of London; a shrewd politician; a lover of the arts; and eventually, an icon of an era. It is the story of her improbable rise to power and the great triumphs of her reign–the end of religious bloodshed, the settling of the New World, the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Brilliantly clever, a scholar with a ready wit, she was also vain, bold, and unpredictable, a queen who commanded–and won–absolute loyalty from those around her.

But in these pages, in her own voice, Elizabeth also recounts the emotional turmoil of her life: the loneliness of power; the heartbreak of her lifelong love affair with Robert Dudley, whom she could never marry; and the terrible guilt of ordering the execution of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. In this unforgettable novel, Elizabeth emerges as one of the most fascinating and controversial women in history, and as England?s greatest monarch.

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Queen of This Realm is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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The Childhood and Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:02:29 +0000

Young Elizabeth Tudor had a difficult childhood. Things did not look so golden when she was young in 1536. Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabeth Tudor at the time) was barely three when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed. Queen Elizabeth I’s father, King Henry VIII, sent her away because he wanted a son not a daughter.

But then Queen Jane Seymour gave birth to Prince Edward

After Edward was born to Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII was so happy that he called Elizabeth Tudor back to the palace. Back home at the palace, Elizabeth Tudor - motherless and ignored by her indifferent father – found solace in books and studying… Which she did quite a lot of.

Queen Elizabeth I when young was a brilliant student

Queen Elizabeth I was a brilliant student who mastered several languages, the Bible, history, mathematics, geography, and most of the important literature of her time.

Her tutor, with sexism typical of the age, said that “Her mind has no womanly weakness; her perseverance is equal to that of a man, and her memory long keeps what it quickly picks up.”

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

The red haired, golden eyed, radiant Elizabeth I Queen of England was crowned queen in Westminster Abbey in 1559. Queen Elizabeth I of England was 25 years old.

At the coronation ceremony, the new queen wore white, crimson, and gold robes and left her long hair streaming free down her back.

Afterwards, Queen Elizabeth I of England, rode through the streets of London, through the cheering crowds, chanting “Time. Time has brought me here.” Ships on the river Thames fired cannons in salute and guns responded from atop the Tower of London.

The bloody reign of Mary was ended.

Queen Elizabeth I of England ’s and religion

As queen of England, Queen Elizabeth I ’s first act was to end the religious discord. Queen Elizabeth I of England once again made the Church of England, founded by her father, the official state church, thereby pleasing the majority of England ’s citizens.

Queen Elizabeth I of England issued an official English prayer book that combined both Catholic and Protestant texts so all would be satisfied. And although Queen Elizabeth I of England enacted laws that were pro Protestant and reduced the power of Catholics, under Queen Elizabeth I of England there was no persecution of either Catholics or Protestants.

The Childhood and Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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Queen Elizabeth I: Her Family and Birth

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:25:59 +0000

Queen Elizabeth the First’s story was a captivating one even before she was born. Queen Elizabeth started out her life as Elizabeth Tudor, the second daughter of King Henry VIII. She was the only child of the short marriage between King Henry and Anne Boleyn, the King’s second wife, amidst a considerable amount of controversy.

The relationship of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

The relationship between Anne Boleyn and Henry the Eighth of England started out loving. Henry VIII had once loved Anne Boleyn passionately, despite its brutal ending. King Henry loved Anne Boleyn so much that he was willing to shock all of England by leaving the Catholic Church so he could divorce his first queen, Catherine of Aragon for her.

Henry VIII then established a separate church, the Church of England, with himself as the head. As head of his own church, Henry VIII then sanctioned his divorce and his marriage to Anne Boleyn.

The marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

A few months after Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII were married, Anne Boleyn gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, who would eventually become Queen Elizabeth the First. King Henry VIII was so outraged at another daughter that he refused to attend the Elizabeth Tudor’s christening.

The loving marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII did not last long. Their marriage came to an end and King Henry became disenchanted with Anne Boleyn when she failed to have a son. King Henry VIII desperately wanted a male heir and Anne Boleyn failed him repeatedly.

The Birth of Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533. Queen Elizabeth I ’s birth did not please her father, King Henry VIII for he had desperately wanted a son. When Queen Elizabeth I ’s mother, Anne Boleyn, could only produce a stillborn son, King Henry VIII denounced her and had Queen Anne Boleyn beheaded in 1536. Queen Elizabeth I was only three at the time.

A binding marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

After Anne Boleyn had a series of miscarriages, the only son Anne Boleyn was able to deliver was stillborn. Henry VIII was convinced his marriage to Anne Boleyn was cursed and he set his eyes on a new, younger woman named Jane Seymour. But Henry VIII knew he couldn’t divorce Anne Boleyn without making a fool of himself since at the time of their marriage he’d publicly stated, as head of the Church of England, that the marriage to Anne Boleyn was permanent and binding.

He had just set the rules in place, he would have lost all credibility to break them now. However, King Henry was not the kind of person to let a little thing like rules get in the way of what he wanted.

How did King Henry VIII divorce Anne Boleyn?

King Henry VIII divorced Anne Boleyn by destroying her reputation. He decided to destroy Anne Boleyn’s reputation instead of just divorcing Anne Boleyn and making a fool of himself. To do so, he simply made up false charges of adultery and treason.

Several innocent men were tortured until they agreed to confess to affairs with the queen Anne Boleyn. One of the accused was Anne Boleyn’s own brother. There was a trial, the queen Anne Boleyn was found guilty and sentenced to die.

Anne Boleyn’s Noble Sacrifice

Shortly before the death of Anne Boleyn, King Henry had visited Anne Boleyn in her cell in the Tower of London and offered Anne Boleyn one last chance: if Anne Boleyn agreed to divorce him, to exile herself and her daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, to France, and give up Elizabeth Tudor ’s rights to the throne, he would let her live.

Anne Boleyn had refused. She preferred an honorable death to a life of disgrace. More importantly, she had no intention of depriving her daughter Elizabeth Tudor of her legitimate birthright. Anne Boleyn believed that Elizabeth Tudor would be a queen someday and she believed Elizabeth would be a great queen. She was right, Elizabeth Tudor became Queen Elizabeth Tudor or Queen Elizabeth I and led England into a prosperous era.

Anne Boleyn sacrificed her life for Elizabeth Tudor

With that conviction and faith, Anne Boleyn sacrificed her life. Anne Boleyn did not do so in vain.

Elizabeth Tudor grew up to become Queen Elizabeth Tudor or Queen Elizabeth I, queen of England, the most famous monarch in the history of the country. Queen Elizabeth Tudor ’s achievements in exploration, the arts, and international and domestic politics were so outstanding that her period of reign has ever since been called The Golden Age of England.

The Death of Anne Boleyn

On May 19th of the year 1536, a slim and beautiful 29-year-old queen named Anne Boleyn was led to a green before the Tower of London where a small crowd of spectators waited to witness the execution of Anne Boleyn by beheading.

Anne Boleyn was quiet and calm and made no attempt to resist the guards who led her to her gruesome execution. But inside Anne Boleyn was confused and stunned; Anne Boleyn had been quite sure her husband, King Henry VIII would change his mind at the last minute and stopped the execution. He didn’t.

Beheading Anne Boleyn

For the beheading of Anne Boleyn, an expert executioner from Calais was called in. Instead of using an axe, as was the practice in England, he would use a sword. Anne Boleyn was grateful the king had approved the sword, which Anne found more refined than an axe. Anne Boleyn said, perhaps with some irony: “The King has been very good to me. He promoted me from a simple maid to a marchioness. Then he raised me to be a queen. Now he will raise me to be a martyr.”

When Anne Boleyn arrived at the green Anne Boleyn refused to be blindfolded. The executioner found Anne Boleyn so charming, and was so unnerved by her lovely expression, that he persuaded someone to distract her, so his task would be easier. Then, when Anne Boleyn was looking elsewhere, he stole silently up behind her and completed his grim work.

Anne Boleyn was then beheaded and her body and head were put into an arrow chest and buried in an unmarked grave.

Elizabeth Tudor was barely three years old. No one knows how Anne Boleyn’s death affected the young Queen to be since Queen Elizabeth I never mentioned her mother for the rest of her life.

Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth I seemed to learn an important lesson from the treachery that led to her mother’s death and which was such an integral part of England ’s royal history. As queen, and even as a young woman, Queen Elizabeth Tudor was known for her cautious and secretive manner and her ability to neutralize potentially dangerous situations.

Queen Elizabeth I: Her Family and Birth is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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An Overview to the Life of Queen Elizabeth the First

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:19:08 +0000

Few monarchs throughout history have made so much from so little as did Queen Elizabeth I. At 25 she took the throne of what was the most tired, broke, and conflicted country in all of Europe, and turned it around so well that by the time she died, it was in fact the most powerful country in Europe. England had, under her reign, entered the Golden Age, thanks to her alone.

Few would disagree with the fact that she did an amazing thing. Further, she was a woman who did this amazing thing, which was yet another thing that was simply unfathomable in her day.

Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, in Greenwich, England. She was the last Tudor monarch, and ruled very differently from her 2 siblings before her. When Anne Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth Tudor (later became Queen Elizabeth I), King Henry VIII did not want a daughter. When Anne Boleyn failed to produce a son for him, he had her executed and sent Elizabeth Tudor away.

After a very interesting series of life events, Queen Elizabeth I was crowned queen of England in Westminster Abbey in 1559. Queen Elizabeth the first’s coronation ended the “reign of terror” by her half-sister, Queen Mary Tudor, also known as “Queen Bloody Mary.”

Mary Tudor was Queen Elizabeth’s half-Spanish sister. England could not be happier to get rid of her, as she made it a habit to burn at the stake many of the countries’ protestants. Queen Mary also represented a very real threat for Spain to take over all of England from the inside. Luckily she died before she could do too much damage and the throne fell to Queen Elizabeth, and there was much rejoicing. (In England, at least.)

The Queen Elizabeth I blog you are reading is entirely dedicated to the life, biography, and facts about Queen Elizabeth I, the ‘virgin’ queen of England. The series that you are now reading is our own condensed biography of Queen Elizabeth, and we will keep all of the other biographical entries here in the “Biography of Queen Elizabeth I” category.

If you have any comments, corrections, or questions, feel free to stop by our About us page and drop us a line. It’s our hope to make this blog the greatest online resource dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I ever made.

An Overview to the Life of Queen Elizabeth the First is a post from: Queen Elizabeth the First

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Queen Elizabeth the First » Biography of Queen Elizabeth I

The Children of Henry VIII

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It truly was a Golden Age for England

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The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I of England ’s and religion

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Queen Elizabeth I: Her Family and Birth

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An Overview to the Life of Queen Elizabeth the First

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