Queen Elizabeth I Research Paper

The British Monarchy has been around since the year 1066, and is still ruling to this day. Throughout the centuries, there have been many kings and queens who have ruled over this empire. Some were hated and some were loved. Among these monarchs was Elizabeth I, or as some would know her, The Virgin Queen, as she never married or bore children. Quoted as saying “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king…”. This quote a lone portrays Elizabeth as a strong and independent woman, showing strength in mind and her ambition to be an outstanding ruler of England. Elizabeth’s story and legacy are among the greatest and most significant out of all the monarchs who have lived. She was an inspiration

She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was Henry’s second wife. Henry was in need of a male heir, and when Anne got pregnant, London became invigorated with excitement. Physicians and astrologers predicted that the baby was going to be a boy, and when Elizabeth was born many people were filled with disappointment, especially Henry VIII. He had not lost hope, though. In the next few years that followed, Henry desired a son to unite with his newborn daughter. The second attempt at having a son with Anne resulted in a miscarriage. After trying a third time with having the same result, Henry was not happy, and started to reconsider his relationship with Anne. At the time of the second miscarriage, Henry’s first wife Katherine died, and Henry was considered a widower. It was at this time Henry decided to find a new wife, and to get rid of Anne. Henry went a little farther than just getting his marriage to Anne annulled. Instead, he had her arrested and charged her with crimes, some of those being incest and adultery. Although there is no hard proof of these charges being true, many historians agree that Henry did this not for justice, but was only taking out his anger on Anne that she could not give him a son. Anne was executed on May 19, 1536, when Elizabeth was only 2 years old. Later, her title of Princess was taken away from her, and she just became Lady Elizabeth. Without her mother, Elizabeth’s life and road to becoming Queen of England would become a lot different, and a lot harder. A few days after Anne was executed, Henry married Jane Seymour. This was the wife that Henry would finally make his desperately wanted son with, Prince Edward. Not long after Prince Edward was born, Jane Seymour died. Henry was devastated by her sudden death, and gave her a royal burial at the Chapel of Saint George in Windsor Castle. Both without a mother, sharing a passion for learning,