QueenElizabeth4

Answer Prepared by Sam Bernstein Queen Elizabeth I was a wealthy, intelligent, and bold ruler of England for forty five years. She was very important to England during her rule from November 17th, 1588 to her death on March 24th, 1603. This Queen is most well known for bringing prosperity and growth to England despite threats from foreign powers. Her reign is considered one of England's most well recognized periods, giving it the name the "Elizabethan Age." This according to //What Life Was Like in the Realm of Elizabeth// by the Time Life Books(13). This time period is well known for it's writers and musicians. The most popular was William Shakespeare, who performed for Elizabeth I in 1597 as part of Lord Chamberlain's Men. This according to //Shakespeare for all Time// by Dame Judi Dench(32). The fact that Elizabeth and Shakespeare were alive the same time period is often forgotten. These two people made the time period remembered and made it's legacy. Queen Elizabeth's life was full of many different events and changes that are still talked about today.
 * WHO IS QUEEN ELIZABETH I? WHAT IS HER LEGACY? WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S COURT? WHAT CONNECTION DID SHAKESPEARE HAVE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH?**

Queen Elizabeth I had a very difficult and life changing childhood. Elizabeth was born in Greenwich Palace on September 7th, 1533. Elizabeth was the second child of Henry VIII of England to survive infancy(her mother was Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn). September 10th, she was baptized in a ceremony held at Greenwich Palace. Her older half-sister, Mary, from Henry's first marriage, was revoked heiress presumptive (person scheduled to inherit the thrown) because Henry had divorced her mother, Catherine of Aragon. This gave heiress presumptive to Elizabeth. Henry desperately wanted a son to ensure the Tudor succession. After Elizabeth's birth Anne could not provide a male son. For this, in May of 1536 she was arrested, imprisoned, and killed later that year. Elizabeth was too young to truly understand the situation but it did affect her life a considerable amount. Elizabeth I was stripped of her name and made a royal bastard. Within days of Anne's death, Henry married again, this time to Jane Seymour who gave birth to Prince Edward. Elizabeth and Edward were around the same age and became good friends. They were both given an impressive education. Edward died at the age of 15, and then Mary died suddenly in 1588.This led to Elizabeth becoming Queen of England at the age of 17. This all according to //elizabethi.org//. As you can tell Elizabeth's road to the thrown was a wild one. Even though she was at the time too young to understand the meaning of it all, these are the events that led to her lifestyle and who she became as a person. The life in Queen Elizabeth's court was a very eventful time. The court is one of the things Elizabeth is best known for. It's location was wherever the Queen was and filled with everybody who was involved with the Queen in anyway. On average over a thousand people attended court so the larger the palace, the easier it was to accommodate everyone. These palaces were magnificent structures. There were paintings, expensive tapestries, silver and gold, fancy dinners, gardens, and just overall a luxurious place to be. Security was also very tight. With so many people visiting the court assassins were a great danger. This according to //Elizabeth's London// by Liza Picard (42). The Queen was well guarded and access to her was tightly controlled by the Gentlemen Usher. Also, ceremony was around the queen at all times. Her arrival would be announced by fanfare and guards would line her route and she moved around. Also, the tradition of the Queen's head being higher than everyone else's was common. Men had a big part in the court's as well. Elizabeth expected different things from different types of men. She might expect gifts from some, or to be woo'd from others. There were different jobs as well like political advisors and traditional courtiers. This coming from //elizabethi.org. Some of her biggest life changes and decisions came here. That is why we still talk about and remember all of the important events that happened in Queen Elizabeth's I court today. //  WORKS CITED  Judi Dench, Dame // Shakespeare for all Time //. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print Picard, Liza. // Elizabeth's London //. New York: St Martin's Griffin, 2003. Print.Thomas, Heather. "Early Years." Elizabethi. Elizabethi, January 30, 2010. Web. 27 Mar2010. .. // What Life was LIke In the Realm of Elizabeth //. Richmond Virginia: Time Life Books, 1998. Print.