QueenElizabeth1

Answer prepared by: Grace B **
 * WHO IS QUEEN ELIZABETH? WHAT IS HER LEGACY? WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S COURT? WHAT CONNECTION DID SHAKESPEARE HAVE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH? ****

Queen Elizabeth is considered to be one of the best queens of England of ever. Elizabeth took the throne in 1558, at the age of 25. She reined until 1603, at the age of 70.Elizabeth Tudor was the last surviving child of Henry VIII, who had divorced his first wife to marry Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, whom Henry later had beheaded for treason when Elizabeth was three. Henry had another one of his wives beheaded when Elizabeth was eight. After Henry VIII died Elizabeth's half brother, Edward, took the throne. When Edward died, he was succeeded by his half sister, Mary. After Mary died, Elizabeth took the throne. All of England rejoiced, and everyone waited to see what she would do as queen.

It would take a remarkable ruler to lead England to unity, security, and prosperity after Mary's reign. Elizabeth was that kind of ruler. Liza Picard, author of Elizabeth's ' London, describes Elizabeth as " an unbeatable politician, seeming to bend to popular opinion where necessary but following her own line even when it seemed circuitous to the onlooker." She never married even though that was unheard of for a queen in her time, and she never had children. Elizabeth once said "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble women; but I have the heart and stomach of a king." Early in her reign, Elizabeth re-established the Protestant church in England, restored the debased coinage, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Elizabeth's popularity rose even more when England defeated an invasion by Spain. It was also a personal triumph that she, a women, a could lead in war as well as any man. She also lead the way into a new kind of renaissance in England. She was a huge supporter of the arts in England, and would attend the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare wrote and his plays were performed. Elizabeth was a determined women, but still listened to advice, and would change a policy if it was unpopular. her approach to politics was serious, conservative, and cautious. When she took the throne in 1558, England was an impoverished country torn by religious squabbles. When she died on March, 24, 1603, England was one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.

Elizabeth's court included people of all ranks. There were numerous humble servants who worked in the kitchens, stables, and throughout the palace grounds, and upper servants who supervised them. The court was open to anyone who held the rank of gentlemen or above. She discouraged her councilors and courtiers from bringing their wives to live with them at court. She preferred the sole focus of her courtier's attention. Elizabeth also had Maids of Honor and Ladies of the Bedchamber. Some Ladies of Bedchamber spent their lives servicing the queen, utterly devoted to her. Elizabeth cared about them too. She gave them gifts of clothing and jewelry, comforted them when they suffered the death of a husband or child, and sometimes even nursed them when they were ill. Elizabeth once said "I do not live in a corner, a thousand eyes see all i do." Elizabeth cared for her court, as she cared for England. She was a caring women, though brave and determined. England was lucky to have had such a ruler.

Picard, Liza. //Elizabeth's London//. United States of America: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, 2003. xx. Print.
 * Works Cited**

Hinds, Kathryn. //Elizabeth and Her Court//. Great Britain : Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, 2008. 9-46. Print

Rowse, A.L. //The Elizabethan Renaissance: The Life of the Society//. Ivan R. Dee, 1971. 30-36. Print. media type="youtube" key="Rb8pPiCgMV8" height="385" width="480" media type="youtube" key="rLg-ziZg2fc" height="385" width="480"