Elizabeth I

In accordance with not talking about myself, because I hate that, here is my first post about history (which I cleverly chose as my blog topic so I could be sure that no one would read it).

Elizabeth Tudor (Elizabeth I of England) was my my main introduction into history, so I'll start with her.

Elizabeth Tudor was the daughter of Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was born with an older half-sister, Mary, the daughter of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Elizabeth's mother was executed for adultery when she was only three years old, leaving the toddler the rightful heir to the throne of England, as Mary had been removed from the line with her parent's divorce. This was all taken away from Elizabeth, however, when her father married again and his third wife, Jane Seymour, had a son. Edward, as a boy, was to inherit the throne, and his sons after him.

Although Elizabeth would never be a Queen, her father made sure that she was well-educated. She was an uncommonly gifted student, particularly gifted with languages. She was also recorded to be a lively girl, who loved to play outdoors with her younger brother and wished to gain her sister's appreciation.  She was favored by her father very highly at times, but would also often be banned from court for offences. Henry's fourth and sixth wives were close to Elizabeth and Edward, as they were the closest thing to maternal figures for the children.

When Elizabeth was fourteen, her father died, leaving England in turmoil. Elizabeth's brother, Edward, was first in the line of succession, but Edward was only ten years old, and therefore unfit to rule. Instead, Edward Seymour, a prominent noble, became Edward's lord protector, essentially leaving the ten-year-old a puppet King until old enough to rule in his own right.

Edward Seymour was a conniving and ambitious man who had a plan for his own family to come into power. Edward VI was always a sickly boy, and it was easy to see that he wouldn't live long. When he grew particularly ill, Seymour changed his will so as to skip over Mary and Elizabeth, declaring them bastards, and instead have the throne pass down to Henry's great-niece, who had recently married Seymour's son. He was successful in this, and Jane Grey inherited the throne and rules for nine days, until Mary overthrew her and had her executed.

Mary invited Elizabeth into her court, but forced her to practice Mary's Catholicism rather than her own Protestantism. Mary married a Spanish Prince, which angered many in the country. Elizabeth found herself the figurehead of rebellions against her own sister. She was interrogated by Mary countless times for leading rebellions against her. She was imprisoned all across England in order to stifle the outrage. Only when Mary died was Elizabeth finally able to live freely, as Mary had named her heir. At the age of 25, she became Queen.

England went on to defeat the Spanish Armada, one of the most feared powers in Europe. Elizabeth established no national religion, saying that everyone should practice their own beliefs. She never married, despite intense political pressure to do so. She said that her husband was England and that she did not wish to relinquish her power to a man, having seen it happen many times in her life.

Elizabeth successfully navigated court life at a young age, staying alive with deadly stakes at every turn. She went on to become the second Queen Regnant of England, and the first to rule without a husband.