Elizabeth I Notes

• Elizabeth became Queen when she was 25 years old and ruled for 44 years.
• When she was 3 years old she was taken to a house where she would live until she became the ruler. 
• Mary, the half sister of Elizabeth, was also sent to that place, but to help with Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, not to be the queen herself. 
• A law was then passed that told Henry only his children that had been born to Anne were valid candidates for the throne.
• Anne then had a miscarriage of a boy. She was beheaded.  
• Elizabeth was inspired by her father's power, and she wanted to achieve that greatness one day.
• Henry VIII's health began to steadily decline and he was no longer the power his daughter envision of him. 
• Elizabeth lost her father, and she did not know what would happen to her in the future. 
• A regency would have to formed until Edward VI came of age to be a fit ruler .
• Elizabeth was taught to handle her life on her own, as her guardians would not help her.
• Her brother was advised to not help her, and he had to obey, still being too young to make his won decisions.  Elizabeth was completely alone. 
• Finally the gossip passed and Edward was allowed to speak to her again. Her life seemed to be brought back together, but things do not stay peaceful. 
• Dudley, Edward's advisor, realized that if Edward died without children Mary, a Catholic, would become Queen. He would be out of a job. So he figured out that he would need to get rid of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, Lady Jane Grey would become queen. 
• But Edward died, and Mary became Queen. Dudley was executed. 
• Elizabeth noticed that she could become Queen next  if she behaved herself correctly. She grew quiet and made no more town gossip erupt on her behalf. 
• People were very enthusiastic at the beginning of Mary's reign but the more she tried to reform England back to Catholicism, they grew less fond of her. 
• Protestant martyrs were burned. 
• Elizabeth was approached by rebels and in 1554, their plan culminated into an act that could have ended her life. 
• She was put in the Tower of England, but there was no evidence against her, so Mary had to release her. 
• Then she was placed under house arrest. 
• Mary thought she was going to die, and also that she was pregnant. She was terrified. Her husband persuaded her to reconcile with Elizabeth. 
• This reconciliation was the only way Elizabeth would be the next in line for the English throne. 
• After a very bad political and physical year, Mary had to succumb to the fact that Elizabeth was to be the next Queen. The conditions were that she not reform England from what Mary had done to it. '
• Mary died and in 1558 Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England. 
• Because of all of the problems Elizabeth had faced in her life, she was not afraid of anything being the Queen would do to her. 
• Parliament advised Elizabeth to marry and try to secure herself an heir. She firmly refused. 
• Robert Dudley had a relationship with the Queen. 
• The only problem in his plan to marry the Queen- Robert was married to Amy Robsart. She was soon found dead at the foot of a flight of stairs.  
• The Queen and Dudley were under suspicion and they were not allowed to get married unless the death of Amy Robsart was proven to not be a murder.  
• If Elizabeth were to die, there were four claims to the English throne. One of these was Mary Queen of Scots. 
• After many years of being a prisoner to Elizabeth, Mary was killed. That eliminated one of the claims to the throne. 
• The age of Elizabeth was known as the Elizabethan Age. 
• A man from France came to Elizabeth to ask for her hand in marriage. This would form an alliance against Spain.  
• The Spanish and the English began fighting in 1588. 
• The English armada was a much greater force than the Spanish fleet. The English won the battles.  
• Robert D'oeuvre, the stepson of Robert Dudley, caught the eye of the Queen. The problems they would face if they began a relationship would be scorn from the people because of the vast difference between the Queen and Robert. 
• He was not a good person and he often abused her. 
• With the threat of a rebellion upon her, Elizabeth confessed that she was about to die. 
• At the hour of her death, she appointed James VI to be her successor to the throne. 
• She left England with all of its problems that she had tried to ignore, such as economic problems, religious conflicts, and Parliament's troubles. But she was still revered as the greatest Queen of England.