Elizabeth Tudor's life before her coronation
Family of Henry VIII
The English call the reign of Elizabeth Tudor the “Golden Age”. She did a lot of good for her country. All thanks to the real royal character that Elizabeth has been tempering since childhood. Let us consider in detail her years of life before her accession to the throne.
Elizabeth's childhood and the political situation in England
Henry VIII remained in stories the first English king who did not give a damn about the decrees of the Pope and proclaimed himself superior to the English church. This was a difficult time in England as the country began to become more divided between Catholics and Protestants, a relatively new movement. The king was an ardent supporter of the latter, which did not suit the Pope and half of the country's population. Henry VIII forced many nobles, chief merchants and, of course, priests to swear allegiance to himself and recognize his power over the church. Not without some rough edges, but the king became the first monarch to whom religion on the island submitted.
He longed for a son, but never received one from his first wife, the Spanish Catherine of Aragon. They had a daughter, Maria. Henry VIII needed a male heir, so he broke off his marriage with Catherine, contrary to the existing canons and requirements of the Roman Church. And marries Anne Boleyn. This became one of the stumbling blocks for the Pope and the English king, along with the Protestant faith. The first wanted to control the British Isles, but the second did not care about the decrees of the first.
Elizabeth is the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was initially disappointed. He wanted a son. But a year after Elizabeth's birth, Parliament signed a law that designated her as the legal heir. The rights of Maria, the daughter from her first marriage, were canceled.
When Elizabeth was 3 years old, her father, who, according to tradition among monarchs, was a loving man, accused his wife of incest, adultery and high treason. Anne Boleyn was executed. According to his custom, the king recognized his daughter as illegitimate and canceled her right of inheritance.
The girl had little contact with her father, whose wives changed one after another. Elizabeth was engaged in self-education. Already as a child, she understood that she had to study well and know a lot. The main subjects include Latin, mathematics, philosophy, music, and dance. Her life took place in several castles and estates. Sometimes she lived with her half-brother Edward, the son from Henry’s 3rd marriage, and Mary.
Death of Henry and youth of Elizabeth
Elizabeth became very close friends with her father’s last – sixth wife. Katherine Parr, although not properly educated, was still an interesting conversationalist for Elizabeth. She loved to spend time in her company, even moved to the queen’s home.
Four years later, Henry died, and his minor son from his third marriage, Edward, sat on the throne. While he was a child, the Council ruled the country. Elizabeth, in fact, did not have a throne. She was in line behind Edward, the older sister Mary born to Catherine of Aragon, and their eventual children.
Catherine Parr married Edward's uncle, Thomas Seymour. This character is notable in Elizabeth’s life for the fact that he often played “like an adult” with Elizabeth. I went to see her when she was wearing nothing but her nightie, and tore off her clothes in front of Katherine. Elizabeth was 14 and began to accept the flirting game, but Katherine soon sent her to another house. After the death of the former queen, Thomas tried to “test the waters” and marry the girl, but she did not succumb to the tricks, fearing possible intrigue. A year later, Thomas was executed for treason. Elizabeth, upon learning of his death, said that
“A man with great intelligence and weak reason has died.”
Life of Elizabeth during the reign of Bloody Mary
Edward, who was quite ill, adhered to Protestant views and actively crushed Catholics under himself. Elizabeth, on the other hand, did not share such active views, but at the same time adhered to the image of a Protestant virgin - she dressed modestly, studied a lot and walked with a prayer book.
In the summer of 1553, Elizabeth was invited to the court to see her younger brother, who was supposedly better off. But the girl, out of caution, did not go there, citing illness. A few weeks later, Parliament wanted to pass another Act of Succession, in which Elizabeth's cousin Jane Gray became the next queen, overtaking Mary and Elizabeth.
Edward died of pneumonia, political intrigue began, and after some chaos, Mary, later nicknamed Bloody, became queen. Elizabeth had no problem recognizing her sister as queen. It was easier for her to do this remotely, but she had to come to Mary’s coronation.
Bloody Mary comes to London
Mary recognized Elizabeth as her sister, but did not love her very much. Partly because her father divorced her mother, his first wife. Partly because Elizabeth is a Protestant, and Mary was an ardent Catholic.
The Queen wanted to convert all of England to Catholicism, so during her short reign the Inquisition went into overdrive. To convince the population, the queen, at the age of 38, married Philip, who was the heir to the Spanish throne. He was 26 years old. And he did not lay claim to the English throne. By the way, the couple never had children.
But still, many were not happy with this move. Thanks to her marriage, Mary could unleash the power of the Holy Roman Empire on England. And the couple’s child would have the blood of the Habsburgs, who were not loved anywhere.
The rebels, led by Thomas White, wanted to prevent the wedding of Mary and Philip and put Elizabeth on the throne. The coup failed. Elizabeth was suspected of helping the rebels, especially since they admitted that they communicated with her.
Elizabeth was invited to the queen, but the first referred to illness. Maria’s doctors, who specially arrived there for an examination, confirmed kidney disease. Therefore, Elizabeth was carried on a stretcher. In London, she saw the corpses of rebels impaled on pikes. The bishop interrogated her there, but the girl denied everything and asked to meet with her sister. But Mary was in Oxford, and Elizabeth was nevertheless sent to the main prison of England - the Tower of London.
The journey to and from the Tower itself was very stressful. The girl’s nerves were already not in order, but here they were shaken even more. Still, after long refusals to go to prison, Elizabeth was put in one of the nearby towers. Her life was boring, she walked little, read more and did handicrafts. Overall, this was the most difficult period of her life.
But Philip helped her, who convinced Mary not to execute her sister. He wanted to marry Elizabeth off to someone from the Habsburgs. If Philip had not had children from Mary, then Elizabeth's children would have sat on the throne. And the blood of the Habsburgs would flow in them.
Elizabeth was spared her life and sent to Woodstock, where crowds of people cheered her. It was believed that they loved the girl no less than the queen. Elizabeth was in Woodstock for a year, and after that Mary called her and left her in the courtyard. Relations between the sisters have warmed up a little. The eldest even named Elizabeth as her successor. But Maria soon fell ill, Philip decided to leave, realizing that his wife would no longer become pregnant. Six months later, Bloody Mary died, and the throne passed to Elizabeth I.
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