Here are some facts about Queen Elizabeth I, the fifth and final Tudor monarch of England.
- Elizabeth was born on 7th September 1533 at Greenwich Palace.
- Her father was Henry VIII and her mother was Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife.
- Anne Boleyn, her mother, was executed on 19th May 1536 – Elizabeth was two years old.
- Elizabeth 1 was brought up by a series of Lady Mistresses: Margaret Bryan, Lady Troy, Kat Ashley and Blanche Parry.
- Elizabeth received an excellent education. In addition to English, she could speak French, Flemish, Italian and Spanish, and she could write in English, Latin, Italian, French and Greek.
- After the death of her father, Henry VIII, Elizabeth went to live with Catherine Parr and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. This arrangement didn’t last for long because the 14 year old Elizabeth was caught in an embrace with Thomas Seymour.
- During the reign of Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London. She was accused of being involved in Wyatt’s Rebellion. Elizabeth 1 was moved to Woodstock, but was sent for when it was thought that Mary I was pregnant.
- Mary I officially named Elizabeth as her heir on 6th November, and Elizabeth became Queen of England following Mary I’s death on 17th November 1558. She was 25.
- Queen Elizabeth I never married nor did she have any children. She said she was married to England, and her subjects were her children.
- It is thought that Elizabeth was in love with Robert Dudley.
- Elizabeth I knighted Sir Francis Drake after he circumnavigated the globe.
- After the Spanish Armada of 1588 was defeated, Elizabeth spoke to the troops and said: I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too.
- Elizabeth I died on 24th March 1603 at Richmond Palace. She was buried in Westminster Abbey in a tomb shared with her sister, Mary I.
- Elizabeth didn’t have any children to succeed her. James VI of Scotland became the next monarch of England, ruling as James I.
Find out more about Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, or visist the Primary Facts Tudor resources page.
