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The Life of Queen Elizabeth I – Biography and Comprehension

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The Life of Queen Elizabeth I – Biography and Comprehension The life of Queen Elizabeth I – biography and comprehension Name: ......................................... Date: ............................................ The life of Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII, she lived through a difficult childhood and went on to become one of England’s greatest monarchs, ruling for forty-four years. Early life Princess Elizabeth Tudor was born 7 September 1533, in Greenwich, to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She had one older sister, Princess Mary, and a younger brother, Edward. Both of her siblings ruled after their father’s death. Although she was heir to the throne of England at the time of her birth, her father was desperate to have a male heir, so when Elizabeth was just three years old, her mother was tried for treason and beheaded. King Henry then married his third wife and had Edward, his longed-for male heir. During this time, Elizabeth was no longer a princess and was moved out of the palace. However, she still had access to tutors, who were amazed by Elizabeth’s intelligence (at that time, women were not normally allowed to be educated, as it was believed that women were not clever enough), and by her quick acumen. At a young age, Elizabeth could read, sew, play several instruments and was fluent in many different languages, something which later proved invaluable. Despite Edward’s attempts to prevent either of his sisters from ascending the throne, Princess Mary (Henry VIII’s firstborn child), became Queen in July 1553. Unfortunately, Queen Mary was not popular with the English people, who wanted Elizabeth to be Queen. Mary became paranoid that Elizabeth would try to take her throne, so she had Elizabeth arrested. The future Queen spent two months as a prisoner in the Tower of London and was then placed under house arrest. In November 1558, Mary died after contracting a then unknown disease. Ascending the throne At the age of twenty-five years old, after months of being a prisoner, Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England, on 15 January 1559. Elizabeth worked tirelessly to be a good queen and travelled the length and breadth of the country to greet her people. She was dedicated to keeping them safe and ensuring that England prospered. © www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2019 35159 Page 1 of 8 The life of Queen Elizabeth I – biography and comprehension In the early years of her reign, Elizabeth set up a group of trusted advisors, called the Privy Council – which still exists today. This Privy Council included William Cecil (Elizabeth’s most trusted advisor and her Secretary of State) and Sir Francis Walsingham. The council helped Elizabeth with matters of state, her dealings with foreign ambassadors, working with the army and other issues. They were also keen to see their queen marry to create a strong foreign alliance and provide an heir for the throne, to prevent a civil war after her death. Elizabeth, however, had other ideas. Despite being in love with an English nobleman, Elizabeth refused to marry. Historians are not sure why the queen did not want to marry, but it could be that she was scared to lose her power as a queen. Another theory is that she had seen her father marry six times, and she did not want to be like him. During Elizabeth’s long reign, there were many attempts on her life. Her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, was involved in several assignation attempts, forcing Elizabeth to have her arrested and beheaded for treason. To catch the traitors before they succeeded in their attempts to kill her, Elizabeth set up a spy network, led by Sir Francis Walsingham – her spymaster for over twenty years. The Armada Despite not wanting to conquer other nations or become embroiled in European wars, in the summer of 1588, a fleet of warships set sail for England from Spain. It was known as the Spanish Armada and was intent on overthrowing Elizabeth and replacing her with a Catholic ruler (Elizabeth was Protestant and therefore posed a threat to Catholic Spain). Although England had fewer ships, they were quicker than the bulky Spanish warships, and successfully managed to set fire to many of the Spanish ships. The rest of the Armada was defeated by a huge storm that struck off the coast of England. Less than half of the Spanish ships made it home, with Sir Francis Drake capturing many. The end of an era On 24 March 1603, Queen Elizabeth died, leaving her cousin’s son, James VI of Scotland as King, uniting both England and Scotland. The queen left behind a country which had enjoyed decades of peace, prosperity and growth. This period is often referred to as the Elizabethan Age and is considered to be a golden era of English history. It was a time of exploration, with Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake discovering the New World and introducing many new items to the English people, such as potatoes, tobacco and gold. The Elizabethan Age is also famous for the development of English theatre, with William Shakespeare being one of the period’s most well-known and popular playwrights. Elizabeth achieved her goal of keeping her people safe and ruling over a prosperous nation. © www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2019 35159 Page 2 of 8 The life of Queen Elizabeth I – biography and comprehension Queen Elizabeth I comprehension Learning objectives I can retrieve and record information from non-fiction. I understand what I read independently by drawing inferences and justifying inferences with evidence. Read the text carefully and answer the questions below. 1. When and where was Elizabeth I born? ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 2. Who were her siblings? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 3. What happened to Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 4. What does the word ‘acumen’ mean? Use a dictionary to help you. ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 5. Which sibling had Elizabeth arrested? Why? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 6. What was the Privy Council? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 7. Can you name two members of Elizabeth’s Privy Council? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 8. What other job did Sir Francis Walsingham have? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. © www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2019 35159 Page 3 of 8 The life of Queen Elizabeth I – biography and comprehension 9. Why do you think Elizabeth I never married? ................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................. 10. Number these events from 1–5, in the order in which they happened: Elizabeth was held a prisoner in the Tower of London. Edward became king upon the death of Henry VIII. King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn. The Spanish Armada tried to invade England. Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth I of England. © www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2019 35159 Page 4 of 8 .
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