This website is all about the queens of Great Britain who have reigned as the monarch. Or, as is the case, who is the currently reigning monarch.
ELIZABETH I "So great a lady that there could be no hold taken of her."
Elizabeth I was born 7 September, 1533 to Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, in Greenwich Palace. Her older half-sister, Princess Mary (later Mary I, "Bloody Mary") was seventeen at the time, and not even Henry could force her to acknowledge the infant princess, though he did try.
Although Henry VIII was upset that Elizabeth was not a son, he didn't let that stop him from proclaiming her as his heiress. Elizabeth was born in an age were education for girls was becoming more prevalent, and Henry insisted that she receive an education, even after he disinherited her upon the execution of Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth's education was entrusted to a group of scholars from Cambridge. Her private tutor, William Grindal, saw that she was taught Latin, Greek, French, and Italian. Later, in her twenties, Elizabeth learned Spanish, but not to the fluency of the others.
Henry VIII died in 1547 and Elizabeth's brother, Edward VI ascended the throne. Because Edward was still a young boy, Edward Seymour (brother to Edward's mother, Jane) was declared Lord Protector.
Elizabeth went to live with her stepmother, Katherine Parr. Soon, however, Katherine married Thomas Seymour, the brother of the Lord Protector. Seymour became close to Elizabeth, too close. When Katherine was pregnant, she discovered Seymour and Elizabeth together. History is not clear as to what they were doing, but it was enough to make the Dowager Queen uneasy, and Elizabeth was dimissed from her household. Shortly thereafter, Katherine died after giving birth to a daughter, and Seymour was later arrested for attempting to kidnap the King and for plotting to marry Elizabeth.
When Edward died in 1553, he was succeeded by Lady Jane Grey, whom the Lord Protector had plotted to ascend the throne in order to keep the kingdom Protestant. The public, however, would have none of it, and placed Mary on the throne nine days later.
At first, Mary treated Elizabeth with warmth and kindness. But as her reign became increasingly more Catholic, and the deprivations against Protestants rose, more plots to depose Mary and place Elizabeth on the throne sprung up. Mary, sensing the danger her half-sister posed, arrested Elizabeth and placed her in the Tower.
While Elizabeth was in the Tower, it was said that Mary became pregnant. Because this lessened any threats that Elizabeth could pose, Mary relented and released her to Hatfield under quasi house-arrest. Unfortunately for Mary, there was no pregnancy. She is now thought to have had a large ovarian cyst that lead to her death in 1558.
Elizabeth became known as the Virgin Queen for her refusal to marry. Some have theorized that this was due to the way her father treated his wives, or because she could never marry the man she loved, Robert Dudley. Whatever the reason, she successfully played suitors off one another in a bid for gaining their countries' alliances.
During Elizabeth's reign, Mary, Queen of Scots was executed for plotting to take over the throne of England. The Spanish launched their Armada, only to have it defeated by the rag-tag English Navy, which soon became the premier navy in the world.
Elizabeth died on 24 March,1603. She finally named her successor on her death-bed. He was James VI of Scotland, making him James I of England and uniting the two countries.
VICTORIA "We women are not made for governing."
Victoria was born 24 may, 1819 to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. An only child, she knew for an early age that she was different from other children. She once told a visiting friend, "These are your toys, these are my toys. I may play with your toys, but you may not play with mine."
Victoria ascended the throne on 20 June, 1837 at the age of eighteen. On 10 February, 1840, she married her first cousin, Prince Albert. He was titled Prince Consort, but in fact, he had the greatest influence on Victoria's decisions. Once she started to have children, her dependcy on Prince Albert grew. In essence, she turned power over to him.
On 14, December, 1861, Prince Albert died, and the rule once again came to Victoria.
Please E-mail me with any information you think might be of interest to me.
ELIZABETH II "...a sparkling quality about her which is one hundred per cent gold."
MARY I "BLOODY MARY" "Her mind may flap about like washing on the line, but touch her right to the throne and she'll stand as firm as a rock!"
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS "Remember that the theatre of the world is wider than the realm of England."
JANE GREY "There will be much ado for my Lady Jane."
ANNE "Her friendships were flames of extravagant passion, ending in indifference or aversion."
Anne was the second daughter of James II. She ascended the throne in 1702 after the death of her brother-in-law, William III, who was also the husband of Mary II. Anne was queen of England during the Eleven Years War, or the War of Spanish Succession.
Anne's life was followed by embarrassement. Her mother was a commoner, whose marriage was kept a secret, and her mother also died early in Anne's life. Her father was estranged from her because of differing beliefs in religion and politics. Her husband, Prince George of Denmark, was an uneducated drunkard, who only learned one phrase in English: "Is it possible?" He was, therefore, considered a political lightweight. Anne had been pregnant eighteen times, unfortunately, twelve of those were miscarriages, one was stillborn, and four of the children never survived infancy. Her last child died at the age of eleven in 1700.
MARY II with her husband William III "She had but one love and one thought - William."
Empress Matilda "Lady of the English"
Diana - England's Special Queen
Coming soon:more Victoria and Anne, Elizabeth II, Mary I, Mary, Queen of Scots, Jane Grey, Mary II, Empress Matilda, and possibly Bodeaciea(I hope I spelled her name correctly, if anyone knows, please let me know!)
Page created August, 1998. Last updated April 20, 1999.
This page maintained by Shari Wilbur
Links to other sites on the Web
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth II
Very funny Royal cartoons...
Bloody Mary
The Official Royal Family Homepage
The Prince of Wales' Official Webpage
Please let me know if any of these links are invalid
 
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