Table of Contents
For two other very regal redheads, Phoebe and LeahJ.E.
To women who persevereN.H.
Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
England, August 1588. A fleet of powerful Spanish warships is sailing toward England. The Spanish fleet, called the Armada, has 130 mighty ships. Each is heavily armed. Their goal is to invade the island-nation. King Philip of Spain wants to be king of England as well.
But Englands ruler is brave and fearless. She is Queen Elizabeth. She does not intend to let the Spanish king take her throne.
Her soldiers are waiting on the coast of England. They are ready to defend their country. The queens advisers do not want her anywhere near a battle. They worry about her safety.
But Elizabeth does not listen.
The queen sets off on horseback from London to where the soldiers have set up camp. Elizabeth wants to be with her men. If there is a battle, words from the queen herself will help lead her men to victory.
The queen rides up on a great horse. She passes among the crowd of soldiers. She wants everyone to hear words spoken from her heart.
The queen says she is there to live or die amongst you. Elizabeth is telling her soldiers that, even though she is queen, she is willing to die with them. She ends by saying, I know I have the body of but a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England, too.
With tears in her eyes, the queen promises, We shall shortly have a famous victory over our enemies.
And she is right. The English ships are smaller than the Spanish ships. But they set many Spanish ships on fire and break up the enemy fleet. And the English also get luckythere is very bad weather. Spanish ships try to flee and instead crash against Englands rocky shore. They are destroyed.
England is saved. People throughout the country rejoice. They call their brave Elizabeth Good Queen Bess.
For the rest of her life and long after her death, Elizabeths faithful and loving people would rejoice that she was their queen.
Chapter 1
Young Elizabeth
On September 7, 1533, a baby girl was born in a palace in Greenwich, England. Her father was King Henry the Eighth, a handsome man who loved to hunt, to eat and drink, and to be in the company of beautiful women. Her mother, Queen Anne, was young and very beautiful indeed. The baby had her fathers bright red hair and pale skin.
ANNE BOLEYN
When she was only three days old, the little princess was brought to church. She wore a long dress of silk and lace. Over it, a tiny robe trimmed in fur kept her warm. One of the kings officers announced her arrivalthe high and mighty Princess Elizabeth. It was a very grand occasion.
The truth, however, was that Elizabeths father was not at all happy over her birth. King Henry wanted a child of his to rule after him. But he did not want Elizabeth to be queen. Certainly a woman could not rule a country all by herself! Besides, Henry already had one daughter from his first marriage. Princess Mary was now seventeen years old.
MARY TUDOR
Queen Anne had promised Henry a boy. Thats what Henry wanted. And Henry was a man who expected to get what he wanted. If he didnt, there could be big trouble.
And soon there was. After the little princess was born, Henry was convinced that Queen Anne would never bear a son. So he accused her of a crime she did not commit. Anne was put on trial and sentenced to death. Elizabeth was not even three years old when her mother was beheaded. Now King Henry was free to marry again. And within two weeks of Annes death, he did. Luckily for the new queen, she gave birth to a baby boy. His name was Edward.
KING HENRY THE EIGHTH
What did this mean for little Elizabeth? It meant she was no longer important. In her fathers eyes, she was no longer even a princess. She was sent away to a palace far from London. She hardly ever saw her father.
Fortunately, Elizabeth had many loving people to look after her. There was her governess Catherine, called Cat. Elizabeth and Cat stayed friends long after Elizabeth grew up. Cat made sure that Elizabeth was happy and healthy. She also made sure that the king sent enough money for Elizabeths needsfood and clothes and books.
Another important person in Elizabeths life was Roger Ascham. He was Elizabeths private teacher. Although most girls in the 1500s had no schooling, Elizabeth was the daughter of a king. She was expected to read and write.
Young Elizabeth was a quick learner. Ascham called her the brightest star of all the girls he taught. Elizabeth studied math, history, literature, astronomy, and geography. She especially loved to read and would spend hours with books in Greek and Latin. By the time she was a teenager, Elizabeth knew five languages besides English: French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Latin. Sometimes she and Ascham would speak to each other in Greek or Latin.
Elizabeth learned to play an instrument called the virginal. It was like a piano. She started sewing when she was six and became very good at needlework. Other tutors instructed Elizabeth in horseback riding and dancing. There wasnt much time for play. And, like all children of that time, Elizabeth was expected to act like a tiny adult.
