Background: The Tudors were a relatively new dynasty having only come to power when Henry VII won the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Henry's claim to the throne was weak but he left a secure and relatively prosperous inheritance for his successors.
Early life (under Henry VIII): When Elizabeth was just two years old her mother (Anne Boleyn) was beheaded at the Tower of London. Her father married Jane Seymour a week later.
Second Act of Succession, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and removed from the royal succession.
The birth of a male heir (Edward) the following year meant Elizabeth was irrelevant.
Elizabeth was exiled from court and neglected for a number of years. She was isolated from her family and rarely saw her father throughout her life. Her most significant residence was Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Her governess, Kat Ashley, would become a lifelong friend.
Henry's final wife Catherine Parr, who acted as a mother figure to her, made sure Elizabeth was educated to the highest standards by renowned Cambridge scholar Roger Ascham. Elizabeth grew up as a Protestant and was clever, musical, athletic and skilled at needlework.
Elizabeth's position improved during this time. She visited court more often.
A Third Act of Succession restored her as an heir to the throne, but the terms of it made it highly unlikely she would ever become Queen.
Early life (under Edward VI):
Elizabeth was 13-years-old when Henry VIII died and her Protestant Edward VI became King. Despite being fairly close to Elizabeth, Edward VI became increasingly aloof and arrogant upon becoming King.
Elizabeth joined the household of her stepmother Catherine Parr. In 1548 Catherine died in childbirth and Seymour was subsequently executed for plotting to marry Elizabeth and kidnap Edward VI. When Elizabeth was questioned by the authorities she protested her innocence and escaped prosecution. Despite being a humiliating episode, it probably taught Elizabeth valuable political lessons about how to behave and to trust nobody.
On his deathbed, the dying fifteen-year-old Edward was manipulated into overriding the Third Act of Succession and naming his Protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir. When Edward died in 1553, she was proclaimed Queen. Lady Jane Grey, 'the Nine Days Queen', was quickly defeated.
Early years (under Mary I):
Mary I was determined to re-impose Catholicism and marry Philip II of Spain. Neither policy was popular.
During her reign nearly 300 Protestants were burned for refusing to reconvert, earning her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'. Elizabeth outwardly conformed by attending Catholic Mass
In 1554, Mary crushed a rebellion led by Sir Thomas Wyatt, provoked by her marriage to Philip. Suspected of being involved, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for two months.
Under torture, Wyatt claimed Elizabeth had approved of the rebellion but he later retracted this just before his execution.
Elizabeth wrote a long letter to Mary protesting her innocence. She was eventually released as no solid evidence against her could be found, but she would be kept under house arrest.
Accession: 17th November 1558 Mary I died at the age of 42 and her legal heir, Elizabeth, became Queen. Elizabeth was crowned Queen on 15 January 1559.
Quotes from textbooks:
"Elizabeth's accession offered a fresh start" - Source A. Elizabeth, The first Ten years. 1558-1568. (Preview). From: Challenging History, The Tudor Century. 1485-1603. By Ian Dawson, [Thomas Nelson and sons ltd, 1993. pp.290. (This is a fresh start from the difficulties of Mary I and the Mid-Tudor crisis. This time was filled with bad harvests, burnings and rebellion).
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Elizabethan revision resource (AQA GCSE)
RandomWelcome to a revision source for AQA History with their Elizabethan topic. Here you will find important information about the Elizabethan times. I hope you will find this resource useful. (Is easier to read on a computer than on the phone)
