QUEEN ELIZABETH I
Elizabeth I was Henry VIII's daughter. Her mother was Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Her mother died when she was three and as a result she was an unhappy child.
She was a clever child and very well-educated. She was good at languages and she could speak
six languages. Like her father she was also good at music and sport, particularly horse riding.
She became queen in 1558 when she was 25, after the death of her sister Queen Mary I. She
was Queen of England for 45 years, until 1603.
She was not very beautiful, she was tall and slim. She had curly red hair, a long face, small
brown eyes, a hooked nose and a thin mouth. Elizabeth loved fashion and always wore
beautiful clothes and a lot of white make-up.
Elizabeth had a very strong personality and she was a good politician. She was a popular
queen, especially after the victory over the Spanish Armada. After many difficult years
England was finally peaceful again and made progress in foreign trade, exploration, art,
literature and theatre. The Elizabethan Era was the time of William Shakespeare, Edmund
Spencer and Ben Jonson and it is considered the Golden Age for England.
Elizabeth was also stubborn and sometimes cruel: she executed her cousin Mary Queen of
Scots. She never had a husband and she had no children. When she died in 1603 Mary of Scots'
son, James VI of Scotland, became King of England and Scotland with the name of James I.
The Union Jack, the official flag of the United Kingdom, takes its name after him.
1. Who were Elizabeth's parents?
2. What was her favourite sport?
3. How old was she when she became queen?
4. When did she become queen?
5. What did she look like?
6. What was she like?
7. After which event did she become very popular?
8. Who were the most important writers of her time?
9. When did she die?
10. Who was her successor?