8 ELIZABETH I At the time Henry and Catherine were married England was a Roman Catholic country The Roman Catholic Church did not recognize divorces To end his marriage Henry went against the church breaking away from it to establish an independent Church of England Henry’s actions resulted in great religious battles within the country Catherine refused to accept both the annulment that canceled their marriage and Henry’s later marriage to Anne Catherine reported ly proclaimed I am Queen and Queen I will die Henry VIII responded by no longer allowing Catherine to see their daughter Mary Henry VIII caused great suffering to his six wives and their children in his quest for a male heir His actions also brought about tremendous religious and political upheaval in England Like many of his time Henry believed that men were better rulers Yet it was Henry and Catherine’s daugh ter Elizabeth who is remembered as one of England’s great est monarchs She rose to power at a time when men domi nated the political scene and her reign was one of England’s most prosperous periods Despite her father’s obsession with a male heir it was a woman who became one of England’s greatest rulers
A QUEEN IS BORN O n September 7 1533 Anne Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth in Greenwich England The new princess had fair skin wavy red hair and dark brown eyes Her full name was Elizabeth Tudor Her grandfather Henry VII was the first Tudor king having defeated King Richard III in war At birth Elizabeth was next in line to become the ruler of England But all that changed when Eliza beth’s mother was killed in 1536 and her father Henry VIII declared Elizabeth illegitimate her parents marriage was no longer recognized as legal 9 Several paintings of Anne Boleyn hang in London’s National Portrait Gallery Many were painted in the 1500s by unknown artists CHAPTER ONE
10 ELIZABETH I EARLY YEARS At three months old Elizabeth was sent away from her par ents to live in the Royal Palace of Hatfield Located about 20 miles 32 kilometers from London this palace was also home to Elizabeth’s older half-sister Mary and later to her younger half-brother Edward The children were under the care of nurses and tutors Henry VIII neglected his children Lady Margaret Bryan once had to write to the king to ask for new clothes because Elizabeth’s were much too small for her When Elizabeth was only two her father ordered that her mother be killed by beheading Henry accused Anne Boleyn of adultery Most historians believe the charges were made up to give Henry an opportunity to remarry The last time Elizabeth saw her mother was probably the Christmas before her mother died Around 1540 Hans Holbein painted this portrait of King Henry VIII who was the second Tudor monarch and became king at the age of eighteen
A QuEEn Is Born 11 Elizabeth was raised in the Royal Palace of Hatfield away from her parents but with her half-sister Mary and half-brother Edward
