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14 <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
15 <Metadata name="Content">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
16 <Metadata name="Page_topic">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
17 <Metadata name="Title">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
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24 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Monarchs</Metadata>
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41
42&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
43 &lt;tr&gt;
44 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
45 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
47 &lt;/tr&gt;
48 &lt;tr&gt;
49 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
50 &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
51 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
52 &lt;IMG height=98 alt=&quot;Queen Elizabeth I&quot;
53 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/eliz1-queenuse.gif&quot; width=422&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
54 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
55 &lt;/tr&gt;
56 &lt;tr&gt;
57 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
58 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
59 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
60 &lt;IMG height=444
61 alt=&quot;'The Rainbow Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1600&quot;
62 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/eliz1-rainbow.jpg&quot; width=350 align=center border=2&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
63 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;
64 &amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
65 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Visit
66 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2feliz1-images.html&quot;&gt;Elizabethan
67 Images&lt;/a&gt; to view portraits of the queen and her courtiers, with
68 commentary.&lt;BR&gt;Read poems, letters, and speeches by the queen at &lt;A
69 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html&quot;&gt;Primary
70 Sources&lt;/A&gt;.&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
71 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Read ES Beesly's 1892 biography of Queen
72 Elizabeth I at &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html&quot;&gt;
73 Secondary Sources&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
74 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Visit &lt;A
75 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;the Anne
76 Boleyn website&lt;/A&gt; to learn more about Elizabeth's mother.&lt;BR&gt;Visit &lt;A
77 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fmaryqos.html&quot;&gt;the Mary,
78 queen of Scots website&lt;/A&gt; to learn more about Elizabeth's
79 cousin.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Test your knowledge of Elizabeth's life and times at &lt;A
80 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ftudor1.html&quot;&gt;Tudor
81 Quizzes&lt;/A&gt;.&lt;/DIV&gt;
82 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
83 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Meet other Elizabethan enthusiasts at
84 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.alassea.net%2ffl%2felizabeth&quot;&gt;The Virgin Queen
85 fanlisting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/DIV&gt;
86 &lt;DIV align=left&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
87 &lt;/td&gt;
88 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
89 &lt;/tr&gt;
90&lt;/table&gt;
91
92&lt;blockquote&gt;
93 &lt;blockquote&gt;
94 &lt;blockquote&gt;
95 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
96 &lt;p&gt;&lt;B&gt;Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in
97 English history.&amp;nbsp; When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five
98 years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate
99 by most Europeans.&amp;nbsp; She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by
100 religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and
101 Spain.&amp;nbsp; She was only the third queen to rule England in her own
102 right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister
103 Mary I, were disastrous.&amp;nbsp; Even her supporters believed her position
104 dangerous and uncertain.&amp;nbsp; Her only hope, they counseled, was to marry
105 quickly and lean upon her husband for support.&amp;nbsp; But Elizabeth had
106 other ideas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;She ruled alone for nearly half a century,
107 lending her name to a glorious epoch in world history.&amp;nbsp; She dazzled
108 even her greatest enemies.&amp;nbsp; Her sense of duty was admirable, though
109 it came at great personal cost.&amp;nbsp; She was committed above all else to
110 preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects
111 was legendary.&amp;nbsp; Only a few years after her death in 1603, they
112 lamented her passing.&amp;nbsp; In her greatest speech to Parliament, she told
113 them, 'I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your
114 love.'&amp;nbsp; And five centuries later, the worldwide love affair with
115 Elizabeth Tudor continues.&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
116 &lt;hr&gt;
117 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
118 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
119 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;'Proud
120 and haughty, as although she knows she was born of such a mother, she
121 nevertheless does not consider herself of inferior degree to the Queen,
122 whom she equals in self-esteem; nor does she believe herself less
123 legitimate than her Majesty, alleging in her own favour that her mother
124 would never cohabit with the King unless by way of marriage, with the
125 authority of the Church....&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;She prides herself on her father and
126 glories in him; everybody saying that she also resembles him more than the
127 Queen does and he therefore always liked her and had her brought up in the
128 same way as the Queen.' &lt;/font&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;I&gt;the Venetian
129 ambassador Giovanni Michiel describes Elizabeth; spring 1557&lt;/I&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
130 &lt;blockquote&gt;
131 &lt;blockquote&gt;
132 &lt;hr&gt;
133 &lt;p&gt;Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich
134 Palace.&amp;nbsp; She was the daughter of &lt;A
135 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html&quot;&gt;King Henry
136 VIII&lt;/A&gt; and his second wife, &lt;A
137 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;Anne
138 Boleyn&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Henry had &lt;A
139 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ffaq.html#Eleven-b&quot;&gt;defied the
140 papacy&lt;/A&gt; and the Holy Roman Emperor to marry Anne, spurred on by love
141 and the need for a legitimate male heir.&amp;nbsp; And so Elizabeth's birth
142 was one of the most exciting political events in 16th century European
143 history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere
144 infant.&amp;nbsp; But the confident predictions of astrologers and physicians
145 were wrong and the longed-for prince turned out to be a princess.&amp;nbsp;
146 &lt;/p&gt;
147 &lt;P&gt;Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador and enemy of Anne Boleyn,
148 described the birth to his master as 'a
149 &lt;IMG height=324 alt=&quot;portrait of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn&quot;
150 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/elizmom.jpg&quot; width=250 border=2 align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;great disappointment and sorrow to
151 the King, the Lady herself and to others of her party.'&amp;nbsp; But for the
152 next two years, Henry VIII was willing to hope for a son to join this
153 healthy daughter.&amp;nbsp; Immediately after Elizabeth's birth, he wrote to
154 his 17 year old daughter, &lt;A
155 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html&quot;&gt;Princess
156 Mary&lt;/A&gt;, and demanded she relinquish her title Princess of Wales and
157 acknowledge both the annulment of his marriage to her mother, &lt;A
158 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html&quot;&gt;Katharine of
159 Aragon&lt;/A&gt;, and the validity of his new marriage.&amp;nbsp; Mary refused; she
160 already blamed Anne Boleyn (and, by extension, Elizabeth) for the sad
161 alteration of her own fortunes.&amp;nbsp; In December, she was moved into her
162 infant half-sister's household.&amp;nbsp; When told to pay her respects to the
163 baby Princess, she replied that she knew of no Princess of England but
164 herself, and burst into tears.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
165 &lt;P&gt;Henry already ignored Mary and Katharine's constant pleas to meet; now
166 he began a more aggressive campaign to secure Anne and Elizabeth's
167 position.&amp;nbsp; For one mother and daughter to be secure, the other pair
168 must necessarily suffer.&amp;nbsp; Most Europeans, and indeed Englishmen,
169 still believed Katharine to be the king's valid wife.&amp;nbsp; Now old and
170 sickly, imprisoned in one moldy castle after another, she remained a very
171 popular figure.&amp;nbsp; Anne Boleyn was dismissed in polite circles as the
172 king's 'concubine' and their marriage was recognized only by those of the new
173 Protestant faith.&amp;nbsp; Henry attempted to legislate popular acceptance of
174 his new queen and heiress.&amp;nbsp; But the various acts and oaths only cost
175 the lives of several prominent Catholics, among them &lt;A
176 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fmore.html&quot;&gt;Sir Thomas
177 More&lt;/A&gt; and Bishop John Fisher.&amp;nbsp; The English people never accepted
178 'Nan Bullen' as their queen.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
179 &lt;P&gt;But while she had the king's personal favor, Elizabeth's mother was
180 secure.&amp;nbsp; And she held that favor far longer than any had
181 expected.&amp;nbsp; It was only after she miscarried twice that Henry began to
182 consider this second marriage as cursed as the first.&amp;nbsp; The last
183 miscarriage occurred in January 1536; Katharine died that same
184 month.&amp;nbsp; With her death, the king's Catholic critics considered him a
185 widower, free to marry again.&amp;nbsp; And this next marriage would not be
186 tainted by the specter of bigamy.&amp;nbsp; It was only necessary to get rid
187 of Anne, and find a new wife - one who could hopefully deliver a
188 son.&amp;nbsp; The king already had a candidate in mind; her name was &lt;A
189 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fseymour.html&quot;&gt;Jane
190 Seymour&lt;/A&gt;, a lady-in-waiting to both Katharine and Anne.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
191 &lt;P&gt;In the end, Henry VIII was not merely content to annul his marriage to
192 Anne.&amp;nbsp; She was arrested, charged with a variety of crimes which even
193 her enemies discounted, and executed on 19 May 1536.&amp;nbsp; Her little
194 daughter was now in the same position as her half-sister, Princess
195 Mary.&amp;nbsp; However, all of Europe and most Englishmen considered Mary to
196 be Henry's legitimate heir, despite legislation to the contrary.&amp;nbsp; No
197 one believed Elizabeth to be more than the illegitimate daughter of the
198 king.&amp;nbsp; Also, there were already disparaging rumors of her mother's
199 infidelities; perhaps the solemn, red-headed child was not the king's
200 after all?&amp;nbsp; It was to Henry's (small) credit that he always
201 acknowledged Elizabeth as his own, and took pride in her intellectual
202 accomplishments.&amp;nbsp; As she grew older, even Catholic courtiers noted
203 Elizabeth resembled her father more than Mary did.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
204 &lt;P&gt;Henry married Jane just twelve days after Anne's execution and his
205 long-awaited son, &lt;A
206 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fedward6.html&quot;&gt;Prince
207 Edward&lt;/A&gt;, was born in October 1537.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth participated in the
208 christening, carried by Thomas Seymour, the handsome young brother of the
209 queen.&amp;nbsp; Jane died shortly after the birth of childbed fever.&amp;nbsp;
210 Henry VIII married &lt;A
211 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fcleves.html&quot;&gt;Anne of
212 Cleves&lt;/A&gt; on Twelfth Night (6 January) 1541.&amp;nbsp; The marriage was a disaster,
213 and Henry quickly divorced Anne and married &lt;A
214 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhoward.html&quot;&gt;Catherine
215 Howard&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Catherine was a cousin of Anne Boleyn; they were both
216 related to Thomas Howard, 3rd duke of Norfolk and perhaps Henry's most
217 nervous peer.&amp;nbsp; The king enjoyed a brief few months of happiness with
218 his fifth wife.&amp;nbsp; But Catherine was thirty years younger than Henry
219 and soon enough resumed an affair with a former lover.&amp;nbsp; She was
220 executed in February 1543 and buried beside Anne Boleyn in the Tower of
221 London.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
222 &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, these changes in her father's marital fortunes did not
223 pass unnoticed.&amp;nbsp; She was part of her half-brother Edward's household;
224 her days were spent mostly at lessons, with the occasional visit from her
225 father.&amp;nbsp; As a child, no one expected her to comment upon her
226 various stepmothers.&amp;nbsp; It was only when she reached adulthood and
227 became queen that its psychological effects were revealed.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth
228 had a dim view of romantic love and, given her father's example, who can
229 blame her?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
230 &lt;P&gt;It was Henry's sixth and final wife, &lt;A
231 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fparr.html&quot;&gt;Katharine
232 Parr&lt;/A&gt;, who had the greatest impact upon Elizabeth's life.&amp;nbsp; A kind
233 woman who believed passionately in&lt;img border=&quot;2&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/eliz1-scrots.jpg&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; alt=&quot;Princess Elizabeth, c1546, attributed to William Scrots&quot; width=&quot;370&quot; height=&quot;495&quot;&gt; education and religious reform,
234 Katharine was a devoted stepmother.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, she had far more
235 of an impact with the young Edward and Elizabeth than with Mary, who was
236 just four years her junior.&amp;nbsp; Katharine arranged for 10 year old
237 Elizabeth to have the most distinguished tutors in England, foremost among
238 them Roger Ascham.&amp;nbsp; As a result, Elizabeth was educated as well as
239 any legitimate prince, and she displayed a genuine love and aptitude for
240 her studies.&amp;nbsp; 'Her mind has no womanly weakness,' Ascham would write
241 approvingly, 'her perseverance is equal to that of a man.'&amp;nbsp; And
242 later, 'She readeth more Greek every day, than some Prebendaries of this
243 Church do in a whole week.'&amp;nbsp; And so she did; Elizabeth's love of
244 scholarship never faltered and, in an age when women were considered
245 inferior to men, she was a glorious exception.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
246 &lt;P&gt;
247 Along with
248 such classical subjects as rhetoric, languages, philosophy, and history,
249 Elizabeth also studied theology.&amp;nbsp; Ascham and her other tutors were
250 famous Cambridge humanists who supported the Protestant cause.&amp;nbsp;
251 Likewise, Katharine Parr was devoted to the reformed faith.&amp;nbsp; Unlike
252 their half-sister Mary, both Edward and Elizabeth were raised Protestant
253 during its most formative years.&amp;nbsp; Yet while Edward was known for his
254 piety and didacticism, Elizabeth already displayed the pragmatic character
255 which would make her reign successful.&amp;nbsp; She studied theology and
256 supported the Protestant cause; she had been raised to do so and knew
257 only Protestants recognized her parents' marriage.&amp;nbsp; But she was never
258 openly passionate about religion, recognizing its divisive role in English
259 politics.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
260 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;Most people viewed the adolescent Elizabeth as a serious young
261 woman who always carried a book with her, preternaturally composed.&amp;nbsp;
262 She encouraged this perception, which was as accurate as any, by dressing
263 with a degree of severity virtually absent at the Tudor royal court.&amp;nbsp;
264 But she was not so serious that she avoided all the material trappings of
265 her position.&amp;nbsp; Her household accounts, which came under the
266 management of William Cecil (who later became her secretary of state),
267 show evidence of a cultivated and lively mind, as well as a love of
268 entertainment:&amp;nbsp; fees for musicians, musical instruments, and a
269 variety of books.&amp;nbsp; As she grew older and her position more prominent,
270 her household also expanded.&amp;nbsp; During her brother Edward's reign, she
271 lived the life of a wealthy and privileged lady - and apparently enjoyed
272 it immensely.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
273 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was thirteen years old when her father died.&amp;nbsp; They
274 were never particularly close though he treated her with affection on her
275 few visits to his court.&amp;nbsp; He even occasionally discussed the
276 possibility of her marriage for, in the 16th century, royal bastards were
277 common and often used to great advantage in diplomacy.&amp;nbsp; Under the
278 1536 'Second Act of Succession', which declared both her and the 19 year
279 old Mary illegitimate, Parliament gave Henry the ability to determine his
280 children's status, as well as the actual succession.&amp;nbsp; Typically for
281 Henry, he simply let both his daughters live as princesses and gave them
282 precedence over everyone at court except his current wife.&amp;nbsp; But they
283 had no real claim to the title of 'princess' and were known as 'the lady
284 Elizabeth' and 'the lady Mary'.&amp;nbsp; This was often followed by the
285 explanatory 'the king's daughter.'&amp;nbsp; It was an awkward situation which
286 the king saw no reason to resolve.&amp;nbsp; His will did recognize his
287 daughters' crucial place in the succession.&amp;nbsp; If Edward died without
288 heirs, Mary would inherit the throne; if Mary died without heirs,
289 Elizabeth would become queen.&amp;nbsp; He also left them the substantial
290 income of 3000 pds a year, the same amount for each daughter.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
291 &lt;P&gt;Did Elizabeth mourn her father?&amp;nbsp; Undoubtedly so, for at least
292 under Henry VIII she was three steps from the throne and protected by his
293 rough paternal affection.&amp;nbsp; After his death, she had good cause to
294 wish him alive again.&amp;nbsp; Ten year old Edward was king in name
295 only.&amp;nbsp; The rule of England was actually in the hands of his uncle,
296 the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, soon titled duke of Somerset.&amp;nbsp;
297 Elizabeth was now separated from her brother's household, moving to
298 Katharine Parr's home in Chelsea.&amp;nbsp; This was perhaps the happiest time
299 of her adolescence.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
300 &lt;P&gt;But Katharine married again quickly, to the man she had loved before
301 Henry VIII had claimed her.&amp;nbsp; Her new husband was Thomas Seymour, the
302 younger brother of Lord Protector Somerset and uncle to the new King
303 Edward.&amp;nbsp; He was handsome, charming, and very ambitious.&amp;nbsp; He also
304 had terrible political instincts.&amp;nbsp; Seymour was not content to be
305 husband of the Dowager Queen of England.&amp;nbsp; He was jealous of his
306 brother's position and desperate to upstage him.&amp;nbsp; And so he
307 inadvertently played into the hands of the equally ambitious John Dudley,
308 earl of Warwick.&amp;nbsp; Dudley wished to destroy the Seymour protectorship
309 and seize power for himself.&amp;nbsp; He allowed the feuding brothers to
310 destroy each other.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
311 &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, the main problem with Seymour was his inappropriate and
312 very flirtatious behavior.&amp;nbsp; As a teenaged girl with little experience
313 of men, she was flattered by his attention and also a bit
314 frightened.&amp;nbsp; Certainly it placed great strain on Katharine Parr, who
315 had become pregnant soon after her marriage.&amp;nbsp; The queen originally
316 participated in Seymour's early morning raids into Elizabeth's room, where
317 he would tickle and wrestle with the girl in her nightdress.&amp;nbsp; But
318 while Katharine considered this simple fun, her husband was more
319 serious.&amp;nbsp; He soon had keys made for every room in their house and
320 started visiting Elizabeth while she was still asleep and he was clad in
321 just his nightshirt.&amp;nbsp; She soon developed the habit of rising early;
322 when he appeared, her nose was safely in a book. Edward's council heard
323 rumors of these romps and investigated.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth proved herself
324 circumspect and clever; she managed to admit nothing which would
325 offend&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
326 &lt;P&gt;She left the Seymour home for Hatfield House in May 1548, ostensibly
327 because the queen was 'undoubtful of health'.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth and
328 Katharine exchanged affectionate letters, but they would not meet
329 again.&amp;nbsp; The queen died on 4 September 1548 of childbed fever.&amp;nbsp;
330 &lt;/P&gt;
331 &lt;P&gt;After her death, Seymour's position became more dangerous.&amp;nbsp; It was
332 rumored that he wished to marry Elizabeth and thus secure the throne of
333 England in case Edward died young.&amp;nbsp; He had already bought the
334 wardship of &lt;A
335 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane
336 Grey&lt;/A&gt;, a Tudor cousin and heir in Henry VIII's will.&amp;nbsp; He planned
337 to marry Jane and Edward, thus securing primary influence with his
338 nephew.&amp;nbsp; Eventually, his grandiose plans unraveled and he was
339 arrested.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps the most damning charge was his planned marriage
340 to Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; Immediately, the council sent Sir Robert Tyrwhit to
341 Hatfield with the mission to take control of Elizabeth's household and
342 gain her confession.&amp;nbsp; He immediately arrested Elizabeth's beloved
343 governess Kat Ashley and her cofferer, Thomas Parry; they were sent to the
344 Tower.&amp;nbsp; Now, Tyrwhit told the princess, confess all; he wanted
345 confirmation of the charge that Seymour and Elizabeth planned to
346 wed.&amp;nbsp; If she confessed, Tyrwhit said, she would be forgiven for she
347 was young and foolish - her servants should have protected her.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
348 &lt;P&gt;
349 &lt;IMG height=122 alt=&quot;Elizabeth's signature as Princess of England&quot;
350 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/elizsig-sm.jpg&quot; width=200 align=left border=2&gt;Elizabeth did not hesitate to demonstrate her own wit and
351 learning.&amp;nbsp; Indeed, she drove Tyrwhit to exasperation; 'in no way will
352 she confess any practice by Mistress Ashley or the cofferer concerning my
353 lord Admiral; and yet I do see it in her face that she is guilty and do
354 perceive as yet she will abide more storms ere she accuse Mistress
355 Ashley,' he wrote to Somerset, 'I do assure your Grace she hath a very
356 good wit and nothing is gotten of her but by great policy.'&amp;nbsp;
357 Elizabeth refused to scapegoat her loyal servants and defiantly asserted
358 her complete innocence.&amp;nbsp; She told Tyrwhit she cared nothing for the
359 Admiral and when he had mentioned some vague possibility of marriage, she
360 had referred him to the council.&amp;nbsp; She also secured permission to
361 write to Somerset and, upon doing so, demanded a public apology be made
362 regarding her innocence.&amp;nbsp; She also demanded the return of her loyal
363 servants for if they did not return, she said, her guilt would be
364 assumed.&amp;nbsp; She read Ashley and Parry's 'confessions' in which they
365 described Seymour's romps with her at Katharine Parr's home.&amp;nbsp; The
366 details were undoubtedly embarrassing but she recognized their
367 harmlessness.&amp;nbsp; In short, she demonstrated every aspect of her
368 formidable intelligence and determination.&amp;nbsp; Poor Tyrwhit left for
369 London with no damaging confession.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
370 &lt;P&gt;But the council didn't need Elizabeth's confession to execute
371 Seymour.&amp;nbsp; He was charged with thirty-three other crimes, and he
372 answered only three of the charges.&amp;nbsp; He was not given a trial; a
373 messy execution was always best passed by a Bill of Attainder.&amp;nbsp; He
374 was executed on 20 March 1549, dying 'very dangerously, irksomely,
375 horribly... a wicked man and the realm is well rid of him.'&amp;nbsp; Contrary
376 to some biographies, Elizabeth did not say, 'This day died a man with much
377 wit, and very little judgment.'&amp;nbsp; The 17th century Italian novelist
378 Leti invented this, as well as several forged letters long supposed to be
379 hers.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
380 &lt;P&gt;Soon enough, Seymour's brother followed him to the scaffold.&amp;nbsp;
381 Somerset was a kind man in private life and genuinely dedicated to
382 economic and religious reform in England but, as a politician, he failed
383 miserably.&amp;nbsp; He lacked charisma and confidence; he preferred to bully
384 and bluster his way through council meetings.&amp;nbsp; He simply did not
385 understand how to manage the divisive personalities of Edward VI's privy
386 council.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, John Dudley had been quietly manipulating other
387 councilors and the young king to gain ascendancy.&amp;nbsp; Upon Somerset's
388 execution, Dudley became Lord Protector; he was also titled duke of
389 Northumberland.&amp;nbsp; He was the first non-royal Englishman given that
390 title.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
391 &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, these events were merely background noise at
392 first.&amp;nbsp; Dudley took pains to cultivate a friendship with her, which
393 she wisely avoided.&amp;nbsp; He sent her and Mary amiable letters.&amp;nbsp;
394 Since Mary was a Catholic, and Dudley a Protestant who had benefited
395 materially from the Reformation, he was necessarily more friendly to
396 Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; For example, Edward VI had given Dudley Hatfield House,
397 which was currently Elizabeth's residence.&amp;nbsp; Dudley graciously
398 returned it to her in exchange for lesser lands in her possession.&amp;nbsp;
399 He also passed the patents to her lands, which allowed her more
400 income.&amp;nbsp; This, of course, should have been done at Henry VIII's
401 death.&amp;nbsp; So Elizabeth at first benefited from Dudley's rise to
402 power.&amp;nbsp; She was now a well-respected and popular princess, a landed
403 lady in her own right with a large income and keen mind.&amp;nbsp; She was
404 also an heir to the English throne, though still officially recognized as
405 a bastard.&amp;nbsp; But she was shown every respect, and a degree of
406 affection from Edward VI completely lacking in his relations with their
407 sister Mary.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
408 &lt;P&gt;Their mutual faith was an important connection with the increasingly
409 devout Edward.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth visited Court occasionally, corresponded
410 with her brother, and continued her studies mainly at Hatfield.&amp;nbsp; She
411 had always been excessively cautious and very intelligent, qualities she
412 displayed to great effect during the Seymour crisis.&amp;nbsp; The only time
413 in her life when she demonstrated any recklessness had been during the
414 Seymour debacle; she had learned its lesson well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
415 &lt;P&gt;She also cultivated the image of a sober Protestant young lady.&amp;nbsp;
416 When queen, she became known for her love of beautiful gowns and
417 jewels.&amp;nbsp; But before 1558, she took care to dress soberly, the image
418 of chastity and modesty.&amp;nbsp; This was perhaps a conscious attempt to
419 distance herself from Mary, a typical Catholic princess who dressed in all
420 the glittering and garish finery she could afford.&amp;nbsp; It is an ironic
421 note on Mary's character that she has become known as a dour, plain woman;
422 she was as fond of clothes and jewelry as her sister would become.&amp;nbsp;
423 It was Elizabeth who dressed plainly, most often in severely cut black or
424 white gowns.&amp;nbsp; She wore each color to great effect.&amp;nbsp; She had
425 matured into a tall, slender and striking girl, with a fair, unblemished
426 complexion and the famous Tudor red hair.&amp;nbsp; She wore her hair loose
427 and did not use cosmetics.&amp;nbsp; When she traveled about the countryside,
428 crowds gathered to see her, a Protestant princess renowned for her virtue
429 and learning, her appearance modest and pleasing.&amp;nbsp; In this respect,
430 she was emulated by her cousin Jane Grey.&amp;nbsp; When Jane was invited to a
431 reception for Mary of Guise, the regent of Scotland, Mary Tudor sent her
432 'some goodly apparel of tinsel cloth of gold and velvet laid on with
433 parchment lace of gold.'&amp;nbsp; Jane, a devout Protestant, was offended;
434 such apparel reflected the material trappings of Catholicism.&amp;nbsp; When
435 her parents insisted she wear it, Jane replied, 'Nay, that were a shame to
436 follow my Lady Mary against God's word, and leave my Lady Elizabeth, which
437 followeth God's word.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
438 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was honorably and extravagantly received at her brother's
439 court.&amp;nbsp; For example, on 17 March 1552, she arrived at St James's
440 Palace with 'a great company of lords, knights and gentlemen' along with
441 over 200 ladies and a company of yeomen.&amp;nbsp; Two days later she left St
442 James for Whitehall Palace, her procession accompanied by a grand
443 collection of nobles.&amp;nbsp; The visit was a marked success for Edward was
444 open in his affection.&amp;nbsp; She was his 'sweet sister Temperance,' unlike
445 Mary who continued to defy his religious policy.&amp;nbsp; The Primary Sources
446 section of this site contains an excerpt from Edward VI's journal in which
447 he records a religious argument with Mary.&amp;nbsp; In that matter, Elizabeth
448 remained distant, preferring to let her siblings argue without her.&amp;nbsp;
449 &lt;/P&gt;
450 &lt;P&gt;Edward's ministers, especially after the Seymour affair, were careful
451 with her.&amp;nbsp; Dudley recognized Elizabeth's formidable
452 intelligence.&amp;nbsp; When Edward VI became ill in 1553 and it was clear he
453 would not survive, Dudley had a desperate plan to save himself from Mary
454 I's Catholic rule - place Henry VIII's niece, Lady Jane Grey on the
455 throne.&amp;nbsp; (This is discussed in great length at the &lt;A
456 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane
457 Grey&lt;/A&gt; site.)&amp;nbsp; Simply put, Dudley believed he would be supported
458 because Jane was Protestant and the English would not want the Catholic
459 Mary on the throne.&amp;nbsp; Of course, the question arises - Elizabeth was
460 Protestant, so why not put her on the throne instead of Jane?&amp;nbsp; The
461 main reason is that Dudley was well aware that Elizabeth Tudor would not
462 be his puppet, unlike Jane Grey whom he had married to his son
463 Guildford.&amp;nbsp; As for Edward VI, he went along with the plan because of
464 two main reasons: Elizabeth was illegitimate so there might be resistance
465 to her rule and, as a princess, she might be persuaded to marry a foreign
466 prince and England would fall under foreign control.&amp;nbsp; Jane was
467 already safely wed to an Englishman.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
468 &lt;P&gt;
469 &lt;IMG height=228
470 alt=&quot;a profile portrait of Elizabeth's half-brother, King Edward VI&quot;
471 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/edward4-cr.jpg&quot; width=150 border=2 align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Edward VI's decision should not indicate any great dislike of
472 Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; He was primarily determined to preserve the Protestant
473 regime in England.&amp;nbsp; He believed this was necessary for his personal
474 and political salvation.&amp;nbsp; He was also practical.&amp;nbsp; He
475 disinherited Mary because of her Catholicism; however, it was officially
476 sanctioned because of her illegitimacy.&amp;nbsp; Like Elizabeth, Mary had her
477 illegitimacy established by an act of Parliament during Henry VIII's
478 reign.&amp;nbsp; Since he had ostensibly disinherited Mary because of this
479 act, he couldn't let Elizabeth inherit - it simply wasn't logical.&amp;nbsp;
480 So the throne would pass to the legitimate - and Protestant - Lady Jane
481 Grey.&amp;nbsp; As most know, she ruled for just nine days before Mary became
482 queen of England.&amp;nbsp; It should be noted that Edward originally told
483 Dudley that, though he didn't want Mary to succeed him, he saw no logical
484 reason for Elizabeth to be disowned.&amp;nbsp; It was Dudley who pointed out
485 the logical inconsistency - that Mary 'could not be put by unless the Lady
486 Elizabeth were put by also.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
487 &lt;P&gt;Dudley attempted to place Mary and Elizabeth in his power while Edward
488 was dying.&amp;nbsp; He knew that if he imprisoned the two princesses, they
489 would be unable to rouse popular support against his plan.&amp;nbsp; But if
490 that failed, he was determined to prevent them from seeing Edward,
491 especially Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; Dudley feared that Edward's affection for his
492 sister, and Elizabeth's cleverness, might persuade Edward to rewrite his
493 will in her favor.&amp;nbsp; Like her sister, Elizabeth would undoubtedly
494 destroy Dudley, making him the scapegoat for Edward's ineffectual
495 regime.&amp;nbsp; In fact, Elizabeth had suspected her brother was ill and set
496 out from Hatfield to visit him just a few weeks before Edward died, but
497 Dudley's men intercepted her and sent her home.&amp;nbsp; She then wrote her
498 brother a number of letters, inquiring about his health and asking
499 permission to come to Court.&amp;nbsp; These were intercepted as well.&amp;nbsp;
500 &lt;/P&gt;
501 &lt;P&gt;But as Edward's health continued to deteriorate and death was imminent,
502 Dudley sent a message to Hatfield, ordering Elizabeth to Greenwich
503 Palace.&amp;nbsp; She may have been warned of his intentions - more likely she
504 guessed them.&amp;nbsp; She refused the summons, taking to her bed with a
505 sudden illness.&amp;nbsp; As a further precaution, her doctor sent a letter to
506 the council certifying she was too ill for travel.&amp;nbsp; As for Mary,
507 Dudley had told her that Edward desired her presence; it would be a
508 comfort to him during his illness.&amp;nbsp; She was torn - though Dudley hid
509 the true extent of the king's illness, the Imperial ambassador had kept
510 Mary informed.&amp;nbsp; He was the agent of her cousin, the Holy Roman
511 Emperor Charles V; Mary's mother had been his aunt.&amp;nbsp; Conscious of her
512 sisterly duty, Mary set out for Greenwich from Hunsdon the day before
513 Edward died.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
514 &lt;P&gt;Dudley was enraged by Elizabeth's refusal but he could do
515 nothing.&amp;nbsp; Soon enough, events moved too quickly for the princess to
516 be his primary concern.&amp;nbsp; It was being whispered that Dudley had
517 poisoned the king to place his daughter-in-law on the throne.&amp;nbsp; Of
518 course, this was untrue since Dudley needed Edward to live as long as
519 possible for his plan to work.&amp;nbsp; To this end, he had engaged a female
520 'witch' to help prolong the king's life.&amp;nbsp; She concocted a mix of
521 arsenic and other drugs; they worked, at least for Dudley's purpose.&amp;nbsp;
522 The young king lived for a few more weeks though he suffered
523 terribly.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 6 July 1553, Edward VI died.&amp;nbsp;
524 Immediately, Dudley had Jane Grey proclaimed queen, an honor she had not
525 sought and did not want.&amp;nbsp; It was only Dudley's appeal to her
526 religious convictions which convinced her to accept the throne.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
527 &lt;P&gt;Meanwhile, Jane's cousin, Mary Tudor, was still on her way to Greenwich
528 to see her brother, until a sympathizer (sent by Nicholas Throckmorton or
529 William Cecil) rode out to meet her; the summons was a trap, he told her,
530 and Dudley intended to imprison her.&amp;nbsp; Mary rode to East Anglia, the
531 conservative section of England where her support would be
532 strongest.&amp;nbsp; Eventually she would realize the true extent of her
533 support.&amp;nbsp; Protestants and Catholics alike rallied to her cause since
534 she was Henry VIII's daughter and the true heir under his will.&amp;nbsp; As
535 she left for East Anglia, she didn't know her brother was already dead but
536 she sent a note to the Imperial ambassador Simon Renard; once she knew of
537 Edward's death, she said, she would declare herself queen.&amp;nbsp; She sent
538 another note to Dudley, telling him she was too ill to travel.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
539 &lt;P&gt;The failure of Dudley's ambitions is discussed at the &lt;A
540 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane
541 Grey&lt;/A&gt; site.&amp;nbsp; Suffice to say, he was overthrown and executed and
542 Mary Tudor, at the age of thirty-seven, was declared queen of England in
543 her own right.&amp;nbsp; During the nine days of Jane's reign, Elizabeth had
544 continued her pretense of illness.&amp;nbsp; It was rumored that Dudley had
545 sent councilors to her, offering a large bribe if she would just renounce
546 her claim to the throne.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth refused, remarking, 'You must
547 first make this agreement with my elder sister, during whose lifetime I
548 have no claim or title to resign.'&amp;nbsp; So she remained at her beloved
549 Hatfield, deliberately avoiding a commitment one way or another.&amp;nbsp;
550 When word reached her that Mary was finally queen, she sent a letter of
551 congratulation to her sister and set off for London.&amp;nbsp; On 29 July, she
552 entered the capital with 2000 mounted men wearing the green and white
553 Tudor colors.&amp;nbsp; There she awaited Mary's official arrival into the
554 city.&amp;nbsp; On 31 July, Elizabeth rode with her attendant nobles along the
555 Strand and through the City to Colchester, the same path her sister would
556 take.&amp;nbsp; It was here she would receive her sister as queen.&amp;nbsp; They
557 had not seen each other for about five years.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
558 &lt;P&gt;Mary had always disliked her half-sister for many reasons, not least
559 because she sensed an innate shiftiness in Elizabeth's character.&amp;nbsp;
560 Elizabeth, Mary believed, was never to be trusted.&amp;nbsp; Originally, this
561 dislike was because of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn.&amp;nbsp; Mary had
562 long blamed Anne for her own mother's tragic end as well as the alienation
563 of her father's affections.&amp;nbsp; After Anne died and Elizabeth, too, was
564 declared illegitimate, Mary found other reasons to hate Elizabeth, chief
565 among them religion.&amp;nbsp; Like her mother, Mary was a devout Catholic;
566 she recognized Elizabeth's lack of religious zeal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;img border=&quot;2&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/elizsister.jpg&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; alt=&quot;portrait of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I; she ruled England from 1553 to 1558&quot; width=&quot;350&quot; height=&quot;522&quot;&gt; But at her
567 accession, the moment of her great triumph, she was prepared to be
568 conciliatory.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
569 &lt;P&gt;Mary ordered that Elizabeth share her triumphal march through
570 London.&amp;nbsp; Their processions met at Wanstead on 2 August.&amp;nbsp; There,
571 Elizabeth dismounted and knelt in the road before her sister.&amp;nbsp; Mary
572 dismounted and raised her sister, embracing and kissing her with
573 affection.&amp;nbsp; She even held her hand as they spoke.&amp;nbsp; Their two
574 parties entered London together, the sisters riding side by side.&amp;nbsp;
575 The contrast between their physical appearances could not have been more
576 striking.&amp;nbsp; Mary, at thirty-seven, was old beyond her years.&amp;nbsp; An
577 adulthood passed in anxiety and tribulation had marred her health and
578 appearance.&amp;nbsp; She was small like her mother and thin, with Katharine's
579 deep, almost gruff voice.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was nineteen years old, taller
580 than her sister and slender.&amp;nbsp; While Mary was richly attired in
581 velvets covered in jewels and gold, Elizabeth was dressed in her usual
582 strikingly severe style.&amp;nbsp; Neither sister was conventionally beautiful
583 but onlookers commented upon Mary's open compassion and kindness and
584 Elizabeth's innate majesty.&amp;nbsp; And since Mary was thirty-seven, quite
585 old to have a child, Elizabeth was viewed as her probable heir.&amp;nbsp; As
586 such, she was cheered as much as the new queen.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
587 &lt;P&gt;On 1 October, Elizabeth rode to Mary's coronation with Henry VIII's
588 discarded fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.&amp;nbsp; She was once again accorded a
589 place of honor amongst the English ladies, though not the highest position
590 as was her due.&amp;nbsp; The Imperial ambassador Renard reported that she
591 spoke often with the French ambassador de Noailles.&amp;nbsp; For his part, de
592 Noailles reported that Elizabeth complained her coronet was too heavy and
593 made her head ache.&amp;nbsp; He replied to her that, God willing, she would
594 soon wear a heavier crown.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
595 &lt;P&gt;This was dangerous talk, as Elizabeth soon discovered.&amp;nbsp; Mary's
596 mood was fickle regarding her clever half-sister.&amp;nbsp; For every kind
597 word or gesture, there were public statements dismissing Henry VIII as
598 Elizabeth's father, or allowing distant cousins precedent at court.&amp;nbsp;
599 It was simply impossible for Mary to forget the past, etched so acutely
600 upon her spirit.&amp;nbsp; She could not like Elizabeth, nor trust her.&amp;nbsp;
601 Elizabeth responded to this emotional hostility by retreating to
602 Hatfield.&amp;nbsp; There she continued her studies and attempted to remain
603 safe in the morass of English politics.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
604 &lt;P&gt;But however much she might wish for peace, she was not to have
605 it.&amp;nbsp; She was destined to be the focal point for all discontent over
606 Mary's reign.&amp;nbsp; And there was soon much reason for discontent.&amp;nbsp;
607 Edward VI's council had left the economy in shambles; currency was debased
608 and near worthless.&amp;nbsp; There was a series of bad harvests.&amp;nbsp; Prices
609 rose and discontent spread.&amp;nbsp; And worst of all, Mary soon decided to
610 marry King Philip II of Spain, son and heir of Charles V.&amp;nbsp; This was
611 yet another example of her inability to forget the past.&amp;nbsp; Philip
612 represented the homeland of her beloved mother, and a chance to bring all
613 the weight of the Holy Roman Empire to bear upon the heretics of
614 England.&amp;nbsp; Mary was determined to turn back the clock on twenty years
615 of religious reform and make England a Catholic nation again.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
616 &lt;P&gt;Understandably, her subjects were less than thrilled.&amp;nbsp; Even
617 English Catholics did not want their country to become a powerless
618 appendage of the Hapsburg empire.&amp;nbsp; Certainly a queen had to marry,
619 but not the emperor's son!&amp;nbsp; In this climate of rebellion and
620 repression, Elizabeth's life was in great danger.&amp;nbsp; It could not be
621 otherwise; she was the only alternative to Mary's rule.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
622 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth conformed outwardly to the Catholic faith.&amp;nbsp; But she
623 could not distance herself too much from her Protestant supporters.&amp;nbsp;
624 When Sir Thomas Wyatt, the son of her mother's great poetic admirer, led a
625 rebellion in January 1554, matters came to an unpleasant impasse.&amp;nbsp;
626 Wyatt had written to Elizabeth that he intended to overthrow Mary but his
627 letter was intercepted, as was a letter from de Noailles to the king of
628 France.&amp;nbsp; His letter implied that Elizabeth knew of the revolt in
629 advance, and repeated rumors that she was off gathering armed
630 supporters.&amp;nbsp; The government was able to suppress the rebellion before
631 it spread very far and Wyatt was arrested.&amp;nbsp; Mary's council could find
632 no real proof that de Noailles's suppositions were true but they decided
633 to summon Elizabeth back to London for questioning.&amp;nbsp; She was
634 understandably frightened and ill; she sent word that she could not
635 travel.&amp;nbsp; Two of Mary's personal physicians were sent to evaluate her
636 condition.&amp;nbsp; They diagnosed 'watery humors' and perhaps an
637 inflammation of the kidneys.&amp;nbsp; She was ill, they reported, but not too
638 ill to travel the 30 miles to London in the queen's own litter.&amp;nbsp;
639 Three of the queen's councilors - Howard, Hastings, and Cornwallis, all of
640 whom were friendly with Elizabeth - escorted her back to London.&amp;nbsp;
641 They traveled quite slowly, covering just six miles a day.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
642 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth kept the curtains of the litter pulled back as she entered
643 the city, and the citizens were able to see her pale, frightened
644 face.&amp;nbsp; She had good cause for her fear; the heads and corpses of
645 Wyatt and his supporters were thrust upon spikes and gibbets throughout
646 the city.&amp;nbsp; The queen waited for her at Whitehall but they did not
647 meet immediately.&amp;nbsp; First, Elizabeth's household was dismissed and she
648 was told that she must undergo close interrogation about her
649 activities.&amp;nbsp; She was questioned by the unfriendly bishop of
650 Winchester, Stephen Gardiner, but she was not intimidated.&amp;nbsp; She
651 denied any involvement in the rebellion and repeatedly asked to see the
652 queen.&amp;nbsp; But she was told that Mary was leaving for Oxford where she
653 would hold a Parliament.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth would be leaving Whitehall as
654 well, though at first the council could not decide where to send
655 her.&amp;nbsp; No councilor wanted the responsibility of keeping her in close
656 confinement at their homes; it was too unpleasant and potentially
657 dangerous.&amp;nbsp; And so Gardiner and Renard had their way and she went to
658 the Tower of London.&amp;nbsp; The earl of Sussex and the marquess of
659 Winchester were sent to escort her from Whitehall.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
660 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was terrified.&amp;nbsp; The mere mention of the Tower was enough
661 to shatter her already fragile nerves.&amp;nbsp; She begged to be allowed to
662 write to her sister, and the men agreed.&amp;nbsp; The letter was long,
663 rambling, and repetitious - proof of her fear and trepidation:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
664 &lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
665 &lt;p&gt;I have heard in my time of many cast away for want of coming
666 to the presence of their Prince....&amp;nbsp; Therefore once again kneeling
667 with humbleness of my heart, because I am not suffered to bow the knees
668 of my body, I humbly crave to speak with your Highness, which I would
669 not be so bold to desire if I knew not myself most clear as I know
670 myself most true.&amp;nbsp; And as for the traitor Wyatt, he might
671 peradventure write me a letter but on my faith I never received any from
672 him; and as for the copy of my letter sent to the French king, I pray
673 God confound me eternally if ever I sent him word, message, token or
674 letter by any means, and to this truth I will stand it to my
675 death.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;....Let conscience move your Highness to take some
676 better way with me than to make me be condemned in all men's sight afore
677 my desert know.&lt;/p&gt;
678 &lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
679 &lt;p&gt;After finishing, she carefully drew lines
680 throughout the rest of the blank sheet so no forgeries could be added, and
681 she signed it 'I humbly crave but one word of answer from yourself.&amp;nbsp;
682 Your Highness's most faithful subject that hath been from the beginning
683 and will be to my end, Elizabeth'.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
684 &lt;P&gt;The letter had taken too long to write; they had missed the tide.&amp;nbsp;
685 They could wait a few hours and take her to the Tower in the darkest part
686 of night, but the council disagreed.&amp;nbsp; There could be an attempt to
687 rescue her under cover of darkness.&amp;nbsp; They decided to wait until the
688 next morning, Palm Sunday, when the streets would be nearly deserted since
689 everyone would be in church.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, her letter was sent to Mary
690 who received it angrily and refused to read it through.&amp;nbsp; She had not
691 given permission for it to be written or sent, and she rebuked her
692 councilors fiercely.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
693 &lt;P&gt;The next morning, 17 March 1554, arrived cold and grey; there was a
694 steady rain.&amp;nbsp; At 9 o'clock in the morning, Elizabeth was taken from
695 her rooms and through the garden to where the barge waited.&amp;nbsp; She was
696 accompanied by six of her ladies and two gentleman-attendants.&amp;nbsp; She
697 waited under a canopy until the barge began to slow; she then saw that
698 they would enter beneath Traitor's Gate, beneath St Thomas's Tower.&amp;nbsp;
699 This was the traditional entrance for prisoners returned to their cells
700 after trial at Westminster.&amp;nbsp; The sight terrified her and she begged
701 to be allowed entry by any other gate.&amp;nbsp; Her request was
702 refused.&amp;nbsp; She was offered a cloak to protect her from the rain but
703 she pushed it aside angrily.&amp;nbsp; Upon stepping onto the landing, she
704 declared, 'Here landeth as true a subject, being prisoner, as ever landed
705 at these stairs.&amp;nbsp; Before Thee, O God, do I speak it, having no other
706 friend but Thee alone.'&amp;nbsp; She then noticed the yeoman warders gathered
707 to receive her beyond the gate.&amp;nbsp; 'Oh Lord,' she said loudly, 'I never
708 thought to have come in here as a prisoner, and I pray you all bear me
709 witness that I come in as no traitor but as true a woman to the Queen's
710 Majesty as any as is now living.'&amp;nbsp; Several of the warders stepped
711 forward and bowed before her, and one called out, 'God preserve your
712 Grace.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
713 &lt;P&gt;She still refused to enter the Tower.&amp;nbsp; After the warder's
714 declaration, she sat upon a stone and would not move.&amp;nbsp; The Lieutenant
715 of the Tower, Sir John Brydges, said to her, 'You had best come in,
716 Madame, for here you sit unwholesomely.'&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth replied with
717 feeling, 'Better sit here, than in a worse place, for God knoweth where
718 you will bring me.'&amp;nbsp; And so she sat until one of her attendants burst
719 into tears.&amp;nbsp; She was taken to the Bell Tower, a small corner tower
720 beside Brydges's own lodgings.&amp;nbsp; Her room was on the first floor, and
721 had a large fireplace with three small windows.&amp;nbsp; Down the passageway
722 from the door were three latrines which hung over the moat.&amp;nbsp; It was
723 not as destitute or uncomfortable as she had feared, but it was still the
724 Tower of London and she was a prisoner.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
725 &lt;P&gt;This was the beginning of one of the most trying times of her
726 life.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
727 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth spent just two months in the Tower of London, but she had no
728 idea that her stay would be so brief - and it did not feel particularly
729 brief.&amp;nbsp; She truly believed some harm would come to her and she dwelt
730 most upon the possibility of poison.&amp;nbsp; She knew Mary hated her and
731 that many of her councilors constantly spoke ill of her, encouraging
732 either her imprisonment or execution.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
733 &lt;P&gt;However, Elizabeth had enough popular support that she would not face
734 death at her sister's orders.&amp;nbsp; But Lady Jane Grey, the unfortunate
735 Nine Days' Queen, and her husband were neither so popular or lucky.&amp;nbsp;
736 They, too, had lived in the Tower under threat of execution; both had been
737 convicted of treason.&amp;nbsp; But Mary had always been fond of Jane and was
738 close friends with her mother Frances; she allowed her cousin to live very
739 comfortably in the Tower while her fate remained undecided.&amp;nbsp; Mary
740 probably intended to release Jane as soon as the country settled under her
741 own rule.&amp;nbsp; But Renard wanted both Jane and her husband
742 executed.&amp;nbsp; He warned Mary that the emperor would not allow Philip to
743 enter England as long as Jane lived.&amp;nbsp; She was a traitor, and it was
744 only a matter of time before the Protestants tried to place either Jane or
745 Elizabeth upon the throne.&amp;nbsp; Mary was not persuaded by Renard's
746 arguments, but his threat carried greater force - she wanted to marry
747 Philip and he would not come to England until it was safe.&amp;nbsp; The small
748 rebellion led by Jane's father clearly did not help matters.&amp;nbsp; And so
749 Jane and the equally unfortunate Guildford Dudley were executed.&amp;nbsp;
750 Elizabeth herself arrived at the Tower just six weeks later, and her
751 cousin's fate must have weighed heavily on her mind.&amp;nbsp; After all, she
752 and Jane had lived and studied together briefly under Katharine Parr's
753 tutelage, and Jane's admiration of Elizabeth had been open and
754 obvious.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
755 &lt;P&gt;It was abundantly clear to Elizabeth that her position was precarious
756 and dangerous.&amp;nbsp; During the first weeks of her imprisonment, she was
757 allowed to take exercise along the Tower walls but when a small child
758 began to give her flowers and other gifts, Brydges was told to keep her
759 indoors.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth had always been active, both physically and
760 mentally.&amp;nbsp; She chafed at her confinement and its boring
761 routine.&amp;nbsp; She was occasionally interrogated by members of Mary's
762 council, but she held firm to her innocence.&amp;nbsp; She had faced such
763 interrogations during Thomas Seymour's fall from grace, and could not be
764 easily intimidated.&amp;nbsp; Still, the stress - which she handled with
765 outward aplomb - took its toll on her physical health.&amp;nbsp; She lost
766 weight, and became prone to headaches and stomach problems.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
767 &lt;P&gt;Ironically enough, it was the impending arrival of Philip of Spain
768 which led to her freedom.&amp;nbsp; Renard had urged Mary to execute Jane and
769 imprison Elizabeth so that Philip would be safe in England.&amp;nbsp; Philip,
770 however, was far more sensitive to the political implications of such an
771 act.&amp;nbsp; He knew the English were acutely sensitive to any shift in
772 Mary's policies simply because she had chosen to marry a foreigner.&amp;nbsp;
773 If she made an unpopular decision, it would be blamed upon his
774 influence.&amp;nbsp; He knew, too, that the Protestant faith was still popular
775 in the country, and that Elizabeth embodied its greatest hope.&amp;nbsp; If
776 she were harmed in any way, his arrival in England would be even more
777 unpopular and dangerous.&amp;nbsp; And the Wyatt rebellion had merely
778 reinforced Philip's natural inclination to tread lightly.&amp;nbsp; His
779 intention was to wed Mary, be crowned king of England, and find a suitable
780 husband for Elizabeth, preferably one of his Hapsburg relations.&amp;nbsp;
781 Then, if Mary died without bearing a child, England would remain within
782 the Hapsburg sphere of influence, a willing and useful adjunct of the
783 empire.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
784 &lt;P&gt;Accordingly, Philip wrote to Mary and advised that Elizabeth be set at
785 liberty.&amp;nbsp; This conciliatory gesture was not appreciated by Mary,
786 always inclined to believe the worst in her half-sister, but - once again
787 - her eagerness for Philip's arrival made her desperate to please
788 him.&amp;nbsp; She dispensed with Renard's advice and on Saturday 19 May at
789 one o'clock in the afternoon, Elizabeth was finally released from the
790 Tower; incidentally, her mother had been executed on the same day eighteen
791 years earlier.&amp;nbsp; She spent one night at Richmond Palace, but it was
792 clear that her release had not lifted Elizabeth's spirits.&amp;nbsp; That
793 night she summoned her few servants and asked them to pray for her, 'For
794 this night,' Elizabeth said, 'I think to die.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
795 &lt;P&gt;She did not die, of course, but she was still frightened and
796 lonely.&amp;nbsp; She had been released into the care of Sir Henry
797 Bedingfield, a Catholic supporter of Queen Mary whose father had guarded
798 Katharine of Aragon during her last years at Kimbolton Castle.&amp;nbsp; He
799 had come to the Tower on 5 May as the new Constable, replacing Sir John
800 Gage, and his arrival had caused Elizabeth no end of terror.&amp;nbsp; She
801 believed he was sent to secretly murder her for, not long before, a
802 credible rumor had reached her; it was said that the Catholic elements of
803 Mary's council had sent a warrant for her execution to the Tower but that
804 Sir John Brydges, the strict but honest Lieutenant, had not acted upon it
805 because it lacked the queen's signature.&amp;nbsp; With Bedingfield's arrival,
806 Elizabeth lost her almost preternatural self-control and she asked her
807 guards 'whether the Lady Jane's scaffold was taken away or no?'&amp;nbsp; When
808 told it was gone, she asked about Bedingfield, and if 'her murdering were
809 secretly committed to his charge, he would see the execution
810 thereof?'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
811 &lt;P&gt;From Richmond, Bedingfield took his cowed charge to Woodstock, a
812 hunting-lodge miles from London and once favored by her Plantagenet
813 grandfather, Edward IV.&amp;nbsp; She was neither officially under arrest nor
814 free, a nebulous position which confused nearly everyone.&amp;nbsp; She could
815 not be received at court, but she could not be set at liberty in the
816 countryside.&amp;nbsp; And so Bedingfield was essentially her jailer, but not
817 referred to as such; and Woodstock was her prison, but also not called
818 such.&amp;nbsp; The journey to Woodstock certainly raised her spirit.&amp;nbsp;
819 She was greeted by throngs of people shouting 'God save your grace!' and
820 other messages of support.&amp;nbsp; Flowers, sweets, cakes and other small
821 gifts were given to her.&amp;nbsp; At times, the reception was so enthusiastic
822 that Elizabeth was openly overwhelmed.&amp;nbsp; It was now clear to her that
823 the English people loved her, perhaps as much as they did Queen
824 Mary.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
825 &lt;P&gt;But the love of the people was small comfort when faced with the
826 dilapidation of Woodstock.&amp;nbsp; The main house was in such disrepair that
827 Elizabeth was lodged in the gatehouse.&amp;nbsp; The queen had ordered that
828 her sister be treated honorably and given limited freedom; Elizabeth was
829 allowed to walk in the orchard and gardens.&amp;nbsp; She also requested
830 numerous books.&amp;nbsp; After a few weeks, her initial fear of Bedingfield
831 had settled into a bemused appraisal of her jailer.&amp;nbsp; She now
832 recognized him for what he was - a conscientious, unimaginative civil
833 servant with a difficult assignment.&amp;nbsp; They got on tolerably well, and
834 Bedingfield even forwarded her numerous letters to the Council and the
835 queen.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was concerned that her imprisonment in the
836 countryside would remove her too much from the public eye and her
837 ceaseless letter-writing was an attempt to reassert her position as
838 princess of England.&amp;nbsp; Mary did not read the letters and angrily order
839 Bedingfield to stop sending them along.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
840 &lt;P&gt;At the end of June, Elizabeth fell ill and asked that the queen's
841 physician Dr Owen be sent to her.&amp;nbsp; But Dr Owen was busy tending to
842 Queen Mary and told Bedingfield that his charge must be patient.&amp;nbsp; He
843 recommended the services of Drs Barnes and Walbeck.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth
844 refused to allow their examination; she preferred to commit her body to
845 God rather than to the eyes of strangers, she told Bedingfield.&amp;nbsp;
846 Finally, on 7 July, Mary finally sent permission to Woodstock for
847 Elizabeth to write to her and the Council about her various
848 concerns.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was petulant and took her time with the
849 composition of this most important letter.&amp;nbsp; When it was finally sent,
850 written in Bedingfield's hand from her dictation, it was a typically
851 shrewd and pointed document.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth wanted the Council to
852 consider 'her long imprisonment and restraint of liberty, either to charge
853 her with special matter to be answered unto and tried, or to grant her
854 liberty to come unto her highness's presence, which she sayeth she would
855 not desire were it not that she knoweth herself to be clear even before
856 God, for her allegiance.'&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth specifically requested that the
857 members of the queen's council who were executors of 'the Will of the
858 King's majesty her father' read the letter and be allowed to visit with
859 her.&amp;nbsp; It was a pointed reminder that despite her deprived
860 circumstances, she was still next in line to the English throne.&amp;nbsp; The
861 Council heard the document uneasily.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
862 &lt;P&gt;Mary, however, had other matters on her mind.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 20
863 July, even as Elizabeth mulled over her letter, Philip II of Spain finally
864 landed at Southampton.&amp;nbsp; The handsome, fair-haired 27 year old King
865 was already a widow with a male heir; his first wife Maria of Portugal had
866 died in childbirth in 1545 after two years of&lt;IMG height=480
867 alt=&quot;another portrait of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I&quot;
868 src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/mary1-eworth.jpg&quot; width=332 border=2 align=&quot;right&quot;&gt; marriage.&amp;nbsp; He was a
869 conscientious and pious man who impressed all who met him with his
870 discipline and work ethic.&amp;nbsp; But he also had a tendency toward
871 religious asceticism which worsened as he grew older.&amp;nbsp; As a child, he
872 had accompanied his father to the inquisition in Spain, watching
873 impassively as heretics were burned alive.&amp;nbsp; But his marriage to Mary
874 was one of political necessity and Philip had no intention of threatening
875 its success with unpopular religious policies.&amp;nbsp; He was willing to
876 move England slowly back into the Catholic fold; faced with Mary's
877 impatience, it was Philip who advised moderation.&amp;nbsp; He wed his cousin
878 at Winchester Cathedral on 25 July in a splendid ceremony.&amp;nbsp; On 18
879 August they finally entered London in triumph, its citizens plied with
880 enough free drinks and entertainment to greet Philip
881 enthusiastically.&amp;nbsp; But there were already signs of trouble; the
882 anonymous pamphlets condemning foreigners and the queen's marriage
883 circulated, and Philip's Spanish entourage were unhappy over a number of
884 petty slights and insults from their English hosts.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
885 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth had hoped the marriage would result in some change in her
886 circumstances.&amp;nbsp; But she was sadly mistaken.&amp;nbsp; Instead she passed
887 the months needling Bedingfield for more books, scribbling more letters,
888 and listening to the occasional rumor from her servants.&amp;nbsp; The rumors
889 were hardly comforting.&amp;nbsp; The queen was reportedly pregnant and she
890 and Philip would open Parliament together on 12 November.&amp;nbsp; From then
891 on, the reunion between England and the papacy could begin in force.&amp;nbsp;
892 Mary was the happiest she had been since childhood, but the problem of
893 Elizabeth remained.&amp;nbsp; Gardiner wanted her executed; he argued that
894 Protestantism could not be completely eradicated until its great hope,
895 Elizabeth herself, was gone.&amp;nbsp; But Philip and most other councilors
896 were more pragmatic.&amp;nbsp; Parliament had already agreed that if Mary died
897 in childbirth, Philip would be regent of England during their child's
898 minority.&amp;nbsp; However, if both mother and child died, then Elizabeth
899 once again assumed prominence.&amp;nbsp; Philip, always prudent, preferred to
900 know his sister-in-law before making an enemy of her.&amp;nbsp; With his
901 encouragement, and flush with happiness at her marriage and pregnancy,
902 Mary finally invited Elizabeth to court.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
903 &lt;P&gt;In the third week of April 1555, almost a year since she was sent to
904 Woodstock, Elizabeth was brought to Hampton Court Palace.&amp;nbsp; Mary had
905 gone there to prepare for her lying-in.&amp;nbsp; They did not meet
906 immediately.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was brought into the palace through a side
907 entrance, still closely guarded.&amp;nbsp; According to the French ambassador,
908 Philip visited her three days later but Mary never came.&amp;nbsp; Two weeks
909 later, the most powerful members of the council appeared to chide her for
910 not submitting to the queen's authority; she was told to admit her past
911 wrongdoing and seek the queen's forgiveness.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth replied that
912 she had done nothing wrong in the past and wanted no mercy from her sister
913 'but rather desired the law'.&amp;nbsp; She told Gardiner she would rather
914 remain in prison forever than admit to crimes she had never
915 committed.&amp;nbsp; He went off immediately to tell Mary of her sister's
916 continued stubbornness.&amp;nbsp; The queen was not pleased.&amp;nbsp; The next
917 day, Gardiner told Elizabeth that the queen marveled that 'she would so
918 stoutly use herself, not confessing that she had offended'.&amp;nbsp; Did
919 Elizabeth really believe she was wrongfully imprisoned? Gardiner asked.&amp;nbsp;
920 Elizabeth refused the bait.&amp;nbsp; She did not criticize her sister
921 explicitly, telling him only that the queen must do with her as her
922 conscience dictated.&amp;nbsp; Gardiner replied that if she wanted her liberty
923 and former position, she must tell a different story; only by admitting
924 her past faults, confessing all sins, could she hope for
925 forgiveness.&amp;nbsp; It was a stalemate.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth again told him she
926 would rather be unjustly imprisoned than gain freedom with lies.&amp;nbsp;
927&lt;/P&gt;
928 &lt;P&gt;The next week passed with no word from anyone.&amp;nbsp; And then, around
929 10 o'clock one evening, a message arrived that the queen would see
930 her.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth had begged for an interview for more than a year but
931 now that the moment had at last arrived, she was understandably
932 nervous.&amp;nbsp; She was accompanied into Mary's apartments by one of her
933 own ladies-in-waiting and Mary's close friend and Mistress of the Robes
934 Susan Clarencieux.&amp;nbsp; The queen's bedroom was lit with flickering
935 candlelight; the queen herself was half-hidden in shadow.&amp;nbsp; Without
936 asking permission, Elizabeth immediately prostrated herself and declared
937 her innocence.&amp;nbsp; And though she and Mary sparred for a short while,
938 the queen was willing to be generous at her own moment of triumph.&amp;nbsp;
939 It was rumored that Philip watched the sisters from behind a curtain;
940 whether or not he was there, Mary was content to make peace of
941 sorts.&amp;nbsp; She sent Elizabeth away amicably enough and a week later poor
942 Bedingfield was relieved of his duties.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth would remain at
943 Hampton Court, still under light guard but with her own household and
944 permission to receive certain guests.&amp;nbsp; It was the end of over a year
945 of tiresome captivity and she was delighted.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
946 &lt;P&gt;While she enjoyed her newfound liberty, the burning of Protestant
947 heretics began in earnest.&amp;nbsp; These killings have earned Mary the
948 nickname 'Bloody Mary' and blighted her reputation.&amp;nbsp; In truth, the
949 roughly 300 people killed (about 60 women) was not considered excessive by
950 Mary's European contemporaries; and in the government's mind,
951 Protestantism had become dangerously linked with treason, sedition, and
952 other secular crimes.&amp;nbsp; For Mary, who was perhaps the most personally
953 kind and gentle of the Tudor rulers, the killings were necessary to save
954 the heretics' souls as well.&amp;nbsp; It is a telling feature of her
955 character that she could often forgive treason against herself, but would
956 not countenance treason against God.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
957 &lt;P&gt;The burnings, coupled with the Spanish marriage, caused enough
958 resentment; but, unfortunately for Mary, famine and poverty added to her
959 list of woes.&amp;nbsp; But the greatest tragedy of all for the queen was the
960 humiliating and heartbreaking realization that her pregnancy was not
961 real.&amp;nbsp; Mary had truly believed she was pregnant; her stomach had
962 become swollen and she had felt the child quicken.&amp;nbsp; But she had
963 always suffered from digestive and menstrual troubles.&amp;nbsp; It is
964 probable that she developed a tumor in her stomach which, combined with
965 the lack of a cycle and her own fervent prayers, made her believe she was
966 pregnant.&amp;nbsp; All of April was spent in a state of readiness.&amp;nbsp;
967 Dozens of nurses and midwives crowded into Hampton Court, joined by a
968 throng of noble ladies who would assist in the delivery.&amp;nbsp; On 30 April
969 a rumor reached London that a male child had been born and celebrations
970 ensued.&amp;nbsp; But it was a false alarm; the next three months were spent
971 in a state of suspended disbelief.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 3 August, the queen's
972 household departed to Oatlands and the pregnancy was not mentioned
973 again.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
974 &lt;P&gt;Mary's heartache was soon worsened by the impending departure of
975 Philip.&amp;nbsp; He had spent over a year in a country he disliked, married
976 to a woman he pitied but did not love.&amp;nbsp; He used the excuse of
977 pressing business in the Low Countries to leave England.&amp;nbsp; Mary
978 protested passionately, begging him to stay; it was clear to everyone that
979 she truly loved her husband.&amp;nbsp; But Philip was equally determined to
980 go.&amp;nbsp; It was perhaps clear to him that Mary was seriously ill and
981 would never have children.&amp;nbsp; If that was the case, he had no reason to
982 remain in England.&amp;nbsp; He left explicit instructions that she treat her
983 sister well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
984 &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was sent to a small manor house a few miles from Oatlands
985 where she played another waiting game, only this time with some measure of
986 freedom and hope.&amp;nbsp; But it was to be another three years before she
987 would become queen of England.&lt;/P&gt;
988 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
989 &lt;CENTER&gt;
990 &lt;P&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
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996 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
997 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
998&lt;/blockquote&gt;
999
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