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    <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
    <Metadata name="Content">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
    <Metadata name="Page_topic">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
    <Metadata name="Title">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
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    <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Monarchs</Metadata>
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&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
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    &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
    &lt;IMG height=98 alt=&quot;Queen Elizabeth I&quot; 
      src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/eliz1-queenuse.gif&quot; width=422&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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    &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
    &lt;IMG height=444 
      alt=&quot;'The Rainbow Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1600&quot; 
      src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/eliz1-rainbow.jpg&quot; width=350 align=center border=2&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
    &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;
    &amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Visit
        &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2feliz1-images.html&quot;&gt;Elizabethan 
      Images&lt;/a&gt; to view portraits of the queen and her courtiers, with 
      commentary.&lt;BR&gt;Read poems, letters, and speeches by the queen at &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html&quot;&gt;Primary 
      Sources&lt;/A&gt;.&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Read ES Beesly's 1892 biography of Queen 
        Elizabeth I at &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html&quot;&gt;
        Secondary Sources&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Visit &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;the Anne 
      Boleyn website&lt;/A&gt; to learn more about Elizabeth's mother.&lt;BR&gt;Visit &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fmaryqos.html&quot;&gt;the Mary, 
      queen of Scots website&lt;/A&gt; to learn more about Elizabeth's 
      cousin.&lt;BR&gt;&lt;BR&gt;Test your knowledge of Elizabeth's life and times at &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ftudor1.html&quot;&gt;Tudor 
      Quizzes&lt;/A&gt;.&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;Meet other Elizabethan enthusiasts at
        &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.alassea.net%2ffl%2felizabeth&quot;&gt;The Virgin Queen 
        fanlisting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;DIV align=left&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
      &lt;/td&gt;
    &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;blockquote&gt;
  &lt;blockquote&gt;
    &lt;blockquote&gt;
      &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
      &lt;p&gt;&lt;B&gt;Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in 
      English history.&amp;nbsp; When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five 
      years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate 
      by most Europeans.&amp;nbsp; She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by 
      religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and 
      Spain.&amp;nbsp; She was only the third queen to rule England in her own 
      right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister 
      Mary I, were disastrous.&amp;nbsp; Even her supporters believed her position 
      dangerous and uncertain.&amp;nbsp; Her only hope, they counseled, was to marry 
      quickly and lean upon her husband for support.&amp;nbsp; But Elizabeth had 
      other ideas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;She ruled alone for nearly half a century, 
      lending her name to a glorious epoch in world history.&amp;nbsp; She dazzled 
      even her greatest enemies.&amp;nbsp; Her sense of duty was admirable, though 
      it came at great personal cost.&amp;nbsp; She was committed above all else to 
      preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects 
      was legendary.&amp;nbsp; Only a few years after her death in 1603, they 
      lamented her passing.&amp;nbsp; In her greatest speech to Parliament, she told 
      them, 'I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your 
      love.'&amp;nbsp; And five centuries later, the worldwide love affair with 
      Elizabeth Tudor continues.&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      &lt;hr&gt;
    &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;'Proud 
      and haughty, as although she knows she was born of such a mother, she 
      nevertheless does not consider herself of inferior degree to the Queen, 
      whom she equals in self-esteem; nor does she believe herself less 
      legitimate than her Majesty, alleging in her own favour that her mother 
      would never cohabit with the King unless by way of marriage, with the 
      authority of the Church....&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;She prides herself on her father and 
  glories in him; everybody saying that she also resembles him more than the 
  Queen does and he therefore always liked her and had her brought up in the 
  same way as the Queen.' &lt;/font&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;I&gt;the Venetian 
      ambassador Giovanni Michiel describes Elizabeth; spring 1557&lt;/I&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;blockquote&gt;
    &lt;blockquote&gt;
      &lt;hr&gt;
      &lt;p&gt;Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich 
      Palace.&amp;nbsp; She was the daughter of &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhenry8.html&quot;&gt;King Henry 
      VIII&lt;/A&gt; and his second wife, &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;Anne 
      Boleyn&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Henry had &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ffaq.html#Eleven-b&quot;&gt;defied the 
      papacy&lt;/A&gt; and the Holy Roman Emperor to marry Anne, spurred on by love 
      and the need for a legitimate male heir.&amp;nbsp; And so Elizabeth's birth 
      was one of the most exciting political events in 16th century European 
      history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere 
      infant.&amp;nbsp; But the confident predictions of astrologers and physicians 
      were wrong and the longed-for prince turned out to be a princess.&amp;nbsp;
      &lt;/p&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador and enemy of Anne Boleyn, 
      described the birth to his master as 'a 
      &lt;IMG height=324 alt=&quot;portrait of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn&quot; 
      src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/elizmom.jpg&quot; width=250 border=2 align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;great disappointment and sorrow to 
      the King, the Lady herself and to others of her party.'&amp;nbsp; But for the 
      next two years, Henry VIII was willing to hope for a son to join this 
      healthy daughter.&amp;nbsp; Immediately after Elizabeth's birth, he wrote to 
      his 17 year old daughter, &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html&quot;&gt;Princess 
      Mary&lt;/A&gt;, and demanded she relinquish her title Princess of Wales and 
      acknowledge both the annulment of his marriage to her mother, &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html&quot;&gt;Katharine of 
      Aragon&lt;/A&gt;, and the validity of his new marriage.&amp;nbsp; Mary refused; she 
      already blamed Anne Boleyn (and, by extension, Elizabeth) for the sad 
      alteration of her own fortunes.&amp;nbsp; In December, she was moved into her 
      infant half-sister's household.&amp;nbsp; When told to pay her respects to the 
      baby Princess, she replied that she knew of no Princess of England but 
      herself, and burst into tears.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Henry already ignored Mary and Katharine's constant pleas to meet; now 
      he began a more aggressive campaign to secure Anne and Elizabeth's 
      position.&amp;nbsp; For one mother and daughter to be secure, the other pair 
      must necessarily suffer.&amp;nbsp; Most Europeans, and indeed Englishmen, 
      still believed Katharine to be the king's valid wife.&amp;nbsp; Now old and 
      sickly, imprisoned in one moldy castle after another, she remained a very 
      popular figure.&amp;nbsp; Anne Boleyn was dismissed in polite circles as the 
      king's 'concubine' and their marriage was recognized only by those of the new 
      Protestant faith.&amp;nbsp; Henry attempted to legislate popular acceptance of 
      his new queen and heiress.&amp;nbsp; But the various acts and oaths only cost 
      the lives of several prominent Catholics, among them &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fmore.html&quot;&gt;Sir Thomas 
      More&lt;/A&gt; and Bishop John Fisher.&amp;nbsp; The English people never accepted 
      'Nan Bullen' as their queen.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But while she had the king's personal favor, Elizabeth's mother was 
      secure.&amp;nbsp; And she held that favor far longer than any had 
      expected.&amp;nbsp; It was only after she miscarried twice that Henry began to 
      consider this second marriage as cursed as the first.&amp;nbsp; The last 
      miscarriage occurred in January 1536; Katharine died that same 
      month.&amp;nbsp; With her death, the king's Catholic critics considered him a 
      widower, free to marry again.&amp;nbsp; And this next marriage would not be 
      tainted by the specter of bigamy.&amp;nbsp; It was only necessary to get rid 
      of Anne, and find a new wife - one who could hopefully deliver a 
      son.&amp;nbsp; The king already had a candidate in mind; her name was &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fseymour.html&quot;&gt;Jane 
      Seymour&lt;/A&gt;, a lady-in-waiting to both Katharine and Anne.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;In the end, Henry VIII was not merely content to annul his marriage to 
      Anne.&amp;nbsp; She was arrested, charged with a variety of crimes which even 
      her enemies discounted, and executed on 19 May 1536.&amp;nbsp; Her little 
      daughter was now in the same position as her half-sister, Princess 
      Mary.&amp;nbsp; However, all of Europe and most Englishmen considered Mary to 
      be Henry's legitimate heir, despite legislation to the contrary.&amp;nbsp; No 
      one believed Elizabeth to be more than the illegitimate daughter of the 
      king.&amp;nbsp; Also, there were already disparaging rumors of her mother's 
      infidelities; perhaps the solemn, red-headed child was not the king's 
      after all?&amp;nbsp; It was to Henry's (small) credit that he always 
      acknowledged Elizabeth as his own, and took pride in her intellectual 
      accomplishments.&amp;nbsp; As she grew older, even Catholic courtiers noted 
      Elizabeth resembled her father more than Mary did.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Henry married Jane just twelve days after Anne's execution and his 
      long-awaited son, &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fedward6.html&quot;&gt;Prince 
      Edward&lt;/A&gt;, was born in October 1537.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth participated in the 
      christening, carried by Thomas Seymour, the handsome young brother of the 
      queen.&amp;nbsp; Jane died shortly after the birth of childbed fever.&amp;nbsp; 
      Henry VIII married &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fcleves.html&quot;&gt;Anne of 
      Cleves&lt;/A&gt; on Twelfth Night (6 January) 1541.&amp;nbsp; The marriage was a disaster, 
      and Henry quickly divorced Anne and married &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fhoward.html&quot;&gt;Catherine 
      Howard&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Catherine was a cousin of Anne Boleyn; they were both 
      related to Thomas Howard, 3rd duke of Norfolk and perhaps Henry's most 
      nervous peer.&amp;nbsp; The king enjoyed a brief few months of happiness with 
      his fifth wife.&amp;nbsp; But Catherine was thirty years younger than Henry 
      and soon enough resumed an affair with a former lover.&amp;nbsp; She was 
      executed in February 1543 and buried beside Anne Boleyn in the Tower of 
      London.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, these changes in her father's marital fortunes did not 
      pass unnoticed.&amp;nbsp; She was part of her half-brother Edward's household; 
      her days were spent mostly at lessons, with the occasional visit from her 
      father.&amp;nbsp; As a child, no one expected her to comment upon her 
      various stepmothers.&amp;nbsp; It was only when she reached adulthood and 
      became queen that its psychological effects were revealed.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth 
      had a dim view of romantic love and, given her father's example, who can 
      blame her?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;It was Henry's sixth and final wife, &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fparr.html&quot;&gt;Katharine 
      Parr&lt;/A&gt;, who had the greatest impact upon Elizabeth's life.&amp;nbsp; A kind 
      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, 
      Katharine was a devoted stepmother.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, she had far more 
      of an impact with the young Edward and Elizabeth than with Mary, who was 
      just four years her junior.&amp;nbsp; Katharine arranged for 10 year old 
      Elizabeth to have the most distinguished tutors in England, foremost among 
      them Roger Ascham.&amp;nbsp; As a result, Elizabeth was educated as well as 
      any legitimate prince, and she displayed a genuine love and aptitude for 
      her studies.&amp;nbsp; 'Her mind has no womanly weakness,' Ascham would write 
      approvingly, 'her perseverance is equal to that of a man.'&amp;nbsp; And 
      later, 'She readeth more Greek every day, than some Prebendaries of this 
      Church do in a whole week.'&amp;nbsp; And so she did; Elizabeth's love of 
      scholarship never faltered and, in an age when women were considered 
      inferior to men, she was a glorious exception.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;
      Along with 
      such classical subjects as rhetoric, languages, philosophy, and history, 
      Elizabeth also studied theology.&amp;nbsp; Ascham and her other tutors were 
      famous Cambridge humanists who supported the Protestant cause.&amp;nbsp; 
      Likewise, Katharine Parr was devoted to the reformed faith.&amp;nbsp; Unlike 
      their half-sister Mary, both Edward and Elizabeth were raised Protestant 
      during its most formative years.&amp;nbsp; Yet while Edward was known for his 
      piety and didacticism, Elizabeth already displayed the pragmatic character 
      which would make her reign successful.&amp;nbsp; She studied theology and 
      supported the Protestant cause; she had been raised to do so and knew 
      only Protestants recognized her parents' marriage.&amp;nbsp; But she was never 
      openly passionate about religion, recognizing its divisive role in English 
      politics.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;Most people viewed the adolescent Elizabeth as a serious young 
      woman who always carried a book with her, preternaturally composed.&amp;nbsp; 
      She encouraged this perception, which was as accurate as any, by dressing 
      with a degree of severity virtually absent at the Tudor royal court.&amp;nbsp; 
      But she was not so serious that she avoided all the material trappings of 
      her position.&amp;nbsp; Her household accounts, which came under the 
      management of William Cecil (who later became her secretary of state), 
      show evidence of a cultivated and lively mind, as well as a love of 
      entertainment:&amp;nbsp; fees for musicians, musical instruments, and a 
      variety of books.&amp;nbsp; As she grew older and her position more prominent, 
      her household also expanded.&amp;nbsp; During her brother Edward's reign, she 
      lived the life of a wealthy and privileged lady - and apparently enjoyed 
      it immensely.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was thirteen years old when her father died.&amp;nbsp; They 
      were never particularly close though he treated her with affection on her 
      few visits to his court.&amp;nbsp; He even occasionally discussed the 
      possibility of her marriage for, in the 16th century, royal bastards were 
      common and often used to great advantage in diplomacy.&amp;nbsp; Under the 
      1536 'Second Act of Succession', which declared both her and the 19 year 
      old Mary illegitimate, Parliament gave Henry the ability to determine his 
      children's status, as well as the actual succession.&amp;nbsp; Typically for 
      Henry, he simply let both his daughters live as princesses and gave them 
      precedence over everyone at court except his current wife.&amp;nbsp; But they 
      had no real claim to the title of 'princess' and were known as 'the lady 
      Elizabeth' and 'the lady Mary'.&amp;nbsp; This was often followed by the 
      explanatory 'the king's daughter.'&amp;nbsp; It was an awkward situation which 
      the king saw no reason to resolve.&amp;nbsp; His will did recognize his 
      daughters' crucial place in the succession.&amp;nbsp; If Edward died without 
      heirs, Mary would inherit the throne; if Mary died without heirs, 
      Elizabeth would become queen.&amp;nbsp; He also left them the substantial 
      income of 3000 pds a year, the same amount for each daughter.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Did Elizabeth mourn her father?&amp;nbsp; Undoubtedly so, for at least 
      under Henry VIII she was three steps from the throne and protected by his 
      rough paternal affection.&amp;nbsp; After his death, she had good cause to 
      wish him alive again.&amp;nbsp; Ten year old Edward was king in name 
      only.&amp;nbsp; The rule of England was actually in the hands of his uncle, 
      the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, soon titled duke of Somerset.&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth was now separated from her brother's household, moving to 
      Katharine Parr's home in Chelsea.&amp;nbsp; This was perhaps the happiest time 
      of her adolescence.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But Katharine married again quickly, to the man she had loved before 
      Henry VIII had claimed her.&amp;nbsp; Her new husband was Thomas Seymour, the 
      younger brother of Lord Protector Somerset and uncle to the new King 
      Edward.&amp;nbsp; He was handsome, charming, and very ambitious.&amp;nbsp; He also 
      had terrible political instincts.&amp;nbsp; Seymour was not content to be 
      husband of the Dowager Queen of England.&amp;nbsp; He was jealous of his 
      brother's position and desperate to upstage him.&amp;nbsp; And so he 
      inadvertently played into the hands of the equally ambitious John Dudley, 
      earl of Warwick.&amp;nbsp; Dudley wished to destroy the Seymour protectorship 
      and seize power for himself.&amp;nbsp; He allowed the feuding brothers to 
      destroy each other.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, the main problem with Seymour was his inappropriate and 
      very flirtatious behavior.&amp;nbsp; As a teenaged girl with little experience 
      of men, she was flattered by his attention and also a bit 
      frightened.&amp;nbsp; Certainly it placed great strain on Katharine Parr, who 
      had become pregnant soon after her marriage.&amp;nbsp; The queen originally 
      participated in Seymour's early morning raids into Elizabeth's room, where 
      he would tickle and wrestle with the girl in her nightdress.&amp;nbsp; But 
      while Katharine considered this simple fun, her husband was more 
      serious.&amp;nbsp; He soon had keys made for every room in their house and 
      started visiting Elizabeth while she was still asleep and he was clad in 
      just his nightshirt.&amp;nbsp; She soon developed the habit of rising early; 
      when he appeared, her nose was safely in a book. Edward's council heard 
      rumors of these romps and investigated.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth proved herself 
      circumspect and clever; she managed to admit nothing which would 
      offend&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;She left the Seymour home for Hatfield House in May 1548, ostensibly 
      because the queen was 'undoubtful of health'.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth and 
      Katharine exchanged affectionate letters, but they would not meet 
      again.&amp;nbsp; The queen died on 4 September 1548 of childbed fever.&amp;nbsp; 
      &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;After her death, Seymour's position became more dangerous.&amp;nbsp; It was 
      rumored that he wished to marry Elizabeth and thus secure the throne of 
      England in case Edward died young.&amp;nbsp; He had already bought the 
      wardship of &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane 
      Grey&lt;/A&gt;, a Tudor cousin and heir in Henry VIII's will.&amp;nbsp; He planned 
      to marry Jane and Edward, thus securing primary influence with his 
      nephew.&amp;nbsp; Eventually, his grandiose plans unraveled and he was 
      arrested.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps the most damning charge was his planned marriage 
      to Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; Immediately, the council sent Sir Robert Tyrwhit to 
      Hatfield with the mission to take control of Elizabeth's household and 
      gain her confession.&amp;nbsp; He immediately arrested Elizabeth's beloved 
      governess Kat Ashley and her cofferer, Thomas Parry; they were sent to the 
      Tower.&amp;nbsp; Now, Tyrwhit told the princess, confess all; he wanted 
      confirmation of the charge that Seymour and Elizabeth planned to 
      wed.&amp;nbsp; If she confessed, Tyrwhit said, she would be forgiven for she 
      was young and foolish - her servants should have protected her.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;
      &lt;IMG height=122 alt=&quot;Elizabeth's signature as Princess of England&quot; 
      src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/elizsig-sm.jpg&quot; width=200 align=left border=2&gt;Elizabeth did not hesitate to demonstrate her own wit and 
      learning.&amp;nbsp; Indeed, she drove Tyrwhit to exasperation; 'in no way will 
      she confess any practice by Mistress Ashley or the cofferer concerning my 
      lord Admiral; and yet I do see it in her face that she is guilty and do 
      perceive as yet she will abide more storms ere she accuse Mistress 
      Ashley,' he wrote to Somerset, 'I do assure your Grace she hath a very 
      good wit and nothing is gotten of her but by great policy.'&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth refused to scapegoat her loyal servants and defiantly asserted 
      her complete innocence.&amp;nbsp; She told Tyrwhit she cared nothing for the 
      Admiral and when he had mentioned some vague possibility of marriage, she 
      had referred him to the council.&amp;nbsp; She also secured permission to 
      write to Somerset and, upon doing so, demanded a public apology be made 
      regarding her innocence.&amp;nbsp; She also demanded the return of her loyal 
      servants for if they did not return, she said, her guilt would be 
      assumed.&amp;nbsp; She read Ashley and Parry's 'confessions' in which they 
      described Seymour's romps with her at Katharine Parr's home.&amp;nbsp; The 
      details were undoubtedly embarrassing but she recognized their 
      harmlessness.&amp;nbsp; In short, she demonstrated every aspect of her 
      formidable intelligence and determination.&amp;nbsp; Poor Tyrwhit left for 
      London with no damaging confession.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But the council didn't need Elizabeth's confession to execute 
      Seymour.&amp;nbsp; He was charged with thirty-three other crimes, and he 
      answered only three of the charges.&amp;nbsp; He was not given a trial; a 
      messy execution was always best passed by a Bill of Attainder.&amp;nbsp; He 
      was executed on 20 March 1549, dying 'very dangerously, irksomely, 
      horribly... a wicked man and the realm is well rid of him.'&amp;nbsp; Contrary 
      to some biographies, Elizabeth did not say, 'This day died a man with much 
      wit, and very little judgment.'&amp;nbsp; The 17th century Italian novelist 
      Leti invented this, as well as several forged letters long supposed to be 
      hers.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Soon enough, Seymour's brother followed him to the scaffold.&amp;nbsp; 
      Somerset was a kind man in private life and genuinely dedicated to 
      economic and religious reform in England but, as a politician, he failed 
      miserably.&amp;nbsp; He lacked charisma and confidence; he preferred to bully 
      and bluster his way through council meetings.&amp;nbsp; He simply did not 
      understand how to manage the divisive personalities of Edward VI's privy 
      council.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, John Dudley had been quietly manipulating other 
      councilors and the young king to gain ascendancy.&amp;nbsp; Upon Somerset's 
      execution, Dudley became Lord Protector; he was also titled duke of 
      Northumberland.&amp;nbsp; He was the first non-royal Englishman given that 
      title.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;For Elizabeth, these events were merely background noise at 
      first.&amp;nbsp; Dudley took pains to cultivate a friendship with her, which 
      she wisely avoided.&amp;nbsp; He sent her and Mary amiable letters.&amp;nbsp; 
      Since Mary was a Catholic, and Dudley a Protestant who had benefited 
      materially from the Reformation, he was necessarily more friendly to 
      Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; For example, Edward VI had given Dudley Hatfield House, 
      which was currently Elizabeth's residence.&amp;nbsp; Dudley graciously 
      returned it to her in exchange for lesser lands in her possession.&amp;nbsp; 
      He also passed the patents to her lands, which allowed her more 
      income.&amp;nbsp; This, of course, should have been done at Henry VIII's 
      death.&amp;nbsp; So Elizabeth at first benefited from Dudley's rise to 
      power.&amp;nbsp; She was now a well-respected and popular princess, a landed 
      lady in her own right with a large income and keen mind.&amp;nbsp; She was 
      also an heir to the English throne, though still officially recognized as 
      a bastard.&amp;nbsp; But she was shown every respect, and a degree of 
      affection from Edward VI completely lacking in his relations with their 
      sister Mary.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Their mutual faith was an important connection with the increasingly 
      devout Edward.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth visited Court occasionally, corresponded 
      with her brother, and continued her studies mainly at Hatfield.&amp;nbsp; She 
      had always been excessively cautious and very intelligent, qualities she 
      displayed to great effect during the Seymour crisis.&amp;nbsp; The only time 
      in her life when she demonstrated any recklessness had been during the 
      Seymour debacle; she had learned its lesson well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;She also cultivated the image of a sober Protestant young lady.&amp;nbsp; 
      When queen, she became known for her love of beautiful gowns and 
      jewels.&amp;nbsp; But before 1558, she took care to dress soberly, the image 
      of chastity and modesty.&amp;nbsp; This was perhaps a conscious attempt to 
      distance herself from Mary, a typical Catholic princess who dressed in all 
      the glittering and garish finery she could afford.&amp;nbsp; It is an ironic 
      note on Mary's character that she has become known as a dour, plain woman; 
      she was as fond of clothes and jewelry as her sister would become.&amp;nbsp; 
      It was Elizabeth who dressed plainly, most often in severely cut black or 
      white gowns.&amp;nbsp; She wore each color to great effect.&amp;nbsp; She had 
      matured into a tall, slender and striking girl, with a fair, unblemished 
      complexion and the famous Tudor red hair.&amp;nbsp; She wore her hair loose 
      and did not use cosmetics.&amp;nbsp; When she traveled about the countryside, 
      crowds gathered to see her, a Protestant princess renowned for her virtue 
      and learning, her appearance modest and pleasing.&amp;nbsp; In this respect, 
      she was emulated by her cousin Jane Grey.&amp;nbsp; When Jane was invited to a 
      reception for Mary of Guise, the regent of Scotland, Mary Tudor sent her 
      'some goodly apparel of tinsel cloth of gold and velvet laid on with 
      parchment lace of gold.'&amp;nbsp; Jane, a devout Protestant, was offended; 
      such apparel reflected the material trappings of Catholicism.&amp;nbsp; When 
      her parents insisted she wear it, Jane replied, 'Nay, that were a shame to 
      follow my Lady Mary against God's word, and leave my Lady Elizabeth, which 
      followeth God's word.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was honorably and extravagantly received at her brother's 
      court.&amp;nbsp; For example, on 17 March 1552, she arrived at St James's 
      Palace with 'a great company of lords, knights and gentlemen' along with 
      over 200 ladies and a company of yeomen.&amp;nbsp; Two days later she left St 
      James for Whitehall Palace, her procession accompanied by a grand 
      collection of nobles.&amp;nbsp; The visit was a marked success for Edward was 
      open in his affection.&amp;nbsp; She was his 'sweet sister Temperance,' unlike 
      Mary who continued to defy his religious policy.&amp;nbsp; The Primary Sources 
      section of this site contains an excerpt from Edward VI's journal in which 
      he records a religious argument with Mary.&amp;nbsp; In that matter, Elizabeth 
      remained distant, preferring to let her siblings argue without her.&amp;nbsp; 
      &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Edward's ministers, especially after the Seymour affair, were careful 
      with her.&amp;nbsp; Dudley recognized Elizabeth's formidable 
      intelligence.&amp;nbsp; When Edward VI became ill in 1553 and it was clear he 
      would not survive, Dudley had a desperate plan to save himself from Mary 
      I's Catholic rule - place Henry VIII's niece, Lady Jane Grey on the 
      throne.&amp;nbsp; (This is discussed in great length at the &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane 
      Grey&lt;/A&gt; site.)&amp;nbsp; Simply put, Dudley believed he would be supported 
      because Jane was Protestant and the English would not want the Catholic 
      Mary on the throne.&amp;nbsp; Of course, the question arises - Elizabeth was 
      Protestant, so why not put her on the throne instead of Jane?&amp;nbsp; The 
      main reason is that Dudley was well aware that Elizabeth Tudor would not 
      be his puppet, unlike Jane Grey whom he had married to his son 
      Guildford.&amp;nbsp; As for Edward VI, he went along with the plan because of 
      two main reasons: Elizabeth was illegitimate so there might be resistance 
      to her rule and, as a princess, she might be persuaded to marry a foreign 
      prince and England would fall under foreign control.&amp;nbsp; Jane was 
      already safely wed to an Englishman.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;
      &lt;IMG height=228 
      alt=&quot;a profile portrait of Elizabeth's half-brother, King Edward VI&quot; 
      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 
      Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; He was primarily determined to preserve the Protestant 
      regime in England.&amp;nbsp; He believed this was necessary for his personal 
      and political salvation.&amp;nbsp; He was also practical.&amp;nbsp; He 
      disinherited Mary because of her Catholicism; however, it was officially 
      sanctioned because of her illegitimacy.&amp;nbsp; Like Elizabeth, Mary had her 
      illegitimacy established by an act of Parliament during Henry VIII's 
      reign.&amp;nbsp; Since he had ostensibly disinherited Mary because of this 
      act, he couldn't let Elizabeth inherit - it simply wasn't logical.&amp;nbsp; 
      So the throne would pass to the legitimate - and Protestant - Lady Jane 
      Grey.&amp;nbsp; As most know, she ruled for just nine days before Mary became 
      queen of England.&amp;nbsp; It should be noted that Edward originally told 
      Dudley that, though he didn't want Mary to succeed him, he saw no logical 
      reason for Elizabeth to be disowned.&amp;nbsp; It was Dudley who pointed out 
      the logical inconsistency - that Mary 'could not be put by unless the Lady 
      Elizabeth were put by also.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Dudley attempted to place Mary and Elizabeth in his power while Edward 
      was dying.&amp;nbsp; He knew that if he imprisoned the two princesses, they 
      would be unable to rouse popular support against his plan.&amp;nbsp; But if 
      that failed, he was determined to prevent them from seeing Edward, 
      especially Elizabeth.&amp;nbsp; Dudley feared that Edward's affection for his 
      sister, and Elizabeth's cleverness, might persuade Edward to rewrite his 
      will in her favor.&amp;nbsp; Like her sister, Elizabeth would undoubtedly 
      destroy Dudley, making him the scapegoat for Edward's ineffectual 
      regime.&amp;nbsp; In fact, Elizabeth had suspected her brother was ill and set 
      out from Hatfield to visit him just a few weeks before Edward died, but 
      Dudley's men intercepted her and sent her home.&amp;nbsp; She then wrote her 
      brother a number of letters, inquiring about his health and asking 
      permission to come to Court.&amp;nbsp; These were intercepted as well.&amp;nbsp; 
      &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But as Edward's health continued to deteriorate and death was imminent, 
      Dudley sent a message to Hatfield, ordering Elizabeth to Greenwich 
      Palace.&amp;nbsp; She may have been warned of his intentions - more likely she 
      guessed them.&amp;nbsp; She refused the summons, taking to her bed with a 
      sudden illness.&amp;nbsp; As a further precaution, her doctor sent a letter to 
      the council certifying she was too ill for travel.&amp;nbsp; As for Mary, 
      Dudley had told her that Edward desired her presence; it would be a 
      comfort to him during his illness.&amp;nbsp; She was torn - though Dudley hid 
      the true extent of the king's illness, the Imperial ambassador had kept 
      Mary informed.&amp;nbsp; He was the agent of her cousin, the Holy Roman 
      Emperor Charles V; Mary's mother had been his aunt.&amp;nbsp; Conscious of her 
      sisterly duty, Mary set out for Greenwich from Hunsdon the day before 
      Edward died.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Dudley was enraged by Elizabeth's refusal but he could do 
      nothing.&amp;nbsp; Soon enough, events moved too quickly for the princess to 
      be his primary concern.&amp;nbsp; It was being whispered that Dudley had 
      poisoned the king to place his daughter-in-law on the throne.&amp;nbsp; Of 
      course, this was untrue since Dudley needed Edward to live as long as 
      possible for his plan to work.&amp;nbsp; To this end, he had engaged a female 
      'witch' to help prolong the king's life.&amp;nbsp; She concocted a mix of 
      arsenic and other drugs; they worked, at least for Dudley's purpose.&amp;nbsp; 
      The young king lived for a few more weeks though he suffered 
      terribly.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 6 July 1553, Edward VI died.&amp;nbsp; 
      Immediately, Dudley had Jane Grey proclaimed queen, an honor she had not 
      sought and did not want.&amp;nbsp; It was only Dudley's appeal to her 
      religious convictions which convinced her to accept the throne.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Meanwhile, Jane's cousin, Mary Tudor, was still on her way to Greenwich 
      to see her brother, until a sympathizer (sent by Nicholas Throckmorton or 
      William Cecil) rode out to meet her; the summons was a trap, he told her, 
      and Dudley intended to imprison her.&amp;nbsp; Mary rode to East Anglia, the 
      conservative section of England where her support would be 
      strongest.&amp;nbsp; Eventually she would realize the true extent of her 
      support.&amp;nbsp; Protestants and Catholics alike rallied to her cause since 
      she was Henry VIII's daughter and the true heir under his will.&amp;nbsp; As 
      she left for East Anglia, she didn't know her brother was already dead but 
      she sent a note to the Imperial ambassador Simon Renard; once she knew of 
      Edward's death, she said, she would declare herself queen.&amp;nbsp; She sent 
      another note to Dudley, telling him she was too ill to travel.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;The failure of Dudley's ambitions is discussed at the &lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fjanegrey.html&quot;&gt;Lady Jane 
      Grey&lt;/A&gt; site.&amp;nbsp; Suffice to say, he was overthrown and executed and 
      Mary Tudor, at the age of thirty-seven, was declared queen of England in 
      her own right.&amp;nbsp; During the nine days of Jane's reign, Elizabeth had 
      continued her pretense of illness.&amp;nbsp; It was rumored that Dudley had 
      sent councilors to her, offering a large bribe if she would just renounce 
      her claim to the throne.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth refused, remarking, 'You must 
      first make this agreement with my elder sister, during whose lifetime I 
      have no claim or title to resign.'&amp;nbsp; So she remained at her beloved 
      Hatfield, deliberately avoiding a commitment one way or another.&amp;nbsp; 
      When word reached her that Mary was finally queen, she sent a letter of 
      congratulation to her sister and set off for London.&amp;nbsp; On 29 July, she 
      entered the capital with 2000 mounted men wearing the green and white 
      Tudor colors.&amp;nbsp; There she awaited Mary's official arrival into the 
      city.&amp;nbsp; On 31 July, Elizabeth rode with her attendant nobles along the 
      Strand and through the City to Colchester, the same path her sister would 
      take.&amp;nbsp; It was here she would receive her sister as queen.&amp;nbsp; They 
      had not seen each other for about five years.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Mary had always disliked her half-sister for many reasons, not least 
      because she sensed an innate shiftiness in Elizabeth's character.&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth, Mary believed, was never to be trusted.&amp;nbsp; Originally, this 
      dislike was because of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn.&amp;nbsp; Mary had 
      long blamed Anne for her own mother's tragic end as well as the alienation 
      of her father's affections.&amp;nbsp; After Anne died and Elizabeth, too, was 
      declared illegitimate, Mary found other reasons to hate Elizabeth, chief 
      among them religion.&amp;nbsp; Like her mother, Mary was a devout Catholic; 
      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 
      accession, the moment of her great triumph, she was prepared to be 
      conciliatory.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Mary ordered that Elizabeth share her triumphal march through 
      London.&amp;nbsp; Their processions met at Wanstead on 2 August.&amp;nbsp; There, 
      Elizabeth dismounted and knelt in the road before her sister.&amp;nbsp; Mary 
      dismounted and raised her sister, embracing and kissing her with 
      affection.&amp;nbsp; She even held her hand as they spoke.&amp;nbsp; Their two 
      parties entered London together, the sisters riding side by side.&amp;nbsp; 
      The contrast between their physical appearances could not have been more 
      striking.&amp;nbsp; Mary, at thirty-seven, was old beyond her years.&amp;nbsp; An 
      adulthood passed in anxiety and tribulation had marred her health and 
      appearance.&amp;nbsp; She was small like her mother and thin, with Katharine's 
      deep, almost gruff voice.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was nineteen years old, taller 
      than her sister and slender.&amp;nbsp; While Mary was richly attired in 
      velvets covered in jewels and gold, Elizabeth was dressed in her usual 
      strikingly severe style.&amp;nbsp; Neither sister was conventionally beautiful 
      but onlookers commented upon Mary's open compassion and kindness and 
      Elizabeth's innate majesty.&amp;nbsp; And since Mary was thirty-seven, quite 
      old to have a child, Elizabeth was viewed as her probable heir.&amp;nbsp; As 
      such, she was cheered as much as the new queen.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;On 1 October, Elizabeth rode to Mary's coronation with Henry VIII's 
      discarded fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.&amp;nbsp; She was once again accorded a 
      place of honor amongst the English ladies, though not the highest position 
      as was her due.&amp;nbsp; The Imperial ambassador Renard reported that she 
      spoke often with the French ambassador de Noailles.&amp;nbsp; For his part, de 
      Noailles reported that Elizabeth complained her coronet was too heavy and 
      made her head ache.&amp;nbsp; He replied to her that, God willing, she would 
      soon wear a heavier crown.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;This was dangerous talk, as Elizabeth soon discovered.&amp;nbsp; Mary's 
      mood was fickle regarding her clever half-sister.&amp;nbsp; For every kind 
      word or gesture, there were public statements dismissing Henry VIII as 
      Elizabeth's father, or allowing distant cousins precedent at court.&amp;nbsp; 
      It was simply impossible for Mary to forget the past, etched so acutely 
      upon her spirit.&amp;nbsp; She could not like Elizabeth, nor trust her.&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth responded to this emotional hostility by retreating to 
      Hatfield.&amp;nbsp; There she continued her studies and attempted to remain 
      safe in the morass of English politics.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But however much she might wish for peace, she was not to have 
      it.&amp;nbsp; She was destined to be the focal point for all discontent over 
      Mary's reign.&amp;nbsp; And there was soon much reason for discontent.&amp;nbsp; 
      Edward VI's council had left the economy in shambles; currency was debased 
      and near worthless.&amp;nbsp; There was a series of bad harvests.&amp;nbsp; Prices 
      rose and discontent spread.&amp;nbsp; And worst of all, Mary soon decided to 
      marry King Philip II of Spain, son and heir of Charles V.&amp;nbsp; This was 
      yet another example of her inability to forget the past.&amp;nbsp; Philip 
      represented the homeland of her beloved mother, and a chance to bring all 
      the weight of the Holy Roman Empire to bear upon the heretics of 
      England.&amp;nbsp; Mary was determined to turn back the clock on twenty years 
      of religious reform and make England a Catholic nation again.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Understandably, her subjects were less than thrilled.&amp;nbsp; Even 
      English Catholics did not want their country to become a powerless 
      appendage of the Hapsburg empire.&amp;nbsp; Certainly a queen had to marry, 
      but not the emperor's son!&amp;nbsp; In this climate of rebellion and 
      repression, Elizabeth's life was in great danger.&amp;nbsp; It could not be 
      otherwise; she was the only alternative to Mary's rule.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth conformed outwardly to the Catholic faith.&amp;nbsp; But she 
      could not distance herself too much from her Protestant supporters.&amp;nbsp; 
      When Sir Thomas Wyatt, the son of her mother's great poetic admirer, led a 
      rebellion in January 1554, matters came to an unpleasant impasse.&amp;nbsp; 
      Wyatt had written to Elizabeth that he intended to overthrow Mary but his 
      letter was intercepted, as was a letter from de Noailles to the king of 
      France.&amp;nbsp; His letter implied that Elizabeth knew of the revolt in 
      advance, and repeated rumors that she was off gathering armed 
      supporters.&amp;nbsp; The government was able to suppress the rebellion before 
      it spread very far and Wyatt was arrested.&amp;nbsp; Mary's council could find 
      no real proof that de Noailles's suppositions were true but they decided 
      to summon Elizabeth back to London for questioning.&amp;nbsp; She was 
      understandably frightened and ill; she sent word that she could not 
      travel.&amp;nbsp; Two of Mary's personal physicians were sent to evaluate her 
      condition.&amp;nbsp; They diagnosed 'watery humors' and perhaps an 
      inflammation of the kidneys.&amp;nbsp; She was ill, they reported, but not too 
      ill to travel the 30 miles to London in the queen's own litter.&amp;nbsp; 
      Three of the queen's councilors - Howard, Hastings, and Cornwallis, all of 
      whom were friendly with Elizabeth - escorted her back to London.&amp;nbsp; 
      They traveled quite slowly, covering just six miles a day.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth kept the curtains of the litter pulled back as she entered 
      the city, and the citizens were able to see her pale, frightened 
      face.&amp;nbsp; She had good cause for her fear; the heads and corpses of 
      Wyatt and his supporters were thrust upon spikes and gibbets throughout 
      the city.&amp;nbsp; The queen waited for her at Whitehall but they did not 
      meet immediately.&amp;nbsp; First, Elizabeth's household was dismissed and she 
      was told that she must undergo close interrogation about her 
      activities.&amp;nbsp; She was questioned by the unfriendly bishop of 
      Winchester, Stephen Gardiner, but she was not intimidated.&amp;nbsp; She 
      denied any involvement in the rebellion and repeatedly asked to see the 
      queen.&amp;nbsp; But she was told that Mary was leaving for Oxford where she 
      would hold a Parliament.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth would be leaving Whitehall as 
      well, though at first the council could not decide where to send 
      her.&amp;nbsp; No councilor wanted the responsibility of keeping her in close 
      confinement at their homes; it was too unpleasant and potentially 
      dangerous.&amp;nbsp; And so Gardiner and Renard had their way and she went to 
      the Tower of London.&amp;nbsp; The earl of Sussex and the marquess of 
      Winchester were sent to escort her from Whitehall.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was terrified.&amp;nbsp; The mere mention of the Tower was enough 
      to shatter her already fragile nerves.&amp;nbsp; She begged to be allowed to 
      write to her sister, and the men agreed.&amp;nbsp; The letter was long, 
      rambling, and repetitious - proof of her fear and trepidation:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;I have heard in my time of many cast away for want of coming 
        to the presence of their Prince....&amp;nbsp; Therefore once again kneeling 
        with humbleness of my heart, because I am not suffered to bow the knees 
        of my body, I humbly crave to speak with your Highness, which I would 
        not be so bold to desire if I knew not myself most clear as I know 
        myself most true.&amp;nbsp; And as for the traitor Wyatt, he might 
        peradventure write me a letter but on my faith I never received any from 
        him; and as for the copy of my letter sent to the French king, I pray 
        God confound me eternally if ever I sent him word, message, token or 
        letter by any means, and to this truth I will stand it to my 
        death.&amp;nbsp; &lt;BR&gt;....Let conscience move your Highness to take some 
        better way with me than to make me be condemned in all men's sight afore 
        my desert know.&lt;/p&gt;
      &lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
      &lt;p&gt;After finishing, she carefully drew lines 
      throughout the rest of the blank sheet so no forgeries could be added, and 
      she signed it 'I humbly crave but one word of answer from yourself.&amp;nbsp; 
      Your Highness's most faithful subject that hath been from the beginning 
      and will be to my end, Elizabeth'.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;The letter had taken too long to write; they had missed the tide.&amp;nbsp; 
      They could wait a few hours and take her to the Tower in the darkest part 
      of night, but the council disagreed.&amp;nbsp; There could be an attempt to 
      rescue her under cover of darkness.&amp;nbsp; They decided to wait until the 
      next morning, Palm Sunday, when the streets would be nearly deserted since 
      everyone would be in church.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, her letter was sent to Mary 
      who received it angrily and refused to read it through.&amp;nbsp; She had not 
      given permission for it to be written or sent, and she rebuked her 
      councilors fiercely.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;The next morning, 17 March 1554, arrived cold and grey; there was a 
      steady rain.&amp;nbsp; At 9 o'clock in the morning, Elizabeth was taken from 
      her rooms and through the garden to where the barge waited.&amp;nbsp; She was 
      accompanied by six of her ladies and two gentleman-attendants.&amp;nbsp; She 
      waited under a canopy until the barge began to slow; she then saw that 
      they would enter beneath Traitor's Gate, beneath St Thomas's Tower.&amp;nbsp; 
      This was the traditional entrance for prisoners returned to their cells 
      after trial at Westminster.&amp;nbsp; The sight terrified her and she begged 
      to be allowed entry by any other gate.&amp;nbsp; Her request was 
      refused.&amp;nbsp; She was offered a cloak to protect her from the rain but 
      she pushed it aside angrily.&amp;nbsp; Upon stepping onto the landing, she 
      declared, 'Here landeth as true a subject, being prisoner, as ever landed 
      at these stairs.&amp;nbsp; Before Thee, O God, do I speak it, having no other 
      friend but Thee alone.'&amp;nbsp; She then noticed the yeoman warders gathered 
      to receive her beyond the gate.&amp;nbsp; 'Oh Lord,' she said loudly, 'I never 
      thought to have come in here as a prisoner, and I pray you all bear me 
      witness that I come in as no traitor but as true a woman to the Queen's 
      Majesty as any as is now living.'&amp;nbsp; Several of the warders stepped 
      forward and bowed before her, and one called out, 'God preserve your 
      Grace.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;She still refused to enter the Tower.&amp;nbsp; After the warder's 
      declaration, she sat upon a stone and would not move.&amp;nbsp; The Lieutenant 
      of the Tower, Sir John Brydges, said to her, 'You had best come in, 
      Madame, for here you sit unwholesomely.'&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth replied with 
      feeling, 'Better sit here, than in a worse place, for God knoweth where 
      you will bring me.'&amp;nbsp; And so she sat until one of her attendants burst 
      into tears.&amp;nbsp; She was taken to the Bell Tower, a small corner tower 
      beside Brydges's own lodgings.&amp;nbsp; Her room was on the first floor, and 
      had a large fireplace with three small windows.&amp;nbsp; Down the passageway 
      from the door were three latrines which hung over the moat.&amp;nbsp; It was 
      not as destitute or uncomfortable as she had feared, but it was still the 
      Tower of London and she was a prisoner.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;This was the beginning of one of the most trying times of her 
      life.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth spent just two months in the Tower of London, but she had no 
      idea that her stay would be so brief - and it did not feel particularly 
      brief.&amp;nbsp; She truly believed some harm would come to her and she dwelt 
      most upon the possibility of poison.&amp;nbsp; She knew Mary hated her and 
      that many of her councilors constantly spoke ill of her, encouraging 
      either her imprisonment or execution.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;However, Elizabeth had enough popular support that she would not face 
      death at her sister's orders.&amp;nbsp; But Lady Jane Grey, the unfortunate 
      Nine Days' Queen, and her husband were neither so popular or lucky.&amp;nbsp; 
      They, too, had lived in the Tower under threat of execution; both had been 
      convicted of treason.&amp;nbsp; But Mary had always been fond of Jane and was 
      close friends with her mother Frances; she allowed her cousin to live very 
      comfortably in the Tower while her fate remained undecided.&amp;nbsp; Mary 
      probably intended to release Jane as soon as the country settled under her 
      own rule.&amp;nbsp; But Renard wanted both Jane and her husband 
      executed.&amp;nbsp; He warned Mary that the emperor would not allow Philip to 
      enter England as long as Jane lived.&amp;nbsp; She was a traitor, and it was 
      only a matter of time before the Protestants tried to place either Jane or 
      Elizabeth upon the throne.&amp;nbsp; Mary was not persuaded by Renard's 
      arguments, but his threat carried greater force - she wanted to marry 
      Philip and he would not come to England until it was safe.&amp;nbsp; The small 
      rebellion led by Jane's father clearly did not help matters.&amp;nbsp; And so 
      Jane and the equally unfortunate Guildford Dudley were executed.&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth herself arrived at the Tower just six weeks later, and her 
      cousin's fate must have weighed heavily on her mind.&amp;nbsp; After all, she 
      and Jane had lived and studied together briefly under Katharine Parr's 
      tutelage, and Jane's admiration of Elizabeth had been open and 
      obvious.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;It was abundantly clear to Elizabeth that her position was precarious 
      and dangerous.&amp;nbsp; During the first weeks of her imprisonment, she was 
      allowed to take exercise along the Tower walls but when a small child 
      began to give her flowers and other gifts, Brydges was told to keep her 
      indoors.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth had always been active, both physically and 
      mentally.&amp;nbsp; She chafed at her confinement and its boring 
      routine.&amp;nbsp; She was occasionally interrogated by members of Mary's 
      council, but she held firm to her innocence.&amp;nbsp; She had faced such 
      interrogations during Thomas Seymour's fall from grace, and could not be 
      easily intimidated.&amp;nbsp; Still, the stress - which she handled with 
      outward aplomb - took its toll on her physical health.&amp;nbsp; She lost 
      weight, and became prone to headaches and stomach problems.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Ironically enough, it was the impending arrival of Philip of Spain 
      which led to her freedom.&amp;nbsp; Renard had urged Mary to execute Jane and 
      imprison Elizabeth so that Philip would be safe in England.&amp;nbsp; Philip, 
      however, was far more sensitive to the political implications of such an 
      act.&amp;nbsp; He knew the English were acutely sensitive to any shift in 
      Mary's policies simply because she had chosen to marry a foreigner.&amp;nbsp; 
      If she made an unpopular decision, it would be blamed upon his 
      influence.&amp;nbsp; He knew, too, that the Protestant faith was still popular 
      in the country, and that Elizabeth embodied its greatest hope.&amp;nbsp; If 
      she were harmed in any way, his arrival in England would be even more 
      unpopular and dangerous.&amp;nbsp; And the Wyatt rebellion had merely 
      reinforced Philip's natural inclination to tread lightly.&amp;nbsp; His 
      intention was to wed Mary, be crowned king of England, and find a suitable 
      husband for Elizabeth, preferably one of his Hapsburg relations.&amp;nbsp; 
      Then, if Mary died without bearing a child, England would remain within 
      the Hapsburg sphere of influence, a willing and useful adjunct of the 
      empire.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Accordingly, Philip wrote to Mary and advised that Elizabeth be set at 
      liberty.&amp;nbsp; This conciliatory gesture was not appreciated by Mary, 
      always inclined to believe the worst in her half-sister, but - once again 
      - her eagerness for Philip's arrival made her desperate to please 
      him.&amp;nbsp; She dispensed with Renard's advice and on Saturday 19 May at 
      one o'clock in the afternoon, Elizabeth was finally released from the 
      Tower; incidentally, her mother had been executed on the same day eighteen 
      years earlier.&amp;nbsp; She spent one night at Richmond Palace, but it was 
      clear that her release had not lifted Elizabeth's spirits.&amp;nbsp; That 
      night she summoned her few servants and asked them to pray for her, 'For 
      this night,' Elizabeth said, 'I think to die.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;She did not die, of course, but she was still frightened and 
      lonely.&amp;nbsp; She had been released into the care of Sir Henry 
      Bedingfield, a Catholic supporter of Queen Mary whose father had guarded 
      Katharine of Aragon during her last years at Kimbolton Castle.&amp;nbsp; He 
      had come to the Tower on 5 May as the new Constable, replacing Sir John 
      Gage, and his arrival had caused Elizabeth no end of terror.&amp;nbsp; She 
      believed he was sent to secretly murder her for, not long before, a 
      credible rumor had reached her; it was said that the Catholic elements of 
      Mary's council had sent a warrant for her execution to the Tower but that 
      Sir John Brydges, the strict but honest Lieutenant, had not acted upon it 
      because it lacked the queen's signature.&amp;nbsp; With Bedingfield's arrival, 
      Elizabeth lost her almost preternatural self-control and she asked her 
      guards 'whether the Lady Jane's scaffold was taken away or no?'&amp;nbsp; When 
      told it was gone, she asked about Bedingfield, and if 'her murdering were 
      secretly committed to his charge, he would see the execution 
      thereof?'&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;From Richmond, Bedingfield took his cowed charge to Woodstock, a 
      hunting-lodge miles from London and once favored by her Plantagenet 
      grandfather, Edward IV.&amp;nbsp; She was neither officially under arrest nor 
      free, a nebulous position which confused nearly everyone.&amp;nbsp; She could 
      not be received at court, but she could not be set at liberty in the 
      countryside.&amp;nbsp; And so Bedingfield was essentially her jailer, but not 
      referred to as such; and Woodstock was her prison, but also not called 
      such.&amp;nbsp; The journey to Woodstock certainly raised her spirit.&amp;nbsp; 
      She was greeted by throngs of people shouting 'God save your grace!' and 
      other messages of support.&amp;nbsp; Flowers, sweets, cakes and other small 
      gifts were given to her.&amp;nbsp; At times, the reception was so enthusiastic 
      that Elizabeth was openly overwhelmed.&amp;nbsp; It was now clear to her that 
      the English people loved her, perhaps as much as they did Queen 
      Mary.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;But the love of the people was small comfort when faced with the 
      dilapidation of Woodstock.&amp;nbsp; The main house was in such disrepair that 
      Elizabeth was lodged in the gatehouse.&amp;nbsp; The queen had ordered that 
      her sister be treated honorably and given limited freedom; Elizabeth was 
      allowed to walk in the orchard and gardens.&amp;nbsp; She also requested 
      numerous books.&amp;nbsp; After a few weeks, her initial fear of Bedingfield 
      had settled into a bemused appraisal of her jailer.&amp;nbsp; She now 
      recognized him for what he was - a conscientious, unimaginative civil 
      servant with a difficult assignment.&amp;nbsp; They got on tolerably well, and 
      Bedingfield even forwarded her numerous letters to the Council and the 
      queen.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was concerned that her imprisonment in the 
      countryside would remove her too much from the public eye and her 
      ceaseless letter-writing was an attempt to reassert her position as 
      princess of England.&amp;nbsp; Mary did not read the letters and angrily order 
      Bedingfield to stop sending them along.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;At the end of June, Elizabeth fell ill and asked that the queen's 
      physician Dr Owen be sent to her.&amp;nbsp; But Dr Owen was busy tending to 
      Queen Mary and told Bedingfield that his charge must be patient.&amp;nbsp; He 
      recommended the services of Drs Barnes and Walbeck.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth 
      refused to allow their examination; she preferred to commit her body to 
      God rather than to the eyes of strangers, she told Bedingfield.&amp;nbsp; 
      Finally, on 7 July, Mary finally sent permission to Woodstock for 
      Elizabeth to write to her and the Council about her various 
      concerns.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was petulant and took her time with the 
      composition of this most important letter.&amp;nbsp; When it was finally sent, 
      written in Bedingfield's hand from her dictation, it was a typically 
      shrewd and pointed document.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth wanted the Council to 
      consider 'her long imprisonment and restraint of liberty, either to charge 
      her with special matter to be answered unto and tried, or to grant her 
      liberty to come unto her highness's presence, which she sayeth she would 
      not desire were it not that she knoweth herself to be clear even before 
      God, for her allegiance.'&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth specifically requested that the 
      members of the queen's council who were executors of 'the Will of the 
      King's majesty her father' read the letter and be allowed to visit with 
      her.&amp;nbsp; It was a pointed reminder that despite her deprived 
      circumstances, she was still next in line to the English throne.&amp;nbsp; The 
      Council heard the document uneasily.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Mary, however, had other matters on her mind.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 20 
      July, even as Elizabeth mulled over her letter, Philip II of Spain finally 
      landed at Southampton.&amp;nbsp; The handsome, fair-haired 27 year old King 
      was already a widow with a male heir; his first wife Maria of Portugal had 
      died in childbirth in 1545 after two years of&lt;IMG height=480 
      alt=&quot;another portrait of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I&quot; 
      src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/mary1-eworth.jpg&quot; width=332 border=2 align=&quot;right&quot;&gt; marriage.&amp;nbsp; He was a 
      conscientious and pious man who impressed all who met him with his 
      discipline and work ethic.&amp;nbsp; But he also had a tendency toward 
      religious asceticism which worsened as he grew older.&amp;nbsp; As a child, he 
      had accompanied his father to the inquisition in Spain, watching 
      impassively as heretics were burned alive.&amp;nbsp; But his marriage to Mary 
      was one of political necessity and Philip had no intention of threatening 
      its success with unpopular religious policies.&amp;nbsp; He was willing to 
      move England slowly back into the Catholic fold; faced with Mary's 
      impatience, it was Philip who advised moderation.&amp;nbsp; He wed his cousin 
      at Winchester Cathedral on 25 July in a splendid ceremony.&amp;nbsp; On 18 
      August they finally entered London in triumph, its citizens plied with 
      enough free drinks and entertainment to greet Philip 
      enthusiastically.&amp;nbsp; But there were already signs of trouble; the 
      anonymous pamphlets condemning foreigners and the queen's marriage 
      circulated, and Philip's Spanish entourage were unhappy over a number of 
      petty slights and insults from their English hosts.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth had hoped the marriage would result in some change in her 
      circumstances.&amp;nbsp; But she was sadly mistaken.&amp;nbsp; Instead she passed 
      the months needling Bedingfield for more books, scribbling more letters, 
      and listening to the occasional rumor from her servants.&amp;nbsp; The rumors 
      were hardly comforting.&amp;nbsp; The queen was reportedly pregnant and she 
      and Philip would open Parliament together on 12 November.&amp;nbsp; From then 
      on, the reunion between England and the papacy could begin in force.&amp;nbsp; 
      Mary was the happiest she had been since childhood, but the problem of 
      Elizabeth remained.&amp;nbsp; Gardiner wanted her executed; he argued that 
      Protestantism could not be completely eradicated until its great hope, 
      Elizabeth herself, was gone.&amp;nbsp; But Philip and most other councilors 
      were more pragmatic.&amp;nbsp; Parliament had already agreed that if Mary died 
      in childbirth, Philip would be regent of England during their child's 
      minority.&amp;nbsp; However, if both mother and child died, then Elizabeth 
      once again assumed prominence.&amp;nbsp; Philip, always prudent, preferred to 
      know his sister-in-law before making an enemy of her.&amp;nbsp; With his 
      encouragement, and flush with happiness at her marriage and pregnancy, 
      Mary finally invited Elizabeth to court.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;In the third week of April 1555, almost a year since she was sent to 
      Woodstock, Elizabeth was brought to Hampton Court Palace.&amp;nbsp; Mary had 
      gone there to prepare for her lying-in.&amp;nbsp; They did not meet 
      immediately.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth was brought into the palace through a side 
      entrance, still closely guarded.&amp;nbsp; According to the French ambassador, 
      Philip visited her three days later but Mary never came.&amp;nbsp; Two weeks 
      later, the most powerful members of the council appeared to chide her for 
      not submitting to the queen's authority; she was told to admit her past 
      wrongdoing and seek the queen's forgiveness.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth replied that 
      she had done nothing wrong in the past and wanted no mercy from her sister 
      'but rather desired the law'.&amp;nbsp; She told Gardiner she would rather 
      remain in prison forever than admit to crimes she had never 
      committed.&amp;nbsp; He went off immediately to tell Mary of her sister's 
      continued stubbornness.&amp;nbsp; The queen was not pleased.&amp;nbsp; The next 
      day, Gardiner told Elizabeth that the queen marveled that 'she would so 
      stoutly use herself, not confessing that she had offended'.&amp;nbsp; Did 
      Elizabeth really believe she was wrongfully imprisoned? Gardiner asked.&amp;nbsp; 
      Elizabeth refused the bait.&amp;nbsp; She did not criticize her sister 
      explicitly, telling him only that the queen must do with her as her 
      conscience dictated.&amp;nbsp; Gardiner replied that if she wanted her liberty 
      and former position, she must tell a different story; only by admitting 
      her past faults, confessing all sins, could she hope for 
      forgiveness.&amp;nbsp; It was a stalemate.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth again told him she 
      would rather be unjustly imprisoned than gain freedom with lies.&amp;nbsp; 
&lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;The next week passed with no word from anyone.&amp;nbsp; And then, around 
      10 o'clock one evening, a message arrived that the queen would see 
      her.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth had begged for an interview for more than a year but 
      now that the moment had at last arrived, she was understandably 
      nervous.&amp;nbsp; She was accompanied into Mary's apartments by one of her 
      own ladies-in-waiting and Mary's close friend and Mistress of the Robes 
      Susan Clarencieux.&amp;nbsp; The queen's bedroom was lit with flickering 
      candlelight; the queen herself was half-hidden in shadow.&amp;nbsp; Without 
      asking permission, Elizabeth immediately prostrated herself and declared 
      her innocence.&amp;nbsp; And though she and Mary sparred for a short while, 
      the queen was willing to be generous at her own moment of triumph.&amp;nbsp; 
      It was rumored that Philip watched the sisters from behind a curtain; 
      whether or not he was there, Mary was content to make peace of 
      sorts.&amp;nbsp; She sent Elizabeth away amicably enough and a week later poor 
      Bedingfield was relieved of his duties.&amp;nbsp; Elizabeth would remain at 
      Hampton Court, still under light guard but with her own household and 
      permission to receive certain guests.&amp;nbsp; It was the end of over a year 
      of tiresome captivity and she was delighted.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;While she enjoyed her newfound liberty, the burning of Protestant 
      heretics began in earnest.&amp;nbsp; These killings have earned Mary the 
      nickname 'Bloody Mary' and blighted her reputation.&amp;nbsp; In truth, the 
      roughly 300 people killed (about 60 women) was not considered excessive by 
      Mary's European contemporaries; and in the government's mind, 
      Protestantism had become dangerously linked with treason, sedition, and 
      other secular crimes.&amp;nbsp; For Mary, who was perhaps the most personally 
      kind and gentle of the Tudor rulers, the killings were necessary to save 
      the heretics' souls as well.&amp;nbsp; It is a telling feature of her 
      character that she could often forgive treason against herself, but would 
      not countenance treason against God.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;The burnings, coupled with the Spanish marriage, caused enough 
      resentment; but, unfortunately for Mary, famine and poverty added to her 
      list of woes.&amp;nbsp; But the greatest tragedy of all for the queen was the 
      humiliating and heartbreaking realization that her pregnancy was not 
      real.&amp;nbsp; Mary had truly believed she was pregnant; her stomach had 
      become swollen and she had felt the child quicken.&amp;nbsp; But she had 
      always suffered from digestive and menstrual troubles.&amp;nbsp; It is 
      probable that she developed a tumor in her stomach which, combined with 
      the lack of a cycle and her own fervent prayers, made her believe she was 
      pregnant.&amp;nbsp; All of April was spent in a state of readiness.&amp;nbsp; 
      Dozens of nurses and midwives crowded into Hampton Court, joined by a 
      throng of noble ladies who would assist in the delivery.&amp;nbsp; On 30 April 
      a rumor reached London that a male child had been born and celebrations 
      ensued.&amp;nbsp; But it was a false alarm; the next three months were spent 
      in a state of suspended disbelief.&amp;nbsp; Finally, on 3 August, the queen's 
      household departed to Oatlands and the pregnancy was not mentioned 
      again.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Mary's heartache was soon worsened by the impending departure of 
      Philip.&amp;nbsp; He had spent over a year in a country he disliked, married 
      to a woman he pitied but did not love.&amp;nbsp; He used the excuse of 
      pressing business in the Low Countries to leave England.&amp;nbsp; Mary 
      protested passionately, begging him to stay; it was clear to everyone that 
      she truly loved her husband.&amp;nbsp; But Philip was equally determined to 
      go.&amp;nbsp; It was perhaps clear to him that Mary was seriously ill and 
      would never have children.&amp;nbsp; If that was the case, he had no reason to 
      remain in England.&amp;nbsp; He left explicit instructions that she treat her 
      sister well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;Elizabeth was sent to a small manor house a few miles from Oatlands 
      where she played another waiting game, only this time with some measure of 
      freedom and hope.&amp;nbsp; But it was to be another three years before she 
      would become queen of England.&lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;CENTER&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2feliz2.html&quot;&gt;CONTINUE 
      READING&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;P&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;&lt;A 
      href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs.html&quot;&gt;to Tudor 
      Monarchs&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
      &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  &lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;



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