GLORIANA

Childhood
Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England
and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin
Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of
the Tudor dynasty.
When Elizabeth was two-years-old, her mother was executed, so an year later, a
male heir, Edward, was born. She only returned to her father's court when he
married his sixth and last wife Katherine Parr. After Henry's death, she lived at her
stepmother's home with her new husband, Thomas Seymour. However, she left her
home after an incident with Seymour. Although no one really knows what happened,
it is thought that Katherine found Elizabeth kissing him. On King Edward's death of
consumption in 1553, Elizabeth's sister, Mary came to the throne and Elizabeth was
briefly confined to the Tower of London for suspected treason and collaboration with
the rebel Thomas Wyatt. After a few months in the Tower, she was sent to
Woodstock and placed under house arrest for a year. Mary's marriage to Philip II of
Spain made it seem possible that an heir would be born, but Mary died childless in
1558. Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England on 15 January 1559.
FROM YOUTH TO OLD
(at the age of 1 year) (at the age of 17) (at the age of 35)
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
The "golden age" represented the apogee of the English Renaissance and saw the
flowering of poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for theatre, as William
Shakespeare and many others composed plays that broke free of England's past style
of theatre. It was an age of exploration and expansion abroad, while back at home, the
Protestant Reformation became more acceptable to the people, most certainly after
the Spanish Armada was repulsed. It was also the end of the period when England was
a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland.
The Elizabethan Age is viewed so highly because of the periods before and after. It
was a brief period of largely internal peace between the English Reformation and the
battles between Protestants and Catholics and the battles between parliament and the
monarchy that engulfed the seventeenth century.
Elizabeth's reign famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by
playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the
seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake. Some historians
are more reserved in their assessment. They depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered,
sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more than her share of luck. Towards the end
of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity.
Mysterious snake appears in painting of Queen
Elizabeth I

I've always liked royal portraits. It's always fun to see how a monarch decides to visually assert
his/her power, prestige, wisdom, wealth, etc. In portraiture, these attributes and characteristics
of the sitter are emphasized through various signifiers. What if the symbol isn't clear or easily
understood? That seems to be the case with this portrait of Elizabeth I. The final product of this
painting showed Elizabeth I holding a bunch of roses in her hand, they probably representing
symbol of her family, the house of Tudor. But whether these roses were symbolic or decorative,
they were obviously added at the last minute. Deterioration of this painting has revealed that
the monarch originally was holding a snake in her hand. Based on the remaining visual
evidence, an artist has recreated how the snake probably appeared in the original portrait. It is
thought that the snake was repainted with roses because of the "ambiguity" of the serpent
symbol. Well, "ambiguity" is right. The well-known symbolic associations with snakes are the
Fall, sin, death, and Satan. And I'm pretty sure Elizabeth I wasn't going for those associations.
Once in a while you hear about snakes being associated with wisdom, so maybe that explains
why the snake was originally included? Can you think of any other symbolic reasons why
Elizabeth I would be depicted with a snake? Deterioration over time has meant the snake has
revealed itself once more, with its outline now visible on the surface. The portrait was created
by an unknown artist in the 1580s or early 1590s. The gallery suggested the snake's removal
may have been due to the ambiguity of the emblem. A statement from the gallery said: ''The
snake is mainly black but has greenish blue scales and was almost certainly painted from
imagination.'' The image of the monarch covers a portrait of another woman, whose identity is
unknown. X-ray photography showed a female head facing in the opposite direction and in a
higher position than the queen. The eyes and nose of the first face are visible where paint has
been lost from Elizabeth's forehead.

The portrait with the snake
The other woman in the portrait of the Queen

The Queen's private life
Soon after Elizabeth became queen of England, Protestants gained full control of Parliament. It
now became very important to Parliament that Elizabeth should marry and produce a
Protestant heir to the throne. Parliament was worried that if Elizabeth died childless, Mary
Stuart, a Catholic, would probably become queen of England. They feared that if that
happened, all Protestants who held power under Elizabeth would be persecuted. Elizabeth had
many favourites in her own court. At various times rumours circulated that Elizabeth would
marry with men such as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Sir Charles Hatton, and Thomas
Howard, Duke of Norfolk. In October 1562 Elizabeth caught smallpox. For a while, doctors
thought that Elizabeth would die. This illness made Parliament realise how dangerous the
situation was. Therefore, after she recovered, they asked her once again to consider marriage.
Elizabeth replied that she would think about it but she refused to make a decision. In 1566
members of Parliament tried to force Elizabeth into action by discussing the subject in the
House of Lords and the House of Commons. Elizabeth was furious with Parliament for doing
this. She ordered thirty members from each House to attend a meeting at Whitehall Palace.
Elizabeth read out a long speech where she pointed out that whether she got married or not
was something that she would decide. The members of Parliament at the meeting agreed not to
mention the issue again. In 1579 Elizabeth began having talks about the possibility of marrying
the Duke of Anjou from France. John Stubbs wrote a pamphlet criticizing the proposed
marriage. Stubbs objected to the fact that the Duke of Anjou was a Catholic. He also argued
that, at forty-six, Elizabeth was too old to have children and so had no need to get married.
Elizabeth did not marry the Duke of Anjou. She did not marry anyone else. When Elizabeth died
at the age of sixty-nine the Tudor dynasty came to an end.
Robert Dudley,
Earl of Leicester
Robert Devereux,
Earl of Essex
Edward de Vere,
Earl of Oxford
Sir Walter Ralegh
Father
Henry VIII
Mother
Anne Boleyn
Sister
Mary I
Brother
Edward VI
Some interesting things about queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I ate so many sweets that her teeth just rotted away and turned black!
As she grew older, servants kept mirrors away from her. Its a good thing that
people back then didnt usually show their teeth when they smiled!

In most of Elizabeth Is portraits, she is wearing enormous dresses with puffy
sleeves. Although it wasnt the fashion, she wore them to make her look big
and powerful so that people didnt take advantage of her being a woman.

Elizabeth Is skin was badly scarred by smallpox in 1562. She used face paint
and vinegar to cover these scars.
Elizabeth I frequently swore When was angry, she curse and swear.

Queen Elizabeth I sometimes disguised herself as an ordinary citizen, so that
she could move around without attracting attention.

She used to spit on the floor

She had 2000 dresses

,
THE END