When everyone had taken their seats in the Danger Shop today, there were images around the room of the same woman.

"As there is so much to cover with this one woman, we'll only be covering part of her life up until she took the throne and then next class we will finish her. She is definitely one of the best examples of not being what history would call a well-behaved woman. However, next to Joan of Arc, she is one my favorite historical women."

Annja leaned against her desk.

"If there was ever a Queen that went through hell on the way to claiming her rightful throne, that Queen was Elizabeth I of England. Her battle started even before she was born as her mother, Anne Boleyn, married King Henry VIII. As we saw in the movie a few weeks ago, things did not go very well for Anne at all. When Elizabeth was not quite three years old, her mother was beheaded by her father on some rather trumped up charges. Because of this, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and lost her title of Princess. Even at that age, Elizabeth missed nothing as she was said to ask someone in her household why the day before they had referred to her as my Lady Princess, but on the next day as merely my Lady Elizabeth. This attention to detail was something that would end up serving Elizabeth well throughout her entire life."



Annja smiled slightly. "By the autumn of 1537, Elizabeth was in the care of Blanche Herbert, Lady Troy who remained her Lady Mistress until her retirement in late 1545 or early 1546. Catherine Champernowne, better known by her later, married name of Catherine “Kat” Ashley, was appointed as Elizabeth's governess in 1537, and she remained Elizabeth’s friend until her death in 1565, when Blanche Parry succeeded her as Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber. She clearly made a good job of Elizabeth’s early education: by the time William Grindal became her tutor in 1544, Elizabeth could write English, Latin, and Italian. Under Grindal, a talented and skilful tutor, she also progressed in French and Greek. She is also reputed to have spoken Cornish. After Grindal died in 1548, Elizabeth received her education under Roger Ascham, a sympathetic teacher who believed that learning should be engaging. By the time her formal education ended in 1550, she was one of the best educated women of her generation."

Annj sat down on her desk, looking around the room at the different images. "When Henry VIII died, that left his nine year old son, Edward, as the King of England. Lucky for Elizabeth, she and her brother had always gotten along well, so she wasn't seen as a danger to him or his throne. However, when Edward became ill and it was apparent, his Privy Council was able to convince him that neither Elizabeth nor their sister, Mary, could succeed after him because they were bastards. Therefore, as the final act that Edward was able to sign before his death, he lay the right of succession on the head of his cousin, Jane Grey. Jane didn't want to be Queen, but she wasn't able to fight the entire council and her family. She was not supported by the whole of England, however, and she was deposed in only nine days. Returning to London in triumph, Mary became queen and for a little while, Elizabeth stayed at her side."

Annja shook her head. "The show of solidarity between the sisters did not last long. Mary, a devout Catholic, was determined to crush the Protestant faith in which Elizabeth had been educated, and she ordered that everyone attend Catholic Mass; Elizabeth had to outwardly conform. Mary's initial popularity ebbed away in 1554 when she announced plans to marry Prince Philip of Spain, the son of Emperor Charles V and an active Catholic. Discontent spread rapidly through the country, and many looked to Elizabeth as a focus for their opposition to Mary's religious policies.

"In January and February 1554, Wyatt's rebellion broke out; it was soon suppressed. Elizabeth was brought to court, and interrogated regarding her role, and on 18 March, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Elizabeth fervently protested her innocence. Though it is unlikely that she had plotted with the rebels, some of them were known to have approached her. Mary's closest confidant, Charles V's ambassador Simon Renard, argued that her throne would never be safe while Elizabeth lived; and the Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, worked to have Elizabeth put on trial. Elizabeth's supporters in the government, including Lord Paget, convinced Mary to spare her sister in the absence of hard evidence against her. Instead, on 22 May, Elizabeth was moved from the Tower to Woodstock, where she was to spend almost a year under house arrest in the charge of Sir Henry Bedingfield. Crowds cheered her all along the way. King Philip, Mary's Spanish husband, had little role in England's governance, but he did help protect Elizabeth. It was believed that he was hoping to marry Elizabeth if anything happened to Mary."

Annja wrinkled her nose. "Apparently, Philip believed in keeping it all in the family -- as long as it might one day benefit him." She shook her head and continued.

"On 17 April 1555, Elizabeth was recalled to court to attend the final stages of Mary's latest apparent pregnancy. If Mary and her child died, Elizabeth would become queen. If, on the other hand, Mary gave birth to a healthy child, Elizabeth's chances of becoming queen would recede sharply. When it became clear that Mary was not pregnant, no one believed any longer that she could have a child. Elizabeth's succession seemed assured.

"King Philip, who became King of Spain in 1556, acknowledged the new political reality and cultivated Elizabeth. She was a better ally than the chief alternative, Mary, Queen of Scots, who had grown up in France and was betrothed to the Dauphin of France. When his wife Queen Mary fell ill in 1558, King Philip sent the Count of Feria to consult with Elizabeth. This interview was conducted at Hatfield House, where she had returned to live in October 1555. By October 1558, Elizabeth was already making plans for her government. On 6 November, Mary recognised Elizabeth as her heir. On 17 November 1558 Mary died and Elizabeth succeeded to the throne."