Page 120 - ALCHEMY 2018-19

118 | SACHDEVA GLOBAL SCHOOL | 2018-19

ELIZABETH I - THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England and Ireland. She was the ruler of England for nearly 45 years.
She was the second child of one of the most powerful king of England, Henry VIII. Even though she was
a female ruler, that never affected her. She said “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman,
but I have the heart and stomach of a king and of a king of England too.”Sometimes called The Virgin
Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the
Tudor dynasty.
Her half-brother, Edward VI, ruled until his death in 1553 and her half-sister Roman Catholic Mary
succeeded the throne. During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of
supporting Protestant rebels. In 1558, Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to
rule by good counsel.
Her mother, Anne Boleyn was given the title of “witch.” She was beheaded with a sword by Henry VIII.
Anne's marriage to Henry VIII was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.
She never married. She said, “I do not want a husband who honors me as a queen, if he does not love me
as a woman” and “I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married”
Queen Elizabeth I is a true example of heroism. She was one of the most powerful queens, England has
ever had. She was never afraid of anyone and said that she has a heart of a man not a woman and she
was not afraid of anyone. She broke the glass ceiling by not letting anyone RULE HER even if it meant
that England would not have an heir to the throne after her death.

Gunnika Bhatia
IX-B