Click2Flicks - Elizabeth I - Chapter 2

<body link="0000ff" alink="ff0000" vlink="000000" bgcolor=000033> <table width="100%" bgcolor=000033> <tr> <td align=center valign=top> <table width=90% bgcolor=ffffff> <tr> <td align=center valign=top> <tr> <td> <div align=center><p><b><font face="arial, helvetica" size=5 color=000000><b>ELIZABETH I: THE GOLDEN AGE</p> <p><font size="4">CHAPTER 2 - PRINCESS ELIZABETH</b></font></p> </div>  <center> <table width="90%"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <div align="justify"> <p><font face="arial, helvetica" color="000000" size="3">Even though <a target="_blank" href="images/henry_8_Henry.VIII_after.1537_by_Hans.Holbein.Younger_Walker.Art.Gallery_Liverpool.jpg"><b>Henry VIII</b></a> desperately wanted a son, his new child (with his new queen, <a target="_blank" href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor/annedesc.html"><b>Anne Boleyn</b></a>),  was a daughter. Elizabeth was <a target="_blank" href="http://britannia.com/history/londonhistory/grw-pal2.html"><b>born at</b></a>  London’s <a target="_blank" href="images/greenwich_palace_contemporary.sketch_artist.unknown_greenwich.during.tudor.times.jpg"><b>Greenwich Palace</b></a> on the 7th of September, 1533. She had her father’s coloring: golden-red hair and very fair skin.</p> <p>Before the little girl was three years old, her mother was <a target="_blank" href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor/exanne.html"><b>beheaded</b></a> on the Tower Green. Accused of various crimes, Anne’s worst offense may have been the birth of a stillborn son. </p> <p>Princess Elizabeth was strong-willed, even as a child. Initially, her father made the little girl his heir, bypassing his elder daughter Mary.</p> <p>Then Henry had his longed-for son, <a target="_blank" href="images/edward_painting.by.Hans.Holbein.the.younger_1537_National.Gallery.Art_Washington.jpg"><b>Edward</b></a>,  with his new queen, Jane Seymour. When the King decided to change his succession (designating <a target="_blank" href="images/his_son_watercolor.by.Hans.Holbein_1541-42_Offentliche.Kunstammlung_Basil.jpg"><b>his son</b></a> as heir-to-the-throne), Elizabeth was effectively demoted from “princess” to “lady.” On hearing the news, the little girl reportedly told the husband of her governess (Lady Margaret Bryan):</p> <blockquote><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>How haps it, Governor, yesterday my Lady Princess, and today but my Lady Elizabeth? </i></b></font></blockquote> <p>When she was four, the future queen had a new governess: <a target="_blank" href="images/catherine_unknown.artist_Lord.Hastings.Collection.jpg"><b>Catherine Champernowne</b></a>.  Kat, as she was known, married <a target="_blank" href="images/sir_john_ashley.jpg"><b>Sir John Ashley</b></a>.  An extremely important part of the child’s formative years, Kat Ashley was also one of Elizabeth’s teachers. The two became so close that when Elizabeth was crowned queen, she made Kat "First Lady of the Bedchamber." </p> <p>Although her father ultimately had six wives, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/122"><b>last one</b></a> - <a target="_blank" href="images/catherine_parr_artist.unknown_NPG.London.jpg"><b>Catherine Parr</b></a> -  insisted that her step-daughter needed an excellent education. <a target="_blank" href="images/elizabeth_Elizabeth_c.1546_attributed.to_Wm.Scrots_Royal.Collection.jpg"><b>Elizabeth</b></a> and <a target="_blank" href="images/edward_edward.1547_unknown.artist_NPG.London.jpg"><b>Edward</b></a>  both studied with <a target="_blank" href="images/roger_ascham_%20artist.unknown.png"><b>Roger Ascham</b></a>,  one of Britain’s most-respected scholars at the time. Under his tutelage and strict <a target="_blank" href="http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/ascham1.htm"><b>approach to learning</b></a> (scroll down thirty percent to review his comments), the already-precocious <a target="_blank" href="images/elizabeth_flourished_Elizabeth_c.1546_attributed_Wm.Scrots.jpg"><b>Elizabeth flourished</b></a>.  Before her late-teen years, she could speak six languages. Of his famous pupil, <a target="_blank" href="http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/literature/ascham.html"><b>Ascham</b></a> -  employing attitudes and using language of the time - <a target="_blank" href="http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/history/education.html"><b>wrote</b></a>: </p> <blockquote><font face="Times New Roman"><i><b>Her mind has no womanly weakness ... her perseverance is equal to that of a man ... She readeth more Greek every day, than some Prebendary </i></b>[a church official] <i><b>of this Church doth read Latin in a whole week.</i></b></font></blockquote> <p>After their <a target="_blank" href="images/father_died_allegorical.painting_Henry.passing.throne.to.Edward_artist.unknown_NPG.London.jpg"><b>father died</b></a>,  Elizabeth’s nine-year-old half-brother was crowned <a target="_blank" href="images/Edward_VI_painting.by.unknown.artist_Flemish.School_1546.jpg"><b>Edward VI</b></a>.  His short-lived rule ended less than seven years later, in 1553.</p> <p>Now Elizabeth’s half-sister <a target="_blank" href="images/mary_1_Princess.Mary.Tudor_1544_by_Master.John_NPG.London.jpg"><b>Mary</b></a> would become queen, and life would become much more difficult for Anne Boleyn’s daughter.</p> </div> <p align="center"><font size="2"><a href="elizabeth_I_ch1.htm">GO TO LAST CHAPTER</a>   <a href="elizabeth_I_ch3.htm">GO TO NEXT CHAPTER</a></p><br> </td> </tr> </table>  </td>  <td align="center" valign="top"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.awesomestories.com/includes/ad_format.js"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td>  </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> </table> </body>