should fail to provide a legitimate son. Approximately
two years after Elizabeth’s birth, Anne Boleyn was
tried on charges of adulterous treason and beheaded.
Henry then married Jane Seymour, by whom he had a
son, Edward, who displaced Mary and Elizabeth as
Henry’s heir. However, all accounts indicate that Eliz-
abeth and Edward enjoyed a cordial relationship, par-
ticularly under the Protestant infl uence of Henry’s
sixth wife, Catherine Parr.
With Edward, Elizabeth studied under Roger Ascham
and William Grindal. She learned to read, write, and
speak Latin, English, French, Italian, Spanish, and some
Greek. Although Elizabeth’s relationships with her sib-
lings were cordial, they changed signifi cantly when
Edward, and then Mary, became England’s rulers. King
Edward VI was only 10 years old at his ascension, so his
two uncles—fi rst Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset,
then John Dudley, duke of Northumberland—became
regents. While Edward lived, Elizabeth continued her
education and practiced her Protestant religion, while
Somerset and Northumberland strove to make a politi-
cally advantageous marriage for her.
Edward died of tuberculosis at 16, leaving no clear
successor. Northumberland attempted to place his
daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, on the throne. Henry
VIII’s act of succession was still in place, however, so,
Jane Grey was deposed after nine days. In 1553, Mary
Tudor ascended the throne and had Parliament declare
her birth legitimate.
Under Mary, Elizabeth’s life was increasingly jeopar-
dized because the queen’s sister represented both per-
sonal and political threats. Henry VIII’s affection for
Elizabeth’s mother had caused Henry’s divorce from
Catherine of Aragon and had made England into a
Protestant nation. Mary, however, was a devout Roman
Catholic. As Mary’s reign continued and she was
unable to eradicate Protestantism or to produce an heir
(she married Philip II of Spain in July 1554), Elizabeth
became an increasing political threat. Elizabeth had
the same claim to the succession as Mary, so resentful
Protestants wanted her crowned queen. To counter
any such plots, Mary demanded that Elizabeth pub-
licly attend mass. Although Elizabeth refused initially,
she eventually appeared to comply. Mary, however,
eventually suspected Elizabeth of joining Protestant
plots to depose her and had her sister imprisoned in
the TOWER OF LONDON and examined for treason, then
moved and guarded at Woodstock, and then at Hat-
fi eld in an effort to keep Elizabeth and others from
conspiring against her. While imprisoned, Elizabeth
continued to study and to write, scratching a poem on
the window at Woodstock (“Written with a Diamond”).
Regardless of Mary’s suspicions, Elizabeth was never
proven to have engaged in any plots to replace the
queen. In 1558, Mary died without issue, and Eliza-
beth became queen at age 24.
As queen, Elizabeth faced several great challenges.
She had to determine national religious practice; to
decide which, if any, of her suitors to marry; to negoti-
ate a foreign policy that kept England from the threat of
war, especially with Catholic nations that might sup-
port MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS in her effort to claim the
English crown; and to maintain order within her own
borders. Because each of these courses had national
ramifi cations, these decisions provided material for
writers of various texts, from peers to playwrights.
A Protestant, Elizabeth returned England to Protes-
tant religious practice. This move, while popular at
home, made England a target for Catholic nations
abroad. To keep English Catholics from joining with
these powers, Elizabeth imposed restrictions on them.
She made hearing or saying mass a punishable offense
and banned Catholic pamphlets written to discredit
her and to foment rebellion. To prevent Catholic
nations from declaring war, Elizabeth also used her
position as the greatest marriage prize in Europe to
keep suitors (including Philip II of Spain) dangling.
As long as they believed that they might marry Eliza-
beth and thereby gain control of England, they hesi-
tated to invade outright. The tensions between Roman
Catholicism and Protestantism infl uenced many writ-
ers, including WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and EDMUND
SPENSER.
Elizabeth’s persistent unmarried status became a focus
of both national concern and international relations.
Many of her letters and speeches, and the literary output
of those who sought her PATRONAGE, focused on her posi-
tion as an unwed queen, although she often used kingly
language when speaking of herself. Elizabeth repeatedly
characterized herself as a prince, as espoused to her160 ELIZABETH I