Queen Elizabeth was born in 1533. Her parents were King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She ruled England, Ireland and Wales from 1558-1603 – that’s 44 years!
Queen Elizabeth never married and ruled England alone – without a King. This was very unusual for the time. Some people thought that only men could rule a country, but Elizabeth was a popular Queen.
Her reign is often called the ‘Golden Age.’ In this time theatre, music and books became more popular and there were fewer protests about religion. She brought peace to England.
Activity 1
This is the Royal Seal of Queen Elizabeth I. A seal was a piece of wax stamped with a special design and fixed to a document to show that it was real and not copied.
- What can you see on the seal?
- What words would you use to describe the Queen?
- Why do you think a seal was important to Elizabeth I?
Activity 2
This is an example of what Elizabeth I’s signature would have looked like. A signature is a way to identify people. You can see the original version of the signature on the source document.
- Can you design your own signature?