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'There was never a woman born, for all respects, as Queen Elizabeth, for she spoke and understood all languages, knew all estates and dispositions of princes and particularly was so expert in the knowledge of her realm and estate as no councillors she had could tell her what she knew not before'. So said William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth's leading Minister.

Queen Elizabeth was born in 1533, the daughter of King Henry VIII by his wife Anne Boleyn, whom he had executed when Elizabeth was aged 2. Henry had wanted a son and in his disappointment did not even attend his daughter's Christening. She was sent to Hatfield House to be raised by governesses and saw little of her father. The birth of a half brother, Edward, in 1537 seemed to remove even the slimmest chance that she might ever rule England. Exiled to the countryside, she was tutored by the Cambridge scholar Roger Ascham, among others and made quite an impression on him. He wrote of her,

'Her mind has no womanly weakness (we need to bear in mind that this was a VERY chauvinistic time!) her perseverence is equal to that of a man and her memory long keeps what it picks up. She talks French and Italian as well as she does English and has often talked to me readily and well in Latin, moderately in Greek'. (She was also fluent in Spanish).

During the last years of her father's reign Queen Catherine Parr took an interest in her and ensured that Elizabeth's education was of the highest standard. It was she who saw to it that Elizabeth was taught the skill of public speaking, never considered a subject for a woman at that time, a skill which was to be put to good use. But in the short term, with the death of her father in 1547 and then of her half brother King Edward VI in 1553, Elizabeth was faced with the danger of her half sister Mary ruling England. Mary Tudor was Roman Catholic, whereas Elizabeth was Protestant, a possible focus of plotters. Elizabeth had to live with the constant fear of arrest and execution and had to hear her mother described as a whore and herself declared a bastard. Aged 21, Elizabeth was arrested on the orders of her half sister 'Bloody' Queen Mary and imprisoned in the Tower of London. She fully expected to be put to death, but was able to plead her loyalty and innocence and eventually was released. So far as is known, she never plotted against Mary.

With Queen Mary's death on November 17th 1558, Elizabeth became Queen. She was popular from the start, beginning with a magnificent Coronation

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