« 'I am already bound to a husband who is the kingdom of England.' » (Briscoe). These words were spoken by none other than Queen Elizabeth I, one of England's most prominent monarchs. Elizabeth's childhood impacted the decisions she made as Queen of England. The Queen is well known for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots as well as defeating the Spanish Armada. Being the “Virgin Queen” also added to her popularity. Elizabeth's reign is considered by some to be an "age of glory" (Trueman), but the early years preceding her reign were far from favorable. Henry VIII did not set a good example in Elizabeth's early years. Elizabeth was born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on September 7, 1533. Henry had wanted a son so much that he had his previous wives beheaded since they had not borne him a son (Eakins). Anne thought she was having a boy, but sure enough, Elizabeth walked out. This was a certain disappointment for the king. In May 1536 (Sparknotes), before Elizabeth was even three years old, Henry had Anne's head cut off after – perhaps wrongly – accusing her of incest and adultery. Henry then remarried Jane Seymour who was soon expecting a son. Jane died shortly after the birth of Edward VI. Katherine Parr was Elizabeth's last stepmother as well as Henry's sixth and final wife. Katherine had a daughter older than Elizabeth – Mary (Eakins). However, Henry VIII's health was failing. Many of Elizabeth's relatives would take charge of England before Elizabeth. Henry VIII died in January 1547 (Sparknotes), meaning Elizabeth's half-brother Edward VI was next to be thrown away at ten (Trueman). Meanwhile, Dowager Queen Katherine had to care for Elizabeth (Eakins). Kat...... middle of paper ......l with Mary trying to take the crown from her or the Spanish Armada invading England to try to bring back Catholicism. Works Cited Briscoe, Alexandra. “Elizabeth I: An Overview.” BBC. BBC, February 17, 2011. Web. April 30, 2014.Eakins, Lara. “Elizabeth I.” The Tudor monarchs. Lara Eakins, 2014. The web. April 28, 2014. “Elizabeth.” Luminarium. Anniina Jokinen, June 18, 2011. Web. April 29, 2014. “Elizabeth I”. BBC. BBC, 2014. The web. April 29, 2014. “Elizabeth I (1558-1603 AD). » Brittany. Britannia.com, 2011. Web. April 28, 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Biography. A&E Television Networks, LLC., 2014. Web. April 28, 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Ducks. Technological Solutions, Inc., May 2014. Web. May 4, 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” SparkNotes. Sparknotes LLC., 2014. The web. May 3, 2014. Trueman, Chris. “Elizabeth I.” History learning site. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, 2013. Web. May 1 2014.