“'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 influenced the decisions she made as Queen of England. The Queen is known for executing Mary, Queen of Scots and defeating the Spanish Armada. Being the "Virgin Queen" also increased her popularity. Elizabeth's reign is considered by some to be an era 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 7 September 1533. Henry wanted a son so badly that he had his previous wives beheaded because they had given him no sons (Eakins). Anne thought she was expecting a boy, but, as expected, Elizabeth came out. This was somewhat of a disappointment to the king. In May 1536 (Sparknotes), before Elizabeth was even three years old, Henry had Anne's head cut off after accusing her, perhaps falsely, of incest and adultery. Henry then remarried to Jane Seymour who was soon expecting a child. Jane died shortly after the birth of Edward VI. Katherine Parr was Elizabeth's last stepmother, as well as Henry's sixth and last wife. Katherine had an older daughter than Elizabeth: Mary (Eakins). Henry VIII's health, however, was deteriorating. Many of Elizabeth's relatives would take command of England before Elizabeth. Henry VIII died in January 1547 (Sparknotes), meaning Elizabeth's half-brother Edward VI was next in line at the age of ten (Trueman). Meanwhile, Queen Dowager Katherine had to look after Elizabeth (Eakins). Kat...... in the center of the sheet......l with Mary trying to take away her crown or the Spanish Army invading England to try to bring Catholicism back to life. Works Cited Briscoe, Alexandra. "Elizabeth I: An Overview." BBC. BBC, 17 February 2011. Web. 30 April 2014. Eakins, Lara. "Elizabeth I." The Tudor monarchs. Lara Eakins, 2014. Web. April 28, 2014. “Elizabeth.” Luminary. Anniina Jokinen, 18 June 2011. Web. 29 April 2014. “Elizabeth I”. BBC. BBC, 2014. Web. 29 April 2014. “Elizabeth I (AD 1558-1603).” Britannia. Britannia.com, 2011. Web. 28 April 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I”. Bio. A&E Television Networks, LLC., 2014. Web. April 28, 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc., May 2014. Web. 4 May 2014. “Queen Elizabeth I.” Notes of sparkle. Sparknotes LLC., 2014. Web. May 3, 2014. Trueman, Chris. "Elizabeth I." Site for learning history. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, 2013. Web. 1 May 2014.