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Death of Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533 in the Greenwich Palace as the daughter to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. However, within a couple of years of Elizabeth's birth her mother, Anne was executed and she was declared as an illegitimate child. Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.
In 1559, Elizabeth I became the Queen of England after the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. During her reign, many scientific and technological developments took place. This period was also known as the Golden Age. Queen Elizabeth I ruled over England for almost 44 years. Throughout this time, she was looked upon by people as a source of inspiration.
Elizabeth I showed the skills and qualities that were required to be a successful ruler. One of the best instances this was the defeat of Spain by England. After this defeat, Elizabeth I had become powerful. During her era, Sumptuary Laws were passed that reformed the clothing style of the people.
Queen Elizabeth I throughout her 44 years of ruling was regarded as the powerful and efficient ruler that England ever had. Elizabeth continued to carry out her duties till 1602-1603. By this time, Elizabeth had gotten old and was tired both emotionally and physically.
At about the winter time, Elizabeth had fallen sick after she took a walk in the cold winter air and had even complained of a sore throat. She was thus restricted to the comfort of her bed and did not allow her administrators to call for a doctor. It was assumed by her contemporaries that Queen Elizabeth would fight her ailment.
But she did not as she suffering from old age, tiredness and most importantly loneliness. After some days of lying in the bed, she could only communicate through gestures as speaking would cause her pain. All those around the Queen had not doubt that these were the final few days of the Queen.
The fact that Queen Elizabeth was unmarried, and was also known as the Virgin Queen, brought the question of her successor in the forefront in the midst of her reclining condition. She had never clearly stated the name of the person to whom she wanted to make her successor.
It is believed that during her last few days she had mentioned that James I (James VI) of Scotland should succeed her. It was also said the Queen's government played an essential role in his becoming the King of England. Queen Elizabeth died in her sleep in the wee hours of 24th March, 1603. It is interesting that the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty died on the same day as her father and her sister.
The death of the Queen came as a shock to her people who mourned her death. As per her instructions, no post mortem was conducted on the Queen's body. Her body was placed in a lead coffin and was carried by water to Whitehall before taking it to the Westminster Hall.
Queen's funeral took place on 28th April, 1603 after King James I had been crowned the throne. The entire England was in grief because of the Queen's death. With James I coming to power, Scotland and England were united as one nation in 1603. Thus ended the beautiful era of Queen Elizabeth I who rose to power and became the Queen despite all odds.
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