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"The Bastard Child" | How Did Elizabeth I Become Queen?

Historic Royal Palaces

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Elizabeth I is among the most popular and successful monarchs in British history. She became the longest-reigning Tudor monarch, crowned at the age of 25. And yet throughout her childhood and early adult life, it seemed unlikely that Elizabeth would inherit the throne. When her father Henry VIII executed her mother Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was only three years old and she was disinherited from the throne. She was arrested for treason, put under house arrest and was the subject of numerous plots against her. How did Elizabeth I rise to power?

Want to learn more about Elizabeth I?
Buy Tracy Borman's latest book The Stolen Crown in the HRP shop: https://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/...

Listen to our podcast series about Elizabeth I on the Historic Royal Palaces Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Jc9...
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...

Image credits:
Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (c. 1507-36) Attributed to British School, 16th century, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1533-1603), Attributed to William Scrots (active 1537-53), © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Thomas Bradshaw, Born 1767, Hatfield House, 1812, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Portrait of a Lady, perhaps Katherine Howard (1520-1542) c. 1540 © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Edward VI as a Child, 1538, National Gallery of Art Washington DC
The Family of Henry VIII c. 1545 © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Elizabeth I (1533-1603) c.1580-5 © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Mary I, Queen of England (1516-58), After Anthonis Mor (1512-16-c. 1576), © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Elizabeth I (1533-1603) c.1580-5 © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust

20 Comments

@tannerhussein7633 10 months ago (edited)

I am forever enchanted with Elizabeth’s life story.. successfully ruling a male-dominated kingdom in the 16th century on her own for 44 years, stubbornly clinging to power until her dying breath… incredible!

@Laura-Kitty 10 months ago

Wow, Elizabeth the 1st ascended the throne at age 25, and Elizabeth the 2nd also ascended the throne at age 25. Amazing.

@Cantetinza17 9 months ago (edited)

I think that it's amazing that the daughter that King Henry tossed away and lost her mother at a young age, became one of the most successful monarchs in history. She was her mother's revenge.

@rdo1231 10 months ago

The odds were stacked against her yet she triumphed. What an extraordinary journey!

@painterpeter1 10 months ago

I always say, Anne Boleyn’s revenge. Queen Elizabeth 1.

@Dinosour29 9 months ago

Aside from the content - let’s give a praise also to the cinematography of this video!

@HawkqOjOp 3 months ago

Elizabeth had the best education of all of them - the school of hard knocks right out of the gate. They say our childhood is what shapes us in adulthood. Thank you for a new, fresh telling of an old piece of history!

@emmastraub6842 10 months ago

I love how the odds were against her and yet she rises to Queen 👑

@Bingoboy22-t2x 8 months ago

The irony is that Henry never lived to see or could have ever imagined that the daughter that Ann Boleyn gave him would go on to be one of England's longest serving and successful monarchs !

@randyboisa6367 9 months ago

"I too can command the wind sir! I have a hurricane in me that can strip Spain bare if you try me!"

@robinwild1 10 months ago

After always being confused about the succession of Elizabeth 1, I think I finally get it!

@Memmy9 10 months ago

I see Tracy Borman, I click.
Thank you for such a splendid video!!

@aresee8208 9 months ago

It seems to me that a young Elizabeth became expert at keeping a low profile the way a dog living in a volatile household learns to slip unnoticed into the background to avoid getting an undeserved beating.

@Becky-ue6mb 9 months ago

I've always admired Elizabeth I. She was a fighter. Who of Henry's children is remembered for so much? Shakespeare, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, etc She might be considered Anne Boylen's revenge. Who's laughing now Henry?

@RelicRarity 9 months ago

The resilience of Elizabeth I never ceases to amaze me — disinherited, imprisoned, written off, yet she rose with unmatched intellect and political finesse. A queen not born into power, but forged by survival. Tudor history never disappoints. 🔥
#ElizabethI #TudorHistory #HistoricRoyalPalaces #AnneBoleynLegacy #WomenInHistory #CrownAndConflict #HistoryUnfolded

@jazzi11xa 10 months ago

Somehow elizabeth 1 was destined to be queen.. fate favored her.. but her long reign can be attiributed to her strength as leader

@hensonlaura 6 months ago

Thank you, to the narrator & creators for treating the subject with dignity - no 'mutton dressed as lamb' (Cunk) dancing around, swinging her hair & grinning over her shoulder into the camera - like a child who finds herself charming. I'm grateful for the thoughtful presentation of facts on Elizabeth's life, because I respect her so. After 45 years (since first read) I still weep when I read her speech to her men, whilst awaiting the arrival of the Spanish Armada - that never came.
Intelligent, resilient, strategic, tough, fun, & larded with plenty of faults as well, she was unique.

@pjm1209 10 months ago

I know that Jane Seymour was Edward VI's mother and Henry's favorite wife, but having her commissioned in the painting and not Katherine is crazy to me. but what to expect from him tbh