A New Queen Is Crowned

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

As the resident Tudor and Elizabethan expert and because Elizabeth is one of my role models I felt that it was right I did a post about her coronation and the first day of a new age, the Elizabethan Age, the Golden Age. 

Elizabeth was born at 3am on the 7th September 1533 at Greenwich Palace in London. She was the only daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Anne loved Elizabeth dearly, but sadly she didn't get to spend that much time with her before she was executed by Henry. 

Elizabeth lead a somewhat troubled life, she was declared illegitimate by her father and was forgotten about by Henry until just before he died, thanks to her step-mother Katherine Parr. There was also scandal that followed her and when her brother Edward and sister Mary each took the throne she did her best to serve them, but was sent away from court and even placed under house arrest under suspision of plotting. 

Elizabeth's father Henry VIII had changed the face of Religion in England, when his children ruled they followed in his esteemed footsteps and also changed it. Edward kept the Protestant faith and tried to carry on where his father had left off in the development of the Anglican state. He didn't want his Catholic sister to take over after his reign (cut short by a bout of terminal illness) so passed the crown to his Protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey. When Mary took the throne in 1553, she converted England once more back to being Catholic and attempted to make Elizabeth promise to keep it that way. So when Elizabeth eventually became became Queen in 1558, she knew what she had to do and convert the country back into Protestantism. 

Elizabeth was 25 years old when her sister Mary died on the morning of 17th November 1558, eleven days earlier Mary had recognised Elizabeth as her heir, by midday she was proclaimed Queen by Parliment. Sir Nicholas Throckmorton rode to Hatfield House, her childhood home and the place Mary kept her, she was found supposedly sat under an oak tree with her ladies reading a book. It was also believed that she had uttered, in Latin, the words "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes" which is Psalm 118. Over the coming weeks she would made her way to London and her coronation would be planned. 

Sunday the 15th January 1559 was set  for the coronation, due to her astrologer, Dr John Dee, stating that everything in the heavens would be aligned and would make for a perfect start to a perfect reign. Her coronation consisted of four parts; the vigil procession to the Tower of London; the royal entry procession through the streets of the City of London to the Palace of Westminster; the coronation service itself in Westminster Abbey, and finally a coronation banquet in Westminster Hall.

Elizabeth entered Westminster Hall at 7am. This was after she had been censed by the Archbishop of York, Elizabeth then walked the short distance to the Abbey in procession. The procession contained the Earls of Pembroke and Shrewsbury and her train was carried by the Duchess of Norfolk. 

They were then followed by other nobles carrying the coronation swords, the orb and three crowns which were borne by the Kings of Arms. Elizabeth's coronation included a Catholic mass, this was due to her sister being a Catholic and it being the current religion in England, it was also to be the last Catholic coronation of an English monarch. 

All of the congregation were asked if they accepted Elizabeth as their Queen, in which all shouted back "Yes". After making an offering of gold to the altar, Elizabeth sat to listen to the sermon, although which bishop preached it is unknown. After this followed the anointing, the investing and then Elizabeth was crowned. When she became Queen a law was passed that her official title would be "By the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc". 

After she was crowned a great feast followed, which is to be expected of course. It started at around 3pm which was the time when Elizabeth washed her hands and would go on all evening and ended at 9pm when she left for Whitehall. The hall had been decorated with big tapestries that her father and brought along with an array of 140 gold and silver cups on display. There was 200 guests sat at 4 long tables. The men who had organised the feast, the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Arundel, rode around the hall on horseback. A joust had been scheduled for the following day but had to be rescheduled due to Elizabeth being too tired (and very likely hungover) from the previous day. 

Elizabeth ruled England single handedly for 45 years. She vowed never to marry, which she did and always stated that she was married to England and her people where her children. Elizabeth changed England for the better during her reign, she built up the Navy, she built defences, she defeated the Spanish, changed the Religion and put money back into the treasury.