Finding Elizabeth

"I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too." Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth Ornament - purchased at Tower of London 

Queen Elizabeth I, what a woman!  I have been obsessed with all things Elizabethan since I was a little girl.  Today I began my journey around London to seek her out.  

I spent my day exploring the Tower of London.  The oldest building in the complex, the White Tower was conceived by William the Conqueror in 1078. Since then, the Tower has served as a royal residence, a barracks, a mint, an armory, a prison, and housed the Royal menagerie. 

What, you ask, does this have to do with Queen Elizabeth I? Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn.  King Henry VIII divorced his wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne.  Before her coronation, Anne spent time at the Tower of London.  She visited again, three years later, after failing to produce a male heir for Henry.  This visit was not as pleasant as the first, since she spent it in prison awaiting her beheading, which took place on May 19, 1536. Anne was buried in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula inside the Tower of London. We were able to go into the chapel, but there was no photography allowed.  However, I can show you a memorial on the Scaffold Green that was created to commemorate the executions of Anne and nine others that took place there.

Queen Elizabeth also spent time at the Tower as a prisoner.  Her half-sister, Queen Mary I, sent her there after Elizabeth was suspected in a plot against the Queen. She returned to the Tower in 1599 for part of the celebration of her coronation. Elizabeth continued to use the Tower as a prison during her reign.  

I look forward to exploring the rest of the city and seeing where I can find Elizabeth.  Stay tuned...