Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) ruled England for 44 years. She is widely considered to be one of the country’s most successful monarchs ever.
During her reign, explorers sailed around the globe, William Shakespeare wrote plays and Protestantism was established in England.
Teaching Ideas
- Ask children to match the subheadings to the correct paragraph in this online activity.
- Look at some images of coins from Elizabeth I’s reign and compare them to coins today. What is the same, what is different?
- Create your own timeline of Elizabeth’s life. This is a good starting point.
- Write a story set in Elizabethan times.
- Compare a portrait of Elizabeth, for example, one from this page, with a portrait of her father, such as this one. What do you notice? This page has some ideas for discussion.
- Use this page to research information about exploration during Tudor times, and mark the places explored on a world map.
Resources
- Download our Tudors Pack for lots of resources and activities.
- Our fact cards about Elizabeth make a great reading or research resource.
- You can download some free colouring pages from Activity Village.
- This British Council page has a video and accompanying activity, suitable for learners of English.
Elizabeth I Facts
- Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
- She was the third child of Henry VIII to become the English monarch.
- Elizabeth kept her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, in prison for nearly 20 years, and then had her executed.
- Elizabeth never married.
- The first known wristwatch was given to Elizabeth by Robert Dudley in 1571.
Videos
Queen Elizabeth I
This video is a good overview of Elizabeth’s reign, especially the religious and political issues.
Running Time: 4:28
Historical Desktop: Elizabeth I
This Horrible Histories video gives an insight into Elizabeth’s suitors.
Running Time: 4:06
What was the Spanish Armada?
This video gives the historical background and details about the Armada in a child-friendly format.
Running Time 5:58
Books
The Actor, the Rebel and the Wrinkled Queen
A historical novel set in the world of Elizabethan theatre.
Get Up, Elizabeth!
Even princesses have to get up, whether they want to or not!
The Time-Travelling Cat and the Tudor Treasure
The Time-Travelling cat travels back to the court of Elizabeth I
Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
An illustrated biography of the queen.
Avoid Sailing in the Spanish Armada!
This humorous book explores the dangers to the sailors in the Spanish Armada.
Tudor (Eyewitness)
Find out more about the Tudors in this beautifully illustrated book.
The Tudors: Kings, Queens, Scribes and Ferrets!
This comic strip style book covers lots of events from Elizabeth’s reign.
Links
- View portraits of Elizabeth at the National Portrait Gallery.
- Visit the BBC Bitesize page about Elizabeth.
- The DKfindout! site has lots of useful information about Elizabeth.
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