An Introduction to Queen Elizabeth I LO: What do pictures tell us about Elizabeth and her reign? 500BC TIME: Starter : Look at the picture of Elizabeth. Write down a list of words you would use to describe her. EXT.: Look at your list of words. Why does she want to be seen like this?

We are going to look at more pictures of Elizabeth in today’s lesson, but first we need to find out some background information. Look at the statements below and write down the correct versions in your book – how much can you remember… Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour/Anne of Cleves/Anne Boleyn She became Queen of England when her sister Mary died in 1508/1558/1608 Her religion was Catholic/Protestant

Elizabeth had to win the loyalty of her people – both Catholics and Protestants and she had to convince them that she was the right person to rule England. She also had to convince the doubters who thought a woman could not rule a country by herself. One of the best ways for Elizabeth to win people’s loyalty was to tour the country and let people see her. However, this could take a long time and so instead, Elizabeth used portraits and pictures to let people see her. Her image needed to impress her subjects – she had to make sure the pictures of her were controlled. Her portraits needed to show her in the best possible light.

Task Working in pairs, you need to complete the following table: Working in pairs, you need to complete the following table: Picture number Words to describe how Elizabeth looks Extra symbols and what they mean Let´s do an example together..... Let´s do an example together.....

Tudor Rose Pelican – Symbol of Charity 1

Sieve – Symbol of purity Ships crossing the globe – Queen is expanding to the ‘New World’ 2

Globe - Expansion to the New World Pictures from the victory over the Spanish Armada 3

Eyes and ears on her dress – she sees and hears all Serpent – symbol of wisdom Rainbow – symbol of peace 4

Old father time Two angels Death 5

Task 1. Why do you think it was so important for Elizabeth to control the images made of her? Explain this in detail. Extension – Elizabeth controlled every image that was made of her. Other pictures made of her were illegal. Does this mean that the pictures of Elizabeth are useless to historians studying Elizabeth I? Explain your answer

Task Using the different symbols and thinking about what else was included in portraits.... Draw you own King or Queen styled self portrait

On Elizabeth's portraits certain clues were used to carry messages. Some of them are as follows: Swords show justice and power A crown means she is truly Queen A snake stands for wisdom Long hair, or low cut dress, shows a virgin Flowers stand for youth A rainbow, or olive branch, stands for peace Decorative eyes or ears mean the ruler has great knowledge A hand on the globe means power Black and white were colours to symbolise purity and wisdom Pelican – Symbol of Charity

Picture number Words to describe how Elizabeth looks Extra symbols and what they mean