The Woman Who Ruled a King: Anne Boleyn

Part of the legacy Anne left after her death was her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, who is depicted in the sculpture to the right. Elizabeth became the Queen of England in 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth becoming queen could be seen as Anne’s final act of rebellion against Henry. This is due to the fact that he always wanted his son to take his throne, but instead his powerful daughter did. Elizabeth was the end of the Tudor monarchy. In her time as queen, she came to be known as the "Virgin Queen".

In the portrait to the left, Elizabeth is dressed glamorously in a dress with puff-sleeves and a large lace ruffled collar. She is also holding a bouquet of flowers. Portraitures such as this were quite popular in the mid-15th century. It was a style seen amongst the royal Tudors in the United Kingdoms. The portraits of her parents seen earlier in this exhibit were done in a comparable style to this one. This is due to the fact the family had a court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, who was tasked with painting the royal family's portraits. Holbein did not paint this one of Elizabeth, as it was when she was an adult, however it is still done in a similar fashion.

Anne cared greatly for her daughter, but she was executed two years after Elizabeth was born. Therefore, Anne didn't truly have an opportunity to be in her daughter's life. A glimpse into Anne and Elizabeth’s brief time together, though, can be seen in the print to the right. In the image, Anne is standing behind a small Elizabeth and holding her shoulder. Anne is instructing Matthew Parker to watch over Elizabeth for a bit. Even though, the mother and daughter's time together was cut short, it is said Elizabeth had kept many of her mother's belongings; either cause a servant gave them to her, she was gifted them, or she found them at some point.