History: King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I
1 What kings and queens of England can you name? In pairs, write their names.
2 Read the text about King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. Choose the best summary.
The Tudors
King Henry VIII and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, are two of the most famous in English history. Even people who know little about English history can recognise them. Red-haired Elizabeth appears in pictures with a big around her neck. Henry, her father, is usually old and fat, wearing lots of jewels and fur.
The Tudor Period
Their (Henry 1509–1547, Elizabeth 1558–1603) were part of the Tudor Period. During this time, England changed greatly. It became rich and the arts developed. People wrote beautiful poems and plays that we still love today. They made important scientific and started to explore other countries. For example, during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, a famous sailor called Francis Drake sailed around the world.
King Henry VIII
There are two facts that everyone knows about Henry VIII. He had six wives and two of them were . But there is other important information. When Henry became King, England was part of the Catholic Church, but he took England out of the Catholic Church and created a new Christian organisation – the Church of England. The Church of England gave Henry more power. It also allowed him to his first wife after she failed to give him a son who would be his .
Although he became fat and ill as he grew older, Henry was tall and handsome when he was young. He spent a lot of money on beautiful palaces and castles and he gave fantastic parties. He had lots of interests and talents and loved sports, hunting and reading.
Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry’s second and most famous wife, Anne Boleyn. (She was just two when her mother died.) Some historians call Elizabeth’s long reign ‘the golden age’ in English history as it was generally very successful and peaceful. At a time when most people thought women were too weak to be monarchs, Elizabeth was a strong and clever . Her defeated the Spanish Armada (a large group of ships sent to attack England). This made her very popular with her people. She never married or had children and she for 44 years.
3 Read the text again. Mark the sentences True, False or Doesn’t say. Correct the false ones.
4 SPEAKING What are the most famous monarchs from Slovenian history? What are they famous for? Were they good people?