Queen Elizabeth I: The Last Tudor Monarch with Vivienne Haxby

Join Viv Haxby for an exploration of the life of Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor dynasty. We will focus on her family, her favorites, the buildings with which she was closely associated, and the major events of her 44-year reign.  We will consider how she was defined by the traumatic events of her childhood: her mother was beheaded when she was three years old, and she was declared illegitimate - one of Henry VIII’s ‘bastards’.

Elizabeth I finally succeeded to the throne after the tumultuous reigns of her two siblings and she used her extraordinary intellect and political acumen to defy a largely Catholic Europe intent on overturning the Protestant faith. We’ll discuss how she dealt with the problem of Mary Queen of Scots, the threat of the Spanish Armada, and throughout her life, how she used her womanly wiles to play one man off against another. By the standards of any age, Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland was a remarkable woman!

Led by an expert in the royal history of England, Viv Haxby, this seminar with a look at the life and times of the last Tudor monarch. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travel, participants will come away with an increased knowledge of this period of English royal history.

Viv has a degree in English Language and Medieval Literature from Durham University. She spends part of each year in France, but for the past 25 years London has been home. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for London's C18 and C19 history and her detailed knowledge of the city's royal connections. She has a particular interest in the great aristocratic landholdings of London, and has created walks around the 'villages' of London such as Chelsea, Bloomsbury and Spitalfields. Viv also works as a volunteer marshal, or 'Green Gown' at Westminster Abbey.

Not suitable for children under age 13 (sensitive content).

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.