la storia di una regina leggendaria: Elisabetta I

After Mary’s death her sister Elizabeth came to the throne. She was Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s daughter. Her father had sent her mother to the block (executed = mandare al ceppo) when Elizabeth was just  two and a half years and she was declared illegitimate.
England was a  troubled  country. Protestant fought Catholics and there was very little money. With a group of trusted (confidential = di ficucia) adviser the young queen began to unite her country: she sold land, stopped building new palaces and made peace with her country’s enemies. The quality of life started improving (= a migliorare) with better housing, heath and education. England became a strong trading (commercial = commerciale) nation with towns and ports. A curiosity: to get  money Queen Elizabeth I put a tax on beards (= barbe).

Men like Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh sailed ( travelled on ship= salparono per) the world and returned with new discoveries and knowledge. Her reign was a peaceful one, but she fought a very important war with Spain, when Sir Francis Drake and his fleet of ships (= flotta) met and destroyed the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Queen Elizabeth had many fine jewels and clothes. She loved hunting (= cacciarae) , the theatre and fireworks (= fuochi d’artifico). She enjoyed meeting her people and often visited towns and the countryside in colourful royal processions (parades=  sfilate). Elizabeth had many admirers but she never married and she died childless in 1603.