Today in 1603 Elizabeth I was buried in Westminster Abbey. She died on March 24, when her body was placed inside a lead coffin and then traveled by barge from Richmond Palace to Whitehall. King James was headed south from Scotland while the body of the Queen would lie in state.
Today, the 28th of April, her coffin left Whitehall for Westminster Abbey – the coffin was covered in purple cloth, and on top was an effigy of Elizabeth with her crown and scepter. The coffin was covered by a canopy held by 6 knights, and the head mourner was the Countess of Northampton, who led the group of noblemen. She was buried in the vault of her grandfather, Henry VII, until in 1606 she was moved to a new tomb, buried next to her sister, Mary I.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested link:
Spring 2019 Tudor Summit: Dr. Estelle Paranque on Elizabeth I Through Foreign Eyes
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.