Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, in Greenwich Palace on the Thames River. Her father was King Henry VIII, and her mother was Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife. Elizabeth was two years old when her mother was beheaded. She was taught that her mother deserved her punishment.
Her early life was spent with a nurse and four different stepmothers. Her father did not care for her, and her nurse had to practically beg the king for money to buy suitable clothes for Elizabeth. Three of her stepmothers did not pay much attention to her. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife after Anne Boleyn, died in childbirth while giving birth to a baby boy, Prince Edward. Elizabeth and Edward grew up together in the royal nursery. Catherine Parr, Henry's fifth wife, was very interested in learning and education. She was the woman who educated the princess. Elizabeth studied Greek and Roman classics, history, theology, and modern and classical languages. Elizabeth was very intelligent; she was better at speaking six foreign languages than speaking English. She was fluent in French, Greek, Latin, and Italian. Roger Ascham, a famous scholar and humanist, also taught Elizabeth.