Saturday, October 10, 2015

On This Day in Elizabethan History: Queen Elizabeth Succumbs to Smallpox

The Gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace. Shared for public use on Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

On this day in 1562, Queen Elizabeth I fell ill at Hampton Court Palace with smallpox, just a mere four years after succeeding to the throne of England. You can read about Elizabeth I's battle with smallpox, which nearly killed her, the ramifications of her near-death experience for her realm, and her fortunate recovery, in our original BeingBess article.