Queen Elizabeth's Childhood Book

When Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I) was 11 years old, she laboriously translated the text of "The Mirror or Glass of the Sinful Soul" from French rhyme into English prose.  The French poem was "Miroir de l'âme pécheresse," a devotional piece written in 1531 by Marguerite of Navarre.

It is very likely that Princess Elizabeth stitched the intricate cover design of gold and silver thread on blue silk.  Princess Elizabeth gifted this book to her stepmother, Queen Katherine Parr in 1544.  In the center of the cover are Queen Katherine's initials.



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