The earliest surviving letter we have written by Elizabeth I was written in 1544 when Elizabeth was aged ten. It was written in Italian and in an italic hand, and the recipient was Elizabeth’s stepmother, Queen Catherine Parr, who was acting as Regent while Henry VIII was in France.

The earliest surviving letter we have written by Elizabeth I was written in 1544 when Elizabeth was aged ten. It was written in Italian and in an italic hand, and the recipient was Elizabeth’s stepmother, Queen Catherine Parr, who was acting as Regent while Henry VIII was in France.