Elizabeth I is released from the Tower, First Vaccination Documented

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In 1554, Elizabeth (future Elizabeth I) was released from the Tower of London to house arrest at Woodstock. She had been held for weeks despite no evidence to implicate her in the recent Wyatt Rebellion to overthrow her half-sister Mary and put her on the throne. The date chosen was probably deliberate and could have been meant to send a message to Elizabeth that she was still alive only by the mercy of her sister, it was 19th May, the 18th anniversary of her mother's execution at the Tower. The next anniversary to fall in this week is that of the first documented smallpox vaccination by Dr Edward Jenner. A discovery that would have greatly benefitted Elizabeth who almost died from the…