“We wanted a boy, she is not what we wanted”. Imagine hearing these words come from a parents mouth, especially a fathers. Generally fathers are to favorite daughters more than sons, and mothers favorite sons more that daughters. However, on the afternoon of September 7th 1533, those were the words and thoughts that were heard as a princess, and future queen was born to King Henry VII and Anne Boleyn. It appears that even in the 1500's oppression against women was evident. Women throughout the years have never been equal with men. Men in Elizabeth's day were seen as the most suitable heirs to the throne (Watkins).
Three days after the birth of the future queen of England, she was Christened Elizabeth. What should have been the most joyous day for the child’s parents was not. The King needed a son to secure the future of England, and Anne needed a son to make sure she was not executed. The only person not present at the christening ceremony was the father, King Henry. He could not bring himself to attend the ceremony, because he had gone against his countries religion and values and married Anne Boleyn, without divorcing his first wife Katherine of Argon. He left Katherine because she was unable to produce in the King's eyes a suitable heir to the throne, which would have been a male, instead Katherine had a little girl, Mary, who would be Elizabeth's half sister. Very quickly after Elizabeth was born, Anne was pregnant once more. On January 29th 1536 she finally had the son that the King so longed for, unfortunately the child was still born. King Henry at this time was tired of Anne, so he falsely accused her of adultery and incest. On May 19th 1536 she was beheaded on the Tower Green.
After Anne's death Mary and Elizabeth were declared illegitimate by Parliament as future heirs to the throne. Not long after the execution of Elizabeth's mother, King Henry married again. This time he married Jane Seymour, and on October 12th 1537 his wish of finally having a son came true, Prince Edward was born. Unfortunately Prince Edwards mother died shortly after he was born on October 24th . On January 6th 1540 King Henry married Anne of Cleves.
The story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, has been elusive to historians since her death in 1536 at the hands of her husband. This, in part, can be attributed to the destruction of almost everything she touched soon after her execution. On orders of the king, the castles that were once her home had all memory stripped of her. Portraits were destroyed, letters disappeared, their symbol of the H and A intertwined had the A ripped away. The remnants of her time on the throne are pieces of history that were overlooked in the workers haste to strip the castles in preparation for Jane Seymour to become queen. There are few hints left of what really happened during Anne’s life and how important she was during her reign which has created the widespread infatuation with Anne and who she really was. Why is Anne’s life of such interest to us then? The reasons are many and include the desire to know her role in the English reformation, being the first queen of England to ever be executed, and the impact it had on her daughter and the later Queen Elizabeth I.
Elizabeth I was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Although she entertained many marriage proposals and flirted incessantly, she never married or had children.
In 1558, John Knox declared, “To promote a Woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any Realm, Nation, or City, is against all Nature…” (document 1). Knox’s statement was no different than most English men’s opinions during the 1500s. The majority of the population was opposed to having a women hold any type of political power, as they believed it was a job for solely a man to possess. Leading up to the time period of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, females had a specific purpose in life: to serve their husbands and provide them with children. All women lacked freedom and liberty, Elizabeth Tudor sought to change this matter. When Queen Elizabeth was coronated in 1559, men were superior in all economic and social aspects; however,
Queen Isabella was born in 1451, in the city of Castile, Spain (Leon 75). She was the daughter of King John II and Arevalo (Maltby par 1). Her family was very strong Catholics and she was born and raised a Catholic. Her brother, Alfonso, became King. He banished her mother, younger brother, and her from the kingdom (Leon 75, 77). Isabella had chestnut hair with natural red highlights and her look was demure and soft. She went to school with nuns at Santa Ana Convent. At school, she fancied reading, writing, music, and painting. In her free time, she was tutored at home with her older brother. After her childhood, she learned treachery was everywhere. As a teenager, her family forced her to marry a scoundrel. That day, she prayed to God for deliverance. On the way to their wedding, he choked and died from bronchitis. From that day on, she was ready for what was coming her way.
She was born into a family of a long line of royal decedents. She became Queen at the age of twenty four. She was the first women to be on an US commutative coin. Who is this very accomplished person? Queen Isabella. Bold and daring, Queen Isabella accomplished many things in her thirty years of rein as Queen of Castile and Aragon.
Queen Elizabeth I was said to be one of the best rulers of England. Unlike rulers before her, she was a Protestant and not a Catholic. She was not stupid though. She did go to church and did everything that Catholics did to prevent getting her head cut off under the rules of her sister Mary. Elizabeth was very young when she came to rule. She was only 17 years old when her sister Mary died and she took over.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry the 8th. She was declared a bastard in 1537 when her father finally had a male child. After this no one believed that she would ever inherit the throne of England. Elizabeth was very damaged by the fact that her father kept beheading his wives. One of her step-mothers Catherine Howard, who was her mother’s cousin, was kind to her and it deeply affected her that another person she loved was beheaded (Weir Pg. 13). Many people believe that this is one of the main reasons that Elizabeth never wanted to marry. The institution itself was deeply flawed to her reasoning. I would be the same way if every time my father married he got to chop the woman’s head off because he was bored with her.
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a frail son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
Edward of Westminster, the oldest son of Edward IV was only twelve years old when his father Edward IV died on April 9, 1483. On that event, Prince Edward became King Edward V. He was not married during his short reign of less than three months. However, the prince was pre-contracted to marry Anne of Brittany when he was ten and she four years old in 1480. Since Edward V had no queen consort, this chapter summarizes his biography. Edward V’s place in history is notorious in that he was the older of two sons of Edward IV who were imprisoned in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard of Gloucester. They were never seen again outside its walls after July 1483. What happened to the two, who have always been referred to as the Princes in the Tower, is the most contentious mystery in English history. Major focus in this narrative is on five issues:
Queen Elizabeth I’s gender appears as one of the main topics in her speeches. Elizabeth’s common mention of her own female gender, despite the fact that she could refer to herself with masculine terms, allows her to use gender stereotypes. Using these stereotypes along with mentions of motherly love and her knowledge of literature and when to manipulate her gender, she can rally others to her side, explain why she delays her answers to Parliament, and explain why she cannot knowingly harm her subjects, but by doing this, she provides people with evidence that women are unintelligent and incapable of ruling.
She encouraged the myth of the Virgin Queen. She never married because she knew that if she did her husband would take all the power. She was two years old when her father had her mother beheaded because she did not give him a son. Elizabeth was never heard speaking about or even saying her mother’s name. Soon after, Parliament said that Elizabeth was illegitimate to take the throne. She ...
Through the use of two main characters in the film, Queen Margot, a critical examination will be made to further understand the importance of developing characters and their respected standard historical interpretations. By heavily characterizing the protagonist, Margaret of Valois, audience members were given the ability to identify with her. Similarly, the Queen regent, Catherine de Medici remained heavily mythologized in the film to advance the plotline. The overall success of the film can thereby be attributed to the prominence of the representation of historical figures.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
Known as The Golden Age in English history, the 45 year rule of Queen Elizabeth I turned the declining country of England, into one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.
The charges were treason, witchcraft and adultery with five men including her brother which most historians agree was probably false. Anne was unpopular when she came to the throne many English subjects loyalty still remaining with Catherine of Argon. Their marriage becoming increasingly hostile because her producing a stillborn and increasing jealousy of his affairs with her maids-of-honor, Madge Shelton and Jane Seymour (Henry VIII third wife). Unlike Catherine Anne that side didn't turn a blind cheek to increasing questioning him about his whereabouts. Not much known about how Elizabeth found out or reacted to the news of her mothers death, she she did however notice when people started referring to her as Lady Elizabeth instead of Princess Elizabeth. Soon after her mother's execution Henry VIII married Jane Seymour the mother of Edward VI and the her parents married annulled and she declared a bastard. At the age of 10 in 1537 leaves court for Hatfield House, Hertfordshire what the time London is suffering from the spread of plague specifically the sweating sickness. . It is at this time that rumors that are still alive after 400 year that she was replaced with the Bisley boy (a relative of Henry