During the Wars of Religion, from 1554 to 1648, the actions of Elizabeth I, Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Philip II all demonstrated their worthiness to be considered great rulers. Elizabeth I of England defeated the Spanish Armada, the strongest naval power the world had ever seen. Henry IV of France took many steps that eventually led to a religious agreement in France. Louis XIII of France left France as a major European power. Philip II of Spain made Spain very rich and powerful during the height of his reign.
Elizabeth Tudor I of England accomplished many things during her reign, proving her a great ruler. Elizabeth ruled as a woman in a male-dominant society. She was the first woman to rule England without a king for her entire reign. Adding to her challenges was the fact that she was a Protestant Queen in a Catholic country. One of Elizabeth’s main accomplishments was the Act of Uniformity that was passed in 1559. This required everyone in England to be a Protestant on the surface and to attend Anglican Church on Sunday. Catholics were still allowed to practice their own religion, but had to do so underground, so that England would appear to be religiously unified. Another achievement that made Elizabeth I a great ruler were the 39 Articles that were passed in 1563. This was a Protestant doctrine, but preserved many Catholic ceremonies, which led to a very moderate form of Protestantism. However, the accomplishment of the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, is probably the most important factor in making Elizabeth I a great ruler. The small English ships were much better suited when a storm came along, and the Spanish Navy easily fell to the English. The most powerful navy was destroyed, and it left England w...
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...hey had been the most advanced and the strongest beforehand. He regarded himself as the champion of the Catholic faith and he strongly supported the Inquisition. One of Philip IIs most important achievements was the Escorial, finished in 1584. The Escorial was built in honor of St. Lawrence, since he had won a battle against the French on his feast day. Although there were a few downfalls of Philip II’s reign, his various accomplishments make him a great ruler.
The accomplishments of Elizabeth I, Henry IV, Louis XIII and Philip II all demonstrated their merit to being considered great rulers. They did this through rising to the challenges that were presented to them and leaving their kingdoms better off than before. Although they ruled during the period of the Wars of Religion, their achievements made them stand out and earn the title of being a great ruler.
Naming yourself a great leader isn't the same as establishing the respect of a great leader from the people you rule, for example, Queen Nzinga was able to rule sufficiently and protect her kingdom from, slavery, constant wars, famine, and bankruptcy, whereas Louis XIV, although creating a new society failed at providing such fortifications. In 1663, when Louis XIII had passed away, five year old Louis XIV had to take up the throne, and although he made immature and unreasonable decisions, he later made his mind up to make a more centralized state. For this reason there were constant wars with foreign countries and domestic civil strife. Louis XIV’s most acknowledged decision was the employing of John Baptiste Colbert as Minister of Finance, under whom the French economy flourished, hence creating a centralized and fortified state for the first half of his reign. However, later in his reign, due to extravagant wars, and continuous financial problems, Louis XIV’s new society collapsed. Similarly, Queen Nzinga took over the throne after the death of her brother in 1623, fought many battles and wars, however, was able to keep up a strong centralized and government, and was able to protect her people from the Portuguese for as long as she lived.
New monarchs are considered the first stepping stone to create great nations. These new monarchs display the traits of limiting the nobles' power, increasing economic prosperity, uniting their nation, and stabilizing their army. Nations such as Spain, France, and England, have new monarchs in their history, including Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, King Louis XI of France, and King Henry VII of England. Overall without the strengthening of these new monarchs, the corruption of their successors would have been detrimental to the process of improving these nations.
The Tudors was one of the most powerful families to rule England in its history. Henry VII, Mary I, and Henry VIII are some of the names that come to mind when talking about this powerful family, but when it comes to the most memorable leader, Queen Elizabeth I comes to mind. Elizabeth I ruled England during an era named after her (Elizabethan Era) because she was respected and ruled her kingdom with class and grace. She was loved by all and she loved her subjects just the same. Queen Elizabeth I was one of the greatest monarchs that England had during the sixteenth century because, she had a questionable childhood, lead the nation through a war, ruled a country with no help from a man, had a love for the arts, and left a legacy that will
James II of England was the first king to succeed to the kingdoms of both England and Scotland and to be crowned King of both. He was also known as the Duke of York, the Duke of Albany, and the honorary Duke of Normandy; a title that was never to be held again by an English monarch. He was called Lord High Admiral as he commanded the English navy in the Anglo- Dutch war, which resulted in a new English city renamed for him (New York). He became King of England on February 6, 1685 and remained so until he fled to France, escaping the hatred of his countrymen and the threats of his son-in-law on December 11, 1688. He was crowned King of Scotland 11 weeks after his coronation in England on April 23, 1685 and continued ruling over Ireland, even after his deposition, until July 1, 1690 when he was defeated by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. Despite his numerous titles and seemingly unlimited influence, his views concerning God, his unpleasant personality, and his outdated views on government would lead to the reconstruction of the English government and a removal of a second monarch, less than 100 years after the removal of Charles I. It’s an impressive resume for a not so impressive man.
the monarchy of his efforts and achievements and it was he who took all of the
Elizabeth inherited a tattered realm: dissension between Catholics and Protestants tore at the very foundation of society; the royal treasury had been bled dry by Mary and her advisors, Mary's loss of Calais left England with no continental possessions for the first time since the arrival of the Normans in 1066 and many (mainly Catholics) doubted Elizabeth's claim to the throne. Continental affairs added to the problems - France had a strong footland in Scotland, and Spain, the strongest western nation at the time, posed a threat to the security of the realm. Elizabeth proved most calm and calculating (even though she had a horrendous temper) in her political acumen, employing capable and distinguished men to carrying out royal prerogative.
In politics, the interest of nations was centered on religion. Monarchs aligned themselves based on religious belief and fought wars against those who worshiped differently. In Spain, King Phillip II waged war against the Islamic Ottoman Empire in an attempt to stop the spread of Islam in Western Europe and further spread Catholicism. Spain, the most powerful nation in Western Europe during the late 16th century also tried to interfere in French royal succession when Henry IV, a protestant, was to ascend to the throne. A fact that underscores the role of religion is that fighting between Spain and France continued even after Henry IV converted to Catholicism. Another example of relationships affected by the difference in religion is the strained relationships, which eventually lead to armed conflict, Spain had with England and the Netherland, two protestant nations. Elizabeth who ruled England, herself experienced discord with her Puritan subjects who felt that the differences between the Protestant Anglican Church and the Catholic Church were not distinct enough. This same fanaticism resulted in Elizabeth ordering the execution of Mary Queen of Scotts in order to extinguish Catholic hopes of rule, which her life and position in line to the throne gave Catholics in England. Religious tolerance was rare. During the late 16th century, the Netherlands were the only nation to have a policy of tolerance. The Dutch benefit from this tolerant policy as it attracts people of various religious backgrounds, creating fertile ground for commerce. During the scientif...
He had a vision of what it meant to be a great king. He followed the history of the kings after Alexander the Great. He believed he had to increase the social, political and intellectual organization of his society. This distinguished himself from any other ruler from the past three hundred years. Charlemagne wanted to recreate what the Roman Empire once was capable of, but even better. As he traveled, he made sure he created a great educational system. He built a chain of schools and provided classes for chil...
When you hear of historical figures that “conquered” a certain time period, you think of barbarians, spartans, or other gruesome, battle-tested men. While William I, the King of England and Duke of Normandy, was also nicknamed the “Conqueror”, he achieved success reigning over his time period in very different ways than that of Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great. Regardless of his path to success, William I played a huge part in the religious evolution of England. Using his advantageous leadership position, William I was able to be prosperous for many decades. His illustrious career is historical proof that a country does not need to be overtaken by brute force alone.
...e can be known as ‘King of Kings’ and this is why his legacy is still remaining to this day.
Most significantly was her control over the Privy Council. Haigh argues that she had control because, “…she had a council of hand-picked officials rather than men whose power forced them upon her” . She also did this by participating in discussions whilst taking notes, and by using affection as well as anger. This would have worked because it highlighted to the council members that she was in charge and that they couldn’t try to take advantage of her age and gender. The big debate on parliament between Neale and Elton highlights how significant Elizabeth’s was. Neale argues that the power of the House of Commons increased in her reign through her conflict with individual MPs. Stating the later problems for the Stuarts being evidence for this. The 1640 Civil War’s roots started here as the Commons developed a growing awareness of their increasing powers. However, Elton argues that parliament is doing its job as normal despite the conflict as there were 424 acts passed. Arguably he is correct as parliament did succeed in passing acts. At the end of her reign Cecil had died leaving the Queen to deal with the issues of monopolies. She highlighted her governing skills when she delivered her Golden Speech in 1601 as, “the wounds were healed” with parliament after this. Suggesting that she could govern England on her own. Elizabeth I’s Religious Settlement was effective as she successfully established a via media, by changing the words said by the priest as he consecrated the bread and wine in the Book of Common Prayer, therefore, denying the presence of Christ during the communion service This also shows that the monarch was responsible as her doctrine is similar to the modern one used today, therefore emphasising how influential it was. Her Act of Supremacy in 1559 highlights how she pacified both Protestants
Many people, in England, believe that there has always been one queen to stand above the rest. That queen was Elizabeth the 1st. She has made many accomplishments during her reign. From a compromise about what religion England would follow to defeating the Spanish Armada.
...s was from a military stand point, which was rare for him. In 1667, Louis attacked a portion of the Netherlands that was owned by the Spanish. This resulted in the gaining of 12 towns, which encouraged Louis to attack the Dutch Netherlands, which did gain him a few wealthy port towns, before ending in disaster. Louis’ last great success was the building of the Palace of Versailles, which as described earlier was a feat never before matched by a ruler.
...th died in 1603, England was an expanding power with a rich and growing trade in the Netherlands, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and even Russia. In addition, the groundwork had been laid for the first English settlement in the New World, established in Virginia in 1607. The realm Elizabeth preserved against great odds was on its way to its status as a prime world power, while the sun of Spain was slowly sinking. At her death, England had passed through one of the greatest periods of its history--a period that produced William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Martin Frobisher, Francis Drake, and other notable figures in literature and exploration, a period that saw England, united as a nation, become a major European power with a great navy, a period in which English commerce and industry prospered and English colonization had begun.
...les of being a great ruler. They ruled in completely different styles, but nevertheless, they both had an extreme passion, the ability to inspire and they were both honorable and fair.