Queen Elizabeth I Essay

The Tudor Monarchy is one of the most well known monarchies of English history. It is so well known primarily due to Henry VIII, all of his wives, and his desire for a male heir to the throne of England. Because of Henry VIII, England received one of its best monarchs, Queen Elizabeth. There were a great number of obstacles and unfortunate events that Elizabeth went through as a result of her parents. Although Queen Elizabeth I faced many difficulties, including both coming to the throne and during her reign, she was a great ruler with many successes that changed the course of England and its history.

Elizabeth’s father was King Henry VIII. Many of Henry’s decisions and actions had an effect on what Elizabeth would be required to do when she became queen. The most prominent and important political affair that she would have to attend to was the church (Elizabeth I BBC). Henry believed very strongly in Catholicism. In 1521, he was given the title of “Defender of the Faith” by the Pope. He received this title after attacking Martin Luther in a book that he wrote. In this book, Henry made it very clear that Luther’s religious views were false. He made it known that he supported the Roman Catholic Church, and confirmed that the Pope was supreme (Henry VIII).

In 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the church. His theses concerned his beliefs and what he thought was wrong with the church. If they had listened to him, England would have gone down a very different path. However, instead of listening to Martin Luther, they called him a heretic and ignored his critiques (Jasper 18).

In 1509, Henry married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry’s brother, Arthur, widowed Catherine (Jasper 20). Be...

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...lands, and was always thirsty. Although the doctors gave her advice on what to do with her illnesses, she never listened (Somerset 566-567). On March 24, 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died at Richmond Palace (Elizabeth I Royal.gov).

Throughout Queen Elizabeth I’s life, she encountered many obstacles. From her father and his six wives and her half-siblings to almost being executed and all of the incredible struggles during her reign, Elizabeth still managed to be successful. Even though those things caused issues for Elizabeth, she was strong enough to overcome them. She was able to keep control of her country and helped it prosper. She was a very selfless queen who did whatever she could to move England forward. Queen Elizabeth sacrificed her own happiness for the benefit of the country. She was loved by her people and continues to be praised today.