Queen Elizabeth 1
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I is often referred to as "The Golden Age" of English history. Elizabeth was an immensely popular Queen, and her popularity has waned little with the passing of four hundred years. She is still one of the best-loved monarchs, and one of the most admired rulers of all time. She became a legend in her own lifetime, famed for her remarkable abilities and achievements. Yet, about Elizabeth the woman, we know very little. She is an enigma, and was an enigma to her own people.
Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace. Her birth was possibly the greatest disappointment of her father's life. He had wanted a son and heir to succeed him as he already had a daughter, Mary, by his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. He had not divorced Katherine, and changed the religion of the country in the process, to have only another daughter. Elizabeth's early life was consequently troubled. Her mother failed to provide the King with a son and was executed on false charges of incest and adultery on 19 May 1536. Her marriage to the King was declared null and void, and Elizabeth, like her half-sister, Mary, was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the line of succession. The next eight years of her life saw a quick succession of stepmothers. There was Jane Seymour who died giving birth to the King's longed for son, Edward; Anne of Cleves who was divorced; Catherine Howard who was beheaded; and finally Catherine Parr. For generations, historians have debated whether the constant bride changing of her father was responsible for Elizabeth's apparent refusal to marry. It is certainly possible that the tragic fates of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard impressed upon her a certain fear of marriage, but there may have been other reasons for the Queen's single state, such as a fear of childbirth, which claimed the lives of a significant number of women in this period. Even if the Queen had no personal reservations about marriage, there were political problems with almost every contender for her hand. Religion was a major divisive issue, and there was also the problem of whether Elizabeth would have to relinquish any of her royal powers to a husband in an age when the political sphere was exclusively male.
As a child, Elizabeth wa...
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... claim the English throne for himself and not for her. In the summer of 1588 he sent his mighty fleet against England. But by superior tactics, ship design, and sheer good fortune, the English defeated them. Elizabeth's popularity reached its zenith. It was also another personal triumph as she had proved that she, a woman, could lead in war as well as any man.
Elizabeth was dedicated to her country in a way few monarchs had been or have been since. Elizabeth had the mind of a political genius and nurtured her country through careful leadership and by choosing capable men to assist her, such as Sir William Cecil and Sir Francis Walsingham. Elizabeth was a determined woman, but she was not obstinate. She listened to the advice of those around her, and would change a policy if it were unpopular. In appearance she was extravagant, in behavior sometimes flippant and frivolous, but her approach to politics was serious, conservative, and cautious. When she ascended the throne in 1558, England was an impoverished country torn apart by religious squabbles. When she died at Richmond Palace on the 24th March 1603, England was one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.
Elizabeth I had total control of politics in England. She showed this best by refusing to marry. This allowed her to “further her general policy of balancing the continental powers,” (Gale Biography Context). Because Elizabeth decided not to marry, she was able to have complete political power over England. Political power
After she rejected a Spanish king’s marriage proposal, he sent 130 warships in retaliation. Elizabeth famously destroyed them all, which led to England’s emergence as a dominant naval power. Always dancing, Queen Elizabeth I viewed “the literary life...as a worthy endeavor” (Krull 31) and strongly supported the works of scholars. Her original poetry and speeches, as well as her love of music and drama, encouraged cultural growth throughout England. She inspired countless people to pursue art and literature, and many later women writers credit Elizabeth for their
Queen Elizabeth I was crowned queen of England when she as only 25 years old (Queen Elizabeth I - Biography). She became the third queen to rule England in her own right. The first was older cousin Lady Jane Grey who was voted out after nine days in office. Second, was older sister Queen Mary I who exacted anyone who disagreed with her beliefs involving religion. Both of them were disasters to the country (Queen Elizabeth - Facts). England was struggling with money, war, and religious strife but Queen Elizabeth I was ready to take that burden and return England back to its former
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.
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.
[Even when her power was fading Elizabeth showed her love to her people. She gave one of her most famous speeches, Golden Speech]. In it, “Of myself I must say this, I was never greedy, scraping grasper, nor a strait, fast holding prince, nor yet a waster. My heart was never set on worldly goods but for my subjects’ good” (History.com).
Elizabeth’s relationship with her elder male cousin, the Duke of Norfolk, was not good at all. The Duke of Norfolk wanted to kill Elizabeth because he wanted to become the king of England. Becoming the king of England was impossible while Elizabeth was still the queen. When Mary was on her deathbed with cancer the Duke of Norfolk tried to get Mary to sign a paper that would allow him to kill Elizabeth and become King of England. The Duke of Norfolk would speak against Queen Elizabeth and try to turn England against her. At one meeting she had to lock him and his men up so he wouldn’t cause a disturbance. They both had their differences.
Queen Elizabeth the first was a woman who cannot just use some simple words and phrases to be described, those words people use for heroes and heroines would not fit to describe Elizabeth. She had been through many tough and difficult situations from her cousins tried to put her to death only because they want the title of hers and the seat where she sat to her trusted friends or even boyfriend turns to mean, unreliable and despicable enemies. She led E England into an age of prosperity, peace, and expansion. People even used her name to name the time period “Elizabethan Age”. She is the one who united England, and also the one who righted the wrongs of past rulers. Even her enemies would agree that what she stood up for and who she was will be remember, deeply, in people’s heart.
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.
Elizabeth was born September 7, 1533 in Greenwich England. She was the daughter of King Henry VII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth had a half sister from the king’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and also had a half brother from the king’s third wife, Jane Seymour. When Elizabeth was only two, her father had her mother executed for suspicion of adultery. When her father decided to have Elizabeth’s mother executed, he then stripped Elizabeth of her title as princess.
Elizabeth was often referred to as “The Virgin Queen.” The reason for this nickname was due to her choice to remain unmarried. Her reasoning for this was complex. It seemed that she did not marry for political purposes. Queen Elizabeth declared herself “married to England.” When she became The Virgin Queen, she set herself aside from other women, which is probably why she commanded so much respect. If she had married, she would have essentially lost all power. She couldn’t marry an Englishman because it could create factional infighting, but if she were to marry at foreign man, she would be believed to be invo...
...These characters all show traits of wittiness, determination and strength. The traits Queen Elizabeth expressed as she ruled England, a single woman taking on a man’s job. Shakespeare included these characters in his play because he knew the Queen would enjoy seeing characters that portrayed her; it showed a sign a respect towards her. The Queen supported the theatre and Shakespeare in his work. Shakespeare thanks her by giving her females characters leads in his play with characteristics of her reflected in them. Queen Elizabeth ruled throughout Shakespeare’s life so it would influence him in his writings. She showed him through her rulings that she was a feminist. She did whatever it took to get what she wanted and to rule her country, she showed fierceness and compassion. Shakespeare took these characteristics and portrayed them in his female characters.
middle of paper ... ... ethan Era. Queen Elizabeth was a woman wholly devoted to her country and brought it much prosperity and growth; these qualities made her the most respected leader of the entire history of England. Elizabeth nurtured and united England, and built and defeated one of the most powerful navy’s of her time. Elizabeth made England one of the most powerful countries during her reign.
Queen Elizabeth the first was one of the first woman monarchs to rule alone in the history of Europe. Her character, the way she ruled, and even her gender transformed her country’s go...
At the time of her birth, no one ever thought that Elizabeth would become queen of Great Britain. Elizabeth only got to enjoy the first ten years of her life with all the freedoms of being a royal without the pressures of being the heir apparent. She often took dancing and singing lessons. Her life took a major spin with the death of her grandfather, King George V. Her uncle became King Edward VIII, but he only ruled for about six months because he chose love over power. Edward appointed Elizabeth's father, Prince Albert, to become King. Soon the outbr...