The Elizabethan Era and Gender Role

Elizabethan Royalty

(The Struggles of the Crown)

The Elizabethan Era was from 1533 (the birth of Queen Elizabeth 1) till 1603 (death). Queen Elizabeth was the one who was responsibly for what happened to the country during this era. Being part of the Elizabethan Royalty was a tough and challenging task, the Elizabethan Royalty played an important role with religious conflicts for power between neighboring countries, having the constant pressure to produce a successor, and had to endure sexual discrimination against the Queen for being a woman on the throne of England without a male counterpart.

During this period there was a dispute over who should rule over England, Queen Elizabeth or Mary Queen of Scots. This dispute was not just one of power over the public but also of the influence on religion. Queen Elizabeth was a Protestant Christian and Mary Queen of Scots was a Catholic. The religious belief played a key role in the Foreign Policies between England and its neighboring countries. At the end of the 1550s two different factors came into play, the French Factor and the Scottish Factor. France and England were at the time disputing over land called the Cateau-Cambresis Calais and were therefore sworn enemies. The French King Henry the Second had threatened Queen Elizabeth's throne by placing the support of the French sovereign it the hands of Mary Queen of Scots who was the Dauphin's wife (a term for the King's eldest son's wife). On top of this support from the French, Mary Queen of Scots was also supported by the Pope. As stated by Martin Kovar in his article The Shaping of the Elizabethan Monarchy "Elizabeth's excommunication was only a matter of time." Fortunately for Queen Elizabeth on July 10, 1559 the French King, H...

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...ng with femininity and it was considered a loss of masculinity when men were to show love. This form of "love" is different from the lust and desire which was a common trait for young men to possess. They believed that there was a certain relationship between masculinity, sexual dominance, and conquest, placing a connection between power and gender.

The throne and the Royalty that linked itself to was for anyone a difficult task to accomplish. The Elizabethan Royalty played an important role with religious conflicts for power between neighboring countries, having the constant pressure to produce a successor, and had to endure sexual discrimination against the Queen being a woman on the throne of England without a male counterpart. Although the Elizabethan Royalty suffered many struggles, it was through this hardship that they were able to shape the Elizabethan Era.