Individual and Society: The Royal Family
What was it like to be looked upon as the most noble group of people in a nation as important and vast as England? The most powerful positions of the royal family were the king and queen of course, depending on who had the crown at that time. When one became the king he would inherit all of the riches and powers that come along with being the king. If he were to marry a woman then she would become part of the royal family, but not really be a ruler with the king. If one were not part of the royal family they would never live the glamorous life they lived. The king and queen could show their power through public executions, making new laws, and their ability to do whatever they wanted to. The royal family changed the course of history by bringing about new religions, theories, the English Reformation, the changing of boundaries, taking part in the Enlightenment, and countless other things.
The royal family was brought about in the mid-1000’s when King Edward the Peaceful was crowned at Bath. Many Viking invasions and King Ethelred’s weakness to be a powerful king forced him out of the monarchy, and his son, Canute, took control of the nation. King Canute made England the heart of his Scandinavian Empire and was admired by all he ruled. When Canute died and his stepson, Edward, then took the throne blending many traditions since he was not originally from England. After Edward’s death and Harold of Norway was killed in battle, the first distinctively important king of the royal family took over, William I started the first major family in royalty, the Normans. After the Normans ended there were six more dynasties of families to rule England at one time or another. The next of these was the Angevin Empire which started the time period when the English monarchy "became the first European power to work out a concept of government, the "community of the realm," which significantly broadened participation in government and altered the relationships between king and subject" (Plumb 58). The other five families--the Plantagenets, the House of Lancaster, the House of York, the Tudors, and the Stuarts -- were significant during their time but all occurred before the time period being studied.
The first empire that deals with Western civilization after 1715 is The House of Hanover, which starts in 1714 with King George I.
The ruler during this time period was Queen Elizabeth. She took the lead as queen on November 17 1558 (Elizabethan 867). Queen Elizabeth had become queen because her sister was executed for suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels. The first thing Queen Elizabeth had done when she became queen was the establishment of an English protestant church of which she became supreme governor. (Elizabethan 868). The era was named after her because of the flourishing works of poetry and plays that were written in this time period (Elizabethan 867). Plays made some people who lived during Elizabethan times extremely wealthy. (Elizabethan 869). The standard of living during the Elizabethan period varied depending on social status. Life for commoners was very harsh and dirty. The streets were filled with sewage and many people died from improper hygiene (Elizabethan 5). The government had no welfare or government help. People had to work in order to get money, if a person did not work they would have to get money from somewhere else or perish (Elizabethan 6). One popular way to make money during Elizabethan times was to be an actor. One of the most famous acting companies was Lord Chamberlains Men. This play company was founded by Lord Chamberlain in 1596 (Elizabethan 868). Lord Chamberlains men had become the second grossing play company in the Elizabethan era (Gaiman 77). Most of the ...
Westminster Abbey, an architectural accomplishment from the thirteenth century on, gives an illustrative display of British history. While daily worship still exists, it isn’t a cathedral or a parish church (Internet Westminster). The elaborate Lady Chapel, the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, as well as tombs and memorials for kings, queens, the famous and great, allow the Abbey to be considered a “Royal Peculiar”, which means that it falls under direct control of the British monarch (Internet Westminster). While every king or queen is significant, a small number have made an impact on the Abbey. Nobility of which include St. Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror Henry III, Richard II, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, George VI and Elizabeth II.
...wed that the death of the Queen would have triggered all these tragedies. As a result of all these points the hierarchy definitely had a strong influence on peoples lives back then.
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
The New Monarchy began in England after the end of civil wars (1485), the Wars of the Roses, when Henry VII acquired the throne by force, thus instituting the dynasty of the Tudors. Henry VII passed laws to increase his power such as laws against “livery and maintenance”, which is when a lord maintained a private army that wore their own insignia or emblem. He also used his royal council as a court to maintain public peace. This royal council met in a roo...
Queen Elizabeth never had children so her successor was James VI of Scotland who became James I of England. He was the son of Mary Stuart and was King of Scots, Ireland, and lastly England as of 1603 at the age of 37 (Wikipedia). He was a talented scholar and “The Golden Age” continued into his reign.
Henry II, King of England, ruled strong and intelligently during his reign, making England one of the strongest countries at the time. Three important things occurred during his reign. The first one is the relationship between Henry and Thomas Becket. The second thing is the achievements he had done to help England become a strong and powerful country. The third important thing in his reign is how he altered the financial system, to take power away from the barons, and using taxes to help him build a fighting force, to keep England from being invaded.
From 1760-1820, King George III ruled England, inheriting the throne from his grandfather and father, King George I and II, respectively. He was responsible for ending the long governmental control by the Whigs, yet many conflicts arose as a result of his abuse of his patronage powers. Campaigns of criticism were created by politicians throughout the country, eventually driving the King to go insane, thus forcing him to give up the throne. After his demoralizing reign, England was seeking a person capable of improving the British Empire’s economic and social situation. With no legitimate heir to the throne, Alexandrina Victoria became the Queen of England, marking the ...
The first monarch is Queen Elizabeth I, who used the guiding principles to rules England. Queen Elizabeth used her might to keep herself safe and did not give the reason ast why she had done this. For example, “When Mary [Queen of Scots] fled to England in 1568 to escape problems in Scotland, Elizabeth put her in prison. Later Mary plotted with Philip II’s [king of Spain] ambassadors in England to kill Elizabeth and seize the throne. Elizabeth found out about the pla...
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world filled with fancy dresses, play, kings, and queens? Or better yet, what would it be like to be the queen of this world? Queen Elizabeth found out what it was like in the 1500’s. Queen Elizabeth was a powerful and well-loved queen.
King Henry VIII had huge political, military, and religious impacts on history and on England. Henry VIII’s reign was indeed, greatly important because of all the changes that he influenced on England mainly. This proficient king also produced three children who all became queens or a king. Henry VIII had such a huge impact on England, not just during the fifteenth century, but hundreds of years after his death.
Monarchies have shifted to less political importance over the years in favor to parliament and a democratically elected prime minister. The film The Queen is a great example of the limited power of Queen Elizabeth II in present-day and shows the ceremonial purposes of her role. The main reasons that this role shift has happened is because monarchs abused their unlimited power repeatedly. Oliver Cromwell was one man who did not like the way his King, Charles I, was controlling the country and decided to do something about it. What some find startling is that Charles I reign ended by being sentenced to death, and by being beheaded under the weight of an axe.
Generally, the English people had a great celebration when Charles II returned to the throne in May of 1660.1 Many believed that restoring the monarchy was the only way to secure constitutional rights. In fact, there was an expectation that bringing back the king would return life to the way it was before 1642 and the rule of Cromwell. Charles II was responsible for improving the government for the people. However, despite some achievements, the king was not very successful in creating a stronger and more effective monarchy. He was dependent on his advisors and other parts of the government from the very beginning of his reign. There were constant conflicts between the king and Parliament over religious issues. When Charles II finally did gain some independence, he still did not accomplish much to improve the monarchy. Overall, the government was very inconsistent during the 1660s and 1670s, and the people became disillusioned with the monarchy. The king did not hold all of the responsibility for what happened to the government, though. The people should have taken charge and worked for a change in the system. The rule of Charles II helped show the English citizens that they could not rely on the government so much, but they needed to take more of the power into their own hands and become more autonomous.
The Elizabethan age was a very important time in the history of England. The time period is named after the queen who ruled England during this time, Queen Elizabeth I (Haigh). This time was a great time for the advancement of England, as they were ushered out of the Middle Ages, and into this new era. While there were many hardships, and plague was a common occurrence, the people lived a much more comfortable life than they ever had before (Jonson). Many great accomplishments were also achieved, including Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation around the world, which was only the second time it had ever been done, and the victory of the British navy over the Spanish Armada (Haigh). Another one of the things that affected the Elizabethan age so greatly was the theater.
During the Wars of Roses, a European royal house of Welsh origins rose to power, a dynasty. The powerful and most well known dynasty is the House of Tudor. Henry VII became king in 1485 and took Elizabeth of York as his wife. They had four children: Prince Arthur of Wales, Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII, and Mary Tudor.