Queen Elizabeth Compare And Contrast

Queen Mary (r.1553-58) and Queen Elizabeth (r. 1558-1603) were the first two women to sit on the English throne as regent monarchs. In many respects both women shared similar experiences in childhood. Both were daughters of Henry VIII, illegtimized in favour of a younger sibling and were never expected to ascend the throne. Mary I was deemed illegitimate as a result of her father’s annulment to her mother, Catherine of Aragon, and the birth of Elizabeth from his second marriage to Anne Boelyn. Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boelyn was found guilty of treason, resulting in her beheading. Henry’s third marriage to Jane Seymour produced a male heir, Edward VI, settling concerns of establishing a male heir in the Tudor lineage. As a result of Edward’s

Due to both Mary and Elizabeth’s illegitimacy and the severed ties from their father both women were raised in the households of their mother’s families, where both proved themselves to be serious and intelligent students. Despite these similarities both women were raised very differently and had differing attitudes and approaches towards monarchy once they became queens. Mary was raised by her mother in Spanish households with strong ties to Catholic Spain. Elizabeth was raised by her uncle in an English humanist household with ties to Protestant Europe. Upon accession of the throne in 1553 Mary quickly reverted England to Roman Catholicism and allowed her new Spanish husband to share the throne as king. Whereas in 1558 when Elizabeth became the monarch, after her half-sisters death, she immediately created the Protestant Church of England and lived out her life as “virgin queen,” intent to rule as sole regent. My master’s thesis seeks to answer to what extent these very different styles of Tudor queenship were determined by their childhood households, religion, and education? Using a range of both historical and literary sources I will examine how their childhood experiences were reflected in their policies, politics, speeches, and correspondence once they became