Queen Elizabeth I Research Paper

Queen Elizabeth I was an extremely intelligent, strategic leader and a woman who proved to England numerous times that she possessed the power of a great ruler. Elizabeth’s reign is looked back on as a Golden age, in which the power of the sea was harnessed and appreciated, and the Elizabethan Renaissance emerged bringing with it an extensive education system and laws supporting the poor. Queen Elizabeth reigned as a successful ruler in England for forty five years, strengthening protestantism and challenging gender, power and politics.
Throughout her childhood Elizabeth was faced with many people trying to dictate her life however she remained involved in her studies which lead Elizabeth to develop into the intelligent woman and ruler she

was. When Elizabeth was only four, following her father’s orders, her mother was beheaded and not long after that came the death of her brother, Edward VII. The death of Edward meant that Mary I, Elizabeth’s sister, was to take the throne. Elizabeth knew that was Mary was determined to lead the “country back to Catholicism” and became very intrigued with how this change of religion would affect England (“Elizabeth I.”). It was at this point that Elizabeth began to develop her taste for Protestantism and demonstrate the determination of a great ruler. A protestant man, Sir Thomas Wyatt, took matters into his own hands in which he attempted to put Elizabeth “on the throne by overthrowing Mary”(par.3). Wyatt’s plot may have failed however on November 17, 1558, following Mary’s death, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne. With an excellent education and great strength, the queen began what is known as the the Golden Age of Elizabeth.
Following the reign of Mary I, refurbishing the Protestant religion was a great concern of the new queen as well as establishing royal supremacy over the church. In order to achieve her goals it was imperative to be surrounded by those with similar views, to assure cooperation. It was very “significant” that immediately Elizabeth appointed Sir William Cecil, an “essentially conservative” man who shared the same political views and ideas as Elizabeth, as her chief secretary (par.5). The queen was aware of the risk of war with Catholic countries, especially France and Spain, and the anger the Puritans had towards the Church of England. Therefore Elizabeth slightly altered her goal of establishing a strong Protestant religion to prevent a “rising against the crown”, despite the strong push of Parliament for a “harsher legislation” (par.10). In doing so, Elizabeth had decreased the severity of the Catholic anger towards the Church of England and actually “retained the patriotic loyalty” of many who were Catholic (par.10). During these religious settlements however, Elizabeth was able to secure the title of supreme governor of the church in 1559, allowing Elizabeth to handle future religious issues more easily.
When Elizabeth became queen one of the many imperative actions to be taken was to implement an effective foreign policy. In the beginning of the queen’s reign, England did not have the military capabilities to oppose either France or Spain (“Elizabeth I.”). France was considered the “chief foreign threat” to England due to France’s connections to Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic and political threat to England (par.10). In light of Elizabeth strategically signing the Treaty of Edinburgh, “an alliance between England and Scotland”, France’s ability to invade England through Scotland was terminated and Elizabeth conservatively eliminated any threat the French had to England (par.10).
About 10 years after France posed a major threat to England, Spain would eventually emerge as the new chief threat. Elizabeth was eventually urged by protestant activists to ensure that there was a fine line of power between England and Catholic Spain to eliminate any Spanish threat (par.11). The queen then issued an order to send ships that would attack Spanish shipping vessels in order to temporarily hinder the capabilities of the Spanish military, cutting off or at least significantly reducing Spain’s supplies (par.11). Additionally, in 1585 Elizabeth sent a well trained “expeditionary force to the Netherlands” which resulted in the total defeat of the Spanish Armada, a very important victory for the English and especially Elizabeth (par.11). The defeat of a major power like Spain marked what some identify as the high point of Elizabeth’s reign.
The speeches that Queen Elizabeth gave throughout her rule revealed her intelligence and common sense that allowed her to maintain power for almost fifty years. After the death of Mary, England faced a time when it was politically and religiously “strained” ("The Speeches of Elizabeth I."). Elizabeth had to work to gain support of the nobles, to prevent those with political power from launching an uprising against the queen and to assure her subjects that her reign would be successful. In her first ever speech as Queen, Elizabeth assured her subjects that she would, “make a good account to almighty God” in order to do what was best for England and not for any personal glory (par.10). In the Queen’s famous Golden Speech, Elizabeth reinstated her dedication to the people of England, only increasing their loyalty to their loving queen, in which Elizabeth told her subjects that she was never “enticed with the glorious name of a king or authority of a queen” (par.12). Instead Elizabeth thanked God that he established her as the one who would protect England from “peril, dishonor, tyranny, and oppression”(par.12). The queen's speeches were very effective and nationalistic due to the fact that Elizabeth would eventually fulfill her promises. Elizabeth fulfilled her promise that she would consult her advisors before making government decisions, unlike her father. For example, Elizabeth consulted with Sir William Cecil on matters including the Protestant reformation. In her speeches, Elizabeth would also declare her love for her people which in return she was gifted with the devotion of her subjects (par.14). The popularity that Elizabeth gained from her speeches helped her maintain a steady grip on power which greatly helped Elizabeth accomplish her main goal and promise, success in England.
In fourteenth century England, the idea of a woman monarch was met with hostility.

Elizabeth’s succession to the throne was met with vast assumptions about gender roles. Parliament and many others made it very clear and strongly urged Elizabeth to marry in order to produce a male heir, hinting that a man would’ve been better fit to rule than the “illegitimate child of Anne Boleyn” (“Elizabeth I.”). Elizabeth however, gave no sign of self doubt. She would give her subjects her undivided attention and demonstrate nothing but respect despite what some would say of her. Elizabeth would repeatedly assure suitors and parliament that she did not need a husband, and that when she accepted her role as Queen “she had no intention of sharing it” (par.18). In fact the Queen took advantage of her unwed hand and utilized it as possibly her strongest “diplomatic weapon” (“Elizabeth I.”). If Elizabeth were to be married it would have very “strong repercussions” on English foreign relations, disrupting the balance of continental powers (par.8). By refusing to marry, Elizabeth eluded any possible power dispute in England and kept rivals at

bay.
The forty five years in which Queen Elizabeth ruled was brimming with achievements.

The Elizabethan era of “1558-1603” consisted of a new and inspired culture and great success for the emerging middle class ("Daily Life in the Elizabethan Era."). During Elizabeth’s reign, a cultural revolution transpired in England that would produce expanded “new views” of human nature and nationalistic thinking consisting of “seemingly unlimited potential of human reason and spirit” (“The Elizabethan Court.”). The cultural revolution that was brought forth as a result of the golden age of Elizabeth eventually gave rise to “ the Renaissance, a cultural movement involving the rebirth of classical thinking and the arts…” (par.2). Elizabeth’s reign is also regarded as a time of “unparalleled literary achievement” in which the rate of literacy rose considerably (“Elizabeth I.”). As the amount of people who could read and write increased, playwriting greatly advanced allowing for highly influential writers like Shakespeare to emerge. Shakespeare’s profoundly popular play, Romeo and Juliet, was set in Elizabethan times and it’s characters, namely Juliet, alluded to the Queen’s well known principle of chastity (Shakespeare 11). Also, due to developing businesses and industries and the rapid increase in population during Elizabethan times, a new middle class “consisting of successful merchants and craftsmen arose” ("Daily Life in the Elizabethan Era."). The rapid increase in population provided

the new working class with an abundance of customers which then allowed the city merchants to become extremely wealthy and climb quickly in social status. Additionally, during Elizabeth’s reign, Parliament passed “several poor laws” which gave local church districts the responsibility of maintaining the poor. England also began to emerge as a great sea power in the fourteenth century which eventually would pave the way for the “expansion of the British empire…” (“Elizabeth I.”). Navigators including John Hawkins and Francis Drake lead exploits that resulted in “English trade with islands in the Caribbean Sea”(par.16). The Elizabethan age consisted of many achievements that greatly benefited Europe and paved the way for future successors to the throne.
For forty five years Queen Elizabeth I successfully ruled England, preserving stability in a country that was previously burdened with political and religious vulnerability. The Queen also successfully retained the authority of the monarchy while faced with great pressure from Parliament. Elizabeth’s combination of skill, determination, and intelligence allowed for not only England to prosper in the face of very poor odds but for the queen herself to develop into the most successful monarch that England knew.