Elizabeth Tudor is thought to be the greatest ruler in English history. She was born on September 7, 1533. She lived to be sixty nine years old and ruled for almost 45 years. “The first Elizabeth of England, who died not quite four hundred years ago, became such a great queen that she gave her name to her time, the Elizabethan Age” (Thomas 1). Elizabeth led England during it’s greatest time of influence as a nation despite the prejudices against her gender. Many people believe that her life was like a fairy tale-“Beloved by the kingdom; dressed by servants in jewels and gold, silk and velvet; pampered and treasured by kings and married to princes”, but in reality her life did not come close to being a fairy tale. Many of her subjects hater her from the moment she was born. She experienced imprisonment, her sister threatened to kill her, and she was almost forced in marriages with men she hated. Some of her friends caused uprisings in her name. Her enemies tried to assassinate her. Her father had her mother beheaded and ignored her for most of her life. Although she had many suitors, she never loved any of them. She understood the common people and eventually gained the loyalty of those who hated her. She could also be ruthless. The city gates and London Bridge held the bodies of the people that she executed during her reign. She encouraged the myth of the Virgin Queen. She never married because she knew that if she did her husband would take all the power. She was two years old when her father had her mother beheaded because she did not give him a son. Elizabeth was never heard speaking about or even saying her mother’s name. Soon after, Parliament said that Elizabeth was illegitimate to take the throne. She ... ... middle of paper ... ...gnant and had a large cyst, which is what caused her death. Mary died on November 17, 1558. Parliament addressed Elizabeth, “of whose most lawful right and title in the succession of the Crown, thanks be to God, we need not to doubt” (Beesly 1). It wasn’t until three years later that she became queen. She was twenty five years old when she became queen. Many people did not think she was fit to rule. When she came to power, England was bankrupt. She was only the third queen to rule, and the others ended badly. Even those who were for her were unsure of her rule. They advised her to get married, but she led the country alone for almost a century. She amazed even her enemies with her ruling. Works Cited Beesly, Edward “The Life of Queen Elizabeth” Stickland, Agnes “The Life of Queen Elizabeth” Thomas, Jane Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I, from Greenwich, England, is recognized as one of the great rulers of the Western world. Growing up, tutors were astonished at the fact that she could play music and speak numerous languages. At age 25, she became queen. Her father, eldest sister, and brother had all died, which left her next in line for the throne. Though many people predicted that her reign would not last long, Elizabeth quickly disproved their underestimations
Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Elizabeth I had many qualities of an absolute ruler and these qualities helped her to make a stronger England. Among the areas that Elizabeth I had absolute power were, her total control of politics in her country, her complete ability to use the military to keep and increase her power, and her complete influence over the social and cultural situation of England.
Elizabeth Tudor was born in 1533 to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her life began in the midst of controversy and continued to be troubled until her death in 1603. Elizabeth, in reality, never should have been the ruler of Great Britain at all since she had several siblings in line for the throne ahead of her. After she was crowned queen at the age of 25, she successfully reigned for 45 years. Elizabeth increased English power and influence worldwide, handled sensitive issues like religion with grace and diplomacy, and gained and retained the respect of her subjects and other political figures. The fact that she accomplished all of this as a female in a male dominated society is nothing short of miraculous. The defeat of the "Invincible Spanish Armada" in 1588 cemented Queen Elizabeth's place in history as one of the most important and greatest rulers in England's history.
Doran, Susan, et al. "Elizabeth I." World History in Context. Gale, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
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 I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
Upon the death of her sister--in November of 1558--Elizabeth ascended to the thrown of England. Until Mary’s rule, no woman--apart from the unrecognized rule of Matilda, daughter of Henry I--had ruled England of her own right1. Much like her sister, Elizabeth began her rule widely accepted and welcomed2. There were, however, still many who felt that women were unable to rule, being that women were said to be the weaker sex. John Knox argued that, “God by the order of his creation hath spoiled women of authority and dominion, [and] also that man hath seen, proved and pronounced just causes why that it so should be.”3 Women had always been no more then property, first to their fathers and then their husbands. If a women were to be the anointed queen of a realm of her own right and then marry, whom was beholden to whom? A woman was to do as instructed by her husband in all things, yet a sovereign was to be under the command of God only.
Elizabeth the first, born on September 7, 1533, is the most different and intriguing monarch in the English history (Dunn). Elizabeth is known as the Virgin Queen all of her reign. She used that image to keep out of marriage, prevent war and become one of the most beloved monarchs of the people. This image helped her also fend off Mary Queen of Scots claim to the throne. Between her vivacious and often volatile personality she led her kingdom well up until the day she died on March 24, 1603 (Alchin). The kingdom went into genuine morning for their queen of The People who had made herself loved by all of her subjects.
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
Elizabeth didn’t believe in the accusation and she refused to execute Mary. Secretly, Mary was found guilty and she was sentenced to be beheaded (Plaidy, Haws English Capti. par 1 Return to Scots par 1). Before Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587, she wrote a four page letter to her brother-in-law Henry III King of France. Overall, Mary had a very complicated and hard life (Briley par
In 1553, Elizabeth’s half brother, Edward, died at the age of nine. Shortly after, Elizabeth’s half sister took the throne. Her name was Mary. Mary caused many problems for England. Mary believed that England should follow one religion and anyone who did not follow this religion would be executed. Mary was Catholic. She later got the nickname “bloody Mary” because she killed so many Protestants. This caused a problem for Elizabeth because she was Protestant. Many people who did not believe the Catholic faith thought that Elizabeth was the rightful ruler and plotted against Mary. The leader of this plot was named Thomas Wyatt. He was organizing a rebellion and soon Mary found out of this plan. She then had Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower of London. Elizabeth told her sister she had no idea of the plot but her sister would not believe her. When soldiers came to get Elizabeth and take her to the Tower, she was so scared Elizabeth literally would not move.
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...
In the late 1500s, there came period in time where the country of England had gone through an era called Elizabethan England. During this time, the ruler of England was Queen Elizabeth I. She's considered to be have been England's best monarch. During her reign, the government was described as a personal monarch. This is because Queen Elizabeth's personality played a role in determining the style, intensity, and efficiency of the government. The government of Elizabethan England was centralized, well organized, and very efficient.
Her key role as Queen was to bare a son to be the heir. She constantly becomes pregnant but ends up having a miscarriage or giving birth to a still-born child. She eventually gives birth to a son who stirs up great celebrations but unfortunately falls ill and die...
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...