Elizabeth I

Agustina Palacio, Carolina Reynoso and Florencia Hornus

This work describes one of the greatest Monarchs of England, Elizabeth I. Besides her difficult
childhood and plots against her, she was a powerful leader who engaged her personal life with
the nation. She was the only English Queen who never married and the last in the Tudor Dynasty
because she did not want to leave an heir. However, the virgin Queen provided welcome
stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.

House (family)
Elizabeth was born in Greenwich on 7 September, 1533. Her parents were Henry VIII and his
second wife, Anne Boleyn. She also had two siblings: Edward and Mary. When Elizabeth was two
years old, her mother was beheaded for adultery, treason and incest in the Great Hall of the
Tower of London, under orders of her father. Little Princess Elizabeth was sent to live with her
sister Mary. [1]

Elizabeth’s childhood was difficult and her birth was a huge disappointment to King Henry who
longed for a male heir. She became quite close to her half-brother Edward, who called her 'Sweet
Sister Temperance'. In later years Catherine Parr, Henry's sixth wife, took a keen interest in the
young Elizabeth and made sure that she was educated to the highest standards. [2]

In 1547, King Henry VIII died and Edward VI succeeded him to the throne. Edward died in 1553
and Mary I became the new Queen until she died in 1558. After that, Elizabeth’s reign began.

Period
In 1553, Elizabeth's older half-sister Mary became queen. Mary was determined to re-establish
Catholicism in England and viewed the Protestant Elizabeth as a direct threat. Elizabeth was
briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London at Hatfield, Hertfordshire in 1554 because following
a failed rebellion by Sir Thomas Wyatt against Queen Mary, of which she claimed no knowledge.
In November 1558, Mary died. After the death of Mary I, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne,
inheriting problems with religion, poverty and foreign policy.

The arts flourished in England during this period as Shakespeare, Spenser and Marlowe [4]
created poetry and drama while composers such as Byrd and Tallis worked in Elizabeth’s court.
During the Elizabethan age, London had its first theatres. It was the most splendid age of
literature, flowering of poetry, drama and prose. The queen attended the first performance of
Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In 1568, Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots –a Catholic with a strong claim to the English
throne– sought exile in England. Mary was imprisoned and executed for conspiracy and plots
against the queen. [4] Elizabeth's reign was one of considerable danger and difficulty for
many threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland.
Roman Catholics plotted against her life and were discovered.

In 1588, Philip II of Spain launched a great fleet, known as the Spanish Armada, which tried to
overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholicism. Elizabeth united the country against this common
enemy. In a famous speech to troops at Tilbury, she said: ‘I know I have the body of a weak,
feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king - and of a King of England too.’
[2]Partly aided by bad weather, the English Navy defeated the Spanish Armada, with the help of
Sir Francis Drake. [4]

During Elizabeth's long reign, the nation also suffered from an economic depression,
especially in the countryside. Elizabeth's administration consisted of some 600 officials
administering the great offices of the state, and a similar number dealing with the Crown
lands, which funded the administrative costs.

Main contributions
She was queen of England and Ireland. Her 45 year reign was considered a golden period and
she gave her name to the ‘Elizabethan Age’.

Elizabeth’s first priority on becoming Queen was to return England to the Protestant faith. For
this reason, she helped to create the Church of England that although Protestant, allowed some
of the Old Catholic traditions to continue. [4] She solved the religious tensions by following a
'middle way' which allowed Catholics and Puritans to keep their private beliefs as long as they
went to the Church of England in public; she asked for outward uniformity. She adopted a
moderate religious policy. The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity (1559), the introduction of The
Prayer Book of 1559, and the Thirty-Nine Articles (1563) were all Protestant in doctrine, but
preserved many traditionally Catholic ceremonies. She established Protestantism as the
country's religion. [3]

Elizabeth's reign also saw England significantly expand its trade overseas and in 1580 Sir Francis
Drake became the first Englishman to successfully circumnavigate the Earth. By the end of her
reign England was a world power which had set up its first colony on the east coast of North
America, Virginia. [1] English explorers sailed to new lands. The main benefit of exploration
around this time was to open up trade routes with countries around the world.

She went on 25 regional visits known as ‘progresses’ often riding on horseback rather than
traveling in a carriage. [4] Queen Elizabeth established the Poor Laws - she achieved a new
framework of support for the needy. Elizabeth restored the stability and the status of the
monarchy.

Personality traits
‘The Queen Bess’ was the last Tudor monarch. She was red-haired like her father, a shrewd and
intelligent woman who was fluent in six languages (English, Latin, Greek, Spanish, French and
Welsh). She was well-educated and a brilliant public speaker. She was able to choose excellent
advisors and statesmen, but was not be dominated by them.

The ‘Gloriana’ was presented as a selfless woman who sacrificed personal happiness for
the good of the nation.[5] The queen always refused to marry and provide an heir; she insisted
on she was married to her country. She achieved an excellent reputation as a good and wise
ruler, who was truly loved by her people. She led England as a woman, in what was a man's
World, and she did this with courage, intelligence and loyalty to her nation.

She had a close relationship with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester but she liked to go on her own
way. Her last years were lonely due to her old friends died. She finally died at Richmond Palace
on 24 March 1603. [6]

Predecessor/successor
Following the death of her catholic half-sister Mary, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on
November 1558. When Elizabeth died, she was succeeded by the Protestant James VI of
Scotland, the son of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. He became James I of England. The Stuarts
had taken over from the Tudors. She left him large debts. [1]

References
[1] BBC (2018). Elizabeth I: a troubled child to beloved Queen. Timeline retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/ztfxtfr

[2] John S. Morrill, Stephen J. Greenblatt (August 09, 1999). Elizabeth I Queen of England,
retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-I

[3] Linda Alchin (February 07, 2017). Elizabethan Era, retrieved from http://www.elizabethan-
era.org.uk/accomplishments-of-queen-elizabeth-i.htm

[4] BBC History, 2018. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/elizabeth_i

[5] Written and managed by the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace, the site aims to provide
an authoritative resource of information about the Monarchy and Royal Family, past and
present. Retrieved from the official web site of the British Royal Family.
https://www.royal.uk/elizabeth-i-r1558-1603

[6] Linda Alchin (February 07, 2017). The family of Queen Elizabeth I, retrieved from
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/family-of-queen-elizabeth-i.htm

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