Great Leaders And Rulers Of The Elizabethan Time Period

A successful monarchy relies upon a stable leader who is concerned with the satisfaction of those he rules over. Henry Bolingbroke the IV in Shakespeare's Henry the IV Part I follows a trend set by his predecessor in Richard II of self-indulgence and neglect of his kingdom. These leaders worry about the possibility of losing their kingdom or their soldiers to other nobles who were also concerned more with obtaining a higher position rather than governing. The king must also be wary of his own life, something that was once revered and guarded closely by other nobles. Wars once fought for gaining or protecting land are overshadowed by personal battles fighting for the position of king.

Henry had no intention of giving the nobles back power so another strength he had was that he was an all-powerful figure. Prof. Ronald Hutton says "he managed the nobility by honouring and flattering them". Henry went through Parliament to get reforms when he wanted them. By doing this he increased power of democracy as well as for himself. The early years of Henry's reign saw great rivalry amongst the noblemen to secure Henry's favour and to try to regain power, which Henry VII had taken away.

Henry VII took the throne after a battle against the former king Richard III whose forces outnumbered Henrys by two to one. Henry VII had a couple of big problems, one of them was that there were people that had a stronger claim to the throne than he did, his only claim was that god let him win the battle, therefore the nobility didn’t respect him at the beginning of his reign. Another of the problems he faced was the fact that he feared a lot

How can power overpower the nature of a man? In William Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry’s life is centered around his kingship which turns him into a selfish and stern king. Throughout his life, Henry has worked hard to prepare himself for becoming the king of England. Moreover, Henry’s childhood consisted of constant preparation for his future career as king. However, when he becomes king he disregards his foolish childhood, and focuses on his own wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately, his selfishness compels him to do wicked things that harm his country. A king’s job is to protect and provide for his kingdom; Henry, however, makes many decisions that harm his kingdom, which makes him a bad king. Moreover, Henry’s childhood preparation for his kingship has led to much harm to the citizens of England. Henry’s position as king transforms him from a foolish young man into a hard, stern king. As king Henry displays attributes of wickedness, selfishness, and ruthlessness.

Henry 's father, King Henry VII, unified the divided country when he killed the last Plantagenet King, Richard III. The country had been divided in a civil war known as 'The War of the Roses ' with two sides of the Plantagenet dynasty, the House of Lancaster and the House of York, fighting over the throne. Both houses were descendants of two of the sons of Edward III. The House of Lancaster,descended from John of Gaunt, was represented by a Red Rose. The House of York, descended from Edmund of Langley, was represented by the white rose. By 1461, the Yorkists had succeeded in becoming the royal house in England. With the Yorkist King Richard III becoming increasingly unpopular, Henry Tudor ,a descendant of John of Gaunt, gained the support of the country and decided to put Richard

Shakespeare’s Henry V presents a man transformed from rowdy teenager to righteous king. With the death of Henry’s father, Henry’s “wildness…/Seemed to die too” (1.1.26-27). While Henry has seemingly transformed into a powerful man awarded praise, his actions at times seem morally questionable and disingenuous as he continually deflects blame on others and contradicts his notions for peace. Throughout the play, Henry’s speeches persuade and manipulate audiences as he effectively uses the power of rhetoric to achieve his goals. He has the power to intimidate his enemies, uplift his soldiers, and mold himself into whoever he needs to be. With the change of Henry’s character came a greater title and the responsibility for an entire nation, causing him to abandon his outwardly destructive behavior and dissemble. Shakespeare thus contends that there is a difference between being a good person and a successful leader; national heroism and effective kingship is not necessarily attained through moral actions, but rather through the art of powerful rhetoric and the ability to seem moral and virtuous rather than to be moral and virtuous, thereby mimicking some characteristics of how a successful ruler should appear, as suggested in Machiavelli’s The Prince. While Henry is certainly ruthless at times, his ability to assume the roles necessary for successful leadership is what makes him a great king.

Henry VIII is usually known for his various wives and marriages, but he really was one of the most ruthless and powerful among the English kings. Henry VIII was a narcissistic leader because he was obsessed with gaining a male heir to continue his legacy and would do anything to reach this goal. He was responsible for over tens of thousands of deaths during his thirty-six yearlong reign. Henry contributed to the loss of innocent people’s heads, which caused a negative impact in England. In comparison to leaders such as Ivan the Terrible, Henry’s morals did not seem as injurious and his rule was partially humane (Lowry 128).

From 1500-1700, there were multiple European monarchs that were beneficial to their country, but there were also many other monarchs that were detrimental to their country. During this time period, certain European countries also had their own governmental issues, whereas other countries were thriving. Throughout the 1600’s, numerous European leaders were fighting internal and external wars, having social and economic problems, and losing faith in their people. On the other hand, some leaders were also providing support for their people and creating a strong government. There are several European monarchs who were beneficial and detrimental, but five key people control the discussion. King James I of England, Peter I of Russia, Louis XIV of France, Pierre Patel, and Queen Elizabeth I of England are all royals who had a substantial influence over their countries.

Henry VIII was a king of England from 1509 to 1547. He kept his power because he was able to reciprocate some of the suggestions that Niccoló Machiavelli expressed in his book, “The Prince.” Although there were many similarities in how Henry VIII ruled England and what Machiavelli explains in “The Prince,” Henry VIII did deviate from Machiavelli’s tips.

He equates monarchy to clear idolatry, a form of government that did not result from divinity or from nature. Later, Paine bluntly refers to William the Conqueror, the forefather of England’s monarchy, as villainous man who plundered his way to gluttonous leadership against the will of the people. Furthermore, Paine explains the hereditary succession of kings is problematic and impedes on liberty and benevolence because it does not guarantee that moral virtue is also hereditary within the new successor; thus hereditary succession leaves republics in a state of vulnerability where special interest and corruption can

Because of all the little knowledge in the Elizabethan Era, daily lives were impacted, people turned to unusual medical theories which also impacted their everyday lives, and turning points in medicine occur. Little was known about how to treat serious diseases. People turned to different ways to cure themselves based on the kind of sickness they had acquired.

The start of the War of the Roses was in 1377, King Edward III died, and his son, Edward “The Black Prince” died a year before him. The heir to throne was named Richard II, The Black Prince’s son, skipping an entire generation as The Black Prince had bothers as well, and this skip lead lingering claims to the throne. In 1399, Richard II was deposed from the throne by Henry IV, a Lancaster. The Lancaster’s rule was cemented till 1422, when Henry V died in a military camp, leaving an infant Henry VI on the throne. Henry VI ruled the throne for a number of years before being opposed by Richard of York. Richard of York managed to succeed in getting him and his sons to being heirs to the throne, but Richard of York was killed, and in 1461 Edward

King Henry VIII was a remarkable ruler apart from any other. He reigned over England from 1509-1547 (Tudor History). The English Reformation was solely his doing as he separated England from the Roman Catholic Church and changed the country forever (Biography). He has always been well known for his six marriages in which he treated his wives as his possessions. Many know about what Henry VIII did through his lifetime but do not know who he was. It is important to take a closer look at King Henry VIII’s personal life to understand and get to know who he really was as a person, rather than just as a powerful King.

Henry’s accession to the throne was broadly welcomed by the population of England because they were desperate for a strong monarch, something England had lacked since the reign of Edward III. And he did not disappoint them. Henry fulfilled every criteria by which kings were judged: good justice, sound finance, true religion, political harmony, accepting consel and nobility. Only one remained: success in war but it was no long before he fulfilled that

people thought of King Henry as an un-mighty ruler. He used to marry a new wife every day,