Mary Stuart Was a Good Queen in Scotland: How about England? Essay

The political aspects of the 1500’s consisted of the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan Era called for many changes in politics. Another name for the Elizabethan Era was the Golden age, due to the major focus on the higher class. Monarchy was strongly placed during this time. According to Dictionary.com, a monarchy is, “A state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.” This is a way of saying that all power was simply given to one person, that being Queen Elizabeth. She had control over all and whatever she said, went. King Henry VII passed away allowing his son to take over his label as king. King Henry VIII became king at a very young age of 17 years old. Being this young, it made duties harder to accomplish. With that being said, he took charge of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant

Known as The Golden Age in English history, the 45 year rule of Queen Elizabeth I turned the declining country of England, into one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.

On the other hand, Lady Jane was not as bold to lead others during her short reign. Lady Jane Grey only held power for a few days before meeting her demise along with her husband. As a woman in power, Lady Jane had a promising outlook to being Queen, but Mary I held this opportunity back because she was to inherit the position, not Lady Jane. Although, through Lady Jane’s writings, she was a very strong- willed person that was firm on what she believed, but this was not all she needed to become queen. Lady Jane wrote in a prayer, “O Lord, thou God and Father of my life, hear me, poor and desolate woman, which flieth unto thee only, in all troubles and miseries” (“Women in Power”, 673). This was a sign that she was admitting defeat in her reign of power and

A similarity that stood out in the reading would be that both Mary and Elizabeth’s parents died at a young age and they both had to overcome that obstacle of growing up without any parental figure. Another similarity that stood out, was that they both were raised at a young age to take the throne and to me this meant that they had to grow up really fast. The author in the book stated that Elizabeth “At six years old, observers noted, Elizabeth had as much gravity as if she had been forty” (749) which to me meant that she matured at a really young age. Mary too matured at a high rate, she was pronounced as queen at fifteen to set a union between England and Scotland. Now in regards to Mary marrying at a young age, this would also be a similarity to Elizabeth. In england when Elizabeth was in her mid twenties she was expected to wed and continue on the Tudor line, other wise it would go to Mary’s son James

Elizabeth I is now known as one of the greatest monarchs England ever had, but she faced many disagreements and challenges against her ability to properly control England during her reign because she was a woman. Those religious oppositions against her gender influenced her rule greatly, eventually leading to her regal and authoritative responses. The regal responses reassured the people of her ability to control England, while the authoritative responses reestablished the fact that she was to be the only supreme ruler in England and no one should be allowed to cross her or doubt her power.

My cousin, the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, has had me imprisoned for the last 19 years. I am to be executed for corresponding with Anthony Babington who has been plotting to kill Elizabeth. I chose to write my life, my story, in a measly journal so that whosoever lands upon it my see how I, Mary, Queen of Scots, portray it. I have lived it, so only my Creator knows it better than I.

Queen Elizabeth’s reign lasted from 1558-1603 during the Protestant Reformation, the Counter Reformation, and the Renaissance (when it was brought to England). She achieved major successes and established a stabilized nation during her reign. When she assumes the throne, after the death of her half sister, Queen Mary I, she faced many challenges, such as the bankruptcy of England, European powers that were trying to reestablish Catholicism, such as Spain and France, and negative criticism denouncing her as a ruler and as the head of the Church of England. It was against church teaching and Bible teachings, for any woman to rule over a country. Elizabeth I inherited the responsibility of governing the kingdom of England despite criticism. In

Elizabeth I, was the queen of England 1558-1613, while she may have brought great success and stability to the government she was questioned in her ability to lead due to her gender. Gender became a critical part of her reign and was brought into question by numerous religious figures. Although most thought a woman was unfit to be a ruler, this did not stop Elizabeth from responding to the criticism with determination to making wise and selfless decisions that proved what a strong leader she was. This determination and leadership fueled the country with success.

Throughout most of Mary’s life she had a unique relationship with Elizabeth Queen of England.

When Mary was the monarch of Scotland, the Calvinist nobles deposed of her, and she fled to England for safety (Spielvogel 408). Since she was the daughter of Henry VIII’s sister, Mary held a legitimate claim to the throne after Elizabeth. In fact, many Catholics saw Henry’s second marriage to Anne Boleyn as improper, making Mary the more fitting queen for England (Sifakis 1). Seeing opportunity in this woman who “had no intention of altering her faith,” the Catholics plotted to place her on the English throne (Black 68). They took part in many failed assassination plots on Elizabeth, one of them being the Babington Plot of 1586. This nefarious plan held Mary’s controversial involvement, leading to her trial, conviction, and execution (Sifakis 2). With a resolve “to end the threats to her regime,” Elizabeth ended her cousin’s life through a beheading (Spielvogel 408). Both Elizabeth’s decision to get rid of Mary and the construction of religious compromise were Machiavellian because of her pragmatic way of thinking to ensure a successful reign.

St. Margaret of Scotland was born in present day Hungary around 1046. She had two siblings named Edgar and Cristina. St. Margaret grew up extremely privileged. She was the daughter of English prince, Edward the Exile, and granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, king of England. She and her family were very religious, as was the Hungarian court.

politically. Although she had, at times, a horrible temper and a disagreeable personality, and suffered through many physical and psychological problems as an adult, Elizabeth proved to be one of the most remarkable monarchs in English history. Firstly, I will discuss Elizabeth’s family (including her many stepmothers), and then I will talk about her relationship with her siblings under their power. Thirdly, I will examine religion and how it affected her opinions and politics during her reign. Lastly, I will look at foreign politics of the time and some of Elizabeth’s decisions

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I is often referred to as "The Golden Age" of English history. Elizabeth was an immensely popular Queen, and her popularity has waned little with the passing of four hundred years. She is still one of the best-loved monarchs, and one of the most admired rulers of all time. She became a legend in her own lifetime, famed for her remarkable abilities and achievements. Yet, about Elizabeth the woman, we know very little. She is an enigma, and was an enigma to her own people.

Eventually, she reconciled with Elizabeth and she became the next heir to England after Mary’s death. Mary suffered many terrible misfortunes over her lifetime from her parent’s divorce to her belief she was pregnant twice. One of the

Sixteenth century England experienced a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the Age of Queens. The decisive power of the country was placed in women’s hands and their reigns were watched with a reasonable doubt. There is contrast of rule in terms of reigns between Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth of England, both of whom were engaged in a protracted struggle for the English throne. Beside the legitimacy of their claims, there are more significant considerations which predestined them to either increase or lose their power. The rule and attitudes of the two monarchs bore significant influence upon the times in which they lived, including social, political and legal precedents which were being challenged and in some cases reversed. The fact that both Queens encountered situations of striking similarity, serves as a suitable example for a remarkable comparison, helping to analyze the lives of the two Queens and how their lives diverged as a result of such encounters and their actions thereafter. They were both Queens, struggling for the throne, they were women as well as rivals; they both had affairs with married men, however, one managed a narrow escape from the disgraceful situation, while the other failed to do so. Mary grew to hate Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth, because he took the position of her mother Catharine as Queen of England. Before Elizabeth came to the scene, Mary was loved and was the only child of King Henry VIII of