Essay on Queen Elizabeth I: Changing the Course of England

The marriage of Catherine to Henry VIII was a political alliance, which bound Spain and England and was viewed as a marriage of strategy. The Pope refused to allow Henry the ability to annul his marriage to Catherine, who could not provide him with a male heir, therefor he was unable to marry Anne Boleyn, and Henry became increasing agitated. He was presented with a banned book, which expressed the author’s view of faults and imperfections of the Roman Catholic Church and the way in which leaders of the church abused their power. This gave him the idea to abolish or reduce the church’s influence within England thereby increasing his own power and separating the Catholic church’s influence over

Elizabeth’s character was a mystery to most people at the time she inherited the throne. She had learned to keep her own council, control her emotions, and always behaved cautiously, thus being able to disprove all rumors about her. Always dignified and stately, she could be vain, willful, dictatorial, temperamental, and imperious. She had courage, both in her decisions, and in the face of danger. Possessing an innate of humanity, she was not normally cruel, unlike most rulers of her day. Most regarded her to be unusually tolerant in that age of religious conflict. She saw herself as one who was always honest and honorable, who

A papal dispensation, or permission from the pope, needed to be issued in order for Prince Henry to marry his brother’s widow. According to the book of Leviticus, the marriage was prohibited and “if a brother is to marry the wife of a brother they will remain childless”. After the death of her husband, Catherine denied that her marriage had been consummated and that no dispensation was required. Both England and Spain agreed that a papal dispensation was needed to assure that the marriage was justifiable. However, even after the papal dispensation was granted, Prince Henry and his brother’s widow did not wed because King Henry VII failed to keep his end of the bargain (“Henry VIII King of England” 2).

Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen: quick-witted, clever and able to use feminine wiles to get her own way. Elizabeth could be as ruthless and calculating as any king before her but at the same time she was vain, sentimental and easily

Elizabeth I is considered a Machiavellian queen; she placed the political unity of England above any other aspect of her kingdom, including religion. Elizabeth I’s reign was influenced politically and religiously, in respect to ideas about gender. Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII, responded authoritatively to any opposition she faced.

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.

The split from Rome had made England vulnerable and Thomas Cromwell had suggested his next wife to be of a political match, much like the first. Anne of Clebes was the chosen match. The marriage took place on January 6, 1540, and by then Henry was already looking for ways to get out of the marriage. The King did not find his new bride attractive and had found an attraction to a young Kathryn Howard. Anne gave the King no problems with his annulment proceedings.

The Pope is outraged by Henry’s move to break with the Catholic church and he is excommunicated for breaking with Papal authority. King Henry and Queen Anne produce a daughter shortly after their secret marriage. Their daughter Elizabeth would be their only surviving child. Once again, there was an issue with the failure to produce a male heir. He soon grew tired of Anne. In 1536, she was accused of adultery and executed. In 1537, Henry took a third wife, Jane Seymour. With Jane, Henry finally produces a male heir, Arthur. Unfortunately, Jane dies shortly after the baby’s birth due to complications with the birth.

As king of England, Henry has the power and the unquestionable authority to act based off his own desires even if they are not legally or morally acceptable. Because his current wife, Catherine, who was also his brother’s widow, has failed to birth a son, he wishes to divorce her and take Queen Anne as his new wife. Without a male heir to the throne, Henry’s lineage will come to an end and England will be left without a successor. He admits this to More during their meeting in Act 1, saying,

Henry VIII’s desire for military glory was possibly only surpassed by his infatuation with producing a male heir. Although she had been a model queen in many respects, Catherine had not produced a male heir and this was of the utmost importance to Henry. To him, it was unthinkable that the throne could fall peacefully to a girl. He eventually looked to another woman to satisfy this desire, but first he needed to get rid of Catherine. The only way for Henry to receive an annulment was to secure a papal dispensation. In order to achieve this Henry citied a passage in Leviticus that stated, "If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.” He was seemingly convinced that since he had married his deceased brother’s wife he was to remain without an heir. This passage also presented quite a contradiction however because Henry and Catherine were not without a child, but had just not had a son. This was either lost completely upon Henry or simply ignored. Either way he was asking the Pope to go back on his initial ruling. He had previously decided that since Catherine had not consummated the marriage with Henry’s brother, it was okay in the eyes of God that they be married.

Henry VIII (28th June 1941 – 28th January 1547), the second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth York, requested that the Pope allow him to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon after she had failed to produce a male heir and marry his mistress Anne Boleyn, however the Pop refused. The Roman Catholic Church believed in marriage for life and did not recognise nor support divorce. Which put Henry into a difficult position since if he announced that as king of England he allowed himself a divorcee, the pope could excommunicate him, meaning that your soul could never get to heaven. By 1533 he ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to grant him a divorce, hence went against the wishes of the Pope. This event lead too England breaking away from the Roman

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.

The idea of divorcing his first wife was not a relatively new one for King Henry. He had been married to Catherine of Aragon for almost two decades by the late 1520s. For years Henry had had a growing concern as Catherine, six years his senior, passed her childbearing years behind. It became increasingly likely she would not be able to bear a son. During their marriage, they had suffered misfortune, from multiple

Elizabeth I, “queen of England and Ireland, was the most famous of English Monarchs and one of the most successful women rulers in history.” (Row, 243). “She was not only concerned with politics, diplomacy, and the religious struggle against the Counter-Reformation, but was also interested in voyages, finances, literature, and the arts.” (Row 243). On September 7, 1533, Queen Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace. She was born to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was very fluent

Queen Elizabeth I Queen Elizabeth, the first, proved to be a very good and loyal monarch to England. She brought about many changes, both good and bad. On September 7, 1533 a baby girl came into the world. Back then many parents would have been greatly disappointed to have had a baby girl, rather then a boy. However these parents were glad by the birth of their first child together. These proud parents were the king and queen of England, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. The girl child was named Elizabeth. The only reason for the birth of Elizabeth had been that she would have been male so that he could have been the heir to King Henry the VIII. It wasn’t until two years later that Henry realized he wasn’t going to get