Queen Elizabeth I Research Paper

“ The belief that women were inherently inferior in intelligence, strength, and character was so persuasive that for men like Knox, a woman ruler was almost a contradiction in terms” (“Documents for Chapters 5&6”). In the 16th century, women were looked upon as a gender that should stay in the house and work, not have power and rule over a country. Discussing the govern of Queens during the 16th century, such as Mary Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, allowed prejudices to be lessened but never completely be erased. No matter how these four notable ladies came into power, the accomplishments they overcame, achieved and wrote about proved to be great and substantial in making history as it is written today.

In Tudor England, the position of women had remained unchanged for centuries. Women were told that they were inferior and that their sole function in life was to marry, have children, and look after their homes and husbands. The church used the Bible to justify the belief that women were inferior. If men of God said that women were inferior, it had to be true. It was against God’s wishes for a woman to rule over men that were seen as far superior to her. While Elizabeth I reigned over England, many were supportive of her. There were also many that were against her rule, but she responded authoritatively to any opposition she faced.

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.

In the Elizabethan period, women were subordinate to men. They were considered to be ‘inferior' beings who were controlled by their husbands, fathers or any other men in the family. Women were not allowed to hold their own opinions, views or lifestyles. Men had control of everything, some of these included money, politics, work, children, women and home.

One of the biggest challenges Elizabeth faced during her reign was the misogyny against her brought about by religious institutions and figures. Bishops from the Church of England showed this by writing in The Second Book of Homilies “but as for wives, they must obey their husbands, and cease from commanding, and perform subjection.” (doc 3) this statement told women that they were not equal to men, that men must make all the decision for the women leaving women only to do as asked by a man, therefore clearly stating women are incapable of ruling a country or even a household the archbishops of York also believed that women should not lead but rather stand behind their husbands Nicholas Heath said

During the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I experienced a lot of oppression during her reign in England. Many religious figures opposed the idea of a female ruling a country, saying that it is against God’s will. Other citizens of the country, specifically personal associates of Elizabeth, however, stood behind the queen and admired her bravery, confidence and love for England. Elizabeth responded to the gender ideas in an authoritative way, She had to live with female stereotypes, and used it to her advantage when possible but she asserted that the stereotypes did not completely apply to her and that she was perfectly capable of ruling England.

Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for

Most of people would not allow Elizabeth or her mother, to be known to the people in the city, which caused many sufferings. Kraus, D. 2011 Pg. 7 after the death of the monarchs legally known wife, Katharine, His next wife offered him a male successor, and Elizabeth I became a part of his household as

Though women in the Elizabethan Era hardly married someone for love, they often did marry to improve their position in society. By this, women could gain immense authority over their household and those in it. After the husband, the man of the house, of course, the wife had the most authority over the estate. The woman had power over the servants, so it was her job to watch over them to see that they completed their jobs properly and timely. In addition, the lady must watch over her ladymaids to keep them out of trouble and even help them find suitors to marry themselves.

Early Life Queen Elizabeth I was born on the September 7, 1533 in Greenwich England. She was declared illegitimate through political plotting. She declared to the throne at the age of 25 and kept it for 44 years. King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn gave birth to a girl.

Just like the economic insecurity of the era, many people were insecure about the fact that there was a woman seated on the throne and actually ruling the country. In such a patriarchal age, many said that a woman was not fit to run a country. “...while men were naturally endowed with authority, women were temperamentally, intellectually, and morally unfit to govern,” (The woman ruler in a patriarchal world), and thus was the ideal of the time. Women were meant to be quiet and subservient and never to govern, rule, or voice an opinion. If a woman did so begin to wish to dominate, “it was viewed as dangerous or grotesque,” (The woman ruler in a patriarchal world). Yet Elizabeth still thrived and refused to play into the chauvinist views of the

Elizabeth Tudor could not have become Queen of England at a better time; people were being burned for their beliefs, riots were dominating the streets, and the country’s citizens were rebelling against the monarch. It seemed as though England would never be restored to its previous state, successful and respected, until Queen Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister Mary and reformed England in political, economical, and social ways no one ever thought possible.

When Queen Elizabeth was in school she knew five different languages. Queen Elizabeth was born on September 7th and she was blood poisoned and died March 24th, 1603. She was a Princess of King Henry and Queen Anna.

I am a supporter of women’s equality foremost. In the case of Queen Edith being responsible for the making of the Tapestry, I am quite prejudice. Reasons are women were not allowed to go to war in the era of the Hasting Battle. Therefore in order for Queen Edith to know of the details of the events of the battle would have to be from a soldier that was present, or she would have to visualize the battle. Another reason would be her interpretation of the battle could have been bias because of her husband.

This self fashioning has caused an imbalance in the Queen’s power as she is trying to appease her subjects more than bestow her own authority. In the year 1588, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech known as the Tilbury Speech. In this speech, the Queen states that ‘I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too’ and ‘I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder’. In relation to this speech and the poem The dowbt of future foes exile my present joye, Queen Elizabeth has the power of both a man and a woman combined. However, because she is not a man the belief system from her subjects is gone. In the poem, we see this androgyny that the Queen is portrying in the final few lines. According to Queen Elizabeth in the poem, the subjects ‘shall reap no gayne’(12) from choosing not to support an androgynous monarch. As well as that, the poem confirms the Queen’s masculine persona with the line ‘my rustye sword’(15). According to Paul Salzman in the text Reading Early Modern Women’s Writing, Queen Elizabeth’s poetry ‘formed part of Elizabeth’s self-representation, and as such it was easily seized upon’(Salzman, P 39). The Queen was fashioning herself for the people. She wanted to be both a King and a