Queen I : The Challenges Of The Queen Elizabeth I

Back in the Middle Ages, rulers of many country were men and/or boys. For a women to be in power was usually a last resort. Elizabeth I fell under this situation and became the Queen of England. As people have regarded females, many disliked the idea of a women becoming the leader of England which has forced Elizabeth to use her power and authority to assert her position whereas people who have accepted Queen Elizabeth I has allowed her to act kind, sympathetic, and proud. Majority of the people during the time period were misogyny

One factor Elizabeth had to face, which was seen as a huge disadvantage, was her gender. This was because the society was very patriarchal, male dominated, meaning that she was seen as week and less capable of being a good leader. This was a problem for Elizabeth as she had to do more to prove that she could be a good leader. This leads onto the fact that her sister Mary wasn’t a good leader so therefore there were low expectations of Elizabeth, This also meant Elizabeth had a lot to prove in order to be a good leader.

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

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.

Many of her subjects disapproved of Elizabeth not having a husband to control her decisions. Elizabeth indirectly responded to this in a speech made to Parliament in 1559 (Doc. #11). She made the argument that she was already married to the Kingdom of England and she did not plan on marrying anyone else. One reason for her opposition to marriage is believed to be because of her father’s trouble that came with his multiple marriages. Henry VIII had six different wives, none of which contributed in a pleasant way to his health or reign. Elizabeth, seeing her father struggle with juggling marriage and power, most likely decided marriage was not a good option for a political figure. Another speech Elizabeth made in 1588 responded to the doubts of her strength as a queen because of her being a woman (Doc. #12). In 1588, the Spanish Armada was about to invade England, so Elizabeth’s speech was made to the troops that were about to have to fight for their country. She said, “I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king….” Elizabeth knew that people did not believe she could lead them through the war, so she wrote this speech to convince them of her capability of doing so. She informed them that she was ready to fight alongside them, even if they did not

In her speech to Parliament in 1559, she claims that she has already been married to England (Document 7). This means that she will take care of England like a dutiful wife would care for her husband. However, because it was published after her death, the purpose of this document was to explain the legacy of Queen Elizabeth, and how great of a ruler she was despite being a woman. Another response to views on women in leadership was the execution of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, due to the threat Elizabeth felt from Mary in an attempt of assassination. This shows how Elizabeth is able to make the most difficult decisions, which is a skill required to have when ruling over a nation. One must also note that women were viewed as weak emotional human beings. But Elizabeth showed that she was not weak by executing her family member and thus, shows her sense of duty to her kingdom. Another example of a positive response was at the start of her reign, when England was on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the financial destruction caused by the previous Tudor reigns. Nonetheless, she managed to make England debt-free, proving that she had the capability of dealing with difficult monetary tasks and therefore, responded to the opinions of women not being able to rule successfully. Finally, before the invasion of the

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

Imagine a world were only one person had the sovereignty of a nation through his bloodline and was not chosen by the people of the nation. This form of government is known as absolute monarchism which was practiced since the beginning of the middle ages till this day (Pope Francis, Vatican City). When it comes to a monarchy, it is composed of an individual(s) (king or queen) who reigns till his death and has a divine right appointed by God to be the ruler. The divine right was a doctrine that plead in favor of absolute monarchism, which means that the power of the rulers came by God’s authority and could not be downsized by any earthly organization such as the government or even the parliament. The Queen Elizabeth I, ‘The Virgin Queen’, also

Most of the public, especially the religious ones, thought that Elizabeth should have had a husband, and she was completely against this concept because she knows how corruptive a man can be towards a woman’s life (examples in her father and in her cousin’s relationship). Elizabeth, knowing that a man would take over and leave her behind, stayed unmarried. She believed that the only marriage she considered to be true was that of hers to England. (Document 11) When the Spanish Armada invaded England, her subjects were sure she was able to take good care of the country. In her speech to the English army, she says that they (her country and herself) will

During Elizabeth I’s reign, she was forced to face many stereotypes in England. In document 1, Knox expressed that women had no place to hold a high position of any form. This belief was prominent throughout the entirety of the 16th century. Many people doubted Elizabeth, justifying these criticisms through their

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

Much of Elizabeth’s success in managing parliament is due to her personal skills and tactics. Elizabeth used a tactic of moderate reform, such as through the Religious Settlement, as it successfully isolated extremists and prevented the encouragement of large-scale extremism. Elizabeth cleverly exploited her gender to successfully control Parliament. The queen’s feminine charm often the loyalty

When Elizabeth was Queen, they said that she was as successful and popular a ruler as a king. The Queen made up a critical support structure which was made up almost exclusively of men. This was her network of spies supervised by Walsingham, one of Elizabeth's most loyal ministers, and their mission was to protect the Queen’s life. These spies were so good they found out that some people were making series of plots to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots. It’s because of the great work the spies did that Elizabeth died peacefully of old age and by an assassin.

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