Elizabeth Ascension Essay 1558-1603

Describe the problems facing Elizabeth I in 1558.

Evaluate the significance of these problems and how they might influence her reign.

Queen Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558-1603, and is considered to be one of the greatest British monarchs of all time. However, her ascension to the throne was met with many problems such as gender, succession, burdening finances, international affairs and most importantly, religion. These problems had great influence on her long reign as it was the way the queen–in-parliament dealt with these issues that influenced the 45 years that were to come.

Although she was welcomed wholeheartedly by the citizens of England on the eve of her coronation, her ability as queen was questioned as she was “but a woman.”[1] The failure of her sister, Queen Mary’s reign had been widely attributed to her gender and the possibility of another woman ruling England worried much of the governing class. Leaders from neighbouring countries were insulted to be serving a woman and England expected Elizabeth to marry the moment of her ascension. Her ex-brother-in-law, King Phillip II of Spain wrote in his proposal to her in 1559, “she should marry that her husband might relieve her of those labels which are only fit for men.” [2] The reasons Elizabeth never married have been widely disputed but it is perhaps due to the difficulty of finding a match without provoking political instability of causing religious conflict or that it would result in a considerable loss in power as seen in her sister, when she married King Phillip II of Spain. Nevertheless, the more important issue of producing an heir remained a problem for the next 20 years until she was named ‘Virgin Queen.’ The Tudor dynasty would end making Queen, Mary of Scots the likely monarch to succeed to the throne, a Catholic, or in the case of her death; her son James, a Protestant. Queen Elizabeth’s decision not to marry greatly influenced her reign as she was married to her country, and able to readily make alliances and political decisions as a Queen, not as a wife. As Elizabeth once said; “I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England, too.” [3]

Elizabeth’s first order of business was to eliminate religious unrest. The Queen’s main objective was to heal the divisions rending the nation and enforce a general religious conformity, the first and very necessary step towards national unity. Many Catholics in England believed that Queen, Mary of Scots, a Catholic herself, was the true Queen of England. However, the true religious beliefs of Queen Elizabeth were never known. Elizabeth’s family all had very mixed views on the subject of religion. Her father, King Henry the 8th broke away from Catholicism to create the Church of England; King Edward, her brother was a radical Protestant and Queen Mary was the conservative Catholic who brought on the counter-revolution. Elizabeth knew that no decision would please all of England, but couldn’t leave the realm in Catholicism either. The Queen therefore decided that in place of extreme

Protestantism or conservative Catholicism, she would keep to the middle ground, making a Church intended to satisfy the spiritual needs of the vast majority of subjects. Elizabeth therefore sought a Protestant solution that would not offend Catholics too greatly while addressing the desires of English Protestants. By enforcing a Protestant church with Catholic elements, Elizabeth had created a religious equilibrium that satisfied the majority of England. If Elizabeth had not so delicately emplaced the Protestant Church, conflict would have certainly arisen, creating further problems for the Queen. The Elizabethan Religious Settlement proved to be far more successful than the reforms imposed by Mary I. This may be because Elizabeth I reigned over England for 40 years, but nevertheless she had laid the groundwork for the Church of England that still remains to this day.

The issues of religion and marriage were closely related to a third pressing problem. England, at the behest of Phillip II, had allied itself with Spain in a war against France and Scotland, already resulting in the loss of Calais. England was grievously afflicted with debts of £227,000 as Elizabeth inherited a realm that had been run dry by Queen Mary and her advisors. Although negotiations to stop fighting had been suspended at Mary’s death, Elizabeth had to ensure the realm was ready for war if the talks failed. Elizabeth was an extremely conservative leader who was “providently frugal and scarcely spent anything but for the maintenance of her royal state.” [4] Elizabeth’s wise spending meant that in the case of war, England would be as prepared as it could possibly be. To deal with the financial issues worsening by war, Elizabeth created a government that would work for her. This involved choosing a new Privy Council and selecting Sir William Cecil as chief advisor. By forming a remarkably stable Council, Elizabeth was able to deal with the problems of war and foreign policy all within the first year. Together, it was decided that England had to stay on good terms with Phillip II until war concluded, as England relied on Spanish alliance in case of a French-Scottish invasion. However, Phillip II of Spain too relied on Elizabeth as an ally, as although a Protestant England was not ideal, the thought of a Catholic Mary of Scots as Queen of England was far worse as it would pose great threat on the security of Spain. As for finances, Elizabeth would call parliament for money and when necessary, war taxation took place. It was these actions and decisions made by this powerful Council that resulted in an alliance with France being signed only a year later, ending a 60-year war. Elizabeth’s determination and stubbornness caused the return of Calais and freed England from the war it had become trapped in. If it had not been for her staunch insistence, England may have had to go to war, which would have had drastic effects on England’s finances. Elizabeth was now able to repair the rest of England and rule it her own way, no longer as burdened by the great many problems Queen Mary had left behind. By spending only when necessary, Elizabeth managed to reduce the England’s debt a considerable amount by the end of her reign, leaving behind a smoother course for her successor, James.

There is no denying that more problems were thrust upon Elizabeth in her first year as Queen of England than many other English monarchs. However, it is the way in which Elizabeth and her Council faced these problems that showed her true talent as leader of England, and her fierce loyalty to her true love, England.