Queen Elizabeth I; a Powerful Ruler in England
Brittany Fleetwood
Barbara Whitehead
History 111
6 May 2010
Queen Elizabeth I: A Powerful Ruler in History While there was no law in Tudor England preventing appointment of a woman on the throne, the ruling of a woman was considered unfavorable. Women were not normally held high in command because it was believed that women could not rule well. During a time where the role of women was contained, Elizabeth I of England proved her power and remained the only unmarried queen in England’s history. She reined England from 1558 to 1603 and has become the symbol of an age, a symbol of the power of a woman who strived to govern. Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, is one of the most important rulers of English history by winning the confidence of her people in the ability to govern them, sophisticated all the characteristics of a politician to secure her right to be obeyed, created stability for her kingdom, and aided in creating an identity for England.
Elizabeth’s conception greatly influenced the way she lived and the nobility she acquired in being the Queen of England. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were expectedly waiting, for many reasons, the birth of their child to be a male heir. For the King, Henry needed a legitimate son to preserve the kingdom and independence of England for he had broken English ties with the Catholic Church. For the Queen, Anne was unpopular among the English people and to keep her place next to the King as his Queen highly depended on the sex of their baby. Though Henry already had one child, Mary, with his previous wife, Catherine of Aragon, the thought of a woman succeeding the throne after him was something he could not possibly let happen; he needed a son to lead a kingdom whose existence was still too new to be governed by a woman. On September 7th, 1533, Anne and Henry gave birth to a daughter. While Elizabeth’s birth was disappointing, she was still cherished as a member of the royal family and heir to the throne. Anne was
Barbara Whitehead
History 111
6 May 2010
Queen Elizabeth I: A Powerful Ruler in History While there was no law in Tudor England preventing appointment of a woman on the throne, the ruling of a woman was considered unfavorable. Women were not normally held high in command because it was believed that women could not rule well. During a time where the role of women was contained, Elizabeth I of England proved her power and remained the only unmarried queen in England’s history. She reined England from 1558 to 1603 and has become the symbol of an age, a symbol of the power of a woman who strived to govern. Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, is one of the most important rulers of English history by winning the confidence of her people in the ability to govern them, sophisticated all the characteristics of a politician to secure her right to be obeyed, created stability for her kingdom, and aided in creating an identity for England.
Elizabeth’s conception greatly influenced the way she lived and the nobility she acquired in being the Queen of England. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were expectedly waiting, for many reasons, the birth of their child to be a male heir. For the King, Henry needed a legitimate son to preserve the kingdom and independence of England for he had broken English ties with the Catholic Church. For the Queen, Anne was unpopular among the English people and to keep her place next to the King as his Queen highly depended on the sex of their baby. Though Henry already had one child, Mary, with his previous wife, Catherine of Aragon, the thought of a woman succeeding the throne after him was something he could not possibly let happen; he needed a son to lead a kingdom whose existence was still too new to be governed by a woman. On September 7th, 1533, Anne and Henry gave birth to a daughter. While Elizabeth’s birth was disappointing, she was still cherished as a member of the royal family and heir to the throne. Anne was
Bibliography: Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1924 Loades, David. Elizabeth I. Hambledon and London, 2003. Levin, Carole. The Reign of Elizabeth I. Palgrave, 2002. MacCaffrey, Wallace Waldman, Milton. Queen Elizabeth I. Archon Books, 1966. "Queen Elizabeth I Against the Spanish Armada." The History Place: Great Speeches Collection. Web. 8 Apr. 2010. <http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/ elizabeth.htm>.