Elizabeth I Research Paper Essay

I, OverviewElizabeth I (known simply as Elizabeth until the accession of Elizabeth II 7 September 1533 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or commodity Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of heat content VIII, she was natural a princess, however her m separate, Anne Boleyn, was penalize two and a one-half years afterwarfared her birth.1Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen quick-witted, canny 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 swayed by flattery. She want to surround herself with attractive people and her portraits were carefully vetted to make sure that no physical flaws were ever revealed. She relied upon the ministers close to her but would infuriate them with her indecision It makes me exhaust of brio, remarked one. Faced with a dilemma for example whether or not to condense the execution warrant of bloody shame Queen of Scots Elizabeth would busy herself with other matters for months on end. Only when the patience of her ministers was running short would she be compel to make up her mind. She had a formidable intellect, and her sharp tongue would rapidly settle any argument in her favour.2II,Early lifeElizabeth was the only kid of total heat VIII and Anne Boleyn, who did not bear a male replacement and was executed less than three years after Elizabeths birth. Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace and was named after both her grandmothers, Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Howard.5 She was the second child of heat content VIII of England born in wedlock to survive infancy. Her mother was Henrys second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was two years and eight months old, her mother was executed on 19 May 1536.8 Elizabeth was declared illegi timate and deprived of the name of princess1Source WikipediaElizabeth is favorably contrasted to her half-blood babe, bloody shame I but she was lucky to run low longer than her. Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed genuinely slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then leash in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, constantly considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the erupt of a failed rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sisters death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in half a dozen languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents. 3III, Elizabeths Reign2Her 45-year reign is broadly speaking considered one of the most glorious in English write up. During it a pay aside Church of England was established. Its d octrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a via media between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Elizabeth herself ref utilize to make windows into mens souls there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles she asked for outward uniformity. Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church settlement probably saved England from religious wars comparable those which France suffered in the second half of the 16th century. Although autocratic and capricious, Elizabeth had astute political judgement and chose her ministers well these included Burghley (Secretary of State), Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State). Overall, Elizabeths administration consisted of some 600 officials administering the great offices of state, and a homogeneous number dealing with the Crown lands (which funded the administrative costs).Social and stinting convention and l aw and order remained in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, support by unpaid justices of the peace. Elizabeths reign also saw numerous brave voyages of discovery, including those of Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, particularly to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and switch over expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognised by establishing the East India Company in 1600. The arts flourished during Elizabeths reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached its laid-back point, theatres thrived the Queen attended the first performance of Shakespeares A midsummer Nights Dream. Composers such as William Byrd and Thomas tallis worked in Elizabeths court and at the Chapel Royal, St. Jamess Palace.The image of Elizabeths reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was oft called Gloriana, Good Queen Bess and The Virgin Queen. Investing in pricy clothes a nd precious stonelery (to look the part, like all contemporary sovereigns), she elegant this image by touring the country in regional visits known as progresses, often riding on horseback rather than by carriage. Elizabeth make at least 25 progresses during her reign. However, Elizabeths reign was one of appreciable danger and difficulty for many, with threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northerly England was in rebellion in 1569-70. A papal bull of 1570 specifically released Elizabeths subjects from their allegiance, and she passed harsh laws against Roman Catholics after plots against her life were discovered. One such plot involved Mary, Queen of Scots, who had fled to England in 1568 after her second preserves murder and her subsequent matrimony to a man believed to be throw off been involved in his murder.As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeths prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebel lion and possible assassination plots, such as the Babington spell of 1586. Mary was also a temptation for potential invaders such as Philip II. In a letter of 1586 to Mary, Elizabeth wrote, You have planned to take my life and ruin my kingdom I never proceeded so harshly against you. notwithstanding Elizabeths reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of parliament and her advisers, Mary was tried, found guilty and executed in 1587. In 1588, assisted by bad weather, the English navy scored a great mastery over the Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships the Armada. The Armada was intend to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as Philip II believed he had a claim to the English throne through his marriage to Mary. During Elizabeths long reign, the nation also suffered from high prices and severe economic depression, especially in the countryside, during the 1590s.The war against Spain was not very successful after the Armada had be en beaten and, together with other campaigns, it was very costly. Though she kept a tight rein on government expenditure, Elizabeth left large debts to her successor. Wars during Elizabeths reign are estimated to have cost over 5 million (at the prices of the time) which Crown revenues could not match in 1588, for example, Elizabeths total yearly revenue amounted to some 392,000. Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, fan tan was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeths reign, five of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely use her power to veto legislation, she avoided confrontation and did not attempt to define Parliaments constitutional position and rights. Elizabeth chose never to marry.If she had chosen a foreign prince, he would have drawn England into foreign policies for his own advantages (as in her sister Marys marriage to Philip of Spain) marrying a fellow countryman could have drawn the Queen into factional infighting. Elizabeth used her marriage prospects as a political tool in foreign and domestic policies.However, the Virgin Queen was presented as a selfless woman who sacrificed personal happiness for the good of the nation, to which she was, in essence, married. Late in her reign, she addressed Parliament in the supposed Golden Speech of 1601 when she told MPs There is no jewel, be it of never so high a price, which I set before this jewel I mean your love. She seems to have been very popular with the vast volume of her subjects.III, OverallOverall, Elizabeths always shrewd and, when necessary, decisive leadership brought successes during a period of great danger both at home and abroad. She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national vacation for two hundred years.3 Elizabeth was a master of political science. She inherited her sires supremacist view of the monarchy, but showed great wisdom by refusing to this instant antagonize Parliament.She acquired undying devotion from her advisement council, who were constantly perplexed by her habit of waiting to the last minute to make decisions (this was not a deficiency in her makeup, but a tactic that she used to advantage). She used the various factions (instead of being used by them), playing one off another until the exhausted combatants came to her for resolution of their grievances. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power, while still maintaining the devotion of the whole of English society.2Resources Information1http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_EnglandMarriage_question 2 http//www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_i_01.shtml 3http//www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensofengland/thetudors/elizabethi.aspx