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. some beats called The consummate(a) faerie, Gloriana or Good nance Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and ending monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, only when her m different, Anne Boleyn, was executed deuce and a half(prenominal) age after her birth.1Elizabeth was a different kind of Queen quick-witted, clever and able to use maidenly wiles to get her own way. Elizabeth could be as ruthless and calculating as any king before her only if at the same time she was vain, sentimental and easily swayed by flattery. She liked to surround herself with attractive volume and her portraits were carefully vetted to make sure that no physical flaws were ever revealed. She relied upon the ministers contiguous to her save would infuriate them with h er indecision It makes me weary of lifetime, remarked one. Faced with a predicament for example whether or non to sign the execution warfarerant 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 forced to make up her mind. She had a formidable intellect, and her sharp tongue would quickly settle any bank line in her favour.2II,Early lifeElizabeth was the only child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who did not bear a male heir and was executed less than terce 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 Henry 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 whitethorn 1536.8 Elizabeth was declare d illegitimate and deprived of the title of princess1Source WikipediaElizabeth is favorably contrasted to her half-blood sister, bloody shame I but she was lucky to live longer than her. Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed very slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then third in line cigarette her romish Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, ceaselessly considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the wake 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 six languages), and had inherited intelligence, determi solid ground and cleverness from both parents. 3III, Elizabeths Reign2Her 45-year prevail is generally considered one of the most bright in face history. During it a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines wer e laid prevail over in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman universality and Protestantism. Elizabeth herself ref apply to make windows into mens souls there is only one the Nazarene Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles she asked for outwards uniformity. Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church stop probably saved England from religious wars like 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 include Burghley (Secretary of State), Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State). Overall, Elizabeths cheek consisted of some 600 officials administering the great offices of state, and a similar number dealing with the elevation lands (which funded the administrative costs).Social and economic regulation and law and order rema ined in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, supported by unpaid justices of the peace. Elizabeths reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, including those of Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert, especially to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonisation and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognised by establishing the eastside India Company in 1600. The arts flourished during Elizabeths reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived the Queen attended the prototypic performance of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights woolgather. Composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Tallis worked in Elizabeths hail and at the Chapel Royal, St. Jamess Palace.The image of Elizabeths reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called Gloriana, Good Queen Bess and The Virgin Queen. Investing in expensive clothes and jewellery (to bearing the part, like all contemporary sovereigns), she cultivated this image by touring the rural in regional visits known as progresses, often riding on horseback rather than by carriage. Elizabeth made at least 25 progresses during her reign. However, Elizabeths reign was one of considerable risk and difficulty for many, with threats of impact from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northern 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 husbands murder and her concomitant marriage to a man believed to ready been involved in his murder.As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeths prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and mathematical assassina tion plots, such as the Babington Plot of 1586. Mary was also a temptation for potential invaders such as Philip II. In a garner of 1586 to Mary, Elizabeth wrote, You be possessed of planned to exit my life and ruin my kingdom I never proceeded so harshly against you. in spite of Elizabeths reluctance to take drastic action, on the insistence of Parliament and her advisers, Mary was tried, found iniquitous and executed in 1587. In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the Spanish invasion fleet of around 130 ships the Armada. The Armada was intended to overthrow the Queen and re-establish Roman Catholicism by conquest, as Philip II believed he had a get 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 been beaten and, tog ether 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 couplet in 1588, for example, Elizabeths total annual revenue amounted to some 392,000. Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, Parliament was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeths reign, five-spot of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely utilize her power to veto legislation, she avoided opponent and did not attempt to define Parliaments constitutional emplacement and rights. Elizabeth chose never to marry.If she had chosen a exotic prince, he would have worn-out 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 womanhood 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 so-called Golden Speech of 1601 when she told system of macrophages 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 majority 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 get out of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years.3 Elizabeth was a master of political science. She inherited her fat hers supremacist view of the monarchy, but showed great wisdom by refusing to directly antagonize Parliament.She acquired undying homage from her advisement council, who were constantly perplexed by her habit of waiting to the snuff it 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 firmness of their grievances. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power, while still maintaining the veneration 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