During the 1500s, one woman prevailed in a society dominated by males. Queen Elizabeth I of England served for forty-four stable and prosperous years. She claimed the throne in 1558 and reigned until her death in 1603. Because of her strong leadership, this time period was known as England’s Golden Age or Elizabethan Era. Queen Elizabeth’s accomplishments were possible because of her educational background, Protestant upbringing, and unmarried status. First, Queen Elizabeth’s reign was successful because she was well educated. According to the Folger Shakespeare Library website, she received instruction that only men received during the 1500s. She studied mathematics, history, and several different languages. She played music, danced, rode horses and hunted. (Folger.edu) She supported the country’s culture. For example, she loved to attend plays written by William Shakespeare. She saw “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Love’s Labor’s Lost.” (Folger.edu) As a queen, she was also able to communicate well with diplomatic ambassadors from other countries because she spoke so many languages. Because of the education she received, the kingdom thrived. …show more content…
When Elizabeth I took the throne, the country was divided over religion. Some people were Roman Catholic and others were Protestant. She allowed more freedom of religion and separated from the Pope so that the country would be calmer and not be so violent. According to “Queen Elizabeth I” on www.Biography.com, she passed the Act of Supremacy in 1570 to make England Protestant again because her half-sister Queen Mary had made the country Catholic. Despite these changes, Elizabeth was tactful to her Catholic lords and subjects. (Biography.com) These actions helped her control and lead her country into the Golden
During the era of the 1500s, there may have been many queens that ruled many other countries, but one specific queen with stunning looks caught many people, especially men's, attention. She is sometimes called the Virgin Queen but is known as Queen Elizabeth l. She was known because of her father who is King Henry VIII and her sister Queen Mary who controlled England and Ireland, which lead the ruling of England to be passed over to Queen Elizabeth from then she was declared queen in the year 1558 at the age of 25. The only exacerbate of being Queen of England was they were at war with France. Once she became queen, the Act of Supremacy became law at the church of England and at that time the Act of Uniformity was also passed, which was the
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
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
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.
She once said in a speech to English troops, “I know I have but 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.” Because Elizabeth knew what the common opinion of women was in the 16th and 17th centuries, she had to show that she was powerful, wise and as truly fit as any man to be the ruler of England. (Doc
Many suitors were available to Elizabeth, but she chose not to marry and had no interest in sharing her power with a husband. This earned her the nickname the “Virgin Queen.” She built herself up as a queen married to her people. Even though she worked hard, Elizabeth loved the arts. She enjoyed music, watching plays, and dancing. Many artists painted her portrait, and these paintings show that she loved clothing and jewelry. Elizabeth also wore makeup to help her look extremely pale. This makeup unfortunately contained white lead and vinegar, which most likely caused her health problems.
Elizabeth impacted her kingdom by uniting together not by religion. She also impacted her kingdom by uniting it as a nation. Theodora impacted her empire by allowing women to own their own property. She also impacted her empire by you can't give up your kids and throw them out of your house.
Queen Elizabeth came to be known as one of the greatest rulers of the English empire. Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a more efficient government was created. The church was unified, the English empire was expanded, and language, literature, and theater flourished to a greatness that would be impossible for almost any other period of English history, or any other European empire, for that matter, to match. Although there was a great rise in literature,it was theater that catapulted to greatness during Elizabeth's reign. Out of Elizabeth's era came Elizabethan theater. Elizabethan theater has such a variety of topics, that would make it virtually impossible to talk about in ten pages.
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
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
Women did not have a successful run on the throne until her and currently, England has yet, another successful woman in power in Elizabeth II. Through her strengths as a person and as a leader, Elizabeth I set the tone for what a Queen should be and how they should act. Not only this, but she also worked hard to get the trust of the English people and it seemed to have stuck for if it had not, it is possible that a female would currently not be in power and if she were, she might not have the respect that the current Queen does. Another clear group of people that Elizabeth I has pertinence to today is that of religious groups. Once Elizabeth was on the throne she allowed people to worship how they pleased for she understood that essentially
In the sixteenth century the role of women in society was very limited. Women were generally stereotyped as housewives and mothers. They were to be married, living their life providing for her husband and children. The patriarchal values of the Elizabethan times regarded women as the weaker sex.’ Men were considered the dominant gender and were treated with the utmost respect by females. Women were mainly restricted within the confines of their homes and were not allowed to go school or to university, but they could be educated at home by private tutors. Men were said to be the ones to provide for their families financially. Women were often seen as not intelligent. Property could not be titled in the name of a female within the family. Legally everything the female had belonged to her husband. Poor and middle class wives were kept very busy but rich women were not idle either. In a big house they had to organize and supervise the servants.
Carol Rivers once said, “Men have jobs, while women have roles: Mother, wife, goddess, temptress, etc. That's probably why it's so hard for women to follow the rules.” In the play Othello, it is evident that the women have certain roles and rules they have to follow. With these roles, it is easy to tell that they have different expectations. In this play, William Shakespeare reflects on the social norms of the Elizabethan Era.
First and foremost, Elizabeth I was an outstanding ruler of England, who would reign for 45 years. She was a popular leader who was liked by her people. Elizabeth I was welcomed to the throne on November 17, 1558 at the age of 25, the day Queen Mary had died. But, her coronation did not take place until January 15, 1559 (Elizabeth I). During her time, there were many “voyages of discovery” for her country including: Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert. Because of England forming colonies and expanding
“ The belief that women were inherently inferior in intelligence, strength, and character was so persuasive that for men like Knox, a woman ruler was almost a contradiction in terms” (“Documents for Chapters 5&6”). In the 16th century, women were looked upon as a gender that should stay in the house and work, not have power and rule over a country. Discussing the govern of Queens during the 16th century, such as Mary Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, allowed prejudices to be lessened but never completely be erased. No matter how these four notable ladies came into power, the accomplishments they overcame, achieved and wrote about proved to be great and substantial in making history as it is written today.