This sample Elizabeth I Research Paper is published for educational and informational purposes only. Free research papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a high quality research paper on history topics at affordable price please use custom research paper writing services.
Elizabeth I was an extremely intelligent and educated ruler whose forty-five-year reign signaled England’s rise as an empire. Elizabeth established the country as a maritime nation, sent the first English settlers to North America, and advocated religious tolerance. Because she left no heirs to her thrown, England was left in turmoil at the end of what is called the Elizabethan era.
Elizabeth I reigned as queen of England from 1558 to 1603. During that time England began its rise to become the empire “on which the sun never sets.” Under Elizabeth popular culture flourished; her court became a focal point for writers, musicians, and scholars such as William Shakespeare (1564–1616) and Francis Bacon (1561–1626), and explorers such as Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596) and Walter Raleigh (c. 1554–1618). The English economy expanded greatly. She also encouraged a spirit of free inquiry that in turn facilitated the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment.
Elizabeth inherited an England that was troubled by inflation, bankruptcy, disastrous wars, and religious conflict. Poverty and disease were common. From childhood Elizabeth’s own life was fraught with danger. When she was only two years old, her father (King Henry VIII, 1491–1547; reigned 1509– 1547) executed her mother, Anne Boleyn (his second wife), and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. After her father died, her brother Edward (1537–1553; reigned 1547–1553), the son of Henry’s third wife, inherited the throne but lived for only a short time. In 1553 Elizabeth’s Catholic half-sister Mary Tudor (1516–1558; reigned 1553–1558), who was Henry’s daughter by his first wife, became queen. In March 1554 Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of plotting against Mary and of refusing to embrace the Catholic religion. Elizabeth was released in May but remained under suspicion and was carefully watched until Mary died childless in 1558.
In this context the fact that Elizabeth ever became queen, much less that she reigned for forty-five years, is remarkable. But she had been forced to learn the skills of survival at an early age, and these skills served her throughout her life.
Still relatively young at twenty-five when she took the throne, Elizabeth knew that, unlike her father, she could not use an autocratic approach based on absolute power. She would have to rule in a more sophisticated way. She also knew the value of wise counsel. She created a small cabinet of trusted advisers, the most influential of whom was William Cecil (1520–1598). When she appointed Cecil as her secretary of state, she told him, “This judgment I have of you, that you will not be corrupted by any manner of gift, and that you will be faithful to the state, and that without respect of my private will, you will give me that counsel you think best, and if you shall know anything necessary to be declared to me of secrecy, you shall show it to myself only” (Luke 1973, 28). During the next forty years Elizabeth rarely made an important decision without consulting Cecil, although she did not always defer to his advice.
Elizabeth was an intelligent ruler and made herself familiar with all aspects of policy within and outside her realm. Accordingly, people could deceive her only with difficulty. Being multilingual, she was able to talk directly with ambassadors from many countries, and this fact ensured that no information could be lost in translation. Cecil’s admiration for her grasp of policy and politics is evident in his remark that “there never was so wise a woman born, for all respects, as Queen Elizabeth, for she spake and understood all languages; knew all estates and dispositions of Princes. And particularly was so expert in the knowledge of her own realm and estate as no counsellor she had could tell her what she knew not before” (Somerset 1997, 64).
Although Elizabeth never traveled beyond England, she was not an insular queen. Indeed, she was an expert on foreign policy, and one of her legacies was the establishment of England as a maritime nation. Although she never formally condoned piracy on the high seas, Elizabeth informally encouraged (partly through financing) Francis Drake and other sailors to plunder on her behalf. During her reign English merchant ships challenged Spain’s seafaring preeminence, and the first English settlers were sent to North America.
Elizabeth was pragmatic about international affairs. Careful with money, she was reluctant to fight wars because their cost inevitably drained her treasury. She also appreciated the necessity of managing her reputation. Her courtiers frequently used propaganda and “political spin” on her behalf. In matters of international politics monarchs were always aware of their image. Their status within the international arena also reflected directly on their courtiers, especially ambassadors in foreign courts—prestige by association. As a woman, Elizabeth was at a disadvantage within the international hierarchy; however, her intellect, judgment, and grasp of foreign policy became legendary. Consequently, as her reign proceeded, the reputation of both Elizabeth and of England grew. Visual images of Elizabeth were also tightly controlled. Paintings presented her as a powerful ruler and cultivated her image as a forever youthful virgin queen who was married to England and her subjects. Elizabeth used her travels around the country to make herself visible to her subjects. Her courtiers were often amazed at how she allowed the common people to approach her.
Religious divisions were a major issue throughout Elizabeth’s reign. Her father, Henry VIII, had rebelled against the pope and rejected the Catholic Church, which dominated Europe. Subsequently, Queen Mary, Elizabeth’s half-sister, had returned England to Catholicism and married Philip II, the Catholic king of Spain. Mary had persecuted people who had resisted the Catholic religion. Elizabeth was aware of the religious polarities within England and was more tolerant. Although she returned her country to Protestantism, Elizabeth recognized the dangers of encouraging the extremist elements of Protestantism. She insisted on changes in church services but retained many of the trappings of Catholic worship, such as crucifixes, clerical robes, and candlesticks.
Taking a religious middle ground, Elizabeth brought a degree of peace to England—peace that was not found in continental Europe, where religious fanaticism and turbulence were rife. The Inquisition terrorized Spain, and in France heretics were burned at the stake. By contrast, Elizabeth attempted to defuse religious tensions by increasing outward compliance with Protestant services. Any person who did not attend church was subject to a fine. But during the first part of Elizabeth’s reign Catholics who either attended the parish church or paid their fines for nonattendance could usually still practice their religion privately without fear of persecution. In contrast to Elizabeth’s more lenient attitude in religious matters, her counselors feared that Catholic religious extremists would assassinate the queen. Francis Walsingham (c. 1532–1590), acting under the direction of Cecil, was in charge of gathering information about any threats to the queen through a network of spies. Walsingham, who held extreme Puritan views, operated a counterespionage organization that used double agents and torture to obtain information. Although Elizabeth considered Walsingham to be an extremist in terms of religion, she admired his shrewdness and never doubted his devotion to her welfare.
Elizabeth’s religious moderation was tested when her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots (1542– 1587) took sanctuary in England in 1568 after an uprising in Scotland. Mary was Catholic, and some Catholic factions at the national and international level believed that she was the rightful queen of England. Cecil and Walsingham were concerned that Mary’s presence in England posed a threat to Elizabeth’s safety. After almost twenty years in captivity in England, Mary was executed for treason in 1587.
Like many leaders, Queen Elizabeth had a strong sense of destiny: she had no doubt that her rise to the throne was the will of God. When informed that her half-sister Mary Tudor had died and that Elizabeth was now queen, Elizabeth stated, “This is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Marshall 1991, 47). Elizabeth viewed the advantages that accrued from her sovereign status as far outweighing the disadvantages that accrued from her gender. For Elizabeth being a woman was more an irrelevance than a handicap, stating that “my sex cannot diminish my prestige” (Somerset 1997, 60).
During the sixteenth century the first duty of a monarch was to marry and have children, thereby ensuring the succession of the throne. Cecil in particular was eager to secure the succession and create a Protestant heir to the throne. As queen, Elizabeth was expected to marry someone of royal blood. She understood that marriage to a foreign prince offered some security from hostile nations in Europe, but she also understood that the English people were antagonistic toward foreigners. Mary Tudor’s marriage to King Philip II of Spain had caused great disruption within England. Elizabeth’s other option was marriage to an English nobleman. She thought, however, that such a marriage would create jealousies within the nobility and could lead even to civil war. To her, having to share power with a husband conflicted with her sense of personal destiny. Elizabeth’s childhood experiences and her knowledge of international politics had led her to believe that marriage would be disadvantageous both to her and to her realm. Although an unmarried queen was considered unnatural at that time, Elizabeth turned her single status into a strength.
Elizabeth’s policy of remaining single did leave the problem of succession. The loss of such a charismatic leader as Queen Elizabeth left a vacuum in England that resulted in great internal conflict. On her death she was succeeded by the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James I of England (1566–1625; reigned as James VI of Scotland 1567–1625 and as king of England 1603–1625), who had been raised a Protestant. This subsequent period in English history was one of social turmoil, religious strife, and civil war.
Elizabeth was an extraordinary woman, respected abroad and celebrated at home. Four hundred years after her death we still recognize her legacy as one of the greatest monarchs in English history. Her reign brought increasing prosperity and peace and strengthened England’s international interests. After the turbulent years of Henry VIII’s reign, the relative stability that England enjoyed during Elizabeth’s reign advanced the development of English culture. Her reign led to the emergence of the mighty British Empire. In North America, Virginia (named after Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen) was explored and colonized. England defeated the Spanish Armada and became a dominant sea power. Drake circumnavigated the globe. Sailors such as Raleigh and Drake took the English language abroad; today it has become the language of world communication. Her policies encouraged development of parliamentary democracy, a moderate Church of England, and, for her time, a relatively prosperous, peaceful, and stable society. Many scholars consider the Elizabethan era to have been a golden age. Indeed, Elizabeth came to be known as “Gloriana,” a name that reflected the triumphs of her reign.
Bibliography:
- Anthony, K. (1929). Queen Elizabeth. New York: Literary Guild.
- Cecil, D. (1973). The Cecils of Hatfield House. London: Constable and Co.
- Compton, P. (1933). Bad Queen Bess. Tonbridge, U.K.: Tonbridge Printers.
- Collinson, P. (1994). Elizabethan essays. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
- Erickson, C. (1999). The first Elizabeth. London: Robson Books.
- Fraser, A. (1992). The six wives of Henry VIII. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
- Guy, J. (1988). Tudor England. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
- Haigh, C. (1988). Elizabeth I. Harlow, U.K.: Longman.
- Hibbert, C. (1992). The virgin queen: The personal history of Elizabeth 1st. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin Books.
- Irwin, M. (1962). Elizabeth and the prince of Spain. London: Chatto and Windus.
- Jenkins, E. (1958). Elizabeth and Leicester. London: Panther Books.
- Jenkins, E. (1958). Elizabeth the great. Bungay, U.K.: Richard Clay and Co.
- Luke, M. (1970). A crown for Elizabeth. New York: Coward- McCann.
- Luke, M. (1973). Gloriana: The years of Elizabeth. Toronto, Canada: Longman Canada.
- Marshall, R. K. (1991). Elizabeth I. London: HMSO.
- Miles, R. (1994). I, Elizabeth. London: Pan Books.
- Milton, G. (2000). Big chief Elizabeth: How England’s adventurers gambled and won the New World. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Neale, J. E. (1953). Elizabeth and her parliaments, 1559–1581. London: Jonathon Cape.
- Neale, J. E. (1958). Essays in Elizabethan history. London: Jonathon Cape.
- Plowden, A. (1973). Danger to Elizabeth. London: Macmillan.
- Plowden, A. (1980). Elizabeth Regina, 1588–1603. London: Macmillan.
- Ross, J. (1994). The Tudors. London: Artus Books.
- Rowse, A. L. (1971). The Elizabethan renaissance: The life of the society. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin.
- Sitwell, E. (1946). Fanfare for Elizabeth. London: Macmillan.
- Somerset, A. (1997). Elizabeth I. London: Phoenix.
- Starkey, D. (2000). Elizabeth: Apprenticeship. London: Chatto and Windus.
- Strickland, A. (1906). The life of Queen Elizabeth. London: J. M. Dent and Sons.
- Thane, E. (1932). The Tudor wench. New York: Brewer, Warren and Putnam.
- Watkins, S. (1998). In public and in private: Elizabeth 1st and her world. Singapore: C S Graphics.
- Weir, A. (1999). Elizabeth the queen. London: Pimlico.
- Williams, N. (1967). Elizabeth: Queen of England. London: William Clowes and Son.
- Williams, N. (1972). The life and times of Elizabeth I. London: George Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Williams, P. (1998). The later Tudors: England 1547–1603. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
See also:
Free research papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to order a custom research paper on political science and get your high quality paper at affordable price.
ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER
Always on-time
Plagiarism-Free
100% Confidentiality
