Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I of England.

Elizabeth I (7 September, 1533 – 24 March, 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November, 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

Family

The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a Princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed three years after her birth, and Elizabeth was then declared illegitimate. Her brother, Edward VI, cut her out of the succession. His Will, however, was set aside, and in 1558 Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister, the Roman Catholic Mary, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.

Reign

Elizabeth set out to rule by good counsel: "I mean to direct all my actions by good advice and counsel." and she depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers led by William Cecil. One of her first moves as queen was to support the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement held firm throughout her reign.

In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and siblings. One of her mottoes was video et taceo: "I see, and say nothing". This strategy, viewed with impatience by her counsellors, often saved her from political and marital misalliances. Though Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs and only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France and Ireland, the defeat of the Spanish armada in 1588 associated her name forever with what is popularly viewed as one of the greatest victories in English history. Within 20 years of her death, she was being celebrated as the ruler of a golden age, an image that retains its hold on the English people. Elizabeth's reign is known as the Elizabethan era, famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Francis Drake and John Hawkins.

Opinions

Historians, however, tend to be more cautious in their assessment. They often depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered. In 1593, the French ambassador confessed: "When I see her enraged against any person whatever, I wish myself in Calcutta, fearing her anger like death itself". Others sometimes described her as an indecisive ruler who enjoyed more than her share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity to the point where many of her subjects were said to be relieved at her death. Elizabeth is, however, acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor, in an age when government was ramshackle and limited and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems that jeopardised their thrones. Such was the case with Elizabeth's first-cousin-once-removed Mary, Queen of Scots, who, in exile, took refuge in England and then began to plot to succeed to the English throne. Elizabeth eventually had her executed in 1587 following the exposing of the conspiracy and trial. After the short reigns of Elizabeth's brother and sister, her 44 years on the throne provided valuable stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.

Spinster

It was expected that Elizabeth would marry, but despite several petitions from parliament, she did not. The reasons for this choice are unknown, and they have been much debated. As she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity, and a cult grew up around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants and literature of the day.

Successor

With the House of Tudor failing to provide direct surviving heirs, upon Elizabeth's death the crown passed to her second cousin, James VI and I.

Further reading

• Donaldson, Gordon, Mary, Queen of Scots, London, 1974, ISBN 978-0-340-12383-6.
• Fraser, Antonia, Mary Queen of Scots, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1994. ISBN 978-0-297-17773-9.
• Weir, Alison, Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley Random House, London, 2003/2008, ISBN 978-0-09-952707-7.
• Somerset, Anne, Elizabeth I Anchor Books, London, 2003, ISBN 978-0-385-72157-8.
• Doran, Susan, The Queen's Suitors and the Problem of the Succession, in "Elizabeth: The Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum", Chatto and Windus, London, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7011-7476-7.