Queen Elizabeth

name: Despite being unwanted by her father, King Henry VIII,
Elizabeth managed to overcome obstacles and become one
of the most powerful woman leaders of her time.  Some
of her accomplishments were to defeat the Spanish
armada, restore peace between Catholics and
Protestants, and lead England to prosperity  (Ross
146).  The period of time during her reign, fifteen
hundred and fifty eight to sixteen hundred and three,
is often called “the Golden Age” since it was the most
constructive time in English history.  The English
court became the center for writers, musicians, and
scholars.  She was also the first English monarch to
reach her seventieth year
(Http://www.havrgal.on.ca/htmlpages/intranet/).
NEW PARAGRAPH:She was the virgin queen and her brother
called her “sweet sister temperance” (DQ Internet)
because she was ladylike and well dressed.  Her
behavior and manners were impeccable.  She never
married, although she used the promise of marriage to
get her way. She also screamed, cried and did
everything necessary to make her council agree with
her. Some say she was married to her country.  She was
much sought after and had many suitors, none of which
she seemed interested in.  The fact that she never
married also led to England’s first era of peace in
years.  No country would invade England with suitors
from their land trying to marry Elizabeth.  The fact
that Elizabeth would not marry was unheard of,


especially for a queen.  With no husband, she would
have no children and therefore no heirs to her throne.
NEW PARAGRAPH:King Henry VIII, Elizabeth’s father, had
six wives.  Elizabeth’s mother was Anne Boleyn, who
was decapitated after failing to give birth to a son.
Henry wanted a son so he would have someone to pass
the throne on to.  None of his wives could produce a
son so when Henry died Elizabeth, his oldest surviving
child became Queen of England (Erickson 98).  The day
she became queen, she
held her first meeting and dismissed two thirds of the
council, replacing them with people over fifty and her
friends (Thomas 76).  One of which was Robert Dudley,
an old friend from childhood, whom Elizabeth released
from imprisonment he suffered under Mary’s rule.
There were rumors that the two were more than friends
and hope of Elizabeth finally marrying increased, but
she never did marry him.  There were also rumors that
Elizabeth murdered Robert’s wife, Amy Rosbart.  She
was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs.
However, murder nor suicide could be proven and so the
case was just forgotten (Erickson 212).
NEW PARAGRAPH:Many people did not want her to be queen
because she was Protestant and also because she was a
woman.  This quote was said of her “She was christened
in hot water, but not hot enough” (Erickson 21).
NEW PARAGRAPH:Nonetheless it was extremely important
to maintain good relations with her subjects and she
proved to be a very well liked and popular queen.  The
people came first in her eyes.  Elizabeth faced all
sorts of problems from the beginning of her reign
until her death.  Her half sister “Bloody Mary”
accused Elizabeth of trying to murder her and
imprisoned Elizabeth in the tower of London for a
period of time and Mary, Queen of Scots, claimed that
she was still the rightful Queen of England
(Internet).
NEW PARAGRAPH:Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage
to Catherine of Aragon but he needed permission from
the pope.  He knew that it would not be easy since
Catherine had such good family connections, so he
broke away from the Catholic Church completely and
formed his own religion, Protestantism.  This caused a
lot of turmoil in England.  Elizabeth was the symbol
of Protestant hope and she forbid the burnings that
had plagued the Protestant people (Ross 59).  She made
Protestant the main religion in England and united
them with the Catholics.
NEW PARAGRAPH:Queen Elizabeth refused an offer of
marriage from King Philip of Spain and shortly
afterwards her navy defeated the Spanish Armada.
England and Spain had been competing for trade and
land in the “new” world, America (Thomas 231).  The
fleet of Spanish ships, about one hundred and fifty,
was the largest fleet in history.  King Philip thought
they were invincible.  Once the fleet reached Calais,
however, they were badly damaged by the English navy
and they did not receive the help from the Duke of
Parma that they were promised (Erickson 203).
Elizabeth gave this speech to her troops before the
battle, “ My loving people, we have been persuaded by
some, that are careful of our safety, to take heed how
we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of
treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live
to distrust my faithful and loving people.  Let
tyrants fear; I have always so behaved myself that,
under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safe
guard in the loyal hearts and good will of my
subjects.  I know I have the body of a weak and feeble
woman; but I have the heart of a king.  I myself will
be your general, judge and reward of every one of your
virtues in the field”  (Internet).
NEW PARA.:After the Spanish defeat, England had the
most powerful navy in the world.  They were in
favoritism of being pirates and would often raid
Spanish ships and steal their gold and jewels. This
helped them build an empire in America and also such
places as India.  As a result of these empires,
England rose out of an economic depression and grew to
be the powerful and prosperous nation it still is
today (Ross 65).
NP:As you have read, Elizabeth overcame many
obstacles, achieved great things for the country she
ruled, and disproved the myth that woman are incapable
of ruling themselves, much less a country.  Her
virginity, pureness, and virtue gained her respect,
adoration, and love.  It also prevented wars with
other countries, thus improving England’s foreign
affairs.  She led her army against the Spanish Armada
and got England out of a recession and into prosperity
and wealth.  Her determination, patience, and will
made her a great ruler and she will forever be known
as one of the greatest woman, not only in English
history but world history.