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ELIZABETH THE FIRST
The greatest Tudor Monarch
Elizabeth's unexpected ascension
Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, was not even fourteen when her father, Henry VIII, died.
The crown, in accordance with the rules of succession, passed to the male heir, the son of Henry and his third wife, Jane Seymour: Edward.
Edward was only nine years old. He also had delicate health. His reign lasted only about six years and he died in 1553. What did he die of?
Her name was Lady Jane Grey. She was just a pawn in Somerset's political game to keep a Catholic away from the throne.
With the help of the army, Mary Tudor prevailed, became queen and sentenced Somerset, and poor Lady Jane, to death.
Queen Elizabeth I
aged 25
This is Mary Tudor when she was young...
According to the symptoms reported by the doctors of the time, it is possible he died of tuberculosis.
The next descendant, based on the succession, was Mary Tudor, but before his death, Edward's protector, the Duke of Somerset, convinced the young king to proclaim an obscure cousin as successor
And this is her as Queen Mary the First.
Mary I reigned from 1553 to 1558. During her reign she tried to reconcile England with the Catholic Church of Rome. She married a Catholic king: Philip II of Spain, and systematically prosecuted all non-Catholics. she is remembered as Bloody Mary for this.
When Mary died, the only surviving Tudor was her half-sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth never proclaimed her religion openly, but was suspected of sympathizing with the Protestants. She was even imprisoned because they thought she was an accomplice in a plot to kill Mary. In the end, Mary could not decide in favor of Elizabeth's execution, so in 1558 a very surprised Elizabeth found herself on the throne of England.
A rule of balance
The political and religious scenario
Elizabeth inherited a kingdom in chaos, the domestic situation was one of economic bankruptcy, poverty and hate between Catholics and Protestants.
"The Hampden Portrait",
Steven van der Meulen, 1560
The international situation was even worse.
England was, potentially, a heretic state, demonized
by the church and, economically, very interesting for
other countries like Spain and France, which wanted
to extend their economy over sea commerce. It was of absolute importance for Elizabeth to marry someone from a powerful country, to get urgent political, economic and military support...
...which is precisely why she didn't...
...Only a woman could do this.
It was a very unusual thing, for a "fragile woman", to be the ruler of a country. Elizabeth was expected to get married and pass all duties to a man, the new king. This concept was so fundamental that everyone, including England's potential enemies: France and Spain, were certain it was only a question of time, and so they sent their best candidates, their suitors. The choice of king would determine the political position of England, and then it would be possible to go on with alliances and, of course, wars.
And so they waited...
...and waited...
Elizabeth made them wait, always promising she was going to choose a husband, and never deciding, and so she gained the time she needed to restore her kingdom:
Topic
- She established Protestantism (under the Book of Common Prayer)
- Borrowed money and made new coins to repair the economy (using cheap metals)
- Started rebuilding the army and the navy
- Reunited her country
There was only one question which remained unsolved:
an unmarried queen, governing a country, was very irregular.
"I am married to the people of England."
Elizabeth used her femininity as an instrument of political control, and then used it again as a religious symbol.
Separated from the Church of Rome, England needed a new iconic symbol which represented the good favor of God. Queen Elizabeth understood this perfectly, and had the perfect solution:
She used heavy makeup to make her skin look very white, and wore clothes which contained symbols of virginal purity (Look at the pearls and the color of the wonderful dress she is wearing)
She had multiple copies of pictures like this, circulating Europe, and so she started to be called "The Virgin Queen". The reference to the Holy Virgin Mary is evident and intentional.
Sir Walter Raleigh, an explorer, nominated an American territory to honor Elizabeth...
He called it "Virginia".
From 1558 to 1603
How did she die?
She died of blood poisoning, caused by the heavy makeup she used to make her face white. (white makeup was made with lead, a poisonous metal).
The devastated country
she inherited, had become
a strong, powerful nation,
under her rule when she died at the age of 69.