Perhaps not many a woman is regarded to be as remarkable and as compelling as Queen Elizabeth I of England. She is considered as one of the most loved, admired, and popular rulers of all time and her reign is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of English history. Her works, achievements, and colorful life had indeed made her a legend.

Only a few of the history books account for this queen’s true character and personality. This might be attributed to the fact that Elizabeth had been a mysterious person during her time. She was an enigma even to her own people. As noted by the historian G.M. Trevelyan(1942), Elizabeth loved to hide her real thoughts and purpose in clouds of vain and deceitful words.(p.234) Nevertheless, her pastimes, decisions, and the way she ran her country shed some light on qualities that she possessed.

Born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace, Elizabeth’s birth is probably her father’s greatest disappointment. King Henry VIII had not divorced his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and changed the religion of the country in the process, only to have another daughter. He had wanted a son to succeed him as King but what he had were two unwanted daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Having failed to provide the king with a male heir, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother was executed on false charges of incest and adultery on May 19, 1536. Anne’s Marriage to the king was declared null and void and Elizabeth, like her half-sister Mary was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the line of succession(Thomas, 2005).

The next eight years of Elizabeth’s life saw a quick succession of stepmothers. After Anne Boleyn, King Henry married Jane Seymour who died while giving birth to his longed for son, Edward. Henry was afterwards three times married. Two of the three successive wives, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Howard,who was beheaded, he divorced and the sixth, Catherine Parr, outlived him.

As a child, Elizabeth was very gifted and intelligent. She had received an impressive education for it had been the trend of the nobility to educate daughters as well as sons. She could read, write, and speak Latin, French, Italian, some Greek, as well as remarkably vigorous English. She had a natural flare for languages(Thomas, 2005).

When King Henry reinstated Mary’s and Elizabeth’s succession to the throne, Elizabeth became a vulnerable political pawn. After King Henry VIII died, Edward, his successor was not yet of legitimate age to be the king so Edward Seymour, Edward’s uncle, took over as Protector of England for the meantime. Seymour’s younger brother, Thomas was jealous of his position so he hatched a scheme which involved kidnapping the Boy King but he was immediately caught and thereby executed. However, prior to the said event, Thomas Seymour made his desire to marry Elizabeth no secret so the young girl was thought of as a co-conspirator to the said plot(Thomas,2005). Elizabeth was made to prove her innocence and this event manifested the strength, and courage that would be indispensable to her through the years of her reign.

Elizabeth’s adulthood was no easier than her childhood. After Edward died in the summer of 1554, Elizabeth found herself again implicated in an evil plot that she did not participate in. Her half-sister Mary Tudor had succeeded Edward, and having been a devout catholic, she made decisive and often cruel policies concerning her non-catholic subjects. Because Elizabeth was a protestant, Queen Mary had been suspicious of her and when the Wyatt Rebellion broke out, Elizabeth was accused of conspiracy, and was afterwards sent to the Tower of London for imprisonment. After two months Elizabeth was transferred to Woodstock Manor in Oxfordshire and there she suffered as captive for a year. Her situation there was no better than in the tower of London for she was treated as a prisoner.

“The house itself was uninhabitable so she had to be lodged in the gatehouse with her servants. It was only at the behest of the Queen’s husband, Philip of Spain, that she was allowed to return to her childhood home of Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Philip was aware of the Queen’s poor health and wanted to gain the friendship of Elizabeth to ensure peaceable relations between England and Spain should his wife die and Elizabeth succeed to the throne. ” (Thomas,2005).

After Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth became the new Queen of England. This succession was greatly rejoiced for by the people for Mary had not been a popular Queen. As Cheyney(1960) wrote”…and all England again looked with hope to the beginning of a new and better age under the third child of Henry VIII, Mary’s sister, Elizabeth.”(p.327).

Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England on Sunday January 15, 1559. “It was a moment of supreme triumph for the unwanted daughter who had spent her life in the shadow of court cast aside, and forgotten.”(Thomas,2005). Having found her new freedom, Queen Elizabeth I did not hesitate to live her life to the fullest. She loved all kinds of sports-hunting, hawking, bear baiting, and watching the male courtiers excel at jousts and other sporting contests(Thomas, 2005). Elizabeth also loved loud music, dancing, and parties and she could even play instruments like the virginals and the lute.

One of the major issues that Queen Elizabeth faced during her first year of rule was the religion of the country. When Mary ruled, the Roman Catholics were given the most opportunities, and benefits while the Protestants, and other non-Catholics were forced to renounce their faith or else burned at the stake. Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant herself did not follow Mary’s style and turn the table on the Catholics. Instead, she discontinued Mary’s Roman Catholic Policy and she and the parliament passed two important laws known as the “Act of Supremacy”, and the “Act of Uniformity”. These two laws stipulated that England shall not follow any foreign power or rule. These laws clearly implied that England is breaking the Pope’s ecclesiastical hold on her. Furthermore, a new church was established. This church called the Church of England was of a form midway between the Catholic and the Protestant churches. Cheyney(1960) had written:

“It was not Roman Catholic as it had been during the middle ages, for it had rejected the leadership of the pope and had introduced many differences in doctrines and ceremonies. On the other hand, it was not protestant, like other reformed churches for it retained the organization under archbishops and bishops. It had a prescribed form of worships, clergymen still wore robes at the services, and in fact, the changes from medieval customs and beliefs were relatively slight.”(p.333)

Every person was forced to accept this religion and must attend every Sunday or Holy Day, under a penalty with a fine of a shilling for every absence. But there were those who refused to accept the new religion and still clung to their old faith. These were the extreme Catholics, and those who desired a more reformed form of a church (they were called Puritans). The Government took its position firmly between the two extremes. Those who did not conform shall be punished and so due to the pressure and threat of punishment, these people finally gave in.

When Elizabeth came to the throne, the country was in no condition to resist a foreign invader for its military power and ammunitions for were in poor state. The treasury was almost always empty and the country was at war with France (Trevelyan, 1942). As a solution to these problems, Queen Elizabeth adapted the policy of peace and neutrality. England remained at peace with Spain for it controlled Netherlands, the place where England exported most of her goods. The country made peace with France for the Scottish people were allies of the French and war with France would surely mean war with Scotland as well.

The disastrous reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary had left most of the English poor, distressed, and confused. Queen Elizabeth and her

Government abated this crisis by passing a law that included helping the poor. Collectors were appointed at particular parishes and were given a list of the poor and a list of the rich, and each week, the latter were made to pay a certain amount to be given to the former.

It was also under Elizabeth were the coinage of the country was replaced. The pieces of coin were converted into purer and lighter silver of high standard and quality (Cheyney, 1960). The “Statute of Apprentices” was passed and it protected the rights of the laborers, and employers. The wages and employment of the apprentices and laborers became more stable and fair than ever.

Much as there had been successes, there were also some difficulties that the Queen faced. Chief among these was Mary, Queen of Scots.

Mary Stuart was Elizabeth’s cousin. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and Margaret Tudor, Henry’s sister. Mary was born in Scotland and was married to the King of France. Since Elizabeth was an illegitimate child (Anne’s marriage to Henry was declared null and void), many Catholics believed that Mary was the rightful Queen of England. This started a rivalry between the two women. Mary, having been rather a conceited person often said that she was the Queen of England, Scotland, and France. Although both women possessed impressive educations, intelligence, and shrewdness, Elizabeth was superior over Mary in a way where she made decisions and did things out of her love for her countrymen while Mary sought to accomplish things out of purely private ends and ambitions.

When Mary’s husband died, she went back to Scotland and there she took up her position as Queen. She was married again this time to her cousin Lord Darnley, a Catholic nobleman who is near in blood to both Scottish, and English crowns. Later, a scandal broke out which involved Mary plotting the death of her husband who reportedly killed her Italian lover David Rizzio. This roused the anger of many of the Scots that and a rebellion against Mary resulted. She fled to England where she asked Elizabeth’s help in retaining her kingdom. But Elizabeth received evidence of Mary’s plots so she was prompted to take a neutral side on Mary’s issue. By imprisoning Mary, she was able to protect her from the anger of her countrymen and she was able to resist from giving her the help that she wanted(Trevelyan, 1959).

Elizabeth’s marriage was also one of the most pressing issues at that time. Since her succession to the throne, Elizabeth had received a flood of proposals for marriage and these she discussed with her parliament and ladies-in-waiting. Marriage to an English nobleman would have been a popular move but there was only one whom Elizabeth could consider marrying and that was Lord Robert Dudley, her favorite courtier However, there were rumors that he killed his wife so marriage to him would have been a public scandal. Marriage to a foreign monarch would mean alliance to another country and Elizabeth could not do that since e it was the nation’s policy to remain independent. Nevertheless, she did not let her suitors and people know of her plan not to marry though she was heard saying “Better beggar woman and single, than Queen and married.”(Thomas, 2005).

The imprisonment of the Queen of Scots which lasted for twenty years had increased the ire of the Catholics and most importantly, Spain. When Mary was caught plotting the death of Elizabeth, it became imperative for the Queen to execute her. The people of England, full of rage and fear were petitioning for the execution of Mary (Trevelyan, 1960). Elizabeth finally signed Mary’s death warrant and the Queen of Scots was beheaded on February, 1587. Cheyney had written:

“The pathos of Mary’s position, the scene in the hall of execution, her dignity on the scaffold, the lifting of the gory head aloft as it fell from the block, with the usual cry of “So perish the enemies of the Queen”, made a dramatic close to a career whose sadness was extreme, whatever side maybe taken in the dispute which has ever since raged around Mary Stuart.”(1960, p.303).

The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots , had precipitated the war between England, and Spain. King Philip, believing Spain as the champion of the Catholics, and having been bequeathed by Mary her injunction upon him to continue the long threatened invasion declared war against England.

The declaration of war left most of the English afraid for Spain was known for its superiority in warfare and the fame of the invincible Armada, the great Spanish fleet, had reached England.

But Queen Elizabeth I was not your weak hearted queen. Shortly after the declaration, she summoned her troops, and ordered them to prepare for war.

“Hurried preparations had been made to meet the invasion. The English militia were warned to gather at various places of rendezvous; a camp was formed at Tilbury on the Thames below London, where Elizabeth visited and addressed the troops; beacons were prepared on every hilltop along the southern and eastern coasts; and vessels under the command of Howard, Hawkins, Drake, Frobisher, and other famous captains were gathered in various harbours from Plymouth to Dover. In addition to the Queen’s ships, volunteers came from every port…Lord Effingham, Lord Admiral of England, was put in supreme command of the fleet, and through the country, measures were taken to prevent Roman Catholics from giving help to invaders.”(1960, p.364).

On July 30, 1588, the Armada sailed up to the channel and fighting soon began. The Spanish had the advantage of number, size, and equipment, but English vessels though smaller were built up on a model that made them swifter and easily handled than the Spanish Galleons. They hung around the skirts of the Spanish fleet, attacking it only if they had favorable opportunity avoiding a general fight, and merely cutting of a few vessels which became separated from the rest.

“…the nimble, heavily gunned English ships shattered the hulls of the Spaniards in low, accurate fire at ranges the Spaniards could not use…”(Eckles & Hale, 1954.

Spain was defeated in the war and this brought great joy and pride in the heats of the English. Not only was this a milestone in English independence but a proof that Queen Elizabeth, though a woman, could lead her nation in war as well.”…and the few who got back to Spain…brought Philip the news that he could never conquer England. In pride, the English took to saying”God’s wind arose,a nd his enemies were scattered.””(Eckles & Hale, 1954).

The last decade of Queen Elizabeth’s reign was filled with peace, development, and harmony among her people brought about by the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the eradication of the Armada (Trevelyan, 1959).

It is indeed in this period where English literature bloomed. Writers like (Shakespeare, Spenser, Bacon, Hooker, and Camden came to the limelight during the latter part of Elizabeth’s reign.” The variety of Elizabethan literature is quiet marvelous. It was almost equally great in prose and verse.”(Cheyney, 1960).

There were also great improvements in agriculture, increase in manufactures, and the leveling up of commerce that combined to raise the level of prosperity, comfort, and stability of the nation. Fashion and education became two of the top priorities of the upper and middle class (Jokinen, 1996) and the nations infrastructure known today as Elizabethan was born.

Queen Elizabeth I died on March, 1603 in the seventieth of her age, and in the forty-sixth of her reign. All of England mourned her death and still later, she was remembered with fondness and love for through her, a nation was able to attain its greatness and glory-something that her predecessors and successors were not able to accomplish.