Queen Elizabeth I - Research Paper Example

But not many people really know that much about her, regardless of how recognizable she might be. However, Queen Elizabeth I was much more than a just a leader and inspiration, as well as, patron of the fine arts. She was, also, in many ways, a woman well ahead of her time. She defied, both, the expectations of her “weaker” genders’ ability to lead and the societal and biological conventions expected of her gender. History King Henry VIII is remembered as the British King who grew quite round and had a rather large number of wives; several of whom he had executed.

Henry’s first wife, a devout Catholic, gave him his eldest child, Mary. He had this marriage annulled, which ended, both, his married relationship but, also, the relationship of England with the Catholic Church. His second marriage, to Anne Boleyn, produced his second daughter, Elizabeth, born on September 7, 1533. Anne Boleyn, sadly, was beheaded on her husband’s order for the crime of adultery, when Elizabeth was only two years old. In a solely political move, Henry had both of his daughters legally eliminated from consideration as his heirs; he did this, most likely, to make room for a male heir.

It was Henry’s wife, Jane Seymour, who finally produced him his only male heir, Edward, in 1537. Edward would take the throne with his father’s death in 1547, however, he ruled for only 6 years before his own young life ended in 1553. Edward had named, his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, to be his heir. Mary, whose legitimacy to take the throne had been reinstated, disagreed with her half brother’s choice. She, ultimately, took the throne, from Lady Jane Gray, within nine days of her taking power.

Mary became Queen; her primary agenda became to stamp out the Protestantism, which her father had promoted during his reign, and reinstate Catholicism as the national religion of England. (Wilde) Until this point, Elizabeth’s life was rather typical of any Protestant child of English nobility. She received a good education; she excelled in the areas of music and languages. When Mary took the throne, Elizabeth has supported her half-sister’s decision. However, Protestant plots against Mary, encouraging the placement of Elizabeth on the throne, resulted in Elizabeth being, technically, arrested.

She was released quickly, having had no involvement in any such plots. However, It has been thought that Mary remained suspicious of Elizabeth until her death in 1558.(Wilde) Elizabeth’s life changed rapidly as she became Queen Elizabeth I, sovereign of England and Ireland; the beginning of what would be a, nearly, 45 year rule.(Prichard 618) Discussion Thrust into the crown, Elizabeth immediately inherited all of Mary’s problems as she took the throne. The two most paramount concerns were the religious division of England and the current war with France.

In one of her first actions as Queen was to put an end to the religious turmoil; during her time as Queen, Mary, had burned Protestant churches and executed 300 Protestants as heretics. Elizabeth quickly passed the “Act of Supremacy,” which reestablished the Church of England and the “Act of Uniformity,” which established the formatting of a universal prayer book.(Wilde) She ended the war with France and imprisoned, her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, for conspiracy against her and attempts upon her life.

Mary, Queen of Scotland, also, had a blood connection to the throne and supporters that