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Term Paper on

“Leader- Queen Elizabeth I”

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Term Paper on
“Leader- Queen Elizabeth I”

Course Code: BUS 6307

Course Name: Business Leadership

Submitted To:
Dr. Ziaur Rahman
Associate Professor
Department of Business Administration-General
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Submitted By:
Name: Maimuna Akter
ID: 2123021028
MBA-2021
Department of Business Administration- General
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Date of Submission: 30th October 2022

Acknowledgement

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I would like to express my deepest gratitude and humble submission to the Almighty Allah
for giving me an opportunity to successfully complete the huge task of preparing this report
within the scheduled time .This term paper is an essential part for the course of Business
Leadership of MBA program.

I would like to give my sincere gratitude to our course teacher Dr. Ziaur Rahman, Associate
Professor, Department of Business Administration-General, and Bangladesh University of
Professionals, who instructed us in the right way and gave us proper guidelines for preparing
this report on “Leader- Queen Elizabeth I”

I sincerely believe that the road to improvement is never ending. Hence, I’ll look forward to
and gratefully acknowledge all suggestions received.

Letter of Transmittal

III
October 30, 2022

Dr. Ziaur Rahman


Associate Professor
Department of Business Administration- General
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals
Mirpur Cantonment, Dhaka- 1216

Subject: For the Acceptance of Term Paper

Respected Sir,

Here is the report you asked for the fulfilment of our course requirement.

With great pleasure I am submitting my term paper on the topic “Leader- Queen Elizabeth
I”, while preparing this report followed your instructions and guidelines. I worked hard to
make the report clear and comprehensive within constraints. I hope this report will be
informative as well as comprehensive.

I am very glad to have gotten the opportunity to make this report. I tried my best to complete
it as appropriately as possible. I’ll be pleased to answer any sort of query you may have
regarding this report. Hope with great anticipation that you would like and accept my report.
Looking forward to your co-operation.

Yours Sincerely,
Maimuna Akter
Id: 2123021028
MBA- 2021
Department of Business Administration- General
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Table of Content

IV
Title Page No.

Introduction ------------------------------------------ 1

Biography ------------------------------------------ 2–3

Elizabthian Map ------------------------------------------ 4

Birth of a Princess ------------------------------------------ 5–7

Difficult Childhood ------------------------------------------ 8 – 10

Troubled Teens ------------------------------------------ 11 – 13

Heir to the Throne ------------------------------------------ 14 – 16

Marriage & Succession ------------------------------------------ 17 – 19

Reign of Elizabeth ------------------------------------------ 20 – 22

Death & Legacy of the Queen ------------------------------------------ 22 – 24

Queen Elizabeth's mission and vision ------------------------------------------ 25

Elizabeth's personality & Image ------------------------------------------ 25 – 26

Lesson learnt from Leader (Elizabeth) ------------------------------------------ 26

V
Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Elizabeth I, bynames the Virgin
Queen and Good Queen Bess, queen
of England (1558–1603) during a period,
often called the Elizabethan Age, when
England asserted itself vigorously as a
major European power in politics,
commerce, and the arts. Although her small
kingdom was threatened by grave internal
divisions, Elizabeth’s blend of shrewdness,
courage, and majestic self-display
inspired ardent expressions of loyalty and
helped unify the nation against foreign
enemies. The adulation bestowed upon her
both in her lifetime and in the ensuing
centuries was not altogether a spontaneous Figure 1: The Virgin Queen

effusion. It was the result of a carefully crafted, brilliantly executed campaign in which the
queen fashioned herself as the glittering symbol of the nation’s destiny. This
political symbolism, common to monarchies, had more substance than usual, for the queen
was by no means a mere figurehead. While she did not wield the absolute power of which
Renaissance rulers dreamed, she tenaciously upheld her authority to make critical decisions
and to set the central policies of both state and church. The latter half of the 16th century in
England is justly called the Elizabethan Age: rarely has the collective life of a whole era been
given so distinctively personal a stamp.

Personal Details:
Born: September 7, 1533 (Birthplace: Greenwich, England)
Death: March 24, 1603 (Death place: Richmond, Surrey)
Burial: 28 April 1603 Westminster Abbey
Coronation: 15 January 1559
Sphere of Influence: Europe
Type of leader: Political
House: Tudor

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Biography:
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I is often referred to as The Golden Age of English history.
Elizabeth was an immensely popular Queen, and her popularity has waned little with the
passing of four hundred years. She is still one of the best loved monarchs, and one of the
most admired rulers of all time. The Queen became a legend in her own lifetime, famed for
her remarkable abilities and achievements. Yet, about Elizabeth the woman, we know very
little. She is an enigma, and was an enigma to her own people.

Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of King


Henry VIII (1491-1547) and his second
wife, Anne Boleyn (c.1501-1536). She was
born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich
Palace. Her birth was possibly the greatest
disappointment of her father's life. He had
wanted a son and heir to succeed him as he
already had a daughter, Mary (1516-1558), by
his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536).
He had not divorced Catherine, a royal princess
and loyal wife of twenty years, and changed the
religion of the country in the process, losing
(and even executing) friends, statesmen and
allies, just to have another daughter! The
mighty King felt like a fool, knowing his
enemies were laughing at him, and his marriage
Figure 2: King Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn
to Anne never recovered. He also began to
question whether he had done the right thing in marrying Anne.

As a result of this bitter beginning, Queen Elizabeth's early life was troubled. Henry hoped
Anne would have another child, this time a boy, but every time she suffered a miscarriage.
History seemed to be repeating itself. Just like Catherine before her, Anne seemed destined to
only give him girls or dead children. Henry consequently wanted to end their marriage. This
he did brutally. Anne was falsely accused of adultery and treason, offences that carried the
death penalty, and was executed on 19 May 1536. Henry's marriage to Anne was declared
null and void and Elizabeth, like her half-sister, Mary, before her, was declared illegitimate
and deprived of her place in the line of succession.

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As no longer was she Elizabeth, Princess of
Wales, but plain Lady Elizabeth.The next
eight years of Elizabeth's life saw a quick
succession of stepmothers. There was Jane
Seymour (c.1508-1537) who died giving birth
to the King's longed for son, Edward (1537-
1553); Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) who was
divorced; Catherine Howard (c.1523
1542) who was beheaded; and
finally Katherine Parr (1512-1548). For
generations, historians have debated whether
the constant bride changing of her father was
responsible for Elizabeth's apparent refusal to
marry. It is certainly possible that the tragic
fates of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard
impressed upon her a certain fear of marriage,
but there may have been other reasons for the
Queen's single state, such as a fear of
childbirth, which claimed the lives of a Figure 3: Catherine Howard

significant number of women in this period.

Even if the Queen had no personal reservations about marriage, there were political problems
with almost every contender for her hand. Religion was a major divisive issue, and there was
also the problem of whether Elizabeth would have to relinquish any of her royal powers to a
husband in an age when the political sphere was exclusively male.As a child, Elizabeth was
given a very impressive education. It had become popular amongst the nobility to educate
daughters as well as sons and Elizabeth excelled at her studies.

She was taught by famous scholars such as William Grindal and Roger Ascham, and from an
early age it was clear that she was remarkably gifted. She had an especial flare for languages,
and by adulthood, she could reputedly speak five languages fluently.Her association with
the Reformation is critically important, for it shaped the future course of the nation, but it
does not appear to have been a personal passion: observers noted the young princess’s
fascination more with languages than with religious dogma.

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Figure 4: Elizabethian Map

Early Years (Birth of a Princess):

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Although there was no law in Tudor England
preventing the accession of a woman to the
throne as there was in France, the rule of a
woman was considered undesirable. It was
believed by many, including King Henry
VIII,that a woman could not rule very well.
Henry was thus desperate to father a son to
succeed him, but while he had many children
with Catherine of Aragon, only one survived
infancy: a daughter, Princess Mary. It was
clear to Henry that he would never have a son
by Catherine (as her childbearing days were
coming to an end) and this troubled Henry
considerably. To complicate matters he had
fallen deeply in love with the young and
dazzling Anne Boleyn and wanted to make
Figure 5: Anne Boleyn
her his bride.

To marry Anne, however, Henry had to have his marriage to Catherine annulled, and
annulling a marriage was never a simple process. For Henry, it proved colossal. England was,
at this time, a Roman Catholic country, and the power to annul marriages lay with the Pope.
Unfortunately for Henry, Catherine had very powerful family connections, which made his
plight all the harder. Catherine was the aunt of the great Emperor, Charles V, and the Pope
could not afford to offend Charles by granting Henry his annulment. The Pope insisted on a
trial to determine the validity of the King's marriage, but as time progressed, and the Pope
had still not made a decision, it became clear to Henry that if he wanted to marry again, he
would have to find a way of obtaining an annulment without the Pope's assistance.

Henry and his advisors found the answer in breaking with the Catholic Church completely,
and establishing an independent Church of England. This would give Henry complete power
over matters ecclesiastical. This revolutionary step was made possible by the emergence in
Europe at this time of a new branch of Christianity that rapidly gained the name of
Protestantism. This had very important doctrinal differences to Catholicism, but Henry's
prime concern was ousting the power of the Pope. In many ways the new English Church

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remained essentially Catholic. But the change of official religion (known as the Reformation)
had far reaching effects on England. For centuries, monks, nuns and friars had been an
integral aspect of English life, but with the old Church, this way of life came to an end. The
monasteries were closed, and the monks, nuns, and friars, were forced into the towns and
cities. They were granted a life pension so that they could look after themselves, and many
found a new livelihood, but others fell into poverty and became beggars.

Now that Henry was Supreme Head of the Church in England, he could get his annulment. In
the January of 1533 he married Anne Boleyn, who was already expecting his child. In the
July of that year, although heavily pregnant, Anne was given a magnificent coronation. She
and Catherine of Aragon were the only ones of Henry's wives to be formally crowned Queen
of England. Both Henry and Anne believed with their whole heart that the child she was
expecting was a boy, and they had every reason to as the philosophers and astronomers
assured the jubilant king that this time he would have a son. All the signs, they said, told
them the baby was going to be a great ruler. That could only mean one thing: a boy.

But the baby born on the 7th of September 1533 proved to be a girl. This was disastrous, and
no one felt the disaster more than Henry. He had moved mountains to marry Anne, had
overridden the Pope, the Emperor, lost friends, lost the Church that he had once been a proud
defender of, torn down the abbeys and monasteries, and put men to death whose only crime
was their faith; all for what he already had, a daughter. He felt the humiliation deeply, and
felt once again that he had not been blessed by God. There was little celebration at baby
Elizabeth's birth. Bonfires were lit throughout the land but with little enthusiasm. Anne
Boleyn was unpopular. Many blamed her for the religious changes in the land and for the
king's rejection of Catherine, who they had loved. However, Elizabeth was given a
magnificent Christening at Greenwich when she was only three days old.

From Elizabeth's birth onwards, Henry's feelings for the woman he had once loved
passionately began to cool. His attention was taken by the other attractive ladies surrounding
her, and he was openly tired of Anne's company. But while Anne was still Queen of England,
Elizabeth's life was comfortable. She had been granted her own household at the Royal
Palace of Hatfield, and her mother saw to it that she was well cared for. Amongst those
attending the new Princess was her half-sister, Princess Mary, now Lady as she was made
illegitimate at the annulling of her mother's marriage to the King. Only the heir to the throne
could be prince or princess in England, and as an illegitimate offspring, Mary was no longer

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in line to the throne. This was a cruel twist of fate, and Mary understandably resented having
to serve the daughter of the woman who had replaced her mother. Elizabeth's governess at
this time was Margaret, Lady Bryan. She was Elizabeth's chief career and responsible for her
well-being. It was customary for royal children to live apart from their parents, although
Anne ensured that she saw Elizabeth regularly.

Without a doubt, had


Elizabeth been a boy, or
had Anne borne Henry a
son in the years
immediately following her
daughter's birth, then
Anne's fate would have
been very different. But
like Catherine before her,
Anne did not make this
provision. Sometime after
Elizabeth's birth, she
suffered a miscarriage, and Figure 6: Queen Catherine Pleads
later gave premature birth to
a dead male child. It has been said, quite aptly, that she miscarried of her savior. The same
doubts that had plagued Henry over his marriage to Catherine now plagued him over his
marriage to Anne and as time went on these doubts grew. When Catherine of Aragon died,
possibly of cancer, Henry was free to dispose of Anne without facing petitions to take
Catherine back. Anne's days were numbered. She was accused (probably falsely) of
witchcraft, adultery, and incest, and was arrested and taken to the Tower of London.

Anne was then put on trial and found guilty of all she was accused. The verdict was a
foregone conclusion and the punishment was death. It was up to Henry how she died,
decapitation or burning, and Henry chose the former. The customary method of execution
was to cut off the head with an axe, but Anne requested to be put to death by the sword.
Henry granted her wish and a swordsman was brought over from France as there was no one
in England skilled enough to do it. Anne was beheaded on Tower Green on the 19 of May of
1536. Elizabeth was only two and a half years old.

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Early Years (Difficult childhood):
After the disgrace and execution of her
mother, Elizabeth's life was never to be quite
the same again. She was probably far too
young to be greatly affected by her mother's
sudden extinction, but her lifestyle changed
considerably. The marriage of her father to her
mother was annulled, and she was made a
royal bastard. Later, she was stripped of her
title of Princess, as her sister had previously
been, to become simply, the Lady Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was a very bright child, and this
change in her name did not escape her. She
exclaimed "how haps it governor, yesterday
my Lady Princess, today but my Lady
Elizabeth?" Within days of Anne's death,
Henry had married again, this time to Jane
Figure 7: Jane Seymour
Seymour, a young woman who had been a maid
of honor to Anne, just as Anne had been a maid of honor to Catherine. Although Elizabeth
still had her own household, her governess found that the young child's needs were being
neglected, and she felt obliged to write to the king asking him to ensure that Elizabeth was
provided with all the clothes she needed, as the ones she had were too small.

Jane Seymour died a few days after giving birth to Henry's longed for son, Prince Edward.
The King was devastated at her loss and gave her a royal burial at the Chapel of St. George in
Windsor Castle. Like Elizabeth, Edward too had to grow up motherless, and from an early
age, the two children formed a close bond. Although Elizabeth was getting along well with
her half-sister, Mary, the sisters were never close.

They were of different religions, Elizabeth a Protestant, Mary a Catholic; of very different
ages, Mary being seventeen years older; of different family connections, and they had very
different personalities. Edward and Elizabeth, however, were closer in age, of the same
religion, and both shared a passion for learning. They were both given a very impressive
education.

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From an early age they were taught Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, as well as all the other
requirements of a classical humanist education; history philosophy, mathematics. When
Elizabeth was four years old, Lady Bryan was replaced as governess by a young woman
called Katherine Champernowne. She was a sweet, motherly, well-educated lady, who came
to love her young charge dearly. She became an important figure in Elizabeth's life, to all
extent & purposes her mother figure, and Elizabeth affectionately came to call her "Kat". Kat
later married Elizabeth's cousin, John Ashley, which tied her even closer to the young royal.

As well as Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's immediate


household also included a Welsh woman
named Blanche Parry, and Thomas Parry.
Blanche remained a close friend and
confident of the Queen throughout her long
life, and was given an elaborate tomb by
Elizabeth when she died in the late 1580's.
Blanche also taught Elizabeth some of her
native Welsh language. Elizabeth was a
gifted student and her talent was appreciated
by those who had the privilege to teach her.
Roger Asham, a well known scholar of the
day responsible for tutoring other talented
students, regarded Elizabeth as his brightest
star. Besides reading and writing, Elizabeth
also spent her time learning to play musical Figure 8: Kat Ashley
instruments, which she came to do with a
degree of proficiency& Learned Art too.

Henry's marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was quickly annulled as neither she nor
Henry found each other agreeable. Although Anne remained in England as the King's "dear
sister", she probably had little to do with Elizabeth. However, Henry's fifth wife, Catherine
Howard, had a much more lasting impact upon her. Catherine was Elizabeth's cousin on her
mother's side, and the young Queen took a great interest in her new little step-daughter, often
having her with her. When she first dined in public, she gave Elizabeth the place of honor
opposite her. To the young Elizabeth, who so far had spent her life in the shadows of the
court, overlooked as insignificant, this must have been a momentous occasion.

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But this happy state of affairs was not destined to continue. It was discovered that Catherine
had committed adultery, and just like Elizabeth's mother before her, she was taken to the
Tower of London, condemned to death, and executed on Tower Green. This must have been a
very painful and confusing episode for Elizabeth, who was still only eight years old. The
extent of its impact upon her cannot be measured, but it is significant that Robert Dudley, her
childhood friend and confident when she later became Queen, said many years later that
when she was eight years old, Elizabeth told him that she would never marry. In eight short
years she had lost her mother and had had three stepmothers, two of whom were now dead.
Also, no doubt, she had heard tales of the fate of her sister's mother, Catherine of Aragon, and
it is not surprising that these combined events impressed in her a certain fear of what
happened to women who married.

But life with Henry's sixth wife, Katherine


Parr, proved to be rather tranquil for
Elizabeth. Katherine was a motherly lady
who did her utmost to give the royal
children a family home. She liked to have
the children around her, and did much to
reconcile Elizabeth and Mary to their father.
But life was certainly not idyllic. During a
stay at the royal court Elizabeth managed to
offend her father profoundly, for which she
was banished from the Palace. What exactly
this offence was remains unknown, perhaps
a remark or question about her mother or
Katherine Howard, or perhaps a remark on
religion or another of Henry's policies that a Figure 9: Katherine Parr

child would not think inappropriate. Henry's reaction was alarming, but with Katherine Parr's
intervention, the episode blew over, and Elizabeth was allowed back to court. By this stage,
Henry was far from well. He had a great ulcer on his leg that troubled him immensely and his
enormous weight hindered his mobility considerably. It was becoming clear to all around him
that his days were numbered. He died on 28 January 1547.Elizabeth was with her brother,
Edward, at the royal Palace of Enfield (London) when they were told of their father's death.
She and her brother cried bitterly, holding each other close.

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Early Years (Troubled teens):
Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's widow, the
Queen Dowager, did not stay single long after
the King's death. Within only months of his
passing she married an old love, Thomas
Seymour, Lord Admiral, King Edward's uncle
and brother of Edward Seymour, Lord
Protector of England. Elizabeth, with her
servants, went to live with the Queen and her
new husband, and a new era of trouble began
for her. Thomas Seymour, a dashing man in
his late thirties, took an unhealthy interest in
his new step-daughter, who had now just
turned fourteen. He was charismatic and
charming, and it is possible that Elizabeth Figure 10: Thomas Seymour
developed a teenage crush on him. But whatever her adolescent feelings for him may have
been, Seymour took advantage of them, and began to visit Elizabeth's bedchamber early in
the mornings to romp in the bed with her. Sometimes the Queen herself accompanied him,
and they would both tickle her. Another time, they teased Elizabeth in the garden, the Queen
holding her while Seymour cut up her mourning gown for her father.

What exactly happened between Elizabeth & Seymour will always be a mystery. The little
knowledge we have of Elizabeth's time at the Queen Dowager's household, comes from
documents produced some time later when an investigation was taking place into Seymour's
relations with Elizabeth and the other royal children. Certainly matters appear to have got out
of hand, Seymour's interest in Elizabeth being blatantly sexual, &neither Katherine, Ashley
nor Elizabeth was comfortable with his behavior. Elizabeth would reputedly rise early so that
when he came to her bedchamber in the mornings she would already be up & dressed.
Matters came to a head when Elizabeth was reputedly found alone with the Admiral, and
Katherine, concerned and perhaps a little jealous of his interest in the young girl, thought it
would be better for her to leave the household. Elizabeth accordingly left, although there was
no enmity between the two women, and Elizabeth wrote often to the Queen, who was now
heavily pregnant. Soon after, Katherine gave birth to a daughter, whowas named Mary, but
the Queen Dowager did not survive the birth and died on 5 September 1548 at sudely.

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Leaving the household was not the end of Elizabeth's troubles with the Admiral. Shortly after
his wife's death, Seymour began to seek Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Elizabeth turned him
down. Seymour was deeply jealous of his brother's power, and influence with the boy king,
and wanted to take his place as Lord Protector. In an attempt to take over power, he planned
to abduct the king, marry him to Lady Jane Grey, and marry himself to Elizabeth. His plan
failed and he was arrested for treason. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, his plan to marry her
brought into question her loyalty to the king. Did she consent to the marriage? Was she
complicit in his plot? It was high treason for an heir to the throne to marry without the
consent of the monarch, Privy Council and Parliament, and Seymour's actions put Elizabeth
in great danger. Her servants were arrested and sent to the Tower of London, and she herself
was closely guarded and rigorously interrogated by Sir Robert Tyrwhit.

Elizabeth was only fifteen years old, but one careless word from her could have sealed the
fate of all those who were dear to her, and possibly have cost her her own life as well
(although it is doubtful that Elizabeth's death was the object of the government, their main
concern being to condemn the Admiral). In such extremely difficult, and what must have
been very frightening, circumstances, and with virtually no assistance, Elizabeth managed to
uphold her innocence. The Admiral, however, was found guilty of high treason and
condemned to death. The effect of all this on Elizabeth must have been immense. Certainly it
took its toll emotionally and physically, and Elizabeth was unwell for some months after.
However, as well as affecting her health, it also affected her reputation and this was a great
concern to Elizabeth as well. She was always very sensitive about what people thought of
her, and she wanted the rumor that she was pregnant by the Admiral suppressed. She wrote to
the Protector asking for a proclamation to be made saying these things were untrue. But while
this was considered, it was not implemented. During the investigation, Elizabeth had been
painfully parted from her governess, and it was sometime before they were reunited.

In these troubled years, Elizabeth's relationship with her brother suffered. They were no
longer as close as they had been, and during and immediately after the Seymour scandal,
Elizabeth was forbidden to attend court. She was eventually allowed to return, however. To
try and recapture her virginal image, Elizabeth dressed as the perfect Protestant lady. She
wore plain black and white gowns, refused to decorate her with jeweler and other finery, and
refused to wear makeup. Her sobriety was much commented upon, and even her brother
called her "sweet sister temperance".

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Following the disgrace and death of his
brother, Thomas, Edward Seymour was
replaced as Protector by John Dudley,
Earl of Warwick, soon to be the Duke of
Northumberland. He was the father of
Elizabeth's childhood friend, Robert
Dudley, and they may have seen each
other a number of times during the
Duke's government. Edward had enjoyed
a rather healthy childhood, but from
1553 onwards, be began to be very ill
with possibly a form of consumption
(TB). It became clear to Northumberland
that the young boy was not likely to
survive into adulthood, and he thus had
to make preparations for the succession.
The heir in English law was Edward's
sister, Mary, but she was an ardent
Catholic, and her accession would Figure 11: John Dudley

undoubtedly put an end to Northumberland's reforms of the church, and his personal power.

To prevent a Catholic succession, Northumberland devised a scheme that would both


preserve Protestantism, and his own influence. If both Mary and Elizabeth were excluded
from the succession, then the crown fell on either the Stuart line through Henry's oldest sister
Margaret, or the Suffolk/Grey line through his younger sister, Mary. Henry VIII had excluded
from his will the claims of the Stuart line, and so the crown would fall directly on Frances,
Duchess of Suffolk. Both Mary and Elizabeth were again bastardised, and excluded from the
succession, and Frances was set aside in favor of her daughter, Lady Jane Grey.
Northumberland had further married his youngest son, Guildford Dudley, to Jane, thus
ensuring the influence of the Dudleys. Three days after Edward died, on 6 July 1553, Lady
Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen. The coup, however, failed. Mary put up a strong and
successful fight for her throne and was proclaimed Queen on the 19 of July in London. Five
days later, Northumberland was arrested and later executed.

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Early Years (Heir to the Throne):
After successfully defeating Northumberland's
attempt to prevent her from succeeding to the
throne, Mary triumphantly made her way to
London. Elizabeth was given the privilege of
riding with the new queen, and the two
daughters of the much revered, if much feared,
Henry VIII were welcomed by cheering crowds.
Mary's accession had thus begun well for
Elizabeth. However, the irreconcilable
differences between the two women, primarily
their differing faiths, soon caused problems.
Mary was suspicious of her younger half-sister,
and was reluctant to acknowledge her as heir to
the throne. Indeed, it was not until her final
illness that she did accept Elizabeth as the heir. Figure 12: Mary and Philip

Now that she was Queen, Mary set about restoring the Catholic faith in England. She also
negotiated to marry Prince Philip, the son of the Emperor Charles, who she did eventually
marry at Winchester in 1554. The marriage was immensely unpopular in England. Spain was
the greatest power in Europe, and it was feared that England too would fall under its
dominance.

In opposition to the planned marriage, Thomas Wyatt, a gentleman from Kent, raised a
rebellion against it. Beyond the intention of getting the Queen to renounce the marriage, the
plans of the conspirators remain vague. When they were captured for questioning, it emerged
that one of their plans was to have Elizabeth marry Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, to
ensure a native born succession to the throne. Thus, Elizabeth again found herself
implemented in a dangerous political plot, that some considered had the far more sinister
intention of placing her on the throne, rather than just securing her marriage. Given
Elizabeth's dislike of marriage, and her distaste for rebellion, it is extremely unlikely that she
was a party to their schemes, or if she knew of their plans, approved of them, but the very use
of her name by the conspirators, and the existence of circumstantial evidence that suggested
that Elizabeth may well have had knowledge of the intended revolt, were enough to put her
under suspicion.

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Elizabeth denied any
knowledge of Wyatt's plans,
but the Queen's close
advisor, Simon Renard, was
hostile to the Protestant heir
to the throne, and pushed
Mary and her councilors to
bring her to trial. Elizabeth
was not put on trial, but she
was taken as a prisoner to
the Tower of London. The
thought of going to the
place from where so many Figure 13: Captive Princess
had never returned, including her own mother, terrified her, and she desperately declared her
innocence in the hope of not going. But to no avail. On Sunday, 18 of March 1554, she was
taken by boat to the Royal Fortress. At first, Elizabeth refused to enter, declaring
emphatically that she was innocent, and a loyal subject of the Queen, but she did eventually
go in. She was imprisoned in the Bell Tower. Some of her familiar servants were imprisoned
with her, including Kat Ashley.

Elizabeth stood in great danger. Her very existence was considered a threat to the Queen, and
to the Spanish marriage, and the Queen's advisors urged her execution. Mary was reluctant to
shed blood, but she had succumbed to pressure to execute the Lady Jane Grey against her
will, and powerful persuasion could have led her to sign her sister's death warrant. But the
lack of evidence against Elizabeth, Wyatt's declaration of her innocence as he went to his
death on the block, and Elizabeth's increasing popularity in the country, worked in her favor,
and she was soon released from the Tower. She was not given her freedom, however, and
was taken as a prisoner to the manor of Woodstock, near Oxford shire. On her way there, the
crowds greeted her with warm cheers and gifts, demonstrations of their support in this
difficult time.

Elizabeth was kept a virtual prisoner at Woodstock for a year. The manor was dilapidated so
Elizabeth had to be lodged in the Gatehouse. There was little room for her servants, and
Thomas Parry, who was responsible for her financial accounts, had to lodge in the nearby
town.

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Elizabeth was guarded by Sir Henry Bedingfield's hundred men, and watched closely. She
was prevented from seeing Kat Ashley, everyone who visited her had to be accounted for,
and she was not allowed to communicate with anyone without supervision. Bedingfield was
perhaps overly strict with his young charge, but his vigilance was as much for Elizabeth's
benefit as for the Queen's. Elizabeth's life was sort by ardent supporters of the Queen, and
hidden away in obscurity, Elizabeth may well have been the successful victim of an assassin.
Although Bedingfield's constraints irritated her, Elizabeth certainly appears to have
appreciated his efforts, affectionately calling him her "gaoler", and when she became Queen
bore him no ill will, and teased him that if she should need to keep someone closely confined,
she would summon him.

Following her marriage to Philip, Mary soon believed herself to be pregnant. This was
welcome news to her supporters, but alarmed Protestants. If Mary bore a healthy child, then
the hope of restoring the Protestant faith in England looked lost for good. The news of Mary's
pregnancy also concerned Elizabeth. It seemed now that her chance of becoming Queen was
further away than ever, and she reputedly even considered escaping from England to France
to avoid a life of imprisonment. However, as the months passed, it became clear that Mary
was not pregnant at all. Mary was now increasingly unhappy, and increasingly unpopular.
Her policy of burning Protestants at the stake was hated, as was her involving England in a
war with France in which Calais, England's last foothold in France, was lost.

At her husband's bequest, Mary reluctantly accepted Elizabeth as heir to the throne. After
Elizabeth, and passing over the Suffolk line, the most powerful claimant to the throne was
Mary, Queen of Scots, granddaughter of Henry VIII's eldest sister, Margaret. Mary had not
long married the French heir to the throne, Francois, and the French and Spanish were
enemies. Thus, even though Elizabeth was a Protestant, it was in Philip's best interest to
secure her accession to the throne to avoid the French obtaining it.

Elizabeth was at her childhood home of Hatfield when Mary died on the 17 of November,
1558. She was reputedly eating an apple underneath an Oak tree in the great park when the
news of her accession to the throne reached her. Elizabeth was now just twenty five years old,
and Queen of England. For the first time in her life, her destiny lay in her own hands, and
Elizabeth knelt on the ground and whispered in Latin what she truly must have felt: "This is
the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes".

Page 16 of 26
Early Years (Marriage & Succession):
It was assumed that one of the first things Elizabeth would do, would be to select a husband
to help her govern the realm, and more importantly, to get her pregnant. Elizabeth was the
last of her dynasty, and it was thought natural that her main concern would be to provide a
child to perpetuate the rule of the Tudors. Elizabeth was young, unlike her sister who was
already into her late thirties when she became Queen, and there were high hopes that soon
England would have a royal family again. Without an heir of the Queen's body, the future
would be uncertain, and many feared that the rival claims of Henry VII's distant relatives,
would plunge the country into a bitter civil war.

In these early weeks of her reign, the court


buzzed with suitors eager for her hand in
marriage, and European ambassadors were busy
trying to advance the suit of their masters and of
their master's relatives. Elizabeth was now the
most sought after woman in Europe. She
received offers of marriage from the King of
Spain, Prince Erik of Sweden - soon to be king,
The Archduke Charles (son of the Emperor
Ferdinand), the son of John Frederic Duke of
Saxony, The Earl of Arran, the Earl of Arundel,
and Sir William Pickering, who was so
confident that he would be selected, that he
demanded certain privileges be granted him Figure 14: Erik XIV of Sweden
while he stayed at the Court. Elizabeth politely rejected the offer made by King Philip, but
allowed the other suitors to remain hopeful, while allowing her advisors to consider the
advantages and disadvantages of each match. Yet, the only person, it seemed, who did not see
the urgency for marriage, was Elizabeth herself.

Certainly she showed no great enthusiasm for marriage, and declared on a number of
occasions that she personally preferred the single life. However, there is a danger to read
history backwards and assume that because Elizabeth never married, it was always her
intention not to. The marriage of a Queen regnant was a complicated affair, and could be
disastrous for the country, as the case of Queen Mary had illustrated. Elizabeth did not want
to repeat her sister's mistake by marrying a man that would not be popular with her people.

Page 17 of 26
Any man Elizabeth married would expect a say in the governing of the country (as Philip had
expected under Mary) and neither Elizabeth nor her ministers wanted to relinquish any power
over English affairs.For this reason, it was in the best interests of the country for Elizabeth to
marry a man who, although of suitable rank and status, was not a major European power, and
would be content to be the Queen's consort only. This effectively ruled out reigning
monarchs, although Eric of Sweden was given serious consideration by Elizabeth's ministers.
The suit of Prince Erik, a fellow Protestant, was also popular in the country, and when it was
rumored that Elizabeth had accepted his proposal, medals were made in London with a
picture of Elizabeth and Erik united on them. But Erik was far from a wealthy monarch, and
marriage to him would have brought England little financial benefit, or provided her with a
strong European ally. The Archduke Charles was also given serious consideration, and his
suit remained a possibility for several years. But as well as the need to consider the demands
for power a potential husband would make, it was also necessary to take into consideration
his religion, and religion often proved to be a serious bar to the marriage eventually
occurring.

To complicate matters further, it seemed that


Elizabeth had fallen deeply in love with one of
her own subjects, Lord Robert Dudley, her
Master of Horse. They had been friends since
childhood, and he was one of the few men
Elizabeth believed valued her for herself, and
not for the fact that she was now Queen. Her
marriage to a fellow protestant Englishman
would certainly have avoided the problem of
foreigners controlling the realm through
marriage to the Queen, and avoided a clash
over religion, but marriage to a subject also
gave rise to serious problems. Competition for
power amongst the English nobility was fierce,
Figure 15: Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester)
and if Elizabeth married one noble, his rivals in
power would be offended, and possibly withdraw their allegiance from her, and even plunge
the country into civil war. Also the match would not be one of equality, and would not
provide England with a much needed foreign ally.

Page 18 of 26
There were also other considerations that made Dudley particularly unsuitable. To begin with
he was already married, having married a young girl called Amy Robsart when he was about
seventeen, and secondly he was the son of the much hated Duke of Northumberland who had
been executed for treason in the reign of the Queen's sister, and the grandson of Edmund
Dudley, who had likewise met a traitors death earlier in the century. Robert Dudley himself
had been imprisoned in the Tower for his involvement in his father's scheme to place Lady
Jane Grey on the throne, and was regarded with suspicion by his fellow Englishman.
Elizabeth's attachment to him, however, seemed unrelenting, and it was feared by many that
he would seek an annulment from his wife, and marry the Queen.

Whether Elizabeth seriously intended marrying


him or not, is another of the many mysteries of
her reign, but the sudden death of Dudley's wife
in the September of 1560, put to an end any real
hope of marrying him that she may have
entertained.The relationship between the Queen
and her Horse Master had long been the subject
of speculation amongst her people and in
Europe, and malicious gossip had circulated the
idea that Dudley was going to murder his wife
so that he could marry Elizabeth. Amy was
found dead at the bottom of a narrow staircase,
her neck broken, and many believed that her
death was not an unfortunate accident. Dudley
Figure 16: Death of Amy Robsart
was widely suspected to be responsible for her
death, despite the fact that the Inquest declared it to be an accident, and had Elizabeth married
him, many more would have believed the ugly rumors circulating about him, and perhaps
even that Elizabeth herself had been involved.

But despite the bar Amy's death made to a marriage with Dudley, for the next ten years he
was still the most likely candidate for her hand, and her advisors reluctantly had to
acknowledge this fact. Even as late as 1575 Dudley was still a contender, and he made his
last bid for her hand in marriage that year when she stayed at Kenilworth Castle, one of his
many residences, amidst fantastical entertainment.

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Reign of Elizabeth:
Elizabeth has traditionally been seen as one of England's greatest monarchs. If not in fact the
greatest.Her reign witnessed widespread increase in literacy and great achievements in the
arts (Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe, Ralegh) as well as expansion overseas (Drake, Ralegh,
Frobisher) and military victory over threatened invasion. Elizabeth herself was regarded as
wise and just, able to choose good advisers yet not be dominated by them and to handle
recalcitrant Parliaments without despotism; a ruler supremely skilled at compromise in both
the religious and political spheres.Elizabeth I, whose reign is called the Elizabethan era or the
Golden Age, ruled England during a period of political and religious turmoil and set her
nation's course to become the leading Protestant world power for the next three centuries.

At the end of 1562,


Elizabeth fell ill with
smallpox, but later
recovered. In 1563,
alarmed by the
Queen's near-fatal
illness, parliament
demanded that she
marry or nominate an
heir to prevent civil
war upon her death.
She refused to do
either, and in April,
she prorogued
parliament. Parliament did Figure 17: Reign of Elizabeth

not reconvene until Elizabeth needed its assent to raise taxes in 1566. The House of
Commons threatened to withhold funds until the Queen agreed to provide for the succession,
but Elizabeth still refused. In 1569, Elizabeth faced a major uprising, known as the Northern
Rebellion, instigated by Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, Charles Neville, 6th Earl of
Westmorland and Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland. Pope Pius V excommunicated
Elizabeth for apostasy and for her persecution of Catholics; he declared her deposed in a
papal bull. The Bull of Deposition, Regnans in Excelsis, was only issued in 1570, arriving
after the Rebellion had been put down.

Page 20 of 26
After the Bull of Deposition was issued, however, Elizabeth escalated her policy of religious
persecution.Elizabeth then found a new enemy in her brother-in-law, Philip II, King of Spain.
After Philip had launched a surprise attack on the English pirates Sir Francis Drake and John
Hawkins in 1568, Elizabeth assented to the detention of a Spanish treasure ship in 1569.
Philip was already involved in putting down a rebellion in the Netherlands, and could not
afford to declare war on England. Philip II participated in some conspiracies to remove
Elizabeth, albeit reluctantly. The 4th Duke of Norfolk was also involved in the first of these
plots, the Ridolfi Plot of 1571. After the Catholic Ridolfi Plot was discovered (much to
Elizabeth's shock) and foiled, the Duke of Norfolk was executed and Mary lost the little
liberty she had remaining. Spain, which had been friendly to England since Philip's marriage
to Elizabeth's predecessor, ceased to be on cordial terms.

In 1571, Sir William Cecil was created Baron Burghley; a shrewd man, who always advised
caution in international relations, he had been Elizabeth's chief advisor from the earliest days,
and he remained so until his death in 1598. In 1572, Burghley was raised to the powerful
position of Lord High Treasurer; his post as Secretary of State was taken up by the head of
Elizabeth's spy network, Sir Francis Walsingham.

Also in 1572, Elizabeth made an alliance with


France. The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre,
in which many French Protestants (Huguenots)
were killed, strained the alliance but did not break
it. Elizabeth even began marriage negotiations
with Henry, Duke of Anjou]] (later King Henry III
of France and of Poland), and afterwards with his
younger brother François, Duke of Anjou. During
the latter's visit in 1581, it is said that Elizabeth
"drew off a ring from her finger and put it upon
the Duke of Anjou's upon certain conditions
betwixt them two." The Spanish Ambassador
reported that she actually declared that the Duke of
Anjou would be her husband. However, Anjou,
who is in any case said to have preferred men to Figure 18: Lord Essex
women, returned to France and died in 1584 before he could be married.

Page 21 of 26
Troubled times marked the linal years of Elizabeth's reign. The country suffered from failed
crops, Unemployment and inflation. There were riots over food shortages and rebellions in
Ireland. Elizabeth faced many challenges to her authority, including from one of her
favorites, Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex. She had sent him to Ireland to quell the
rebellion led by Hugh O'Neill. Instead Essex returned to England and sought to start his own
rebellion. He was executed for treason in 1601.Despite her fading power, Elizabeth still
showed her devotion to her people. She gave one of her most famous speeches in 1601 to the
Parliament. During what is referred to as her” Golden Speech," 3 self-reflective Elizabeth
seemed to look back on her long reign. "Of myself I must say this, I was never any greedy,
scraping grasper, nor a strait, fast-holding prince, nor yet a waster. My heart was never set on
worldly goods but for my subjects’ good."

Death & Legacy of the Queen:


Queen Elizabeth as Gloriana may have seemed too many to be immortal, but by the turn of
the seventeenth century, she was beginning to display very real human frailty. Life as a
monarch may have been glorious at times, but it was a difficult, demanding, and often very
lonely task and Elizabeth was tired both physically and emotionally. She herself said: "To be
a king and wear a crown, is a thing more glorious to them that see it, than it is pleasant to
them that bear it".

Elizabeth had always known that popularity was a


fickle thing, and although she said nothing, she
knew that those around her were preparing for the
time when her reign would be over. She was old,
and the illusion that she was not, was falling away
rapidly. When visiting the House of a courtier she
had to have a stick to walk up the stairs, and during
the opening of Parliament she almost fell under the
weight of her heavy robes. Elizabeth knew that an
aged queen could not long command the hearts of
the young, who were waiting for the sun to rise on
a new world. Also, for some years the Queen had
been suffering from some form of mental
instability, although at this distance in time it is Figure 19: Elizabeth I with Time & Death
impossible to diagnose what her condition was. She

Page 22 of 26
was no longer quite the charming, witty, graceful, monarch that she had once been. She was
rather paranoid, and was increasingly bitter. She was also lonelier and lonelier as more
friends passed away. She had never doubted the justice of the execution of her once favorite,
Robert Devereux, but she grieved deeply at the death of the man she had loved and nurtured
since childhood. Sometimes she would sit in dark rooms, weeping at his young and tragic
end.

By the late winter of 1602/3 Elizabeth


was feeling unwell. She had caught a
chill after walking out in the cold
winter air, and complained of a sore
throat as well as aches and pains. She
lay resignedly on her cushions in her
private apartments, and could not be
persuaded to leave them for the
comfort of her bed. "I am not well" she
declared, but refused the
administrations of her doctors. It was
the opinion of her contemporaries that
she would have recovered from this
illness had she fought against it, but
she did not want to. She was old, she
was tired, and she was lonely. Weary
Figure 20: The Dying Queen
of life, she was ready to slip into the
world where all those she had loved had gone before her. As her condition deteriorated,
Archbishop Whitgift (her favorite of all her Archbishops of Canterbury) was called to her
side, and the Queen clung tight to his hand. When he spoke to her of getting better, she made
no response, but when he spoke to her of the joys of Heaven, she squeezed his hand
contentedly. By this time she was beyond speech and could only communicate with gestures.

There was still one matter that the Queen had left unresolved, the matter that had been
unresolved since the first day the young Lady Elizabeth had heard that she was now Queen of
all England; the succession to the throne. However, it was generally believed that James VI,
King of Scotland, was to succeed, and this question was put to the dying Queen. Elizabeth

Page 23 of 26
may or may not respond, but for the sake of the peaceful transition of power, it was later
announced that she had gestured for the King of Scotland to succeed her.
The Queen fell into a deep sleep, and died in the early hours of the 24th of March, 1603. It
was a Thursday, the death day of her father, and her sister. It was the eve of the annunciation
of the Virgin Mary, perhaps an apt day for the Virgin Queen to die. The Elizabethan calendar
was also different to ours, as they still used the Julian calendar - the New Year beginning on
the 25th of March. Thus the last day of the year 1602 also saw the last hours of the last Tudor
monarch. The New Year would bring a new reign, that of King James I (James VI of
Scotland), a new ruling dynasty (the Stuarts), and a new era in British history. It was with
sadness that the Queen's death was announced on the streets of London the following
morning, and witnesses described the eerie silence of the stunned crowd. For almost 45 years
they had been ruled by Elizabeth, and knew no other way of life. As the Queen had wished,
there was no post mortem. Her body was embalmed, and placed in a lead coffin. A few days
later, the Queen began her last journey. She was taken by water to Whitehall, and laid in
state, before being taken to Westminster Hall. There her body was to remain until the new
King gave orders for her funeral.

On the 28th of April 1603, the Queen was given a magnificent funeral. Her coffin, covered in
purple velvet, was drawn by four horses draped in black. An effigy of the great Queen,
dressed in the robes of state with a crown on her head and a scepter in her hands, lay on the
coffin beneath a mighty canopy held by six knights. Behind the Queen came her palfrey, led
by her Master of Horse. The chief mourner, the Marchioness of Northampton, led the
peeresses of the realm all dressed in black, and behind them came all the important men of
the realm, as well as over two hundred poor folks. The streets were full of people, all come to
pay their last respects to the Queen who had ruled them so wisely and for so long as she made
her way to her final resting place at Westminster Abbey. When they saw the life-like effigy
of the Queen, they wept. John Stow, who attended the funeral wrote:"Westminster was
surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streets, houses, windows, leads and
gutters, that came to see the obsequy, and when they be held her statue lying upon the coffin,
there was such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or
known in the memory of man, neither doth any history mention any people, time or state to
make like lamentation for the death of their sovereign"

The grief of the nation was unprecedented, and was a tribute to the remarkable achievements
of a remarkable woman, Queen Elizabeth I.

Page 24 of 26
Queen Elizabeth's mission and vision:
 She wanted to succeed in a world that was male dominated
 She dreamt of uniting people in a world that was divided by religious conflict.
 She wanted to spread religion in her time so she restored the Protestant Church.
 Queen Elizabeth I saw the world from a litterateur’s point of view, she increased literacy
and achievements in the art in her time of reign.
 Led the art of Rhetoric and Public Relations & led the defeat of the Spanish Armada of
132 by English fleet of 34 ships and 163 vessels under Lord Howard,
 Queen Elizabeth wanted to extend her reign to Netherlands. In just two years into her
reign, Elizabeth had a success against the French. The French had announced their
intention to help the Scots defeat the revolt of the Lords of the Congregation. At the same
time, the French stated that Mary was the rightful Queen of England. Rather than waiting
for more French troops to land in Scotland, Elizabeth sent troops into Scotland and forced
the French force at Leith to negotiate a settlement. In the Treaty of Edinburgh (July 6th
1560) it was agreed that all English and French troops would withdraw from Scotland and
that Mary Stuart would renounce her use of the coat of arms and title of England.

Elizabeth's Personality and Image:


After the turbulent and short reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, the length and prosperity of
Elizabeth's reign came somewhat as a surprise. Her 45-year reign, earning her the title "the
Great", was not merely the result of chance, but the result of her strong will, intelligence,
popularity with the people, and personal character. By the end of her reign, especially after
the defeat of the supposedly invincible Spanish Armada, Elizabeth began to be held in almost
supernatural awe throughout Europe, & to her own subjects she became a secular saint.

Elizabeth had an erect posture and very pale skin, which people said practically glowed. Her
aquiline nose and reddish-gold hair reminded everyone of her father, Henry VIII, fondly
remembered as a strong and decisive leader of the nation. She had extremely long, slender
hands and fingers. Her eye-color is not definitively known, but from portraits they appear to
have been brown, or golden-brown. Elizabeth was also an expert horsewoman, who loved to
ride her horse at a gallop, frightening everyone (including Master of the Horse Robert
Dudley) with her equestrian antics. She mastered the art of appearing stately and regal when
it mattered, but in private, she moved and walked quickly. Her obsession with dancing was

Page 25 of 26
famous, and she enjoyed watching dancers as much as she liked to dance herself. She loved
fine clothing and jewelry, and her attire was the height of glamour and fashion in the period.

She had both natural talent and a willingness to study and deliberate. She was always
cautious in foreign affairs, preferring in most cases to wait and see what happened, and
decide what to do at the last moment. This patience often gave England an advantage over
European nations led by more hotheaded rulers. Elizabeth's fear of committing to action in
foreign affairs, particularly her aversion to any and all war, was largely a product of her
childhood, in which she had often witnessed the high costs of failure in politics.
Extraordinarily stingy for a woman so wealthy, she believed wars expensive, and peace
cheap. With no clear successor to follow her, France and Spain were both jockeying for
control of England after her death. Thus, Elizabeth hesitated to intervene when Mary of Guise
was overthrown, despite Cecil's council. Also, when Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded,
Elizabeth recognized the need for her opponent's death, but wished it could have been carried
out through a quieter method like poisoning.

Lesson learnt from Leader (Queen Elizabeth I):


 I have no desire to make windows into men souls
Explanation: Elizabeth tried her best to prevent the rift between Catholics and
Protestants from becoming a gaping wound. While her sympathies were more with the
Protestants, she seemed to believe that everyone could worship the way they wanted, in
peace. She did not want to explore why any one person believed the way they did.

 A strength to harm is perilous in the hand of an ambitious head


Explanation: It might be odd to think that Elizabeth, a queen, would say something like
this. In her case, however, she was surrounded by men who wanted to work their way
either into her good graces or into the good graces of her enemies. Ambition ran riot
through her palaces. If an ambitious person in her court wanted to do harm, they certainly
had the means – and they knew it.

 I do consider a multitude doth make rather discord & confusion than good counsel.
Explanation: Elizabeth did not surround herself with a massive court, despite the fact
that as a woman “prince” many thought that she could not rule successfully on her own.
She opted to trust a few people to give her good counsel rather than tossing out a broad
net that may or may not catch good advice.

 I know I have body of a weak & feeble woman, but I have heart & stomach of a king
Explanation: This might seem inappropriate for a great ruler like Elizabeth to say. Weak
and feeble? Hardly. Well, Elizabeth knew her audience. She knew what “baggage” they

Page 26 of 26
were bringing to whatever she said. She knew their expectations (or lack thereof). She
based what she said on those expectations, all the while acting as she wanted.

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