Queen Elizabeth, the mighty monarch of England made the nation a powerful contestant in European power map. Elizabeth was the queen of trinity, Queen of England (from 1558 to 1603), Queen of Ireland (1558-1603) and Queen of France (in name only). She was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty and ruled England with a strong hand for 45 years guiding the destiny of the nation through an era of great political and religious unrest.
Life Of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth was born on September 7,1533 to King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn in Greenwich Palace, London. She became the ruler of England in 1558 and ruled the nation till her death in 1603. Elizabeth is famously known as the Virgin Queen as she never married. She entertained both Catholic people and Protestants to keep religious unrest at bay. She was named Elizabeth I after the succession of Elizabeth ii in 1952.
Achievements Of Elizabeth
- Under the rule of Elizabeth I, English merchant ships challenged the supremacy of Spanish cruises in the high seas
- English Navy defeated Spanish Armada
- Queen Elizabeth endorsed the treaty of Cateau – Cambresis of 1559 and established peace with France.
- As for Scotland, her cousin Catholic Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland and wife of French King Francis II, declared herself the Queen of England with French support. But ultimately Mary’s people signed the “Treaty of Edinburgh” which made the French troops retreat.
- Elizabeth proclaimed the Church of England, a Protestant denomination as the state religion of England while tactfully avoiding clashes with the Catholic contingents. She passed the Act Of Uniformity in 1559, which entitled the Protestant Book of Common Prayer to be used in church services. Elizabeth I assumed the title of the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”.
- Elizabeth’s chief advisor was Sir William Cecil. Court conflicts were much reduced during her rule.
- The reign of Queen Elizabeth, popularly known as Elizabethan era is famously regarded as the Golden Age. This is the golden age of opulence in explorations, colonization, literature and culture.
- English literature reached its peak with the exquisite writings of Christopher Marlow, Ben Johnson, Francis Bacon and the immortal ‘ Bard of Avon’, William Shakespeare.
- Francis Drake went around the globe.
- The vast land of North America was colonized under Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Large number of settlers went to America starting up an enormous colonial empire giving a gigantic boost to the economy of England.
The End Of Elizabeth’s Reign
Upheavals and conflicts at home ringed the last bells of the grand reign of Queen Elizabeth I. England faced the storm of Irish rebellion. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex piloted a rebellion against the state government. Queen Elizabeth breathed her last on March 23, 1603. During her rule, England from its diminutive stature rose to be one of the mightiest authorities in the European continent.
Succession After Elizabeth I
To speak, Elizabeth I was the last legitimate heir of King Henry VIII. James I, son of Mary Queen Of Scots and her second husband Lord Darnley succeeded after Elizabeth’s demise.
Conclusion
Queen Elizabeth I was one of the most popular, powerful and wise rulers of England. During her rule England reached the zenith of success in every aspect.