Term Paper on "Queen Elizabeth"

Term Paper 10 pages (2624 words) Sources: 8 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Queen Elizabeth

During an unpleasant period in English history, Elizabeth I became one of England's most influential monarchs. She was a descendent of the Tudor line and her forty-five-year reign was very successful and a jubilant Elizabethan Age. "Amongst her most notable victories, Queen Elizabeth I successfully restored England to the Protestant faith. Many plots to overtake Elizabeth and convert the country back to Catholicism were devised, but failed. Mary, Queen of Scots, a devout Catholic and Elizabeth's cousin, was at the heart of these schemes. The likely successor of Elizabeth, Mary was imprisoned for 19 years for her role in the rebellion. This made her an attractive potential pawn for the likes of enemies such as Phillip II, King of Spain. Yet Mary would never be used to gain a foothold against Elizabeth, as she was executed in 1587" (Queen Elizabeth I was Loved and Admired by her Subjects... Here's Why).

Since there were people who were after her reign, it is clear that she was the best leader for England during that period.

Successes

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I was extremely successful because Elizabeth was an immensely popular Queen, and her popularity has waned little with the passing of four hundred years. Even in today's modern society, she is still one of the best loved monarchs, and one of the most admired rulers of all time. Due her political approach, she was very successful and she showed great leadership during her reign. At the beginning of her reign, she was taught to be a successful ruler.

She spent the next ten days at the Tower, holding council meetings and slowly but steadily learning how to rule. She had been welcomed to the throne with great celebration, but few monarchs have inherited such a dire predicament. Religious turmoil was inevitable; though the Protestants regarded Elizabeth as their savior, many Marian exiles believed she would maintain her sister's religious changes. She had to tread carefully - and fortunately for both Elizabeth and her nation, she was uniquely suited to do so. She made it clear to her councilors that she wanted no windows into men's souls. Also, she would not be dominated by one religious party at the expense of another (Elizabeth 1)

The people

The people of England were Englishmen first; and their religious loyalties were to remain subservient to their loyalty to her as queen of England. "Elizabeth's government was able to keep the Puritan movement underground. John Whitgift, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1583, attempted to neutralize their cause by adopting some needed reforms. But he did not wish to create Puritan martyrs, as Mary I had created Protestant ones. He was also more interested in establishing a uniform clergy rather than debating doctrine. A few Puritans were executed and many others banished under Whitgift; his use of the church courts robbed the new doctrine of its momentum. It remained troublesome to the queen, but never a real threat. Elizabeth's rule was preferable to any other; she had become, however unwillingly, the champion of the Protestant cause. Puritan attempts to check the royal prerogative would only succeed in the next generation" (ELIZABETH 1).

From there, she was aware on how people should be treated since she felt that she should be required to treat them as a partner in her country. This helps them to communicate effectively and it makes the people of England feel they are on the page. This approach generated loyalty and challenged the people to make the country a success. Motivation and communication are additional ways Queen Elizabeth created happy people. Challenging the people of England allowed her to be creative and generate new ideas or product lines that will increase the success of the country. Listening to people's opinions is vital to success. The people who are involved with any country will have ideas on how to better the processes. Queen Elizabeth used an approach uncommon to most leaders, which was walking around to meet and greet the associates. This approach allowed the people the opportunity to tell her how well he or she liked the country and offer suggestions for change. The people liked this approach because it made her an approachable leader who was willing to listen to people.

She characteristically remarked that she preferred loyal Catholics to Puritans; this may have confused some of her subjects since she was a Protestant queen, and the Puritans were simply Protestant extremists. However, Elizabeth recognized that, by the end of her reign, most of her Catholic subjects were loyal to her instead of the pope (despite her excommunication) and accepted royal prerogative. Her Puritan subjects, however, did not recognize the sanctity of the crown, and their presence in Parliament ensured a steady erosion of royal power. The end result of this conflict occurred during the reign of Charles I, when a powerful Puritan populace revolted against their Catholic king and beheaded him (Elizabeth 1).

The country.

As a good leader, she cared about her country by making positive changes such as trade and helping the people get wealth, which brought peace to everyone. Fortunately, she was taught these leadership tactics as well as making up her own rules.

Elizabeth was dedicated to her country in a way few monarchs had been or have been since. Elizabeth had the mind of a political genius and nurtured her country through careful leadership and by choosing capable men to assist her, such as Sir William Cecil and Sir Francis Walsingham. Elizabeth was a determined woman, but she was not obstinate. She listened to the advice of those around her, and would change a policy if it was unpopular. In appearance she was extravagant, in behavior sometimes flippant and frivolous, but her approach to politics was serious, conservative, and cautious. When she ascended the throne in 1558, England was an impoverished country torn apart by religious squabbles. When she died at Richmond Palace on the 24th March 1603, England was one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world (Queen Elizabeth).

Queen Elizabeth gained the people's trust and loyalty by allowing them to make decisions. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth allowed them to decide on their own and for their voices to be the deciding factor. With that, the greatest achievement in English history was the "breaking the bonds of Rome," and the establishment of spiritual independence was done without violence under Elizabeth's auspices

Elizabeth may have the glory of the work"(Sowards, 37). The people of England were in no need of a government that was more concerned about it more than it was for the people. Elizabeth was Queen but she established good ties with parliament. England did not need the rule of a monarchy that controlled strictly, took the people's wealth, and taxed. By taxing the people parliament could control the people (Upshur, 464). However, this was the exact opposite of what Queen Elizabeth did. She was wealthy, however, she allowed the people of England to have the opportunity to gain wealth. Without alienating public opinion, Queen Elizabeth gained what she wanted. Queen Elizabeth's policies coincided with the interests of the people (Upshur, 465 and Queen Elizabeth).

Trade

Along with that, Queen Elizabeth was active in foreign policy, which caused new materials due to her intervention in foreign policy. From there, the people of England gain wealth because of it. From there, Elizabeth began trade with India and granted a charter to the English East India Company (Upshur, 465), which started the trade agreement

This gave some morale to the people of England. "She also established relations with the rulers of Russia and authorized the formation of the Muscovy company, the first in western Europe to trade with Russia" (Upshur, 465). Queen Elizabeth was under the normal stress of any ruler of that time. Or was she? "For thirty years she was perpetually a mark for assassination, and her spirits were never affected, and she was never frightened into cruelty (Sowards, 36). Elizabeth, opposite of past rulers, was trying to live down England's reputation as being a nation of war. Elizabeth negotiated as opposed to initiating war (Sowards, 32). The Elizabethan Age was peaceful. The people of England may have been used to traditional fighting, however, Elizabeth kept peace. Queen Elizabeth had a desire for peace. She managed the nation of England well to sustain a peaceful "life" while other countries fought wars, lost, and fell into succession (Queen Elizabeth).

Furthermore, it is very apparent that Queen Elizabeth was a peaceful ruler and was liked by her subjects because she was an effective ruler. Since she was an effective ruler, she brought effective government to the people through parliament by opening the opportunity for trade and the opportunity to gain wealth. Queen Elizabeth I made everyone believed that all nations are not as powerful as they may appear by defeating the Spanish Armada, which encouraged smaller countries to set sail in the seas to gain wealth and explore new territory.

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