Elizabeth I
History: Edexcel A Level England, 1509-1603, topic 1.1.5
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I's styled herself as a Protestant Queen, married to her country. Her motto 'semper eadem' (meaning 'always the same') reflects her aim to make England stable.
Elizabeth I's personality
- Similar to her father, Elizabeth I is said to have had a short temper.
- Elizabeth received a thorough education. She particularly loved music and would become a patron of musicians when Queen.
- Elizabeth studied theology and was a moderate Protestant.
Elizabeth I's cautious rule
- MacCaffrey (1993): "[Elizabeth] had developed a strategy of caution, of immobility, of playing as few cards as possible, waiting and hoping on events."
Taking advantage of her gender
- Ferriby, Anderson and Imperato (2017) "…hard edged… impatient with people who failed her…deliberately created a masculine personality to command…but the fact that she was a woman to charm [her courtiers]."
Elizabeth I's approach to government
- Elizabeth’s relations with parliament could be stormy. She made it quite clear where their boundaries were and that they should not overstep them.
- Elizabeth used the Royal Prerogative to prevent discussion of issues such as the succession, her marriage and Mary, Queen of Scots.
- Naunton in the 1630s: "She ruled much by faction and parties, which she herself both made, upheld and weakened, as her own great judgement advised."
Popular attitudes to Elizabeth I
- Elizabeth I managed her public image carefully: from 1563 all portraits of her had to be authorised and follow a ‘template.’
- She cultivated the persona of the Virgin Queen, married to her people.
- A Spanish Ambassador in 1568: "She was received everywhere with… signs of joy".
- The defeat of the Armada reinvigorated her popularity.