Queen Elizabeth I Were Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great effective rulers? Were their reign’scharacterized as good or not so well? Disregarding the opinion of those who reignedconcurrently or historians today, these two ruled their country in a time of turmoil anduncertainty! The world and the people within it were undergoing a major transition. Newlands were being discovered as well as major role-playing continents and countries werechanging status. Some losing power while others gained it.
Queen Elizabeth I andCatherine the Great ruled their country to the extent in which they were able and theirsubjects allowed them to. Queen Elizabeth I of England was a remarkable ruler. Elizabethwas born in 1533 to Henry VIII of England and took the throne in 1588 at the age oftwenty-five and reigned until 1603 when she passed away (Sowards, 28). Elizabeth wasthe last of the Tudor Dynasty (Upshur, 465).
Due to her father’s uncontrollablehap-hazardous rule, Elizabeth, at only the age of twenty-five, was already faced withdilemma within England. Henry VIII wanted a male to take over his throne so when he felthis time was running out, Henry VIII needed to divorce his Queen at that time but theCatholic Church doesn’t allow this. He separated from the church and brought Englandwith him. He turned England into a protestant nation.
Needless to say people wereconfused and had to make huge adjustments. At the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign therewas confusion. She was a firm Catholic however she made a compromise between the tworeligions. Queen Elizabeth’s decision was due largely from the consent of her people(Upshur, 465).
However, Elizabeth knew that two religions would cause problems. “Asreestablished, the Anglican Church was protestant in it’s Theology, but much of it’s ritualand ecclesiastical organization remained Catholic in form”(Upshur, 465). Elizabethbelieved that loyalty of her people would bring them together as well as the country. Thepeople were not forced by the state but by their own consciences. The people of Englandsaw Queen Elizabeth as compassionate as well as decisive. By allowing the people todecide, Queen Elizabeth gained their trust and loyalty unlike her father before her.
QueenElizabeth did not force the people but allowed them to decide on their own and for theirvoices to be the deciding factor. In fact, “The greatest achievement in English history, the”breaking the bonds of Rome”, and the establishment of spiritual independence, wascompleted without bloodshed under Elizabeth’s auspices, and Elizabeth may have theglory of the work”(Sowards, 37). The people of England were in no need of a governmentthat was more concerned about it more than it was for the people. Elizabeth was Queenbut she established good ties with parliament. England did not need the rule of a monarchythat controlled strictly, took the people’s wealth, and taxed. By taxing the peopleparliament could control the people (Upshur, 464).
However, this was the exact oppositeof what Queen Elizabeth did. She was wealthy, however, she allowed the people ofEngland to have the opportunity to gain wealth. Without alienating public opinion, QueenElizabeth gained what she wanted. Queen Elizabeth’s policies coincided with the interestsof the people (Upshur, 465).
Queen Elizabeth was active in foreign policy. The people ofEngland, her subjects, began to see new materials due to her intervention in foreign policy. Furthermore, they began to obtain wealth. Elizabeth began trade with India and granted acharter to the English East India Company (Upshur, 465).
This opened the path for tradeas well as the ideas for others to strive to achieve goals, and to set higher standards. Thisgave some morale to the people of England. “She also established relations with the rulersof Russia and authorized the formation of the Muscovy company, the first in westernEurope to trade with Russia” (Upshur, 465). Queen Elizabeth was under the normal stressof any ruler of that time. Or was she? “For thirty years she was perpetually a mark forassassination, and her spirits were never affected, and she was never frightened intocruelty (Sowards, 36). Elizabeth, opposite of past rulers, was trying to live downEngland’s reputation as being a nation of war.
Elizabeth negotiated as opposed to initiatingwar (Sowards, 32). The Elizabethan Age was peaceful. The people of England may havebeen used to traditional fighting, however, Elizabeth kept peace. Queen Elizabeth had adesire for peace. She managed the nation of England well to sustain a peaceful “life” whileother countries fought wars, lost, and fell into succession.
Queen Elizabeth was a peacefulruler, however, she did engage in on act of warfare. She is most famous for her dramaticvictory over the Spanish Armada during the summer of 1588 (Sowards, 25). “Englishhostility to Spain was growing for a number of reasons: sympathy for the beleagueredFrench Huguenots and the peasants of Holland locked in their own desperate struggle withPhillip; the undeclared sea war with Spain that English privateers and pirates had alreadybeen carrying on for a generation(Sowards, 26). There was no ground war and thepeople of England never became unrested. Queen Elizabeth was patient and did not jumpinto war with Spain. She fought on her own terms (Sowards, 38).
This was a sign of asmart ruler. This led to National importance for England. England became supreme on theseas. English commerce increased to the Old World and colonies were formed in the NewWorld(Sowards, 33). Queen Elizabeth I was liked by her subjects because she was aneffective ruler.
She brought effective government to the people through parliament. Sheopened the opportunity for trade as well as the opportunity to gain wealth. QueenElizabeth I also set the precedent that all nations are not as powerful as they may appearby defeating the Spanish Armada. This enabled other smaller countries to set sail in theseas to gain wealth and explore new territory.
