Elizabeth 1 Tudor (years of life - 1533-1603) - the Queen of England, whose activities contributed to the formation of the image of the Golden Age. He is believed to have fallen precisely on her reign. Domestic and foreign policy of Elizabeth 1 Tudor is very rich and interesting. In the article we will talk about her reign, present her biography. You will find out what Elizabeth 1 Tudor was like as a politician. In addition, we will say a few words about who ruled after her.
The Origin of Elizabeth
The future queen was born in the Greenwich Palace, located in today's London. This important event for the country took place on September 7, 1533. Elizabeth's father was Henry VIII, the English king, and Anna Boleyn was his mother. This woman was previously the maid of honor of the first wife of Henry. In order to marry her, he divorced his wife Catherine of Aragon, who could not give him an heir, and went out of the power of the pope. In 1534, Henry VIII proclaimed himself the head of the English Church. Anna Boleyn (in the photo below portraits of her and Henry) were executed in May 1536, accusing her of adultery. However, the real fault of this woman was that she was not able to give birth to Henry the son, heir to the throne.
The Fate of Elizabeth Under Edward VI
In the period between the death of her father in 1547 and her own accession, Elizabeth had to go through difficult trials, which, of course, affected her character. Under the rule of Edward VI, his half-brother, who reigned from 1547 to 1553, the future queen was involved in the plot of Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour against her will. Envious of Eduard Seymour, his brother, who during the minor years of Edward VI was the protector of the kingdom, Thomas acted rashly several times. These actions led him to speculate that he was carrying out plans for a coup. The plan for Thomas marrying Elizabeth became the pinnacle of recklessness. The failed groom was taken into custody in January 1549.
The years of the reign of Mary I and the fate of Elizabeth
During the reign of Mary I Tudor, that is, from 1553 to 1558, a great danger hung over Elizabeth. Mary was the half-sister of the future queen. When Henry divorced Catherine, her mother, she was already old enough to recognize the shame associated with this. Maria became a fanatical Catholic, full of pro-Hispanic sympathies, as well as indignation at the daughter of Anna Boleyn.
Having ascended the throne, Mary played a wedding with Philip, who was the heir to the throne of Spain. This spawned a large number of conspiracies. The most important of these can be considered the uprising of Thomas Wyeth in January 1554. Although Elizabeth outwardly submitted to the Catholic religion, reintroduced into the state, the Protestants did not cease to connect their hopes with her. Because of this, the very existence of Elizabeth was a threat to Mary (her portrait is presented below).
The future queen after the Wyeth rebellion was arrested and then placed in the Tower. Here she had to spend 2 months. Then Elizabeth was still under close surveillance at Woodstock, located near Oxford.
Accession to the throne. Question about church structure
Elizabeth 1 Tudor ascended the throne on November 17, 1558. At a parliamentary meeting in January next year, the issue of church structure was raised. The Queen was ready to separate the Anglican Church from the papacy and Rome, but in other respects she intended to act in a conservative spirit, with great caution. The House of Commons spoke of the need for radical and uncompromising reform. Elizabeth preferred the episcopal church organization and service, adopted in the so-called high church. As a result, a compromise was reached, called via media, which means "middle way" in Latin. Elizabeth's reforms identified the features of the Church of England that have survived to the present. However, they created dissatisfaction with both Protestants and Catholics.
Question of succession
Parliament, as well as government officials, were concerned about the future of Protestantism in the country. The fact is that Queen Elizabeth 1 Tudor was the last of the Tudor dynasty. Both political considerations and personal choices led her to remain a virgin until the end of her days. Protestants did not want to allow the Catholic to the throne. And Mary Stuart, the Scottish queen who had the rights to the crown of England, was just a Catholic. In fact, Elizabeth was completely alone. She decided to postpone the issue of succession to the throne. Its correctness was confirmed by a long reign (almost 45-year-old). However, the Queen’s stubbornness at first led to discontent from both the parliament and close advisers. This was especially characteristic of 1566.
Relations of England with Scotland
At that time, relations between England and Scotland came to the fore, where in 1559 the Reformation vigorously declared itself. An uprising took place against the French regent, Maria Guise, who ruled on behalf of Maria Stuart, her daughter. Maria Guise at that time was both the ruler of Scotland and the wife of the king of France. In order for the rebels to oust the French from the country, Elizabeth's intervention was required. In 1562 and for a long time after this, the queen intervened in France’s internal politics. She supported the rebellious Protestant (Huguenot) party. Some time later, Elizabeth also supported the Protestants in Holland, who opposed King Philip II of Spain.
Relationship with Mary Stuart
In 1561, Francis II, the husband of Mary Stuart, died. After that, Maria returned to her homeland. The controversial and complex history of her relationship with Elizabeth began in many ways. Unlike the latter, Maria was not a statesman. She was deposed after the assassination of Heinrich Stewart, her second husband. Mary was imprisoned, but she managed to escape. She lost to the opponents who defeated her troops, and then ended up in England, crossing the border.
The arrival of Stuart in England in May 1568 created certain problems for the heroine of our article. Elizabeth 1 Tudor as a politician was in a difficult situation. The government of the country kept Mary as a captive, so she began to attract the opposition. Confusion soon began in England, one of the reasons for which was the presence of Stuart. The rebels at the end of 1569 revolted in the north of the country. In February 1570, a papal bull occurred, during which Elizabeth 1 Tudor was proclaimed deposed, and her subjects were exempted from the oath to the queen. Catholics were forced to flee abroad. They founded seminaries on the continent, where they educated and raised Catholic youths, and then, as missionaries, they went to England. The papacy's goal was to overthrow Elizabeth with the help of the French party of Giza and the secular authorities of Spain. It was planned to build Mary Stuart on the throne.
The Queen's parliament and ministers began to demand strict laws against Catholics, especially missionaries. Ridolfi's plot against Elizabeth was uncovered in 1572. Mary Stuart was also involved in it. After this conspiracy, ministers and parliamentarians demanded that Mary be charged with high treason. However, Elizabeth decided to intervene, so no conviction took place. When a decree was taken that deprived Stuart of the right to the throne of England, Elizabeth vetoed.
The ranks of priests from seminaries since 1580 began to be strengthened by the Jesuits. Spain annexed Portugal that same year. Over time, Elizabeth contributed to the rebellion of the Netherlands against Spain. This, as well as the British raids on the colonies of Spain led to conflict.
The assassination of William the Silent. Association agreement
Soon after the conspiracy of Throckmorton was discovered, in 1584, it became known that Wilhelm the Silent, who was a Catholic, was killed in the Netherlands. English Protestants formed the so-called Association Treaty. His goal was the reprisal of M. Stewart in the event that an attempt was made on the assassination of their queen.
Support for the Dutch rebellion. The Execution of Mary Stuart
The death of William the Silent led to the fact that the Dutch uprising lost its leader. This forced Queen Elizabeth to send the British troops to help the Dutch, commanded by Earl of Leicester. This happened in the fall of 1585. This open intervention was tantamount to declaring war.
The foreign policy of Elizabeth 1 Tudor did not suit everyone. The Babington conspiracy was uncovered in 1586. His goal was the assassination of Queen Elizabeth and the reign of Mary. The latter took part in it. She was put on trial. According to the resolution of the Parliament adopted in 1584-1585, she was sentenced to death. In the fall of 1586, a parliament was convened. His repeatedly repeated unanimous demand left no choice for Elizabeth. Mary had to be executed on February 8, 1587.
Spanish Armada
The death of Mary was the impetus for the so-called Catholic enterprise against England. The Spanish Armada in the summer of 1588 went to sea in order to break the fleet of England and cover the landing on the coast of this country of the Spanish army. More than 8 hours lasted a decisive battle. The invincible Armada as a result was astounded. It was scattered, and suffered heavy losses on the way to Spain due to storms.
Action against Spain
War between England and Spain was not formally declared, but an open conflict between these states continued. Henry III, king of France, was killed in 1589. After that, Elizabeth was drawn into the confrontation on a new front. The Catholic League of France, supported by Spain, opposed the accession of Henry IV, the rightful heir. He was the leader of the Huguenot party. Queen Elizabeth helped Henry in the fight.
Such, in brief, is the foreign policy of Elizabeth 1 Tudor. The table, of course, would help us present the information even more succinctly. However, the Queen’s activities are so interesting that I don’t want to turn to this method of presenting information. We believe that Elizabeth 1 Tudor’s domestic policy should be described in the same way. The table here will also be inappropriate. We have already told you something about the Queen’s domestic politics. Her relationship with ministers and courtiers is very curious. We invite you to get to know them.
Ministers and Court Elizabeth
The Queen showed great fidelity to her entourage, which, perhaps, not a single monarch showed. Elizabeth 1 Tudor, whose biography testifies to her extraordinary personality, independently picked up all her ministers. William Cecil was the first candidate. Elizabeth relied on him the most. Among the Queen's other advisers were: Walter Mildmey, Francis Walsingham, William's son Robert Cecil, as well as Thomas Smith. These ministers were outstanding people. Despite this, Elizabeth has always been their mistress and mistress. This is an important fact for those who are interested in the characterization of Elizabeth 1 Tudor.
The queen had, in addition to ministers, and courtiers. The most notable figures of them were: Christopher Hatton, Earl of Leicester and Robert Deverere, Earl of Essex. Elizabeth kept Francis Bacon and Walter Rayleigh somewhat, as they did not trust their human qualities, but placed their abilities high.
Elizabeth's relationship with the Earl of Essex
Burley, who lived until 1598, wanted to transfer influence and office to Robert Cecil, his youngest son. He was very capable, but had a physical handicap. Count Essex, a young aristocrat (his portrait is presented above), opposed this. During the capture of Cadiz, which took place in 1596, he earned flattering assessments and great fame. However, when he ceased to be limited to military ambitions, adding political ones to them, he had to enter into a confrontation with Cecil.
Elizabeth made a favorite of Essex, a man of great charm. She admired his qualities. However, the queen was not fascinated by Essex enough to support him in dangerous political endeavors. She deliberately promoted Robert Cecil, while at the same time opposing Essex in the intention to nominate her candidates for higher posts. Such was the policy of Elizabeth 1 Tudor regarding this man.
A series of personal clashes ensued between Elizabeth and her favorite. One day the queen grabbed his ear when he turned his back on her in a fury, intending to leave (according to another version, gave him a slap in the face). He threatened to take up the sword, exclaiming that he would not have suffered such audacity from anyone that he was a subject, not a slave.
The year 1599 was the culmination of the story with Essex. Then Elizabeth instructed the favorite to suppress the uprising of Tyrone in Ireland. Having received all the necessary resources from the government, he did not obey instructions from London. Essex failed in the execution of the task and entered into a truce with the rebels. Then, also contrary to orders, he returned to England. Essex openly changed the current government in February 1601. He tried to raise all of London against the queen. Essex was put on trial, and then executed on February 25, 1601.
The fight against Puritanism
Elizabeth 1's domestic policy Tudor is also characterized by the fact that the queen showed unwavering attitude towards Puritanism. She appointed in 1583 the archbishop of Canterbury their main opponent - John Wittgift. However, the opposition did not want to give up. Some members of the clergy decided to turn to Presbyterianism. Soon a movement was created whose task was to destroy the episcopate. The Puritans acted using influence in the House of Commons and other political levers. Elizabeth eventually had to fight the House of Commons. Until the very last decade of the Queen’s reign, this chamber was almost exclusively sympathetic to the Puritans. Parliamentarians constantly came into conflict with Elizabeth. And they disagreed with her not only on the reform of the Church of England, but also on others: the succession to the throne, the need for marriage, the treatment of M. Stuart.
A brief description of the reign of Elizabeth
The reign of Elizabeth 1 Tudor was one of the most dynamic periods in the history of England. From the very beginning, Protestants believed that the queen was preserved by providence. She had to deal with increasing external and internal dangers, and the love of the people for her grew, and eventually turned into a real cult. The domestic and foreign policies of Elizabeth 1 Tudor were discussed for a long time after her death. And in our days, interest in this ruler does not subside. Characterization of Elizabeth 1 Tudor as a politician is curious not only among historians, but also among many people around the world.
Death of Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth died in Richmond Palace, located in modern London. She died on March 24, 1603. Most likely, at the last moment, Elizabeth named or pointed to her successor. They became Jacob VI, the Scottish king (James I English). That's who ruled after Elizabeth 1 Tudor.
Jacob I
The years of his life are 1566-1625. James 1 English became the first king of England to represent the Stuart dynasty. He ascended the throne on March 24, 1603. Jacob became the first sovereign to rule both kingdoms located on the British Isles at the same time. As a united power, Great Britain did not exist at that time. Scotland and England were sovereign states led by one monarch. The story of who ruled after Elizabeth 1 Tudor is no less interesting than the period of the reign of Elizabeth. But that's another story.