Queen Elizabeth I of England

1. Queen Elizabeth I of England By: Alexis Souza and Margy Shah en.wikipedia.org

2. Dates of Lifetime and Reign Date of Birth/Death: • 1533-1603 Reign • 1558-1603 (44 years)

3. Empire England and Ireland warriorap.edublogs.org

4. Historical Background (Rise to Power) • Daughter of Henry VII, king of England and Ireland; her mother was Anne Boleyn • She was determined as illegitimate because her father’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was acquired by an annulment • After her sister Mary to the throne, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London and interrogated for keeping in contact with Sir Thomas • After Mary fell ill she had no choice but to give the throne to Elizabeth and she was officially crown Queen of England on January 15, 1559 • In the same month she was also declared the supreme governor of the Church of England • Mary, the Queen of Scots, was one of Elizabeth’s main enemy’s • In 1559 Mary, the Queen of Scotts married King Francis II of France who was England’s main enemy at that time • He died in 1560 causing Mary’s power to decline and she was imprisoned by Elizabeth for two decades as a safety precaution • In 1569 she used force against Thomas, the duke of Norfolk, because he wanted to marry Mary • Her military power was heightened at the War with Spain in 1585 when she willingly went with her troops to fend off the Spanish and came back winning and Protestantism increased in England en.wikipedia.org

5. 5 Significant Accomplishments • A country-wide conflict between Catholics and Protestants emerged. Elizabeth was unwilling to alienate one side in favor of the other, so she decided to establish a state church that both moderate Catholics and Protestants would be willing to attend. • Parliament granted her request for an Act of Uniformity to establish a national church and an Act of Supremacy to make her supreme head of both church and state • In 1588 Philip launched an attack against England, sending the Spanish Armada of 130 ships into the English Channel , Elizabeth rallied the Royal Navy, which set fire to some ships and sent them into the midst of the Spanish fleet. They attacked with smaller and swifter English vessels, driving the Spaniards out of English waters. • Elizabeth initiated the process of the golden age by granting charters to a number of English trading companies, which were organized as joint stock ventures. This allowed several parties to assume the risk inherent in sending ships on profiteering runs against the Spanish trading in the East Indies • The Elizabethan age produced William Shakespeare, and helped launch the rise of literature en.wikipedia.org

6. Importance • Elizabeth was one of the two English Queens to place her name in a big part of history because she used her own decisions and wisdom to rule England • She supported Protestantism and kept spreading it throughout her kingdom and reign • Her victory in the war against the Spanish Armada allowed England to prevent further invasion • She was the first and last Queen from the Tudor empire to rule as a Protestant • She passed the Act of Uniformity in 1558: Required the use of the Protestant Book of Common Prayer in church services • She also passed the Act of Supremacy in 1558: Officials must take oath of supremacy which required them to swear allegiance to the monarch as head of the Church

7. Historians Opinion • Childless, unmarried woman who succeeded, through personal arts and consummated political skill, in turning this decided liability into a historic legacy • “a woman no way nun-like or pseudo-male In manner, but feminine in every normal sense of the world, delighted by silk stockings, jewels, flattery, music, diverting trifles, and above all by dancing. Yet behind it all she was power, patronage, an informed and scholarly mind, a will and a purpose open to manipulation but never to control.” –Mowl • Francis Drake has noted the late Elizabethan courtier/pirate, a figure of daring and confidence who advanced by the favoritism of the queen and who laid the groundwork for the projection of English naval power in the next century • Lifelong opponent of the Catholic church, and especially of the powerful catholic response to Protestant criticism • Was sometimes addressed as “Elizabeth the Warrior Queen” en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

8. Own Opinion • Elizabeth was a very skilled and wise ruler because she politically used all of her resources • She only resorted to execution or violence as a way to defend England and maintain power Ex: She reluctantly executed Thomas because her power would’ve been jeopardized • Didn’t marry; good way to defend country • Put her subjects first; she referred to herself as being married to her kingdom and subjects en.wikipedia.org

9. Bibliography Ellis, Sian. "The Queen's Golden Age: Shades of the First Elizabethan Era." British Heritage Sept. 2011: 34+. Gale Power Search. Web. 9 May 2012. Huso, Deborah. "The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I Ruled England for 45 Years, Becoming One of the Most Powerful Women in Western History." Success May 2011: 76+. General Onefile. Web. 8 May 2012. Kugler, R. Anthony. "THE KEY PLAYERS." Calliope May 2000: 16. Gale Power Search. Eb. 9 May 2012. OLSEN, ERIC P. "The Elizabethan Achievement: Honoring Briain's Golden Age." World and I Dec. 2003: 74. Gale Power Search. Web. 9 May 2012 Pepper, Tara. "The Queen, As She Was." Newsweek International 26 May 2003: 88. General OneFile. Web. 8 May 2012 "Marshall Cavendish." Marshall Cavendish. Web. 20 May 2012. "Elizabeth I." Salem Press. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://history.salempress.com/>.