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Jessie Joblin

Mr. Smyth

Historical Inquiry

07 May 2015

Elizabeth I: The Most Successful English Monarch

Elizabeth I proudly noted, I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I

have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too. (BrainyQuote). From 1558

to 1603, Queen Elizabeth I was the Queen of England and is considered to be one of the most

successful English monarchs because she corrected negative effects past monarchs had on

England, she remained in complete control of power during a male dominated time period, and

used her triumphant military and strong political instincts to keep England at peace. Elizabeth I

was a strong and successful leader throughout her reign, which proves how she was one of

Englands greatest monarchs.

Before Queen Elizabeth Is reign in England, many monarchs previous to Elizabeth I

made mistakes that she had to correct. When Queen Elizabeth came into reign, there was much

religious conflict within England. Elizabeth I had to find a way to restore Protestantism while

trying to prevent a war with the Catholics. The act of ending religious conflict is known as The

Religious Settlement (Ridgway). Before Elizabeth I ruled England, her half sister, Mary Tudor,

was in power. She was extremely religious and her goal was to make all of England Catholic. To

do so, Mary I decided to abolish the Protestant religion by burning over three hundred practicing

Protestants at the stake. This act made her infamous and gave her the nickname, Bloody Mary.

After the Protestants were killed, many rebellions broke out throughout England (Lindbuchler).

When Elizabeth I came into power, she was left with many religious conflicts between

Protestants and Catholics. Elizabeth Is goal was to create a uniform religion and to be tolerant of
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all beliefs to prevent war. The act of settling religious conflict in England during the time of

Elizabeth Is reign was known as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. This settlement

consisted of two acts, the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity.

The Act of Supremacy gave Queen Elizabeth I control over the Church of England and

she became the Supreme Governor of the Church. In this act, Elizabeth I created a rule where the

clergy had to take an oath of loyalty to the queen in order to retain their position in office. The

Act of Uniformity made Protestantism Englands official religion. Since Elizabeth I had seen the

destruction that religious conflicts had created in England, she made it her ambition to retain

peace in England. A common prayer book was created for Protestants and Catholics to preserve

peace. Even though Protestantism was declared Englands official religion, Elizabeth I would

tolerate other religions as along as they did not threaten the peace in England (Ridgway). Queen

Elizabeth I was able to create and keep peace within England by ending religious conflict that

began when Mary I was in reign. By eliminating the conflict Mary I had caused, Elizabeth I

proved that having tolerance of many religions created a peaceful country.

Another problem Elizabeth I had to correct when she came into power was Englands

debt. When Mary Tudor ruled, she used her power to give Englands treasure to Philip II, the

King of Spain, for their military needs. Many of her supporters did not agree that England should

give their wealth to Spain and eventually England ended up in debt. When Elizabeth I ruled

England, she took many steps and precautions that enabled England to get out of debt. First, she

tried to remain at peace with any of Englands enemies to prevent war that could lead to a large

financial loss. She also used more of Englands natural resources to keep the amount of debt at a

minimum. Elizabeth I also was able to keep costs under control by not paying for a standing

army (Jensen). During the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth Is privateers stole treasures, like gold,

from Spanish ships as a method to pay off Englands debt (Weatherly). Finally, Elizabeth I
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placed taxes on her people, borrowed money from other countries, and sold some of Englands

property and monopolies to help restore Englands wealth. By 1574, England was finally out of

debt (Jensen). Elizabeths ability to create ways to save Englands wealth combined with her

actions to decrease the debt, further confirmed her success as a ruler. Since Mary I lost much of

Englands wealth, Elizabeth I showed she was triumphant by implementing many efficient and

creative ways to retain wealth in England. Elizabeth proved she was a successful ruler by fixing

problems past monarchs caused in England. She was able to end religious conflict that was

created by Mary I and she regained wealth in England after the country had gone into debt.

Elizabeth I was also successful ruler because she remained a strong and independent

monarch during a male dominated time period. Many people in England, as well as her family,

did not believe Elizabeth I could rule effectively without a husband to support her (Janowski).

Elizabeth Is father, Henry VIII, thought that it was unnatural for a woman to rule and thought

men made the strongest and finest rulers (Bush 15). He believed that if a woman happened to

come into reign, she was expected to marry and allow her husband to rule (Bush 15). Even

though Henry VIII and many other people who lived during the time of Elizabeth Is reign

believed women were incapable of ruling a country, Elizabeth I still managed to be the most

effective ruler of all of Henry VIIIs children (Bush 21). People who lived in England when

Elizabeth I ruled believed women were mentally incapable of ruling a country, however,

Elizabeth ended religious conflict, restored Englands wealth, and won the Spanish Armada

(Janowski). Since Queen Elizabeth I refused to marry, she was able to use her unmarried status to

her advantage in her relationships with powerful rulers in other European countries. She was

easily able to manipulate ruling men in Europe by using the possibility of marriage in her favor.

Elizabeth I affirmed that she was married to her kingdom and that England would succeed

without a male leader (Janowski). She proved to be an honorable queen by refusing to marry and
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she used her unmarried status to her advantage. Elizabeth I confirmed she was a successful ruler

because she was able to hold complete power over England during a male dominated time

period.

Even though there are many facts to support that Queen Elizabeth I was a one of the most

successful rulers, other people, such as Heather Sharnette, attempted to reveal that Elizabeth I

was not an exceptional leader (Sharnette). One reason people may say Elizabeth I was not a

superior ruler was because she killed her cousin, Mary Stuart (Sharnette). Before Elizabeth I was

crowned the ruler of England, there were many disputes about whether Mary or Elizabeth should

rule. Catholics were in favor of Mary ruling England and Protestants were in favor of Elizabeth

ruling. When Elizabeth became the Queen of England, Mary had made many enemies. She asked

Elizabeth I to help her, so she took her under protection, though in reality, the protection

Elizabeth provided for may was more like a prison. Shortly after, Elizabeth I had Mary beheaded

(Sharnette). People may have argued that Elizabeth was a cruel ruler for beheading her cousin,

though she only did so because she found out Mary Stuarts plan to murder her. Elizabeth I did

not plan to kill Mary since she was her cousin and a fellow monarch of England, though she had

no choice because Mary I threatened her life (Sharnette). Therefore, the people, such as Heather

Sharnette, who believed Elizabeth I was not an honorable queen because she murdered Mary

Stuart, were misguided because Elizabeth I only killed her since she was a threat to her life.

There are also other people, such as Myra Weatherly, who believe Queen Elizabeth I was

not a strong leader since she only won the Spanish Armada because of the luck of weather

(Weatherly 82). Towards the end of the Spanish Armada, England ran out of ammunition. Spain

was unaware of this and since there was a storm approaching, the Armada retreated. If the storm

had not come during the Spanish Armada, the English would have probably been defeated

because of their lack of ammunition and their weaker army (Weatherly 82). Even though
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Elizabeth I only won the Spanish Armada because of sheer luck, she strategically used methods

to hold of the Spanish Army and used her victory to her advantage so more people would view

England as a stronger country. When Elizabeth I heard the Spanish Armada was planning an

attack on England, she burned Spanish ships which managed to delay Philip IIs military plans

by over a year (Weatherly 81). Since Elizabeth I was able to delay the Spanish Armada by a long

period of time, it shows how she was a successful leader because she was able to think of

strategic methods to help her advance in wars. After the Spanish Armada, many people viewed

England as an improved country and saw Elizabeth I as a worthy leader. The Spanish Armada

was thought to be one of Elizabeth Is greatest achievements (Weatherly 82). Some people, such

as Heather Sharnette, may not believe Elizabeth I was a successful queen because she killed her

cousin, Mary I, and others, such as Myra Weatherly, believed Elizabeth I was not a strong leader

since she only won Spanish Armada because of the weather (Sharnette) (Weatherly 82).

However, Elizabeth I only killed Mary I because she threatened her life, and Elizabeth I was still

able to use her victory of the Spanish Armada to her advantage.

The final reason Elizabeth I was a strong ruler was she had effective military strategies

and exceptional political strengths to help her preserve peace in England. During the Spanish

Armada, Elizabeth I made strategic decisions to help her win the war. She had heard news stating

that Philip II, the king of Spain, was preparing an attack on England because he wanted to

remove Elizabeth I from her throne since she was Protestant (Weatherly 79-80). Elizabeth I

wanted to make the first move, so she sent 24 warships and 3,000 men with her talented Sea

Captain, Sir Francis Drake, to attack Spain (Weatherly 80). Since the English had smaller and

faster ships, they managed to sneak behind the Spanish Armada and set the boats on fire. This

action caused Philip II to hold back his military plans for over a year (Weatherly 81). When

Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish Armada, only 67 out of 130 Spanish ships made it back safely,
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while the English did not lose any ships (Weatherly 82). By using important strategies like

burning Spanish ships, Elizabeth I proved to be a strong leader because she used her military

knowledge to her advantage. Since Elizabeth I won the Spanish Armada, England was viewed as

a stronger nation and more people began to gain respect towards Elizabeth, which enabled her to

keep peace throughout England.

Elizabeth I also exhibited her excellent political strategies by creating a positive

relationship with France. When Elizabeth I became in control of England, the country was at war

with France. With the aid of some of her advisors, Elizabeth I ended the conflict between France

and England, which allowed her to avoid battling France for her reign (Trueman). Elizabeth I

sent troops to France to negotiate a settlement. France and England signed the Treaty of

Edinburgh, which established that both French and English troops would withdraw from

Scotland and ensured Mary Stuart would no longer seek to become the Queen of England

(Trueman). By signing a treaty that built a relationship with France, they would be able to

combine their powers to prevent attacks from Spain (Trueman). If Elizabeth I did not attempt to

become allies with France, there could have been further conflict because Mary Stuart would

have continued to attempt to become the Queen of England (Trueman). This shows how

Elizabeth I was a successful leader because she brilliantly though of ideas to prevent wars with

other European countries. Since Elizabeth used her military and political strengths to allow her to

maintain peace in England, it shows how she was a successful monarch.

Throughout Elizabeth's reign as the Queen of England, she ended religious conflicts,

restored Englands wealth, remained in power during a male dominated time period, defeated the

Spanish Armada, and created a peaceful relationship with France. Elizabeth I proved to be one of

the most successful monarchs in England because she settled poor effects past monarchs had on

England, remained in complete control over England during a male dominated time period, and
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used her victorious army and cunning political skills to keep England at peace. Even though

Elizabeth I did not appear as a strong and superior monarch, she proved to be one of the most

successful English rulers of all time.

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Work Cited

Bush, Catherine. Elizabeth I. New York: Chelsea House, 1985. Print.

Catherine Bush was the author of Elizabeth I. She is credible because she got a degree in
Comparative Literature at Yale University. She taught creative writing at Concordia
University and also taught at the Humber School for Writers. Catherine Bush has been a
Writer-in-Residence at many universities that include McMaster, the University of New
Brunswick, and the University of Alberta. She has also written many nonfiction books
that that have appeared in the Globe and Mail and The New York Times Magazine.
Catherine Bush has written over nine books including Gandhi, Minus Time, and Claires
Head.

This book explains how Henry VIII, Elizabeth Is father, felt about a woman ruler. Henry
VIII believed that it was unnatural for a woman to rule a country and thought if a woman
did inherit the crown, she was expected to marry so her husband could rule the country.
Henry VIII did not want his daughter to rule because England could lose its independence
if the husband ruled. So he became determined to have a male heir. Also, the book
explained how Elizabeth I ruled differently from past monarchs. She thought people
should be free to think or believe as they liked, as long as they did not openly oppose the
new religious order.

Jankowski, Lauren. "Queen Elizabeth I." About Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
<http://womenshistory.about.com/od/elizabethi/a/Queen-Elizabeth-I.htm>.

The author of the Queen Elizabeth I section on the About Education website is Lauren
Janowski. She is currently earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Women and Genders
Studies at Beloit College. She enjoys studying topics related to gender, culture, and
feminism. Lauren Janowski enjoys towrite her own original stories and currently has
written four novels, a novella, and many short stories. She also loved to write stories that
explain her experiences when being adopted. Since Lauren Janowski is intrigued in how
women are treated, she researched Queen Elizabeth and wrote about her challenges of
ruling as a woman leader and how people around her kept pushing her to marry. Lauren
Janowski supports all of her research at a bottom with a s short bibliography of all of the
places she received her information.

During the time period of Elizabeth Is reign, people thought women should not rule
because they were incapable of leading an army into battle, they were thought to be
mentally and intellectually inferior to men, and men did not believe a woman ruler could
understand government matters. Though Queen Elizabeth remained single and used her
unmarried status and her eligibility to marry to her advantage in her relationships with
high powering men from other countries. Elizabeth I affirmed she was married to her
kingdom and England would succeed without a married leader.

Jensen, Ashlie. "Being Bess: How Queen Elizabeth I Ended Debt in England."Being Bess. N.p.,
12 Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://beingbess.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-queen-
elizabeth-i-ended-debt-in.html>.
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Ashlie Jensen is the author of the blog that is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I. On her
blog, she cites all of the books and websites she uses as resources. Ashlie is currently
earning her Masters degree in History and is working on a book with Dr. Steven J. Corvi.
Ashlie is well known for performing first-person interpretations of Queen Elizabeth I and
her goal is to bring Elizabeth Is legacy to people in present time. She currently is
working as an Educational Interpreter and is teaching at museums.

In the previous reign of Mary Tudor, she made England go into debt. She used her power
to give Englands treasure to Philip II, the king of Spain for their military needs. When
Elizabeth I became ruler, she did many things to help England get out of debt. She tried
to remain at peace with Englands enemies to prevent wars, she used Englands natural
resources as one of the ways of keeping their debt at a minimum, and she did not pay for
a standing army. Elizabeth I was able to get England out of debt by placing taxes on her
people, borrowing money, and sold some property and monopolies.

Lindbuchler, Ryan. "Queen "Bloody" Mary I Tudor of England." Departments Kings Edu. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
<http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/marytudor.html>.

Ryan Lindbuchler was the writer of the webpage that explains Mary I who was also
known as Bloody Mary. This is a credible source because Ryan Lindbuchler gained his
Associates Degree in Education at Luzerne County College, his Bachelors Degree in
history at Kings College, and his Masters Degree in history at the University of
Scranton. He began teaching history in 1999 and continues to today. He teaches Civics,
American History, American Studies, Humanities, and European History. On his webpage
about Queen Elizabeth I, he has a cites bibliography that contains all of the sources he
gained his knowledge from about Elizabeth I.

Mary Tudor was the half sister of Queen Elizabeth I. When she came into power, she
wanted to restore England to Catholicism. Though she did this by force and burned 300
Protestants, which gave her the nickname of Bloody Mary. This caused many rebellions
to break out. During Marys reign, the title of the head of the church was passed back to
the Pope and Catholicism was restored as Englands main religion.

Ridgway, Claire. "The Elizabeth Files." The Elizabeth Files RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.elizabethfiles.com/act-of-uniformity-1559/3833/>.

The blog, The Elizabeth Files, is written by Claire Ridgway. She is fascinated in the
Tudors history and is well known for created Elizabeth Is mothers site, The Anne
Boleyn Files. She has written some of the best-selling books, George Boleyn: Tudor
Poet, Courtier, and Diplomat, The Anne Boleyn Collections, and The Fall of Anne
Boleyn: A Countdown. Claire is a full time history researcher, blogger, and author who
loves to understand the Tudors history and help readers gain a better understanding of
them. She is credible because of all of the books she has written about the Tudors and she
has a many blogs that are very popular to many people.
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When Elizabeth I took the throne of England, she restored Protestantism. Her goal was to
create a uniform religion and prevent war like while Mary was in reign. The Religious
Settlement consisted of two acts, the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity. The
Act of Supremacy have her control over the church of England and the clergy had to take
an oath of loyalty to the queen or else they would lose their position in office. The Act of
Uniformity created a middle of the road settlement for Catholics and Protestants. It made
Protestantism Englands official religion and Catholics were not punished. A common
prayer book was created for Protestants and Catholics.

Sharnette, Heather. "Mary, Queen of Scots." Elizabeth I. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/queenofscots/>.

Heather Sharnette is the author of the website about Elizabeth I. She is credible because
she is a historian who has been very interested in the Tudor family since she was young.
Heather Sharnette has a Bachelors Degree in History from the University of Wales. She is
currently spending her time researching Elizabethan History. Heather alsp has a self-
published book called Galastra.

Mary, Queen of Scots is Queen Elizabeth Is cousin. Before Elizabeth was crowned
queen, there was a lot of discussion on whether Mary or Elizabeth should rule England.
The Catholics in England wanted Mary to rule since she was Catholic and Elizabeth I
was Protestant. When Elizabeth I became queen, Mary had a lot of enemies and many
people turned against her. Mary asked Elizabeth I to help her, so Elizabeth I took her
under protection, though Mary was more in a prison. When Elizabeth I found out Mary
was helping to murder her, she decided to have Mary beheaded.

Trueman, Chris. "Elizabeth I and France." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/elizabeth_france.htm>.

The author of the website about Elizabeth I is Chris Trueman. He is credible because he
earned a bachelors degree in History from Aberystwyth University and gained a Masters
degree in Management from Brighton University. He taught History and Politics at a high
school in England for 26 years. He also taught British and American Politics which are
covered on his website. He made sure his website was unbiased and made sure all of the
information was accurate by having all of the sources cited.

Queen Elizabeth I sign the Treat of Edinburgh with France, which did two things. The
treaty agreed that the French and English troops would withdraw from Scotland and it
ensured that Mary Stuart would no longer seek to become the Queen of England.
Elizabeth I built a relationship with France that was more peaceful. They believed if they
combined their powers, they would be able to hold off wars from Spain. Instead of
waiting for French troops to go to Scotland, Elizabeth I sent her troops to force France to
negotiate a settlement.

Weatherly, Myra. Elizabeth I: Queen of Tudor England. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point,
2006. Print.
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The author of Elizabeth I: Queen of Tudor England is Myra Weatherly. She has a
bachelors degree in English and a masters degree in gifted education. Myra Weatherly
makes many school visits and has workshops for potential teachers and writers. She is
and author and editor of many children and young adults books. She has written many
historical books including William Marshal: Medieval Englands Greatest Knight,
Benjamin Banneker: American Scientific Pioneer, and Living in Elizabethan England.
She has a very deep interest in England and English literature, which is one of the many
reasons that makes her credible for her book about Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1587, King Philip sent an Armada of 130 warships and 30,000 soldiers to England.
Philip did not want Elizabeth I to rule England because she was Protestant and he
believed all of Europe should be Catholic. The Spanish Armada was one of Elizabeth Is
greatest moments. During the last day of the battle, the Spanish did not know the English
were out of ammunition and since a storm was coming, they retreated, allowing England
to win. 20,000 Spanish soldiers died while the English lost no ships.