100 Years of Elizabeth

03 February 2009

One Hundred Years of Elizabeth

                The reigns of Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II have been two of the longer reigns of a British monarch. Both reigns have been fraught with hard, dutiful decisions, as well as times of adoration by their populace. To many rulers, the need for their nation to be at peace and thriving is the ultimate goal. Most every ruler in history strives to bring about their own Utopian-type society. Elizabeth I wanted peace and prosperity in a country that was suffering from religious strife and being threatened by the Spanish and the Catholic Church. Elizabeth II, who never thought to be queen, since she was third in line to the throne at birth, only wanted to serve her country and its people with unfailing dedication. Both reigns can be best summed up in a quote made by Elizabeth I in her Golden Speech of 1601; “To be a King and wear a crown is a thing more pleasant to them that see it, than it is pleasant to them that bear it.” Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to be a queen.

                The reign of Elizabeth I was full of controversy. Because of her upbringing and education Elizabeth I had an extreme sense of duty.  Her birth was one of the most anticipated events of the era. She was born to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, on September 7, 1533. Henry had hoped for a male heir to his throne. Instead, Anne gave him a little red haired girl that was considered to be illegitimate by the Holy Catholic Church of Rome. Because Henry had set aside his first wife and child to try to get his male heir from a younger woman, the Catholic Church excommunicated him and never recognized his marriage to Anne Boleyn. He formed the Church of England, a Protestant denomination, and this would prove to be yet another fence that Elizabeth I would have to mend. Had Henry lived to see it, he would have found his longed for prince turned out to be his princess.

                Upon the death of Henry VIII, his only son Edward ruled for a short time, before falling to illness. Henry VIII’s first born daughter Mary, the child he had with his first wife Katharine, assumed the throne, and married Phillip of Spain. The marriage never produced an heir. Mary being a devout Catholic, also drove and even deeper wedge between Protestants and Catholics. Upon the death of Mary, Elizabeth I had inherited a country that was broke and broken. There was no money in the coffers, and the country was deeply divided along religious lines of Catholic against Protestant.