You sat on the throne

Dear Elizabeth;

You sat on the throne of England. A fate at times you must have doubted. But you were strong and smart. Your emotions allowed your mind to rule.

The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry the eighth. You had been declared illegitimate , when your mother was beheaded. But you remained proud, strong , silent and alert. After your father's death you were third in line to inherit the throne. You swore your alliance to the current rulers. No plotting just invisibly fighting for your own survival. It became clear to you early that as a princess you were a pawn to help men achieve their own power.

Edward your brother , a sickly boy , controlled by the protestant council had a natural affection for you. Nobody truly knows the context of your relationship with him. I assume it was half brother and sisterly love, and half your desire to remain alive. You made some mistakes, but you were a young girl. The already married man who woke you up in the morning with tickling and flirtatious play. But when it was reported you did not cry or show fear. You were interviewed in a conversation of wit. The quizzers could find no words to prove guilt on your part. But he was beheaded. Brother killing brother. Power proved to be a greater motivator than family ties, You stayed strong, a reinforcement of the lesson you had learned from the fate of your mother. You kept stressing your naivity and your family ties. The role of schemer you claimed was foreign to you. After all you were third in line. And Edward was a protestant like you.

The world back then lived and died over religion. People were burned at the stake for their beliefs. There were some who worshiped in hiding. But you were not a fanatic. When Edward got sick and died, and a Catholic Queen , Mary Tudor took power, you did not fight with her over religion. Again you declared your devotion. She insisted you go to Mass.. Which seemed to somewhat satisfy her. I would assume you were watched because you were a protestant . You were a threat to her and her religious fervor. She killed any of her citizens who did not declare themselves a devoted Catholic. But you pretended to be unaware of the danger. You were just a devoted sister and courter. This was a dangerous situation for you. I wonder if some of those illnesses to avoid trips were real and not feigned. The stress of being investigated could have easily brought on a fever . But there were no degrading fits of despair performed for your sister. You were a true queen even if your sister still held the throne. But your sister had married. If she would birth a heir the queenship might have never been yours. She was weak and let her affection cloud her judgement. God was watching over you. The big bulge in Mary's stomach turned out not to be a baby. And Mary's husband cared for his homeland (Spain) more than he did for his wife Finally your day came. Bloody Mary in all her sourness faded from this earth and you became queen.

As a queen you were nobody's pawn. You were the queen controlling the chess board. But you would not be sacrificed for the welfare of a king. You would not be sacrificed to anyone at all. Finally you were allowed to display your true emotions usually in private but sometimes in public. You must have finally been able to breath. Men were played for your advantage.

You were unmarried , all the men wanted to out maneuver you . Your crown was their desire, I am also sure that your wit was also another attraction. But although some might have won your heart, none of them would obtain the crown.

Not all the women of your time had your insight. Not all monarchs are remembered for achievements and courage and wisdom. But you in a period when men thought women couldn't ,you did. Once in power you schemed to weaken your neighbors : Scotland and Spain. Your pirates stole treasure from the Spanish ships sailing from the new world, improving your financial accounts and damaging Spain's. And to add insult to injury you beat his great Fleet , the Armada. Philip was definitely put in his place.

And Scotland you totally outplayed. Of course Mary's brother also had a role in that. Mary Queen of Scots ruled through her emotions instead of her brain. You ended up beheading her because she would not stop conspiring for your throne. She should have learned from you , She thought she had a inherited right from God to reign , she just didn't learn. But you did learn. 44 years of a glorious reign. The queen whose wisdom and strength will be remembered through out time.

Thank you Elizabeth for your example.

A 2021 fan