Women on the throne.. Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen

(I know that most of you look at me as a weak woman, but I have the character and mind of a king, and not just any king, but a king worthy of the throne of England.)

These are the powerful words spoken by Elizabeth I in her speech to the members of Parliament, which express her confidence in herself and her ability to govern the country in the most difficult circumstances. Therefore, the reign of Elizabeth I was the golden age in England, and this girl was able to remain on the throne for about 45 years, during which she did what men could not do, to become a legend in English poetry, novels and sailor stories for many years.Birth and upbringing

Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 to her father (Henry VIII), King of England, and her mother (Anne Boleyn), the king's second wife. She was named Elizabeth after her grandmother, and was baptized on September 10, making Elizabeth the legitimate heir to her father, King Henry, but the events were very dramatic.

The child Elizabeth was not yet three years old when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded in 1536, after being accused of treason, and thus Elizabeth became the illegitimate daughter of the King of England, which deprived her of her right to the throne. Her father, King Henry, later married and had a son, Prince Edward, who became the legitimate heir to the throne of England.Although Elizabeth was declared an illegitimate daughter, she received a royal education at the highest level and at the hands of the best teachers. She also mastered a number of languages, such as Latin, Italian, French and Greek, to become one of the most cultured girls in all of England, according to the testimony of everyone who dealt with her at that time; this was due to her knowledge of many sciences and knowledge, and her interest in reading, studying, discussion and analysis, as if Elizabeth longed to rule the country.The Road to the Throne of England

All circumstances indicated that it would be difficult for Elizabeth to assume the rule of England after the death of her father, Henry VIII, in 1547. Her brother, Edward VI, who was not yet nine years old, came after him, but he died when he was fifteen years old. He had recommended that Lady Jane Grey rule, and excluded his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, which is what actually happened, but the new queen was removed from power after only nine days, in addition to being sentenced to death, so the English called her (Queen of the Nine Days), and thus Mary assumed the rule of England, and Elizabeth continued to support her from her assumption of power in 1553 until her death in 1858.Queen Mary's reign was full of problems and challenges; due to Mary's Catholic tendencies, which made the popular anger towards her increase day after day, until the Wyatt Rebellion occurred in 1554 against her, which was the reason for accusing Elizabeth of conspiring against Mary, imprisoning her in the Tower of London and trying her, then placing her under house arrest until she was recognized as the legitimate heir to the country in October 1558 before Queen Mary died in November 1558.Elizabeth on the throne of England

Queen Elizabeth sat on the throne of England before completing her twenty-fifth year amidst a great welcome from the people and political forces, and announced from the beginning of her reign that she would never tolerate extremist religious forces in an attempt to reconcile Protestants and Catholics, and moved quickly to carry out a number of organizational reforms with great intelligence that made her popularity in England increase day after day.

Elizabeth I was not seeking to impose a specific religious doctrine on England as her sister Mary intended, but rather she was dealing in a practical way; She ensured that she maintained the support of the people, and the support of the political forces in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, in addition to a major problem that occupied public opinion in England, which is the issue of the queen's marriage, which she continued to postpone year after year, although the number of people who proposed to her is estimated in the dozens, and Queen Elizabeth needed a child; To become the heir to the throne, but at the same time she was living a love story with a man named (Robert Dudley) who was married, which created a complicated situation in which the queen could not make a decision even after the death of (Robert Dudley's) wife, as there was popular aversion and great resentment of the queen's relationship with this man, and then there was a prior rejection of this marriage.Years passed until the English people began to accept the idea that the queen would remain a virgin and would not marry, and so she was given the title “The Virgin Queen,” because she did not actually marry until after her death. It is said that she said in one of her speeches: (It is enough for me to have a marble stone engraved on it that there was a queen here who ruled the country with justice and strength and died a virgin).Elizabeth I's Most Important Achievements

Perhaps the most prominent achievement of Queen Elizabeth was ending the religious conflicts that were the biggest problems in England at that time, as Elizabeth worked on what is called the (religious settlement) in 1559, which included a set of laws that withdrew power from the Catholic Pope, thus making Protestantism the official religion of the country, in addition to a number of rules governing the practice of religious worship and Catholic traditions, which ultimately led to a kind of social and political calm in this regard.

By encouraging travelers, adventurers and exploratory trips, Elizabeth I was able to possess a strong navy, in addition to opening new markets for trade, discovering a number of places, in addition to serious attempts to establish colonies for England abroad, but she did not succeed in that, but rather the matter returned with a great development in the skills of sailors and soldiers, which led to the greatest victory in the history of the English Navy over the Spanish Navy in 1588 in the Battle of the (Armada).

Elizabeth I was also able to pay off England's debts in full, in addition to the great progress that made England enjoy a huge financial surplus; As a result of Elizabeth's reform policies, in addition to her tendency towards trade and expanding economic activities internally and externally, which did not happen during the reign of her father and brothers, which also helped increase the power of England after that until World War II.

In terms of literature and arts, the Elizabethan era was the most prosperous era in literature and arts, also due to the open and tolerant policy of Queen Elizabeth I that provided a climate that allowed creativity; Famous writers such as William Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser and Christopher Marlowe emerged in her era, and Elizabeth's laws helped spread the arts, especially theater, as she issued a law prohibiting the closure of theaters in 1580.England's relations with the Ottoman Empire were one of Queen Elizabeth's most important achievements. During her reign, she sent the first English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, signed a number of trade treaties, sent envoys, and exchanged letters. In addition, Queen Elizabeth exported lead and tin to the Ottoman Empire, which the Ottomans used in the manufacture of cannons, weapons, and ammunition.Disadvantages of the Era of Elizabeth I

Although the era of Elizabeth I was called the Golden Age of England, it had some shortcomings and shortcomings, including, for example, the problem of poverty that most of the people of England suffered from. The strange thing is that in that era they dealt with poverty as a private problem and not a public one; that is, the poor person is the problem in his poverty, and therefore there were no government measures to combat this poverty except in the late reign of Queen Elizabeth for fear of internal conflicts and the increase in the level of crime; due to the high poverty rate.

The military campaigns caused England to suffer a number of financial losses that had a major impact on the English; as the percentage of beggars in the streets increased, and the standard of living decreased significantly, and thus a high unemployment rate appeared.

One of the worst things that Queen Elizabeth I of England did was the monopoly system, as she resorted to granting certain people monopolies on products and goods, and thus the control of prices was exaggerated to achieve huge profits, which led to the concentration of wealth in the hands of a certain class, and therefore there were several calls to change these laws, in addition to accusing the royal palace of corruption and increasing the people's hatred of people close to the queen.

From the sayings of Elizabeth I

(I know that I have the body of a weak and frail woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king and of England also, and I think it absurd that Parma or Spain or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my kingdom, and this will bring me no shame and I will take up arms myself.)

(At a time when wars, seditions and persecutions were very dangerous and caused division among all the kings and states around me, my rule was peaceful and my kingdom was a refuge for the afflicted church and the plots of my enemies were thwarted.)(I need all your help in my judgment, and with your service we can do useful work that pleases God Almighty, and provides some comfort for our future generations on earth, and I will make consultation my method when making decisions.)Death of Queen Elizabeth I

Since 1598 AD, a number of those close to Queen Elizabeth began to leave, as her special advisor (William Cecil) died, but the matter continued with the death of a number of the Queen's friends, which made her enter a state of sadness and depression, until (Catherine Carey), Countess of Nottingham and a close friend of the Queen, died; Which caused her a great shock that made her in a state of astonishment and silence for a long time, until she died on March 24, 1603 AD in Richmond Palace, and her funeral was held four days later, and she was buried in the grave of her sister Mary in (Westminster Abbey), and it was written on the grave (Here lie the sisters Elizabeth and Mary in the hope of meeting in the afterlife).

At the end of this quick tour in the life of Queen Elizabeth I, Queen of England, whose reign lasted about 45 years, and was called the Golden Age of England.