Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I is also famous by the name of Virgin Queen and "Good Queen Bess" who

remained the queen of England from 1558 to 1603. She ultimately succeeded to the throne after

her sister's death. This particular era was known as Elizabeth Age because at that time England

eventually asserted itself as a major European power in commerce, politics, and arts. She was

very well-educated, was fluent in five different languages and eventually had intelligence,

shrewdness, and determination which she inherited from both of her parents. Elizabeth I reined

for around 45 years and it is considered one of the foremost wonderful reigns in English history.

During that period, a secure Church of Britain was established. Additionally, their extreme

doctrines were laid down in roughly 39 articles of 1563 which could be a compromise between

Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Elizabeth I had a significant impact on England because

not only did she promote the arts but also transformed England into a military and economic

powerhouse.

Elizabeth I played an essential role in the promotion of arts in English history. She helped

advance the arts because she promoted artistic expression and literature, had actors play at court,

and shared portraits of herself with the people. The queen was a big fan of all arts from her

childhood and had various actors perform and entertain her at her court. She was a major patron

of drama and stage and they both flourished under her support. Over the production of plays,

different class conflicts arose and middle-class people tried to shut down the London theaters due

to their immorality. In doing so, London's Mayor eventually attempted to close all of the theaters

in the city. Elizabeth was totally against all this because she was fond of inviting various theater

companies to her palace for practicing before bringing them in front of her. Elizabeth stood

against such people and due to her efforts, plays were socially accepted. Elizabeth promoted
artistic expression in literature, music, and dance. Regarding her influence on theater, she

eventually patronized the theatre and loved to watch the plays by Shakespeare or other groups

that performed for her. She also allowed professional theaters to be built within the premises of

England for the first time. These improved and big theaters ultimately attracted hundreds of

people. In addition to the masterpiece like Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth by Shakespeare, "Sir

Philip Sidney's Defence of Poesie" was also written during this time and gained immense

popularity. The queen also managed to capture the imagination of various influential poets such

as Walter Ralegh and Edmund Spenser. As a poet, Elizabeth followed the example of other poet-

monarchs such as James I of Scotland and her father Henry VIII.’ Through her poetry, Elizabeth

reveals her mastery of the art. Moreover, during this period, dramatic blank verse, Spenserian

stanzas, and Shakespearean sonnets also came into practice which has been highly appreciated.

All her efforts in establishing the theatre industry and famous playwrights ultimately helped in

the promotion of the arts. Many prominent literary figures, such as Shakespeare, Spenser, and

Marlow, contributed significantly to the development of English culture.

She expressed herself to people through portraits, which resulted in the development of

painting and portraiture. The queen loved the portraits along with the artists who loved to honor

her with them. Elizabeth I has more painted portraits than any other English monarch. Artists

also advanced Elizabeth in all her bejeweled allure, encompassed by a sparkling court full of

vigorous young men whose dauntless deeds she inspired. All in all, she thought that having

music, theatre, and art at her court depicted her as a prosperous and educated monarch so in

doing so, she encouraged them by eventually supporting actors, musicians, and artists.
 She improved the country’s economy and enhanced its influence by strengthening the

English military, expanding the country’s boundaries, and developing trade and commerce. She

sought to return England from Catholicism to Protestantism and as a result, she proved to be a

more religious and tolerant ruler than her sister and worked to make England a fairer place for

people as a whole. When she took over the position of royalty, she eventually acquired a

virtually bankrupt state. To handle such issues, she propelled different frugal approaches to

reestablish financial obligations. By 1574, she cleared the administration of the debt. Her frugal

policies were eventually boosted by the African slave trade, the theft of the treasure of the

Spanish, and the trans-Atlantic trade. By enacting the reforms made by Henry VII and Henry

VIII, her government was effective, stable, and centralized to great extent. Harsh punishments

within her tolerant religious settlement were selected for dissenters to maintain law and order and

it helped.

At the time of the ascension of Elizabeth, the feudal system had declined, greatly. By

overviewing such circumstances, Elizabeth I encouraged the emerging middle class to engage

themselves in agriculture which as a result moved from the peasants farming various lands for

rich people to independent citizens ultimately working for wages. During her reign, the wool

trade in England was also booming. With the expanded production of wool, the strategies of

cultivating got changed that eventually bringing around the method of enclosure of land. In

doing so, the conventional open field system was ended in favor of making expansive regions for

work which eventually required fewer laborers. These unused farms were beneficial and

numerous workers leave their towns for the work found within the towns. Subsequently, the

cities and towns burgeoned under the rule of Elizabeth I.

eventually, the Spanish armada got defeated in 1588. The ultimate defeat of the Spanish armada

secured Protestant rule in England and as a result, it launched the queen onto the global stage. By

enacting and progressing with the reforms made by Henry VIII, she was able to strengthen the

English military. This military strength phenomenon established Elizabeth as a stronger leader

and it also cemented her position as a Queen.

Elizabeth's reign is known as "The Golden Age" in English history. Two main explorers

who played crucial roles who discovered new lands and eventually setting up new colonies

overseas were Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. They helped the queen in expanding the

boundaries of the country by exploring various routes and establishing different colonies. The

practical navigation skills got advanced which ultimately enabled the explorer to thrive in this

era, and it also opened up profitable trade routes globally.

To conclude, I want to say that Elizabeth I was one of the greatest monarchs in English

history. She has been a prominent figure with over a hundred biographies published in the 20th

century. Throughout her reign, she managed to have a positive effect on the cultural as well as

political state of England. She was equipped with natural talents, such as determination, wisdom,

and intelligence, which helped her to drive the country toward prosperity and success. Her

effective decision-making skills and intelligence played a key role and these decisions played a

positive role in the prosperity of the country and resulted in economic efficiency. With this

effective skill, she not only obtain a positive political impact but an impressive cultural impact

too
References

Haigh, Christopher. Elizabeth I. New York: Pearson Education Limited, 2001.

Queen Elizabeth I. Sites Duke. (2017). https://sites.duke.edu/project_refeurope/england/queen-

elizabeth-i/

Summit, Jennifer. “Elizabeth I and the Poetics of Queenship.” English Literary Renaissance

26(3) (1996): 395 – 422.

The Lost Colony. 2013. “Elizabethan Era - the Lost Colony.” The Lost Colony. 2013.

https://www.thelostcolony.org/the-lost-colony/bring-history-to-life/elizabethan-era/