Elizabeth I is one of the most famous queens to have ruled England and Ireland. His reign, which lasted from November 17, 1558 to his death in 1603, had a profound impact on England, which by this time, thanks to his policies, had become one of the world’s greatest powers. Even today, the British sovereign is regarded as a major figure in English and Irish history, known for her severity and her policy in favor of Protestantism…
Elizabeth was born of the union of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Born out of wedlock, when Henry VIII was already married to Catherine of Aragon, Queen of Spain, Elisabeth was initially considered a bastard child…
But fate decided otherwise, when Henry VIII decided to end his union with the Queen of Spain, eventually marrying his mistress, Anne Boleyn, who officially became Queen of England.
As protocol dictates, Elisabeth is quickly taken away from her mother, to be raised by a wet nurse at Hatfield House. She received a strict education, learning music, theater, Protestantism and the precepts of propriety. All went as smoothly as could be, until the tide turned for his mother, Anne Boleyn, who suffered a series of miscarriages and seemed incapable of giving Henry VIII a male heir.
Then things get out of hand: Anne Boleyn is accused of incest with her brother, adultery and high treason against her husband the king. She was beheaded on May 19, 1536 at the Tower of London, after a very rough trial.
In the same month, Henry VIII remarried Jeanne Seymour, who soon gave him a son named Edward.
Elisabeth was once again considered a bastard and lost her princess status. She now lives in a more modest environment, but is granted the favor of living with her half-brother Edward, future pretender to the throne of England.
On the death of Henry VIII, Edward VI is declared King of England, but soon dies of an infantile illness. The Lord Protector of the day then took power, pending the appointment of a new king.
The question was whether to crown Mary, daughter of Queen Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, or Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. A plot was hatched to remove the 2 pretenders to the throne, and Jeanne Grey was named queen in their place on July 10, 1553. Mad with rage, Marie sent her supporters on the attack and succeeded in toppling Jeanne Grey after 9 days of coronation…
Mary Tudor took possession of the throne and became Queen of England. She pursued a deeply Catholic policy, reversing original alliances to serve the interests of Spain, in line with her mother “Catherine of Aragon”.
During her reign, Mary Tudor maintained a tense relationship with her half-sister Elizabeth. She quickly accuses him of plotting to overthrow the government.
Elizabeth was incarcerated at Whitehall Palace and then at the Tower of London. Marie, however, refuses to carry it out.
She then thought it smarter to find him a husband, the better to keep him out of power. But Elisabeth seems to refuse all her suitors, insisting that she prefers to remain a virgin forever.
However, Mary died on November 17, 1558, and Elizabeth I took possession of the throne.
She was 25 years old at the time, and her new status as queen, even though she was no more and no less than the illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII, created doubts within the kingdom. What’s more, the religious crisis that has been raging for several years now, pitting Catholicism against Protestantism, is stirring up a great deal of tension on the island.
Elisabeth I is plunged into the heart of complex conflicts, and must use her wits to get away with it, win the respect of her peers, and unravel the terribly dangerous plots that could threaten her throne.
The monarch soon publicly announced her categorical refusal to marry, and proclaimed herself “Virgin Queen” for the duration of her reign. (However, before that, she had several successive romances with Robert Dudley, Robert d’Essex and Thomas Seymour).
As the years go by, she adopts a most virginal appearance, with a pale complexion and a great deal of coquetry. However, age hardened her character, making her choleric and moody, and turning her into a Queen feared by the Court.
In 1559, she made Anglicanism a state religion: from then on, bishops had to swear an oath to the Queen, not to the Papacy. A real scandal at the time! This policy gave rise to a number of Catholic and Puritan revolts, which were quickly put down by the Queen, who was then excommunicated by Pope Pius V.
The Queen’s religious decisions are not without displeasure for the Irish, who have been very attached to Catholicism since the island was Christianized in the 5th century by Saint Patrick.
What’s more, England’s expansionist policy into Ireland (which had already been in place for several centuries) maintained particularly high tensions between the Irish and England.
Elizabeth I was quick to threaten the Irish clergy and their supporters with conversion, on pain of facing the British army. All these warnings plunged Ireland and England into a highly explosive climate: clashes degenerated into bloodshed, and attempts at Irish revolt were repeatedly crushed by the British boot.
Even Spain’s help in assisting Ireland was not enough to repel the English onslaught, and very soon Ireland found itself in a situation where English Protestant settlers lived side by side with Irish Catholics. Traces of this age-old conflict can still be seen today… particularly in Northern Ireland, where communal conflicts persist in certain well-defined areas of Belfast and Derry.
Elizabeth I died on Thursday March 24, 1603, and the long line of Tudors died with her. She is buried at Westminster Abbey in England in the royal vault alongside her half-sister Mary Tudor.
Following this death, it was the turn of James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Stuart, to take possession of power. He was then named James I of England.
Although her 45-year reign was marked by violence, Elizabeth I’s reign was one of the most beneficial for England.
The country became a major political and economic force, gaining in autonomy, and enjoying a major cultural influence (with Shakespeare’s English literature, theater and science). Even today, there is a strong imprint of his actions in England…
As for Ireland, it has also been deeply marked by the imprint of the English monarch. This remains particularly unpopular with the Irish public. The cause: the countless battles and bloodbaths that took place on the Emerald Isle in the name of English domination. More than just a war of faith and religious doctrine, the conflict between England and Ireland was one of great violence, pressuring the Irish to give up their territory, identity and cultural heritage.
A dark episode in Irish history, which helped shape the Ireland of today.
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