A Queen of Change

by Hana Obata Fineman

Copyright
2012 Hana Malkah Obata Fineman. All Rights Reserved.

Being a great ruler takes understanding, strength, and independence. The woman
who had these qualities was Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry
VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, was born on September 7, 1533. After her fathers
death in 1547, each of his three children, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth eventually ruled
in that order. Unlike the brief period of time that her siblings sat on the throne, Elizabeths
reign was 45 years long from November 17, 1558 until her death on March 24, 1603. Queen
Elizabeth I was an extraordinary ruler whose great influence on England caused her
country to prosper.
One of the positive ways Queen Elizabeth influenced England was in her acceptance
of different religions, which helped resolve the dispute between Catholics and Protestants.
When Elizabeth came into power, she switched her kingdom back to Protestant and
reinstated the Act of Supremacy. The Act of Supremacy made the Church of England the
main church in power. She also enforced the Act of Uniformity under which every religion
used the same prayer book (Queen Elizabeth I). Although she brought those rules back,
Elizabeth did not deal with the divisions between Protestants and Catholics in a harsh
manner. She was committed to her own Protestant religion, but she did not like religious
extremism and did not want to persecute any of her people for their religious beliefs
(Thomas). She allowed Protestant priests to marry and to teach in English instead of Latin.
Not only did she allow that to happen, she also accommodated the Catholics. Elizabeth
retained some of the Catholic services trappings. The trappings included rich robes and
golden crucifixes (Beck 92). Queen Elizabeths approach was different from previous
rulers. Her tolerance of other religions benefitted the people immensely because they

Copyright
2012 Hana Malkah Obata Fineman. All Rights Reserved.

received more freedom to believe in what they wanted. Much like how she helped the
people of England benefit in the area of religion, she also helped England in wartime.
Queen Elizabeths involvement in the war against Spain created a positive result for
England. Spains ruler, Philip II, was angry that England had changed from Catholic back to
Protestant. Spain was Catholic and Philip believed England should stay Catholic as well
(Thomas). Spain acted on this belief in a very extreme way. In 1588, the Spanish Armada
attempted to attack England by sending fleets of ships overseas. Acting quickly, Queen
Elizabeth sent the English navy to fight back and protect the country (Queen Elizabeth I).
Because of Elizabeths skills as a military leader, the English successfully defeated Spain.
Englands triumph caused Elizabeth to become extremely popular. It proved that she had
the ability to take control in a war just as well as a man could (Thomas). This was
important because it caused her to gain the respect of her people as a military leader. Their
victory, with the guidance of Queen Elizabeth, propelled England into the Golden Age
(Queen Elizabeth I). The Golden Age was an exceptional time for England. During this
period, England thrived in the arts and great works by writers and artists such as William
Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were produced (Thomas). Elizabeths great job in
leading England in the war against Spain was clearly beneficial to her people because she
transitioned England into the Golden Age.
Not only did Queen Elizabeths actions help create the Golden Age, but her own
viewpoints were helpful in making England progress in that time period. Because of
Elizabeths love for art and theater, she created the atmosphere responsible for the
flourishing of the literary masterpieces of the period (Thomas). Against the Puritan belief

Copyright
2012 Hana Malkah Obata Fineman. All Rights Reserved.

that theaters and playhouses should be closed down, Queen Elizabeth was an advocate for
the celebration and spreading of the arts (Thomas). Along with her view on the arts,
another one of her personal opinions that helped create a better England under her rule
was her view on marriage. Throughout Queen Elizabeths reign, she never married.
Because of this, she was given the nickname The Virgin Queen. Elizabeths choice to never
marry positively impacted England. She was able to capitalize on her single status to
benefit the country by using the bait of marriage to draw in enemies, or to frighten them by
suggesting she would marry one of their foes (Thomas). The fact that she stayed single
caused her image of a queen married to her job and her people (Queen Elizabeth I).
Elizabeth was a strong woman and her independence contributed to creating a better
England.
Because of her actions and viewpoints during her rule, Queen Elizabeth made a
tremendous positive difference for England. Her accepting religious viewpoint caused her
to create the strategies that ended the dispute between Catholic and Protestant religions
and united England. Her quick and decisive actions as a leader during wartime enabled
England to defeat Spain. That victory helped create the Golden Age, and her viewpoint
about the arts was responsible for the flourishing of art, literature, and theater during that
time. Even her opinion about marriage and the fact that she did not marry was helpful to
England. Queen Elizabeth was truly dedicated to her country and exhibited qualities that
made her a paragon for future rulers.

Works Cited
Queen Elizabeth I. A+E Network. 10 October 2012. <www.biography.com>

Copyright
2012 Hana Malkah Obata Fineman. All Rights Reserved.

Beck, Roger. Modern World History Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal
Littell. 2003.
Thomas, Heather. Elizabeth R. 1998-2012. Elizabeth 1. 10 October 2012.
<www.elizabethi.org>

Copyright
2012 Hana Malkah Obata Fineman. All Rights Reserved.