Hello everyone,
Hope you are having a wonderful week. Today Things from The Past brings to you a fascinating story about Queen Elizabeth I. Also called the “Dancing Queen”, Elizabeth I was given rule to Tudor Dynasty in exceptional circumstances, but she proved herself by leading an era of progress. This story also highlights her tragic death after a period of great magnificence. Hope you enjoy this read!
Everyone is familiar with King Henry VIII and the stories of his many wives. He also bore two daughters who marked their names in history, however, in very opposite ways. Mary I, the oldest daughter was not very fortunate as her rule was short-lived and her death brought happiness to the people of England instead of sadness.
The second daughter, Elizabeth, who would later be known as Elizabeth I or the virgin queen of England made quite a name among the people of England and had the reputation that a strong queen should have. Born in 1533, the young Elizabeth was soon to face great hurdles.
Her father, Henry VIII, married her mother Anne Boleyn after leaving his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. But sometime after Elizabeth’s birth, the King beheaded Anne in 1536 with the accusations of adultery. The little Elizabeth was consequently considered illegitimate as soon as this happened and spent the worse years growing up.
The Traumatizing Childhood
King Henry only had one wish: a male heir. This wish was fulfilled in 1537 and the King named his son Edward.
But, unfortunately, Edward passed away at the age of 10. Now the only heirs left to Henry were his older daughter Mary and then Elizabeth who was next in line. After Henry’s death, Mary made her way to the throne, not by any easy way though, she had to kill people to do that.
Queen Mary was a Roman Catholic and whoever defied her order and continued practicing as a Protestant was burnt at the stake by her. This brutality ended in five years when Bloody Mary died. And Elizabeth finally got the chance to redeem the years of misery that she had to endure.
Although people were happy that the nightmare of Mary’s rule had ended, Elizabeth gave them another reason to worry about. She decided that she would keep the title of the “Virgin Queen” and never marry.
Although, the real reason behind this decision is unknown some argue that she did this so that she would not have to share her power with anyone. The people worried that if she would not marry, the Tudor dynasty would end with her and the heir next in line would be another Catholic princess Mary of Scots who was the granddaughter of Henry’s sister. They did not want another Catholic queen as a ruler after what happened with Mary and the havoc she brought on the poor Protestants.
Beauty with Brains
Elizabeth was not an ordinary queen. People were happy with her and England thrived under her rule. Even when there were not enough resources, she still made it work. It was a period of Reformation in England.
She was beautiful and every man’s dream. Not only that, she was extremely smart and knew almost six languages. It was uncommon for women in that era to be in a position of authority but Queen Elizabeth had plans and goals of her own.
She prove those people wrong who thought that women were intellectually and morally unfit to rule. She also proved those wrong who thought she would be just like her sister. However, marriage was still a matter of concern for the public.
Marriage was a political alliance of the Era and an important aspect to form foreign relations and gain power. Many people reached out to Elizabeth to ask for her hand in marriage but she never agreed. Regardless, she had a reputation of being extremely flirtatious but why she did not want to marry, only she could have answered this.
The Golden Period
When we say that England thrived under her rule, it is not just economically but also in the sense of art and literacy.
She had a literacy court where artists and poets were allowed to present their work and art. She was also called “The Dancing Queen” as she loved music and held many dancing and music parties at her palace.
How Did the Queen Die?
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth became extremely sick and died in her early sixties. There is a debate on how she died because she refused to see a doctor.
One of the causes seemed to be blood poisoning and the other, more logical was the use of lead makeup. Elizabeth had been using lead makeup on her face for years which is also known as “Venetian Ceruse” or “the spirit of Saturn.”
Lead is a deadly compound, especially if applied to the skin, it is extremely harmful. And this doesn’t end here, she used mercury-based compounds on her lips to make them look red. Why did she do that? Well, to look fair and pretty and fit into the beauty standards set for women.
It is said that she even started losing her hair during her last years and was becoming bald so she had to wear a wig. All these reasons substantially led to her death.
Her rule was magnificent for many reasons but the most important one was that she made amendments to the rules of her sister and brought changes that were needed by people. She is still remembered as the Virgin Queen of England who did justice to her job and position.
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