Secrets of the biography of the virgin queen who refused Ivan the Terrible: Elizabeth I

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The biography of this greatest ruler is full of secrets. By chance, she managed to take the English throne. Elizabeth had a chance to rule over the country for more than half a century. The people simply idolized her. No wonder, because she got the country scattered, torn apart by religious conflicts, and Elizabeth was able to turn England into a mighty power. How did she manage to turn from the illegitimate offspring of the loving Henry VIII into the greatest European monarch?

This queen went down in history as an innocent maiden who remained so until her death. Elizabeth often said that she was married to England. She didn't want to share power with anyone. European monarchs, and many Englishmen, did not want to recognize Elizabeth's right to the English throne, but she nevertheless accepted the crown. Elizabeth I Tudor went down in history as an outstanding monarch. The path that she happened to pass was not at all easy.

Birth, childhood and adolescence of the future queen

Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, was simply raving about the heir. He dreamed of a boy who would become the successor of the Tudor dynasty. Only in a marriage with Catherine of Aragon, except for her daughter Maria, there were no more children. The king decided on a desperate step: to divorce his wife in order to marry another woman who can give him a son.

The Catholic Church, in the person of the Pope, forbade him to divorce. This did not stop Henry. He severed all ties with Catholicism, declared himself the head of the Church of England. Thanks to this, the English nation is still more committed to Protestantism. Henry led and carried out the church reform (English Reformation), the newly appointed bishop declared the king's marriage illegal and annulled. As a result, Henry VIII was able to marry Anne Boleyn.

Henry's dreams of a male heir and now were not destined to come true. In 1533, Anna gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, and after that she had a series of miscarriages. The king considered this marriage as cursed as the first. He decided to get rid of Anna and marry again. For this, Anne Boleyn was accused of treason, and even incest (in connection with her own brother). After that, the unfortunate woman was executed, and her memory remained blackened for several decades.

Henry VIII declared them and Anna's daughter, Elizabeth, illegitimate, just like the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Mary. The king married Jane Seymour. This woman gave him a long-awaited heir. Jane herself died in childbirth. The king was happy - now he had a son, and his daughters were not interested in him. Subsequently, Heinrich was married three more times.

The stepmothers were also not interested in the husband's children from previous marriages. Elizabeth became friends only with her father's last wife, Catherine Parr. It was she who had a huge impact on the girl. She also made sure that Elizabeth had a brilliant education, you can safely say, royal. Young Elizabeth studied all the same sciences as men, and her character was as stubborn and persistent as her father's.

The girl was fluent in several languages: Greek, French, Italian. She also knew ideally Latin. She studied on a par with her brother Edward. In the future, this greatly helped her to wisely rule the country and conduct politics.

Death of King Henry VIII

Before his death, the king became more attentive and gentle towards his daughter. Henry even recognized them with Maria as legitimate children, but appointed Edward as the heir. This decision of the king allowed both of his daughters, in the future, to become queens. Elizabeth was very young when her father died, she was only thirteen.

The royal court was full of intrigue. Little Edward, who was only ten, was fraudulently convinced that it would be better if he gave the throne to Lady Jane Gray. Lord Protector Dudley ruled the country. After the death of Edward, who was very weak and sickly, Lady Jane was declared queen. She ruled for exactly nine days.

Jane Gray was overthrown by Mary, the eldest daughter of Henry VIII. Maria did not rule for long, but very cruel. It was she who got the nickname "Bloody Mary". She plunged the country into real terror. As a fervent adherent of the Catholic faith, Mary sought to bring England back under the wing of the Vatican. Fearing a conspiracy, the queen imprisoned her sister Elizabeth in the Tower, demanding to convert to Catholicism. Elizabeth flatly refused. Even then, with this firmness of hers, she earned the respect of the people.

Maria married the Spanish prince Philip II. An even greater wave of discontent swept over the people. First, religious persecution, then marriage with a foreigner. The last straw was the order of the queen to execute the heretics. About three hundred people died at the stake. The British turned their backs on their queen.

Maria I soon died. She did not have time to give birth to heirs. Elizabeth took the throne in 1558. It was a real triumph for Protestantism. The country, meanwhile, was in a disastrous state. The people suffered from hunger and poverty. Religious strife was simply tearing England apart. Many did not want to recognize Elizabeth, because her mother was convicted of treason.

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth, despite her youth, was well aware that her power was very fragile. The main rival in the struggle for the throne could be Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, who was married to a French dauphin. The newly minted queen began to pursue a very wise, careful and balanced policy. She surrounded herself with people who were extremely devoted to her.

Parliament demanded that Elizabeth be immediately married. Several applicants were proposed to her for consideration. Elizabeth rejected everyone. Ivan the Terrible even wrote to the Queen. Elizabeth refused him, and in response he sent a message in an extremely rude tone.

Elizabeth I acted cunningly. She neutralized Mary Stewart, accusing her of treason. By a willful decision of the Queen, all rivalry between England and Scotland was ended. To demonstrate her loyalty, Elizabeth promised to make her heir to Mary Stuart's son, Jacob. The queen kept her word - after her death, it was he who became king and completed the unification of the two warring countries.

Maria Stewart was in prison for two decades. The advisers all the time persistently offered Elizabeth to execute her, but she stubbornly refused to agree. In England, meanwhile, all the time there were uprisings on her behalf. The last of which was fatal for Mary Stuart. As it turned out, she was in active correspondence with the rebels.

After the execution of her main rival, Queen Elizabeth was spared the need for marriage. She understood that in marriage she would lose independence, and this did not suit her at all. She was truly married to England.

Of course, it was very difficult to rule the country at that time. From the very beginning, it was necessary to decide which side to take: Catholics or Protestants? Elizabeth decided to balance between these two warring parties. She succeeded, because she was loyal and tolerant. While supporting the Protestant Church, Elizabeth, nevertheless, did not subject Catholics to any oppression or persecution.

Patroness of pirates

England, under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, became a powerful naval power. She became a worthy successor to her father's work. Under her, a tough confrontation at sea began between England and Spain. The Queen patronized the pirates. Elizabeth favored sea robbers such as John Hawkins and Francis Drake.

After all, they attacked Spanish ships. The pirates also explored new sea routes. It was not very beautiful on the part of the queen, but many monarchs patronized the pirates. It was profitable. This policy led to the extraordinary power of England as a naval power.

Of course, Spain was very unhappy with the fact that it was losing its position at sea. The Spanish was overwhelmed by the fact that the British founded a settlement in the New World. A war broke out between states.

Spain built an impressive fleet of one hundred ships called the Invincible Armada. Unfortunately, the armada suffered a crushing defeat. As a result of two weeks of bloody battles at sea, the Spaniards lost more than six dozen ships and retreated in disgrace.

Virgin queen

History remembered Elizabeth as the Virgin Queen. She did not want to get married for many reasons. Here is the story of her mother, and the rest of her father's wives, and the fear of losing power. After all, if she became the wife of a foreigner, it could sow new international strife. The wife of an Englishman - one would have to choose between political factions. All this could cost her the crown, and England - the world. It was a wise political move. The queen had a brilliant mind, her decision was deliberate and became the meaning of life, elevated to a cult.

Elizabeth was repeatedly accused of not being an innocent virgin. She had a childhood friend, Robert Dudley. He was a faithful companion, companion and advisor to the queen. They were accused of being connected, but neither at that time, nor now, there is no direct evidence of this. The deep love between Robert and Elizabeth could very well be platonic.

A mysterious story is connected with the names of the queen and her friend, when a certain young man declared himself their son. They say the queen secretly gave birth, and then gave her son to be raised in another family. Before his death, Robert Dudley revealed this secret. Historical documents contain suspicious references to the queen's strange illness in the year when, in theory, she could give birth to a child. She was then swollen and her stomach was swollen, supposedly from dropsy. In her prayers, the queen also wrote that she had committed a grave sin. But all this proves nothing and does not answer the question: was there a boy?

The reign of Elizabeth I Tudor is rightfully called the golden age. She has earned the love of the people by her policy. Even if she ever loved a man, love did not overshadow her cold mind. The queen was the personification of female power, royal grandeur and royal honor. After she died, the throne passed to James VI. The Tudor dynasty was replaced by the Stuart dynasty.

Read more about how the history of the two countries was changed by Henry VIII in our article. as a loving king and one battle sealed the fate of Scotland.