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Elizabeth I (Elizabeth I,1was born in Greenwich, today's Greenwich, London, and died in Surrey on March 24th, 603), 1558 to 65438+1October1. She never married, so she was called "virgin queen". When she ascended the throne, England was in a chaotic state of internal religious division, but she not only successfully maintained the unity of England, but also made England one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in Europe after nearly half a century of rule. British culture also reached a peak in this period, and famous figures such as Shakespeare and Francis Bacon appeared. British colonies in North America also began to be established during this period. Her rule is called "Elizabethan Age" and "Golden Age" in English history.
childhood
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Elizabeth was born in Presen House in London. She is the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his second queen, anne boleyn. Because her parents were married according to Protestant canon, Catholicism considered her illegitimate daughter. As soon as she was born, she was appointed heir to the throne, and her half-sister Mary became her servant. When Elizabeth was three, her mother was sentenced to death for treason. A year later, Henry VIII and his third queen jane seymour gave birth to a boy: Edward. Elizabeth and Mary both became Edward's servants.
Henry's later queens were very kind to the two princesses, and Henry himself often paid attention to their growth. They are well educated and have reliable friends and peers of the same age. After Henry 1547 died, his last queen, catherine parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour (he is jane seymour's younger brother and uncle of the new British king Edward VI of England) took care of Elizabeth. Seymour was attracted to young Elizabeth. After his wife died, he planned to marry her, but he and his brother Edward Seymour were later executed in a series of power struggles.
Elizabeth received a good education, and her teachers included Roger Asquin, a famous humanist in the English Renaissance. She was educated in classical literature, history, mathematics, poetry and language. During her reign, she could speak and write six languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin and Greek. Under the influence of catherine parr and her other teachers, Elizabeth became a Protestant.
Before her brother died, her status was relatively stable, but Edward died of tuberculosis or arsenic poisoning in 1553. After nine days as queen, Mrs. Jane Grey was overthrown by her grandfather's companions and executed by Mary I, who came to power later. Mary is a devout Catholic. She forced Elizabeth to convert to Catholicism. Although Elizabeth seems obedient, she is still a Protestant at heart. Mary is very dissatisfied with this. At one time, Elizabeth was even put in the Tower of London. Some people think that she met her later lover, robert dudley, Earl of Leicester, here, but it is more likely that they met in childhood.
Elizabeth saved her life, but Mary's wedding to King Philip II of Spain increased the possibility of England returning to Catholicism, which made the English people and nobles very dissatisfied. 1558 Mary died childless and Elizabeth became her legal heir. The British Parliament reiterated King Henry VIII's arrangement that Elizabeth should be the heir.
imperial/royal crown
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Elizabeth was crowned Queen in Westminster Abbey on June+1May1October, 5438+0559. At that time, her status was very unstable. The date of her coronation was chosen by the famous British mathematician and astrologer John Dee at that time. It is said that it was a particularly auspicious day. She was crowned by Bishop karis Le, who was the highest figure in the church at that time to recognize her legal status. In the same year, she signed the Cardo-Campaji Treaty, ending the Italian War.
politics
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During Elizabeth's 44-year rule, there was a fierce struggle for religious differences in England. 1530s, Henry VIII broke with Catholicism and the Anglican Church was established. During the short reign of Edward VI of England, England, the teachings of the Anglican Church became more and more perfect. During Mary's reign, the Anglican Church lost its dominant position. Elizabeth resumed the status of the Anglican Church. In the first two years of Elizabeth's rule, she promulgated the supreme law and a single decree, stipulating that the king was also the supreme leader of the church.
Although she tried to find a compromise between religious extremists, she was undoubtedly a Protestant herself. Especially in Ireland, Catholics and others who are considered heretics are persecuted. William cecil is her closest adviser in politics, and she specially created the title of Lord Burleigh for Cecil. 1598 After Cecil's death, his son Robert Cecil became Elizabeth's closest adviser, but Robert was far from his father's ability. Another important figure in her management organization is Sir Francis Hua Xinghan. Hua Xinghan set up a spy network all over Europe. He can guarantee that all the plots against the queen are known to him.
Heir problem
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The biggest criticism of Elizabeth is that she didn't provide an heir. Others always thought that she would get married and have children, and many people pursued her, including her former brother-in-law, Spanish Philip, and her favorite Earl of Leicester. Many people think that the Earl of Leicester is her lover. Elizabeth wisely avoided them. A few years later, when her rule was consolidated, it became more and more obvious that she would never get married and have children.
When asked why she didn't get married, she mentioned the situation during her sister's reign. At that time, she was not only the most taboo person of Mary, but also the rebels such as Sir thomas white used her name. Therefore, she wisely realized that if she appointed an heir, her position would be weakened, which would provide an incentive for her enemies, because they could use this heir against her. But without an heir, she dies from time to time, and England will fall into civil war. This became very obvious in 1562 when she almost died of smallpox. At one time, Elizabeth seriously considered getting married and having children. But a Catholic husband is obviously impossible, and a Protestant husband, such as the Earl of Leicester, will immediately intensify the sectarian struggle in the court. No matter who she chooses, there will be no good result. Regardless of her personal inclination, her situation at that time made it impossible for her to realize any consideration of spreading the Sect.
She had some possible heirs at that time, but Elizabeth ignored them all. Her cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is a Catholic. Before and even after she fled the kingdom of Scotland, she was always a likely heir. Although Elizabeth accepted Mary after her expulsion, she imprisoned her to ensure that she could not threaten her position. Mary's son, James, was a child at that time, and he would only be considered after being tested. Other candidates are unlikely. One of Elizabeth's female companions, Lady Catherine Grey, jean grey's sister, married Elizabeth against her will, which angered her. Catherine gray's sister, Mary Gray, is a short person with a back. At that time, Elizabeth had always hoped that Mary I would convert to Protestantism and find a husband that Elizabeth thought was reliable, so during Mary's imprisonment in England, she postponed the issue of heir.
At the same time, she has the possibility of getting married. She once considered finding a husband in many French Wang Zizhong. The first suggestion is that Henry, the Duke of Orleans (later Henry III) who is 20 years younger than her, is the younger brother of French King Charles IX. When the proposal was rejected, she also considered Fran? ois, the brother of the Duke of Arancon, the French king. But the early death of Francois destroyed this plan.
1568, the last Englishman eligible to be her heir, Lady Catherine Grave, died. Elizabeth was forced to reconsider Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth suggested that Mary marry the Earl of Leicester, but Mary refused the suggestion. But by this time, Mary's son James had received a Protestant education. 1570, the king of France persuaded Elizabeth to let Mary return to Scotland. But Elizabeth made many harsh demands, one of which was to let James stay in England. Nevertheless, her adviser Cecil continued to try to help Mary return to Scotland. But the Scots refused to accept the queen, so they failed.
The end of religious tolerance
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At that time, the new Pope Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth on February 25th 1570. This prevented Elizabeth from continuing her religious tolerance policy.
At the same time, her enemies' plot against her made her very angry. Mary has been trying not to challenge Elizabeth for 20 years. But then she fell into a conspiracy of Catholic sympathizers. The mastermind of these conspiracies is anthony babington, whose purpose is to rescue Mary and let her take Elizabeth's place. This is a good opportunity for Elizabeth to destroy this great enemy. She executed Mary on 1587 (it is said that she was unwilling to give this order).
The war with Spain
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Elizabeth provided troops and money to Henry IV, a Protestant in France, so that he could gain the French throne. During the Eight-year War, he provided troops to William I (Silent), a Protestant prince in the Netherlands, to make him resist Spanish rule. Moreover, in 1568, after a slave fleet led by Sir Frank Derrick and Sir John Hawkins was seriously injured by the Royal Spanish Navy, Spain's money-carrying fleet was constantly looted by British pirates. King Philip II of Spain decided to invade England under the pretext of Mary's death in order to repel England's challenge to Spain on the European continent and its overseas colonies.
1588 In September, a big storm and Elizabeth's naval generals defeated the armada sent by Spain. Nevertheless, Spain defeated a larger English counterattack fleet at 1589. The war lasted until 1604, and the two sides were tied, and England failed to gain the upper hand at sea or on land. Guerrilla warfare broke out in Ireland from 1594.
Elizabeth's favorite in her later years was Robert Devereux, the adopted son of the Earl of Leicester. She even forgave him some misdemeanors, but Robert participated in a riot in 160 1 and Elizabeth had to put him to death.
stop
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Elizabeth never married, and her death ended the Tudor dynasty. In her later years, when she had to determine an heir, she became more and more inclined to her nephew, James, the son of Queen Mary of Scots, who was executed by her. But she never officially designated him as the heir. 1603 On March 24th, she died at Richmond Palace in Surrey. She was buried in Westminster. Her successor was James I, who had become the Scottish James VI. At this time, both England and Scotland belonged to the same monarch. Under the rule of Stuart dynasty, the first step in the process of British unification, the Royal Union, began, but England and Scotland are still recognized as two countries internationally, and the two countries still maintain their own independent governments. Fifty years after her death, the British bourgeois revolution broke out and Britain became a short-lived Republic.