Almost anyone who has been exposed to world history knows her name - Elizabeth I, who was not only the founder of the Golden Age of the British Empire, but also the queen of the world. Without her, perhaps the world would have been different, and literary history would have been affected, for it was during her reign that the great Renaissance took place in England.
Elizabeth I was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty in England. Her father was Henry VIII, a ruthless man who was not only tyrannical in his rule, but also ruthless in his feelings, and he had married six wives, the first of whom bore him Princess Mary, who was suspended for not having a son. Soon he married Anne Boleyn, and on 7 September 1533 Anne gave birth to Elizabeth Tudor, the future Queen Elizabeth I.
As the daughter of the King, Elizabeth is supposed to be a princess with golden leaves and a well-to-do and carefree life, but her happy life is ended by some accidents. At first Henry VIII was kind to the little princess, appointing her as heir to the throne and making her sister Mary her servant. Unexpectedly, her mother Anne caused an incident, and she was imprisoned by Henry VIII in the Tower of London for having an affair with someone, and then executed. In this way, Elizabeth was also implicated, not only discriminated against, but also revoked the right to inherit the throne.
Henry VIII then married a third wife, and although he died not long after, this time he finally gave birth to a prince, later Edward VI. By the time the fourth queen, Catherine Parr, entered the palace, Elizabeth was ten years old and had lived for almost eight years with little attention and attention.
Parr was fond of Elizabeth, gave her long-missing maternal love, and provided her and Princess Mary with the necessary enlightenment in education. After letting them really touch the knowledge, people found that Elizabeth had a rather amazing talent for learning, and she was mesmerized by all kinds of knowledge, politics, history, literature, art, foreign languages, etc. The British historian Chell once said of her:
"There is no doubt that Queen Elizabeth's educational foundation is thicker than that of other nobles, in addition to being good at English, she also understands Latin, French, Italian, and reads ancient Greek, which is really knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and has a sense of humor and laughter. Her improvisation and good answering ability are like her father's, and her words and deeds, every move, are methodical, like her grandfather Henry VII. ”
Elizabeth grew up with her intelligence, wisdom, learning, and foresight to become a slender, well-proportioned, fair,and beautiful girl. The Princess of England, who has attracted a large number of suitors from birth, seems to be thinking about the major events of her life. However, it was at the age of 14, when she was at the beginning of her love affair, Henry VIII died, and the frail Edward VI succeeded to the throne, but within a few years he also died, and the British political situation fell into a period of chaotic power struggle.
In the end, Princess Mary won and became the fourth monarch of the Tudor dynasty, a devout Catholic who, during her reign, attacked Protestants so much that she became known as the "Bloody Mary". This was a dangerous and dark phase for Elizabeth, who had always been Protestant, and she was imprisoned in the Tower of London in a very difficult situation.
But it was also at this time that the seeds of love in Elizabeth's life sprouted for the first time. The other was robert Dudley, who was also known as the Earl of Leicester. The two are of similar age, can be described as young and unsuspecting, and Robert took the initiative to be imprisoned in the Tower of London in order to follow and accompany Elizabeth. The desolate and harsh environment in the tower brought the two young hearts closer together.
The beautiful and honorable Princess Elizabeth is like a beautiful dream in Robert's heart, attracting him without hesitation, and the handsome and handsome Robert with extraordinary temperament also makes Elizabeth very moved. If she wasn't a princess, they might have a nice ending. But her identity and status have determined that she is a woman he will never have, and marriage is an unattainable happiness. Especially after the death of "Bloody Mary" and Elizabeth's succession to the throne, everything became more impossible.
On That day, January 5, 1559, in Westminster Abbey in London, Elizabeth wore a magnificent golden dress and solemnly wore a crown in front of everyone's attention. The 25-year-old girl has since become Elizabeth I, and wherever her fibrin hand is pointed, it will become the focus of the world's attention.
At the same time, she will marry England for the rest of her life. In her own words, "I don't have to choose a man to marry anymore, because my coronation was my wedding ceremony, and at that moment I had put my wedding ring in the hands of my subjects throughout the country." So I have to stand up for celibacy and keep my life loyal to the British Empire."
Such a determination is impressive, fortunately Elizabeth is strong-willed, otherwise she really can't eat the mess that Queen Mary has thrown at her. At a time when there were crises in both domestic and foreign affairs and the struggle over denominations was a headache, Elizabeth came up with a compromise that satisfied the vast majority of the nation, neither suppressing Catholicism as Henry VIII did, nor killing Protestants as bloodily as Mary I did.
However, some people who are critical of the queen still think that she is a woman and will appear indecisive in certain matters. However, her relatively gentle disposition turned the authoritarian religion, which has always been in the bloody rain, to enlightenment and tolerance, and to temporarily calm the sectarian fighting, which is one of her major contributions to society.
In addition, her Apprenticeship Act, which better protected the interests of the emerging aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, caused the prevalence of the "enclosure movement" and the ravages of oppression, but from a certain point of view, played a crucial role in promoting the primitive accumulation of British capital.
After stabilizing the domestic capital economy, the Queen's expansion abroad also began to increase its pace. She was extremely aggressive militarily and achieved impressive results. Most prominently, the British replaced Spain as the new maritime hegemon, and the Spaniards themselves did not believe that their invincible "Armada" had been defeated by an island nation ruled by a weak woman. But another problem related to this is that the rampant power of piracy is inseparable from the queen's acquiescence and support. She is also known as the "Pirate Queen".
During her reign, Elizabeth I attached great importance to the development of science and culture, which made the Renaissance movement better advocated, so that the creation of novels, poetry and dramas entered a prosperous period, and many world-famous writers, philosophers and scientists emerged. Among them is the famous Shakespeare.
Legend has it that when Hamlet said on stage, "Fragile, your name is Woman," Queen Elizabeth I, who had supreme power, was sitting in the audience. She was neither furious nor trouble finding Shakespeare later, and she seemed to have quietly enjoyed the entire play as a regular viewer. Many people say that this is the queen's open-minded performance, and it is her stoic style that has achieved her generation of hegemony. If Shakespeare had not been born in that era, perhaps the great plays would not have survived today.
Elizabeth I's reign enabled the British Empire to achieve stability, development and prosperity for decades, allowing England to leap into the forest of the great powers of the time and usher in a prosperous "golden age". This splendor was inextricably linked to the Queen's efforts and dedication, and as she had sworn in at her coronation, she was truly married to England.
Elizabeth succeeded to the throne at the age of 25, although she is no longer a naïve and lovely girl, but a mature and powerful woman is the object of the competition of the princes and nobles of various countries. It is worth mentioning her brother-in-law, King Philip II of Spain, who proposed to Elizabeth before marrying Mary, and after Elizabeth ascended the throne, proposed marriage to his son, and the third time, he proposed for himself again as King of Spain. Several times and three times, you can see his persistent attitude. Of course, the Queen knew that he was more for political gain. However, she did not explicitly reject him, but maintained some ambiguity, so that he had some hope and would not succeed, which was more conducive to the survival and development of the British Empire on the international stage.
At the same time, the Pursuit of the French side is also very fierce, King Charles IX, the Duke of Anjou, etc. have come to confess, and the Queen is smart and calm enough in the face of her successive suitors. She applied the same tactics to France, neither agreeing nor rejecting, in short, not being clear. This is the "flirting diplomacy" strategy she has designed for the eager suitors, and when she gets around these men, she is at ease, always making the other party feel that the queen has a good feeling for her, but no one can win her heart and final commitment. No one could get her into marriage, because her dowry was so grand, it was the whole British Empire!
If there is indeed a man in this world who has gained her sincere love, it must be her childhood friend Robert, now the Earl of Leicester. The situation of the tower of London that was once imprisoned gave the two a strong emotional foundation, and there was also a kind of spiritual connection that was better than that of a husband and wife. She affectionately referred to him as "My Eyes," and the letters he wrote to her before his death were kept in her treasure box for the rest of her life, until they were discovered after her death. Robert was the only man Elizabeth had ever loved and seriously considered the possibility of marriage, but she did not give him a secular wedding after all, but only the noblest romantic lover of his life.
Therefore, Elizabeth I, known as the "Virgin Queen", is not worthy of the name, this is only in comparison to the fact that she has never been married. The queen, who controls a powerful regime, has a private life. In addition to the Earl of Leicester, she also had countless lovers and favors, such as the young and handsome Essex, who attracted Elizabeth's attention with a slightly childish romantic atmosphere, and was the queen's new favorite for a period of time, only to be finally sent to the guillotine by the queen due to rebellious ambitions.
Do you know that tomatoes are also called "love fruits"? There is also a vignette about Elizabeth. It is said that the tomato is a plant that first grew in Peru and Mexico in Latin America, known as wolf peach. Once when one of the Queen's lovers went there, he brought it back to England and dedicated it to Elizabeth, combined with his private affair with the Queen, and he gave the fruit the name of Romanticism, called the Fruit of Love.
In addition to her many lovers, the Queen also likes to meet with envoys from various countries and talk and laugh. Elizabeth's knowledge is rich and profound, as long as she takes off the queen's mask slightly, elegantly and gently talks to the men about literature, music, and dances, she seems to become a charming lady of the upper class.
One day, the French envoy De Més went to see the Queen for peace, and he wanted to talk to her more about war and diplomacy, but unexpectedly, Elizabeth changed into a sexy costume and talked to him about music and art, completely without any involvement in the topic he wanted to talk about. At that time, the queen was feminine and charming, with both the nobility of a queen and the gentleness of femininity, exuding a unique charm that no normal man could resist, so that the envoy did not dare to face it, and was easily conquered.
On international issues, the Queen has either made up her mind to take a tough stance or transformed into a woman who makes men fall under their skirts, which is also part of "flirting diplomacy". She has always succeeded in extending men's personal desires and admiration for her into a real concern for the country, and to benefit from it as much as possible.
Apparently, Queen Elizabeth was an attractive woman in history, and posterity was willing to portray her as a slender and beautiful beauty. We can see from a portrait of her as a girl, her demure and elegant, delicate and intellectual image, with a hint of girlish shyness and shyness on her face. Only later, when Elizabeth became queen, in most cases, she intended to restrain her feminine temperament, unless she needed to exert charm in exchange for something.
She usually wore well-made clothing, with luxurious round collars, and dazzling jewelry on her body and head, and perhaps in this setting, the beauty that belonged to her essence was invisibly hidden, but for a woman like the queen, the concept of beauty was extraordinary. Maybe she only needs to have three points of posture, and the other seven points are full of charm by her identity, status, power, and wealth.
When someone tried to take away these shining parts of her body, she would never be soft. Elizabeth I's controversial legacy was the personal order for the execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. This Mary was not the Queen's sister "Bloody Mary", she was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII, so it should be Elizabeth's cousin niece.
Mary was a very ambitious person and asked Queen Elizabeth to become the heir, but the queen had her own considerations, so there was an unhappiness between the two. Later, mary caused a domestic rebellion and when she tried to seek Elizabeth's help, she was executed by the queen. This act caused a lot of sensation at the time, Mary Stuart was the Queen of Scotland after all, but Elizabeth killed her without mercy.
Since the Queen had never been married in her lifetime, she was so distraught that she was so nervous about the question of heirs that she finally appointed King James VI of Scotland to inherit her throne, the son of Mary Stuart, who was known in England as James I. It also meant that the Tudor dynasty ended with the departure of Queen Elizabeth, and the new Stuart dynasty officially began in Britain.
Elizabeth I died in Richmond Palace in Surrey on 24 March 1603, ending her ups and downs. She has enjoyed a large number of scenery in the 70-year journey of life, so that the charm of women and the power of the queen have reached the best combination, although she left an unstable country for the heir, but still left the British Empire with a rich foundation in many ways, and left a clear back to the patriarchal world. No matter how much doubt or controversy there is about her rule, it does not affect her to go down in history as a great monarch and an extraordinary woman.