England Under Queen Elizabeth example essay topic

In 1533, Elizabeth the first was born to Henry V and Anne Boleyn. She was almost 25 years old when she became Queen of England. Queen Elizabeth saw her country emerge as a nation of power and cultural achievement. She was behind the English renaissance. This period in history is called the Elizabethan Age because of her personal character and influence over political, cultural and social culture of England. In this paper, I will discuss Elizabeth is a renaissance notable, her accomplishments, and why, she is still relevant today.

The very fact that Elizabeth became Queen is very interesting. Elizabeth was third in line to become the ruler of England. Her half-brother Edward was first in line. He became Edward IV. However, he died at the age of 15. He was succeeded by the next in line Mary I. Mary was relentless in trying to return England to Catholicism.

She started a reign of terror and put many people to death because they refused to become Catholics. This stifled the country and almost caused the country to go into Civil War. When Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth became Queen. Church and State When Elizabeth became Queen she had to decide the religion for the state.

Mary had angered many people by burning Protestants at the stake. In order to reverse Mary's ways, she did two important things. She published the Act of Supremacy, which stated that Elizabeth was the supreme governor of England, not the Pope. Secondly, she published the Act of Uniformity. This established Henry VII's church in England forever. Also with this act she published the Prayer Book of 1552.

It was designed to win over the Catholics. Her decision on the religious question was a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism. This change in policy established the Church of England as England's Official State Religion from that day forward. It legitimized the Anglican Church and stopped a costly civil war. The Great Armada In 1585 Queen Elizabeth knew that the Spanish were planing to invade England by using their great naval fleet of ships called the Armada. She made plans to stop the invasion.

She began a plan to destroy the Spanish Fleet. In 1588 the Spanish had a great fleet of ships that were headed towards England. The English placed their ships along the coast of their country. They fought the Spanish in a number of hit and run battles.

The Spanish ships kept getting closer and closer to England. The English set a trap. They placed eight ships that were on fire and sent them directly toward the Spanish Fleet. It caused a great deal of panic and inflicted damage on the fleet. This seemed to demoralize the Spanish Fleet. The next day the English attacked in full and defeated the Spanish Armada.

England under Queen Elizabeth became the number one nation in the world as they controlled the seas. Catholics and Puritans Power and Poverty Painters, Musicians and Poets The Progress of English Society Conclusion: Elizabeth's Legacy.