Concetti Chiave
- Elizabeth I rose to power by succeeding her Catholic sister Mary, maintaining a balance between legal trade and piracy to bolster England's economy.
- Elizabeth supported piracy against Spanish ships, enriching England through alliances with pirates who intercepted valuable Spanish goods.
- Her leadership was marked by religious tolerance, only persecuting betrayers, and she refused to marry Philip II to keep England independent.
- During her reign, Elizabeth fostered cultural growth, promoting music, poetry, and the arts, leading to a renaissance in England.
- To ensure a peaceful succession, Elizabeth chose James VI of Scotland, who converted to Protestantism, uniting England and Scotland under his rule.
Elizabeth's rise to power
Elizabeth I succeeded her sister Mary, Catholic, who refused to kill her even if she was protestant because they had grown up together.
As for economy, Elizabeth supported trade and actvities based on handcraft. In economy she had a double activity: a legal and illegal one. As for the legal one, she made trade a science. She wanted to sell the same goods following the same routes, towards India and America. She created east company (towards India and China) and west company (always towards America). If the roots were known, shipwrecks were way more unlikely. The ships were different depending on the goods that were traded.
Illegal activities and piracy
As for illegal activity, she supported illegal trade against Spain, the richest country, which had colonized south America. Spanish ships were full of gold, tomatoes and cocoa. Elizabeth decided to wait and attack Spanish ships instead of going there. She managed to that by signing some treaties with pirates, her lovers. They waited for Spanish ships next to Portugal. Pirates had small and light ships, which were faster than Spanish ones. To solve this problem, Philip II of Spain asked her to marry her, but she refused, because she didn’t want to give up on her reign. All these goods helped middle class become richer and richer.
Philip II attacked the English ships in the English channel, where the climate was always hostile. Elizabeth managed to win the war thanks to her ships which were lighter and faster than Spanish ones.
Religious tolerance and leadership
Elizabeth was protestant and tolerant and persecuted betrayers only. She was sure that what she was doing was best for England. When Philip II of Spain, her sister Mary Tudor's husband, she refused because she didn’t want England to be submitted to Spain. She proclaimed herself married to England.
Her father Henry VIII proclaimed himself Supreme Head, whereas she only proclaimed herself Head. She wanted her subjects to always have the same image of her, so she put a foundation on her face as thick as a mask.
Cultural influence and supremacy
Philip II of Spain attacked the English fleet in the English channel, where the weather was always hostile. Elizabeth won the war by using the strategy of pirates and ships, which were faster than Spanish ones. She loved music and poetry, and it’s not by chance that these activities were so important during her reign. The Great theatre is tragic. Moralities were successful and Renaissance started when classic works were rediscovered.
Elizabeth promoted the Act of Supremacy (1559) and proclaimed herself Head of the Church of England. She reduced the articles of the book of common prayer to make it easier for common people. She wanted her kingdom to be Anglican but she only persecuted threats.
Succession and union of crowns
She never married nor had kids, but knew that the war for the crown was soon to start and catholicism was soon to be restored. She decided to choose James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Stuart, queen of Scots (her cousin), who was married to the Dolphin of France Francis II and got to France with him abandoning Scotland in the hands of French, who treated Scotland as a colony. That’s why common people converted to calvinism: they compared French troupes to catholicism. Mary was the daughter of Margaret (sister of Henry VIII) and James IV. Elizabeth sent James a letter in which offered him the throne of England if he was willing to become protestant (he was catholic). He converted and became James I of England and Scotland, and Elizabeth joined two nations. James was accepted by English people because he had been chosen by Elizabeth and was protestant. He was liked by Scots because he was Scottish.
Mary Stuart's downfall
Common people in Scotland were calvinist but aristocracy was catholic. When Francis II died Mary Stuart decided to come back to Scotland and married lord Darnley, killed by her third husband. Catholic aristocracy forced her to leave the country, that’s why she moved to England and Elizabeth spied on her foe 18 years. She plotted against French and was executed.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Elizabeth I manage to rise to power despite religious differences with her sister Mary?
- What role did piracy play in Elizabeth I's economic strategy against Spain?
- How did Elizabeth I's approach to religion influence her leadership?
- In what ways did Elizabeth I contribute to cultural development during her reign?
- How did Elizabeth I ensure a peaceful succession and union of crowns?
Elizabeth I succeeded her Catholic sister Mary, who chose not to execute Elizabeth despite her Protestant faith, due to their shared upbringing. Elizabeth's economic strategies included supporting trade and establishing companies for legal trade routes to India and America.
Elizabeth I engaged in illegal activities by supporting piracy against Spanish ships, which were laden with valuable goods from South America. She formed alliances with pirates, who used their faster ships to attack Spanish vessels, enriching England's middle class.
Elizabeth I was a Protestant who practiced religious tolerance, only persecuting those she deemed betrayers. She refused to marry Philip II of Spain to maintain England's independence and proclaimed herself married to England, emphasizing her commitment to her nation.
Elizabeth I had a profound love for music and poetry, which flourished during her reign. She promoted the Act of Supremacy, reducing the complexity of religious texts to make them accessible, and supported the arts, leading to a cultural renaissance.
Elizabeth I, who never married or had children, chose James VI of Scotland as her successor. She offered him the English throne on the condition of converting to Protestantism, which he accepted, becoming James I of England and Scotland, thus uniting the two nations.
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