Elizabeth+I+as+a+leader

  __Elizabeth I as a Leader__ by Conor Montgomery     Queen Elizabeth I has been dubbed by money as one of the most powerful monarchs of all time. Although marriage was not her priority, Elizabeth was able to rule England and other parts of Europe for 44 years. It was expected, back in the 16th century, for a woman to seek a man’s hand in marriage no matter what effort necessary or even if a man was desired by said woman. Elizabeth was an oddball. She was born into royalty, knowing all too well that one day she would have to take the throne and lead a country whether she wanted to or not.  <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">Elizabeth was born into a family of royalty that had already been infamous for its scandalism. Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, had shocked the world (which at that time was mainly Europe) by divorcing and beheading a combined four of his six wives. Anne Boleyn was the mother to King Henry’s second child, Elizabeth Tudor, who was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey on Sunday, 15 January 1559 at the young age of 25. The day that Elizabeth took the crown, England was in utter shambles, being at one of the lowest points in the country’s rich history. Money was scarce, there were religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, and England had no territory other than the homeland. Before Queen Mary’s death, Calais, a French site across the English Channel, had fallen back into French control. The French also had much power in Scotland, beginning to corner England into the country’s own demise. Spain was also a strong superpower at this point, and was just as much a threat as the French.<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> All hope seemed lost for England. In fact almost from the get go Elizabeth’s life was under siege by Mary Queen of Scots. Although Elizabeth gave mercy to her after numerous assassination attempts, the Queen eventually had to execute Mary, killing two birds with one stone by ending the French threat in Scotland. Mary’s execution did not come lightly though, sparking war across northwestern Europe. However under Elizabeth, England were able to take over Scotland, and even help Belgium become independent from Spain. King Phillip II of Spain later asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. Many feared that if Elizabeth were to get married, the King, presumably foreign and with some previous power in his own country, would take over England for his homeland. Elizabeth rejected the Spaniard, causing yet another national crisis, because the Spanish navy was elite, the best of the best. And so, Elizabeth rode to the sea, and sent her soldiers words of encouragement and victory. England crushed the Spanish threat and became the most powerful navy in the world for the many centuries that followed. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 80%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 80%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">     <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">[|ElizabethI.org] <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">[|Britannia.com]