elizabeth essay

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Elizabethan england.

Portrait of a Woman

Nicholas Hilliard

Portrait of Walter Devereux (1539–1576), First Earl of Essex

British Painter

Ewer from Burghley House, Lincolnshire

Henry Frederick (1594–1612), Prince of Wales, with Sir John Harington (1592–1614), in the Hunting Field

Robert Peake the Elder

Standing salt with cover

Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland

Made under the direction of Jacob Halder

Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux (1566–1601), Second Earl of Essex

James Voorhies Department of European Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2002

Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry VIII (r. 1509–47) and Anne Boleyn (ca. 1507–1536), ascended to the throne as queen of England (r. 1558–1603) with a fine balance of vigor and restraint that brought with it the official establishment of Protestantism in the Church of England (1558); the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588); domestic peace in a previously divided country; and a flourishing environment for the humanities. Elizabeth I’s admiration for the arts, along with England’s economic buoyancy during her reign, provided ripe conditions for the production of enduring hallmarks in the visual, decorative, and performing arts.

During the age of Elizabeth, painting was dominated by portraiture , particularly in the form of miniatures, while elaborate textiles and embroidery prevailed in the decorative arts, and sculpture found its place within the confines of tomb and architectural decoration. Elizabeth I’s favored court painter, the Englishman Nicholas Hilliard (ca. 1547–1619), is best known for his miniature paintings. Following the tradition associated with Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98–1543), Hilliard’s style emphasized distinctive line and reduced shadow. His Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux (1566–1601), Second Earl of Essex ( 35.89.4 ), delicately portrays the sitter with extraordinary attention to intricate patterning and fine line representing the precious, jewel-like objects sought after in Elizabethan England. Intended for private viewing, portrait miniatures were highly personal and intimate objects that often depicted lovers or mistresses. Isaac Oliver (ca. 1565–1617) studied under Hilliard, and together they became influential painters of miniature portraits.

Although painters of miniatures were en vogue with Elizabeth I, artists such as Robert Peake the Elder (ca. 1551–1619), Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger (Flemish, 1561–1635/36), John de Critz (before 1551–1642), and George Gower (1540–1596) also received commissions from the Crown, employing mild variations of the style developed by Hilliard and Oliver. In Henry Frederick (1594–1612), Prince of Wales, with Sir John Harington (1592–1614), in the Hunting Field  ( 44.27 ), Peake applies his light palette to a hunting scene in a highly decorative, patterned, and relatively flat format. Knowledgeable about European Mannerism and familiar with the artistic trends of the School of Fontainebleau , these artists made large-scale, full-length paintings that portray the noble class in richly decorative costumes with armor , embroidery, ruffs, hunting gear, weapons, and lace .

In the decorative arts, demand for domestic silver significantly increased during the mid-sixteenth century because of rapid growth in population and subsequent expansion of the middle and upper classes. The Museum’s silver salt ( 52.134.a-e ), characteristic of Elizabethan plate, is decorated with a melody of embossed sculptural vegetal forms, fruit, grotesque figures, and strapwork, topped with a figure finial to help vertically emphasize its placement on a table. These intricate designs of foliage and patterning were also applied to suits of armor ( 32.130.6 ) and domestic textiles, exemplified by the Metropolitan’s purse ( 1986.300.1 ), which is embroidered with colored silks and threads of gold and silver.

Voorhies, James. “Elizabethan England.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/liza/hd_liza.htm (October 2002)

Further Reading

Glanville, Philippa. Silver in Tudor and Early Stuart England . London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1990.

Murdoch, John, et al. The English Miniature . Exhibition catalogue. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.

Piper, David. The English Face . Rev. ed.. London: National Portrait Gallery, 1992.

Additional Essays by James Voorhies

• Voorhies, James. “ Europe and the Age of Exploration .” (October 2002)
• Voorhies, James. “ Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) .” (October 2004)
• Voorhies, James. “ Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) and the Spanish Enlightenment .” (October 2003)
• Voorhies, James. “ Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) .” (October 2004)
• Voorhies, James. “ School of Paris .” (October 2004)
• Voorhies, James. “ Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in Naples .” (October 2003)
• Voorhies, James. “ Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) and His Circle .” (October 2004)
• Voorhies, James. “ Fontainebleau .” (October 2002)
• Voorhies, James. “ Post-Impressionism .” (October 2004)
• Voorhies, James. “ Domestic Art in Renaissance Italy .” (October 2002)
• Voorhies, James. “ Surrealism .” (October 2004)

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List of Rulers

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• 16th Century A.D.
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• Great Britain and Ireland
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Elizabeth I’s Achievements

A woman ruler in a patriarchal world.

Negotiation of Religious Differences and Conflicts

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

The flourishing of literature and england’s golden age.

Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England Essay

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Queen Elizabeth, I was born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII in 1533. She became the queen of England in the year 1558 and ruled up to 1603. She was an influential leader and her reign put England on the road to becoming a global political and economic power. Her decision not to marry was due to political reasons and she influenced arts and religion.

The queen never got married albeit the many marriage proposals that she received. Among her suitors were Archduke Charles, Philip II of Spain, Adolphus the Duke of Holstein, and Robert Dudley of Earl. She used her prospect of marriage to her advantage to keep off potential enemies of England. During her reign, Spain and France were powerful countries and a big threat to England. Her courting of foreign Princes ensured that England was not attacked and this tact worked on various occasions as she managed to balance the two powerful countries to avert a possible attack on her country. She used her hand as a diplomatic weapon; however, she never married any of her suitors. Queen Elizabeth, I was a pragmatic leader and she knew that if she married a foreigner she would put England’s future in jeopardy by relinquishing her power to her husband. She was expected to marry and the parliament petitioned her about marriage. Her reply was “this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a Queen, having reigned such a time died a virgin” (Hibbert 250). According to her, she was already married to her Kingdom. In her address to parliament, she raised her coronation ring and said “The pledge of this my wedlock and marriage with my kingdom” (Greenblatt 23). She put the kingdom before herself” yet when the welfare of my state was concerned, I dared not indulge my own inclinations” (Thomas 174).

When Elizabeth I descended to power there was a strong division between the Protestants and the Catholics. Her predecessor Queen Mary I was a catholic and during her reign, she prosecuted Protestants thus raising a sharp division between Catholics and Protestants. Elizabeth leaned more on Protestantism but choose a conciliatory ground because she knew how divisive religion could become. Elizabeth had to settle the church position in England finally. Retaining Catholicism was not politically viable. She established the Church of England but the religious conflicts continued as Catholics and Puritans attacked it (Crane 1). The Catholic Church was still powerful and some of Mary’s loyalists posed a threat to the crown. Thus, Elizabeth looked for a religious compromise that would mitigate the threat and at the same time retain the loyalty of the catholic sympathizers. Therefore, using the Church of England she created a middle ground and in 1585 in a speech to parliament, she retaliated this position by saying that “if I were not persuaded that mine were the true way of God’s will, God forbid I should live to prescribe it to you” (Halsall 1). To date the identity of the Church of England is alive.

Queen Elizabeth, I had a lot of influence in arts. Her reign was known as the Elizabethan Age due to her influence in the arts. Her writings were powerful and shaped people’s opinions about her. Elizabeth influenced authors like William Shakespeare, Edmund Spencer, and Christopher Marlowe among others. After she became the queen, women began to gain a voice in the arts. Moreover, she was a poet herself and an intelligent woman (Crane 1). Among her greatest works was the speech she gave to the army during the Spanish Armada war. In this speech, she proved she was a leader who was not afraid to defend her country even if it meant putting her life at risk. ” I have come amongst you at this time… to live or die amongst you all, to lay down for God and for my kingdom and for my people my honor and my blood even in the dust”(“Queen Elizabeth” 1). She encouraged the English army to fight on and win the war because she would be with them in the war “I myself will take up arms; I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field” (“Queen Elizabeth” 1). Elizabeth displayed her leadership qualities in this speech by admitting her faults, “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a King of England too” (“Queen Elizabeth” 1). She was not a leader shy of admitting her weaknesses.

The Queen used her works to retaliate her love for her subjects and thus gained their loyalty. For instance, in a speech, she told the people that “There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love. For I do esteem it more than any treasure of riches… I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your love” (Halsall 1). On the other hand, she expressed her feelings for instance, in the poem On Monsieur’s Departure she writes “I grieve and dare not show my discontent… I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,” concluding: “or let me live with some more sweet content, / Or die and so forget what love ere meant” (Crane 1). This shows her sorrow because of disappointment in love. More importantly through her works, Queen Elizabeth communicated with her subjects and gained popularity.

Queen Elizabeth I remains one of the greatest monarchs in England’s history. During her rule, there was peace at home and abroad. She managed to maintain England’s stability. Her leadership was incredible and her decision to remain single influenced her reign greatly. The Church of England today is proof of her influence in religion. Moreover, the artists document her influence on arts and she came across as a passionate queen who cared about the welfare of her subjects above all else just, as a good leader should.

Works Cited

Crane, Thomas Mary. Queen Elizabeth 1 (1533-1603). 2010. Web.

Greenblatt, Miriam. Rulers and Their Times: Elizabeth I and Tudor England. New York: Benchmark Books, 2002. Print.

Halsall, Paul. Modern History Sourcebook: Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533, r. 1558-1603) Selected Writing and Speeches. Fordham. Ed. 1998. Web.

Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1991. Print.

Thomas, Jane Resh. Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I . New York: Clarion, 1998. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2021, December 29). Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queen-elizabeth-i-as-the-greatest-monarch-in-england/

"Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England." IvyPanda , 29 Dec. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/queen-elizabeth-i-as-the-greatest-monarch-in-england/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England'. 29 December.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England." December 29, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queen-elizabeth-i-as-the-greatest-monarch-in-england/.

1. IvyPanda . "Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England." December 29, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queen-elizabeth-i-as-the-greatest-monarch-in-england/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England." December 29, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queen-elizabeth-i-as-the-greatest-monarch-in-england/.

Elizabeth I in Writing

Language, Power and Representation in Early Modern England

• © 2018
• Donatella Montini 0 ,
• Iolanda Plescia 1

Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

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• Presents innovative scholarship on the role of textuality in the life and reign of Elizabeth I
• Appeals to scholars interested in Elizabeth I’s writing, early modern women’s writing, the afterlife of Elizabeth I, early modern cultures of writing, and the history of English language and culture
• Examines Elizabeth I’s exercise of political power through her non-political written works
• Gathers analysis of Elizabeth I’s letters, translations, poems, and prayers in one volume for the first time

Part of the book series: Queenship and Power (QAP)

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Boccaccio, Giovanni

Introduction Posnacionalistas: Tradition and New Writing in Latin America

• Elizabeth I
• Anne Boleyn
• letters of Elizabeth I
• afterlife of Elizabeth I
• Tudor court culture
• Elizabeth I's translations
• early modern women's writing
• early modern Italian literature
• history of the English language
• early modern textuality

Table of contents (11 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

Donatella Montini, Iolanda Plescia

Elizabeth as Author

The young princess elizabeth, neo-latin, and the power of the written word.

• Brenda M. Hosington

Ethics from the Classroom: Elizabeth I’s Translation of Cicero’s “ Pro Marcello ”

• Alessandra Petrina

Styling Power: A Corpus-Linguistic Approach to the Correspondence of Queen Elizabeth I

“beholde me thy handmaiden”: the pragmatics and politics of queen elizabeth’s prayers.

• Donatella Montini

Elizabeth I as Poet: Some Notes on “On Monsieur’s Departure” and John Dowland’s “Now O Now I Needs Must Part”

• Cristina Vallaro

Elizabeth Authored

A critical edition and discussion of sp 70/2 f.94: a letter and two sonnets by celio magno to queen elizabeth i.

• Carlo M. Bajetta, Guillaume Coatalen

“La Comediante Politica”: On Gregorio Leti’s 1693 Life of Queen Elizabeth I

• Giovanni Iamartino

Multilingualism at the Tudor Court: Henry, Elizabeth and the Love Letter Genre

• Iolanda Plescia

The Gift of Language, the Language of the Gift

What elizabeth knew. language as mirror and gift.

• Nadia Fusini

Queen Elizabeth and the Power and Language of the Gift

• Carole Levin

Back Matter

Editors and affiliations, about the editors, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Elizabeth I in Writing

Book Subtitle : Language, Power and Representation in Early Modern England

Editors : Donatella Montini, Iolanda Plescia

Series Title : Queenship and Power

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71952-8

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Cham

eBook Packages : History , History (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-319-71951-1 Published: 10 April 2018

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-030-10135-0 Published: 04 January 2019

eBook ISBN : 978-3-319-71952-8 Published: 27 March 2018

Series ISSN : 2730-938X

Series E-ISSN : 2730-9398

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XVII, 254

Number of Illustrations : 1 illustrations in colour

Topics : History of Britain and Ireland , History of Early Modern Europe , Literary History , Gender Studies , Political History

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Elizabeth I

Part of History

The Elizabethans overview - AQA

The Elizabethan era in the 16th century was one of adventure, intrigue, personalities, plots and power struggles. At the centre was Elizabeth, ‘The Virgin Queen’, who ruled England between 1558-1603.

The early rule of Queen Elizabeth I - AQA

Elizabeth inherited problems in religion, economy and foreign policy. She tightly controlled Parliament and her Privy Council. She never married, putting the security of England before herself.

Elizabethan Religious Settlement - AQA

Religion became a very divisive factor in people’s lives in England when Protestant ideas challenged the dominance of the Catholic Church of Rome. Elizabeth offered a ‘middle way’ compromise.

Challenges to the rule of Queen Elizabeth I - AQA

Elizabeth faced challenges throughout her long reign - from Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Spanish Armada. She was a cautious ruler who acted carefully to preserve England’s security.

Life in Elizabethan England - AQA

Elizabeth’s reign was seen as a ‘golden age’ of culture and exploration, but society was characterised by extremes of rich and poor. An increasing population and rising poverty became a big problem.

The Elizabethans - exam preparation - AQA

In your History GCSE, it is important that you not only have good subject knowledge, but have the skills to apply this knowledge to exam questions.

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Queen Elizabeth I

Power & government.

The England of Elizabeth I was a very structured place, and had a rather complicated system of government. First there were the national bodies of government such as the Privy Council and Parliament, then the regional bodies such as the Council of the Marches and the North, and then county and community bodies. National, or rather Central, government, consisted of:

Monarch Privy Council Parliament

These three bodies would work together to rule the country, make laws, raise money, and decide upon matters of religion and national defense. The Privy Council was largely an administrative body, but it could not oversee the administration and government of all England and Wales, and so the Council of the North and the Council of the Marches helped. The Council of the North, residing in York, was responsible for the North of England, and the Council of the Marches was responsible for Wales and some of the English border counties. During Elizabeth's reign, it became settled in Ludlow, which made it effectively the capital of Wales, although it was in England. The Council of the North and the Council of the Marches were also part of a more localized method of government, and in Tudor England, local government was very important. To ensure that the Queen's commands and the laws of the land were being obeyed, there were royal representatives in every county in the country. The most important of these were the Justices of the Peace, the Sheriffs, and later the Lord Lieutenants. Cities and towns even had their own hierarchy of government, and various officials to oversee certain matters, the principal official being the mayor. Also of great influence in Tudor and Elizabethan times were the nobility and gentry. Land was power in the early modern period. Those who possessed it were wealthy, and masters of the tenants on the land as well as those who worked for them. The Nobility and Gentry were considered to be in a position of responsibility, and were meant to aid the monarch in governing the lands over which they presided. People could take their grievances to their lord, or to the lord of the manor. Some members of the nobility took their duties seriously and were involved in establishing institutions of religion or education. The Earl of Leicester, for example, established a hospital in Warwick. Tenants owed loyalty to their lord, and if called upon, were expected to go to war for their master or mistress. One of the reasons the Tudor monarchs feared the rebellion of one of their greatest noblemen, was because that nobleman was likely to command the loyalty of a significant proportion of the people over who he presided. Indeed, the political or religious views of an aristocrat was very important as it could and did influence the views of his tenants and subjects. Also important to the government of the country were the courts of the land. The most important courts were probably the Great Session (or Assizes), held twice a year in each county, and the Quarter Sessions Court, held four times a year. Between them, these courts dealt with most crimes, such as theft, witchcraft, recusancy, murder, and assault. The Assizes in particular had the power to inflict harsh punishments. For not so important crimes, there were other courts such as the Petty Sessions, Manor courts, or even town courts. For civil cases, there were various courts to choose from, but choice was probably limited by a person's wealth. For the wealthy, there was Star Chamber, one on the highest profile courts as it largely consisted of Privy Councilors; there was the Court of Chancery, a court that could also judge criminal cases; there was the Exchequer of Pleas, especially expedient in dealing with financial suits, and for those lacking wealth, there was the Court of Requests, popularly known for this reason as "The court of poor man's causes". The Church Courts were important in dealing with religious or moral affairs. There were also other courts with particular functions such as the court of Admiralty for naval matters. High Treason was usually dealt with by the Queen and her ministers and carried a death sentence. For other serious crimes, such as murder, a person was also put to death. Lesser crimes were punished by imprisonment or the stocks, or sometimes both.

TUDOR TROPHY MYTHS: ELIZABETH I SHAKESPEARE QUIZ

English Heritage: Power & Politics Article: Tudor Parliaments Article: Tudor Privy Council Article: Elizabethan Privy Council Tudors Wiki: Privy Council Wikipedia: Elizabethan Government