Thesis: Elizabeth I's brutal childhood, riddled with being raped by Thomas Seymour and living under constant threat from her sister, was the cause of her becoming an unmarried politique who gave up her own desires for a peaceful, yet uneventful, reign.
Definitions:
Politique- one willing to compromise for the greater good
List of other politiques and why
Types of Sources:
Primary:
1559: Response to a Parliamentary Delegation on Her Marriage; 1559: On Religion; 1560: Response to Erik of Sweden's Proposal; 1566: Response to Parliamentary Delegation on Her Marriage; 1583: On Religion; Response to Ambassador of Poland; 1601: The Farewell Speech; 1586: letter from Elizabeth I to Mary, queen of Scots; 1587: letter from Elizabeth I to James VI of Scotland; and other assorted speeches, poetry, and letters
Secondary: ES Beesly, Queen Elizabeth (1892); Kaplan; other books TBA, BBC
Outline:
1. Queen Elizabeth I was one of England's most influential rulers; so influential that the Elizabethan age is named after her. She was the last in the line of Tudors, and ruled from 1559 to 1603. She remains one of the best examples of a politque, one who will compromise their personal gain for the good of their people, that the world has ever seen. Elizabeth I's brutal childhood, riddled with being raped by Thomas Seymour and living under constant threat from her sister, was the cause of her becoming an unmarried politique who gave up her own desires for a peaceful, yet uneventful, reign.
2. Background on family
a. Father-- Henry VIII
b. Mother-- Anne Boleyn
c. Parents were married while Anne was 6 months pregnant
d. All of Henry's children were declared illegitimate besides those produced by Anne
i.Mary was forced to serve Elizabeth as a maidservant
e. Anne Boleyn was executed because she could not produce a male heir
i.Elizabeth was bastardized
3. Early childhood (before father's death)
a. Mother died when she was 2 years and 8 months old
b. Was shown naked to French diplomats as a future wife at the age of 6
c. 1537- Edward was born
d. Lived with her brother Edward at Hatfield House
e. Studied under a governess and became very well educated
4. Childhood (after father's death)
a. 1547- Henry VIII died, and in his will, the line of succession named Elizabeth the heir after Edward and Mary
b. Moved in with Katherine Parr, Henry's widow
c. Katherine married Thomas Seymour, who moved in with her and Elizabeth
d. Thomas started to take an interest in Elizabeth, who was a young teenager at the time
e. He would go into her room while she was asleep and not wearing anything and rape her
f. Occasionally, Katherine Parr would take part as well
g. Katherine eventually kicked Elizabeth out of the house, and Elizabeth went back to Hatfield
h. When Katherine Parr died, Thomas Seymour wanted to marry Elizabeth
i. 1549- Seymour was found guilty of trying to marry her in order to overthrow his brother, and was executed
5. During Mary's Reign
a. 1553- Edward died, and Lady Jane Grey was declared queen. However, she was only queen for nine days.
b. Mary and Elizabeth travelled to London for Mary to claim her crown.
c. Mary wanted to wipe out all non-Catholics, and ordered everyone to go to mass
d. Elizabeth did, even though she was raised and educated as a Protestant
e. Mary planned to marry Prince Philip of Spain, which made her unpopular
f. Rebels against Mary plotted against her in Elizabeth's name, even though she had nothing to do with it
i.Wyatt's rebellion
g. Elizabeth was put in the Tower, but because she had no connection to the rebels, she was allowed to go back to Hatfield
h. Mary had 2 miscarriages, and her husband went back to Spain
i. 1558- Mary was on her deathbed, and accepted Elizabeth as her heir. She died in November.
6. Elizabeth's reign
a. 1558- Named queen
b. Her first reform was religion
i.She returned England to being a Protestant country, but didn’t completely erase all traces of Catholicism
7. Marriage, or Lack Thereof
a. Elizabeth refused to marry
b. 1556- Parliament threatened to cut off her funds
i.She addressed them and told them that her priority was England
c. 1559- Elizabeth made it clear that she had feelings for her childhood friend, Robert Dudley by saying that if his wife were to die (she was sick), that she would like to marry him
i.Amy Dudley died by falling down the stairs, which the coroner said was an accident
1. Scandal surrounded her death, and Robert Dudley was suspected to have killed her so that he could marry Elizabeth
d. Although Elizabeth wanted to marry Dudley, she didn’t because the scandal would have been bad for England
e. "With Elizabeth the heart never really spoke, and if the senses did, she had them under perfect control. And this was why she never loved or was loved, and never has been or will be regarded with enthusiasm by either man or woman" (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/beeslychapterone.html)
f. Her image became that of Virgin Queen, although she wasn't
8. Defensive Foreign Relations
a. 1585- She sent an army to aid to fight with the Protestant Dutch rebels against Philip II
b. 1588- She defended England against the Spanish Armada
c. 1589- Henry IV (who was Protestant) inherited the French throne, Elizabeth sent her military support
Conclusion
Elizabeth always put the kingdom of England before herself, and she has her early life to thank for that.
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