Argumentative text: “The strength of Elizabethan policy”

In the following text I will discuss about the reasons why Queen Elizabeth’s policy should be considered a success.

Elizabeth I was Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter and she came to the throne in 1558. In this period, Great Britain was still divided over religions. Indeed, the previous queen Mary I tried to impose the Catholicism but many people were Protestants therefore they didn’t accept her request. When Elizabeth I became Queen of England, the country was divided into two sides: on one side there was the Protestant faith, on the other side there was the Catholic religion. Therefore the first problem she had to face was from the religious point of view. She decided to restore the Protestantism in the country but she also granted Catholics freedom of worship. In this way, the Catholics and Protestants could live together. Such religious choice was influenced by the fact that she was born from an illegitimate marriage, which was not in accordance with the Roman Church.

Another relevant piece of information is that she was skilled in speaking languages; she had received a good education and could speak French, Italian and Latin very well. Latin was considered the language of international communication on all levels, therefore it was really important to learn it.

In addition, she wore magnificent clothes and rich jewelleries to impress people. Her powerful was shown by her appearance. She also went on progresses to be seen and to get to know her people. Therefore she promoted her policy also thanks to her portraits which were widely distributed throughout the land.

During her reign she had to face the problem of succession. People expected her to get married in order to assure the succession to the throne but she decided to be unmarried using this as a political weapon. Such choice encouraged European princes to keep on good terms with her. Indeed they expected to marry with her in order to have the right to the English throne. Moreover she was called “Virgin Queen” because she didn’t get married and she had no heirs. It follows that she had good relations with other countries with the exception of Spain.

In this period, England was becoming an important commercial and sea power but Spain was her main trade rival and enemy. Spain was also the strongest Catholic monarchy in Europe. In 1588 Spain decided to invade England so the Spanish sent a great armada made up by mainly 130 galleons in the English Channel. The Spanish hoped to defeat England in order to depose Queen Elizabeth, subjugate and convert the English people to Catholicism. Elizabeth was able to defeat her enemy thanks to her military strategic abilities and the wind which determined the end of the battle. The battle marked the decline of Spain and the progress of England as a great sea power. Indeed Queen Elizabeth’s foreign policy was a success; she brought unity and defeated her enemies.

As a result, Elizabeth I proved to be an intelligent queen during her reign. Thanks to her foreign and domestic policies, she was able to turn England into a powerful state.