Elizabeth I: Symbol and Ruler of a Nation
Elizabeth I of England was the last of the Tudor monarchs to rule. She was a woman of apparently enormous ability which is nowhere more evident than in her conflict with the Spanish under King Phillip II and the great Spanish Armada; simultaneously, however, she has been characterized by some as a woman with little concern for others and a tendency to depend upon selected advisors, who were themselves accountable for many of her successes. As will be demonstrated below, a number of commentators have painted varying portraits of Elizabeth I, from the flattering to the critical to the more objective. This essay will explore these commentaries, arguing that a realistic portrait of a controversial woman such as Elizabeth I must recognize her achievements and her failures, her strengths and her weaknesses, and the role that she played in English history.
Sir Francis Bacon (294), who held a place in Elizabeth's court and later that of James I, wrote that one of her greatest accomplishments was "that in England, a nation particularly fierce and warlike, all things could be swayed and controlled at the beck of a woman, is a matter for the highest admiration." Bacon (294) credits Elizabeth with always, except in the case of the Spanish Armada and the threat it posed, striving for peace: "And this, her desire of peace, I count among her greatest praises." From Bacon's (296) perspective, her "moderation in religion" was also a signal of her capacity to rule, as was her wisdom and "free spirit." This portrait of a monarch is relatively balanced, admitting of her faults yet identifying her accomplishments justly and equitably.
Not the same can be said of the analysis provided by James Anthony Froude (300), who accused Elizabeth of poorly "furnishing" or outfitting the "Starved and ragged English seamen" upon whom the defeat of the Armada depended. Elizabeth, Froude (301) argues, had "disli...