Elizabeth the First English: photo, biography, years of government, mother

Elizabeth I ruled England in 1558-1603. Thanks to a wise foreign and domestic policy, she made her country a great European power. Elizabeth's era today is rightly called the golden age of England.

The daughter of an unloved wife

The future Queen Elizabeth First was born on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn. The king was very anxious to get a son and heir to the throne. It was because of this that he divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had never given birth to a boy. The fact that another girl was born, extremely angered Henry, although he did not feel any personal dislike for the child.

When Elizabeth was two years old, her mother was executed. Anna Boleyn was accused of high treason. The court found proved the alleged facts of the Queen's betrayal of her husband. The quick-tempered Henry, therefore, decided to get rid of his wife, who became his burden and could not give birth to a boy. Later he married several more times. Since the first two marriages were declared invalid, Elizabeth and her elder sister Maria (daughter of Catherine of Aragon) were illegitimate.

Education of a girl

Already in her childhood Elizabeth the First showed her own extraordinary natural abilities. She perfectly mastered Latin, Greek, Italian and French. Although the girl was formally illegitimate, she was trained by the best professors of Cambridge. They were people of modern times - supporters of the Reformation and opponents of bone Catholicism. Just at this time, Henry VIII, because of his disagreements with the Pope, set out to establish an independent church. Elizabeth, who was sufficiently free-thinking, later continued this policy.

She was taught along with Edward - the younger brother from the subsequent marriage of Henry. The children became friends. In 1547 the king died. According to his will, Edward received the throne (he became known as Edward VI). In the event of his death, in the absence of his own children, the authorities had to transfer to Mary and her descendants. Next in line was Elizabeth. But the will became an important document also for the reason that the father for the first time before his death recognized his daughters as legitimate.

After the death of his father

Stepmother Catherine Parr after the funeral of Henry sent Elizabeth to live in Hertfordshire, away from London and the royal palace. However, she herself did not live long, died in 1548. Soon matured Edward VI brought his sister back to the capital. Elizabeth was attached to her brother. But in 1553 he suddenly died.

Then came the troubles, as a result of which the elder sister of Elizabeth Maria came to power. She, thanks to her mother, was a Catholic, which the nobles of England did not like. Against the Protestants, repression began. Many barons and dukes began to look at Elizabeth as a legitimate queen, under which the religious crisis would be resolved.

In 1554 there was an uprising of Thomas Wyatt. He was suspected of wanting to transfer the crown to Elizabeth. When the mutiny was suppressed, the girl was imprisoned in the Tower. Later she was sent into exile in the city of Woodstock. Maria was extremely unpopular among the people because of her attitude toward the Protestant majority. In 1558, she died of illness, leaving no heirs. Elizabeth the First ascended the throne.

Religious politics

Having come to power, Queen Elizabeth the First immediately took up the solution of the religious problem in her country. At this time, the whole of Europe was split into the Protestants and Catholics who hated each other. England, which was on the island, could stay away from this bloody conflict. All she needed was a prudent ruler on the throne who could make a compromise decision and allow the two parts of society to live in relative peace. Wise and far-sighted Elizabeth the First was just such a queen.

In 1559, she adopted the "Uniformity Act". This document confirmed the monarch's desire to follow the Protestant course of his father. At the same time, Catholics were not forbidden to worship. These reasonable indulgences have allowed to lead the country from the precipice of civil war. What could have happened if the supporters of the Reformation and the Catholics still faced foreheads, can be understood through the ongoing bloody conflicts in Germany of that era.

Marine expansion

Today the biography of Elizabeth the First is primarily associated with the Golden Age of England - the era of rapid growth of its economy and political influence. An important part of this success was the consolidation of London's status as the capital of the most powerful maritime European power. It was during the reign of Elizabeth the First in the Atlantic Ocean and especially in the Caribbean Sea that many English pirates appeared. These robbers engaged in smuggling and looting merchant ships. The most famous pirate of the era was Francis Drake. Elizabeth used the "services" of this public to eliminate competitors at sea.

In addition, enterprising seamen and immigrants, with the approval of the state, began to establish their own colonies in the west. In 1587, Jamestown appeared - the first settlement of the English in North America. Elizabeth the First, whose reign lasted several decades, all this time generously sponsored such events.

Conflict with Spain

The maritime expansion of England inevitably led to a conflict with Spain, the country with the largest and most profitable colonies in the west. Peruvian gold continually flowed into the Madrid treasury, providing the greatness of the kingdom.

In fact, since 1570 the fleets of England and Spain were in a state of "strange war". Formally, it was not announced, but collisions of pirates and galleons, loaded with gold, occurred with an enviable regularity. The fact that Spain was the main defender of the Catholic Church, while Elizabeth continued the Protestant policy of her father, added oil to the fire.

Destruction of the Invincible Armada

The maneuvers of the monarchs could only postpone the war, but not abolish it. An open armed conflict began in 1585. It broke out over the Netherlands, where local rebels tried to get rid of Spanish power. Elizabeth secretly supported them, supplying with money and other resources. After a series of ultimatums from the ambassadors of both countries, the war between England and Spain was officially declared.

King Philip II sent an undefeated armada to the British shores. This was the name of the Spanish navy, numbering 140 ships. The conflict was to decide whose naval forces are stronger and which of the two powers is to become the colonial empire of the future. The English fleet (with the support of the Dutch) consisted of 227 ships, but they were much smaller than the Spanish. True, they also had the advantage of high maneuverability.

It was she who was used by the commanders of the English squadron - the already mentioned Francis Drake and Charles Howard. Flotillas collided on August 8, 1588 in the Battle of Gravelina near the coast of France in the English Channel. The Spanish Invincible Armada was defeated. Although the consequences of the defeat were not reflected immediately, time showed that it was this victory that made England the greatest maritime power of modern times.

After the Graveline battle, the war lasted another 16 years. Battles also took place in America. The result of a lengthy war was the signing of the London Peace in 1604 (after the death of Elizabeth). According to him, Spain finally refused to interfere in the church affairs of England, while Britain promised to stop the attacks on the Habsburg colony in the west. In addition, London had to stop supporting the Dutch insurgents fighting for independence from the Madrid court. The indirect consequence of the war was the strengthening of the parliament in English political life.

Relations with Russia

As far back as 1551, London merchants established the Moscow company. She began to manage all the English trade with Russia. Elizabeth the First, whose board fell on the stay in the Kremlin of Ivan the Terrible, maintained correspondence with the king and was able to obtain exclusive rights for her merchants.

The British were extremely interested in economic relations with Russia. The growing merchant fleet made it possible to arrange the sale and purchase of numerous goods. Europeans bought furs in Russia, metals, etc. In 1587, the Moscow company received the privileged right of duty-free trade. In addition, she founded her own yards not only in the capital, but also in Vologda, Yaroslavl and Kholmogory. Great contribution to this diplomatic and commercial success was made by Elizabeth the First. The English queen received from the Russian Tsar a total of 11 large letters, which today represent unique historical monuments.

Elizabeth and art

The Golden Age, with which the Elizabethan era is associated, found its reflection in the prime of English culture. It was at this time that Shakespeare wrote the main playwright of world literature. The Queen, interested in art, supported her writers in every possible way. Shakespeare and his other colleagues in the creative department were involved in the creation of the London network of theaters. The most famous of them was the "Globe", built in 1599.

The ruler tried to make spectacles and entertainment accessible to the widest public. Her court created a royal troupe. Sometimes Elizabeth I herself played in the performances. Photos of her lifetime portraits clearly show that she was a beautiful woman, besides being on the throne at the age of 25. To the external data were attached the natural abilities of the queen. She was not only a polyglot, but also a good actress.

Last years

Even on the eve of his death, the old Elizabeth the First English continued to actively engage in public affairs. For the last period of her reign, there is a growing tension between the royal power and the parliament. Especially painful were economic issues and the problem of taxation. Elizabeth sought to replenish the treasury in the event of future military campaigns. Parliament opposed this.

On March 24, 1603, the country learned that Elizabeth the First, who was loved by all the people, had died. The English queen really enjoyed the location of her fellow citizens - she was named after the Good Queen Bess. Elizabeth was buried in Westminster Abbey with a huge crowd of subjects.

The problem of succession to the throne

Elizabeth's entire government was acutely concerned with the question of succession to the throne. The Queen never married. She had several novels, but they were informal. The ruler did not want to be bound by marriage because of her childhood impressions of her father's family life, who, among other things, ordered Elizabeth's mother to be executed.

The Queen did not play the wedding, even despite the persuasion of Parliament. Its members in an official form appealed to Elizabeth with requests to marry one of the European princes. For them it was a matter of national importance. If the country were left without an unequivocal successor, a civil war or endless palace coups could begin . In the grooms, the English Queen was named Philip II of the Spanish, German Archduke of the Habsburg dynasty, the Swedish crown prince Eric and even the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

But she never married. As a result, childless Elizabeth before death chose as her heir Yakov Stewart - the son of the Scottish Queen Mary. According to his mother, he was a great-grandson of Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, to which belonged Elizabeth the First English.