About Queen Elizabeth the First - Essay Example

Elizabeth the First and Her Courtiers About Queen Elizabeth the First Elizabeth was perhaps the first and undoubtedly the last single female monarch to be Queen of England. This situation ignited a sexual revolution regarding how England’s court was run. For the initial time in England’s history, a monarch ruled by the command of personal charm alone. Elizabeth the First was not a Queen by right of contest such as her grandfather Henry the 7th had been.1 Neither was she the selected leader of an influential group. She inherited her throne by default and she was forced by circumstances to keep her ceremonial position by the power of beauty and personality alone. However, this posed a challenge as she had to deal with many suitors, most of whom sought to seek her hand in marriage. It would be difficult for any woman in her situation. All former courtly ceremonies areas of influence and power had relied on male kings with favorite males or associates, who did form intimate circles around the King as councilors and courtiers, drinking companions, lovers, and sometimes prostitutes. With a female Queen on the throne, none of these seemed to work.2 These councilors could not make for better dining companions, jousting partners, bedfellows, gambling friends, and her friends for night-outs. For, instance, who would the Queen confide in? History has it the Queen Elizabeth the First was perhaps the most troubled Queen in the world’s history. Thus, the way of doing business had to be different for the Queen. Ultimately, it would still be a world where the man had his way; a world ruled by male prejudice. With this, the queen found challenges in her role as the head of the British monarchy at the time. About the Court The court could be any place that the Queen visited any time and it was composed of people close to the Queen. Apart from the courtiers, the servants were also included. Every year, Elizabeth would visit the southern provinces. However, she usually resided in spacious royal palaces such as Hampton court, Whitehall, Richmond, Westminster, Windsor Castle, and Greenwich. When she was almost retiring, she set her court at Nonsuch. These places were beautifully decorated.3 They had beautiful towers with many chimneys. Perhaps Whitehall was the largest palace in Europe, sitting on at least 23 acres of land. The Queen lived here longer than in any other court. More than one thousand people usually attended the court. No matter where the Queen stayed, she could house her courtiers and the many visitors, as well as various ambassadors. She set courts in places adjacent to London, so finding lodges was no big deal. Queen Elizabeth the First preferred London due to its huge size; it had an estimated population of 200,000 people at the moment. It was still growing and would be without doubt an attractive place to strangers, visitors, and adventurous.4 Better still, it provided entertainment. Nevertheless, many accounts have it that the Queen preferred lodging in courts as an honor. Count de Feria, a Spanish Ambassador, was not happy with this arrangement because he preferred lodging at a court such as the one she had visited when Queen Mary the First reigned. Leadership Style In order to make her supremacy work and that she stays relevant, the Queen had to dominate the men around her, most of whom openly admired her. She has dominion over a crop of England’s finest men. This she did in two ways: firstly, the queen observed a strict control of the council she headed and employed only the best skilled men as her counselors. She may have had jokers in her life, but only the men who had proved to be serious carried out the somber business of leadership. She made Sir William Cecil the Secretary of State; after some time the Queen saw that he had made significant contributions to her council and considered employing his son, Sir Francis Walsingham, the Bacon brothers, among others. She took a different approach when it came to her personal court. The Queen instead preferred glamour and looks, not understanding; so Elizabeth gathered a courtyard of men who were comparable to lack of caution and sex. She had minimal women associates. In fact, other narratives have it that the queen set a bachelor court. She was extremely angry and jealous that one of her women might have an affair with one of her young and handsome courtiers.5 So much was the queen’s jealousy that she banned Sir Walter’s wife from court apparently for marrying him. The first wife to Sir Robert Dudley never visited the court at all. Although the second wife to Sir Dudley was married in secret, the woman was still banned from the company of her husband.6 Elizabeth always kept the courtiers away from their lives. No woman would take the man she loved away from her, without facing her wrath and ultimate eviction from the court.7 Apparently, she loved Sir Robert Dudley above all the other courtiers. In fact, Elizabeth Vernon (she married one of the courtiers) spent a week in prison because she had married without permission from the queen. She even physically confronted Mary Shelton and dislocated her wrist after she found out that she had married secretly. In a courtyard of tens of men, the queen had only 30 thirty women on standby who were required to wear black or white so that they would glow in contrast. Queen Elizabeth the First was never actually in love with the many young and handsome men that she dictated their social lives, portraying herself as a star as she would always claim.8 Rather, many pundits have seen this move as a combination of patronage, political skill, culture of courtly love, great pride, and reserved love that were reminiscent of Tudors. The popularly referred to as the Virgin Queen was always viewed to be restless flirt; in essence, she never really fell in love with the men she was emotionally attached to, in fact overprotective and domineering over.9 Analysis of the Queen’s Behavior History has it that the Queen had little motherly care in her childhood. Her father ignored her; she never really got to know her until she was a teenager. She grew up with low self esteem and confidence. She never received the attention she needed. Perhaps the admiration she earned from the court was due to her brilliance, political skill and physical appeal. With age, these faded yet she still maintained that she was to be treated as charismatic scholar who first comes to the monarchy. To make herself happy after a difficult childhood, she resorted to making her court excitedly flirtatious because this is how she kept everyone concerned with the intricate of the court circle. The queen herself was vibrant. She only welcomed those who could stick to her ideals and keep pace with her requirements, some of which were just way out of the world. The Queen was at the throne at a time when the culture of getting into love with a monarch was rife. Even where the queen was not pleased with the culture of courtly love, the court still had the mandate to keep the tradition of worship, as was the case with any court in Europe at the time. Her actions were reminiscent of the splendid celebrity worship that was part of the England’s monarchy, and one that can still be witnessed to date.10 Elizabeth made it significant and thematic to her status of the court, integrating the practices of courtly love into the public masques and pageants. She used this approach to enhance her own reputation as a near-holy being. In her inaugural year on the throne, Elizabeth was almost ousted by schemers who were disgusted by the risk of her getting into matrimonial union with her love, Robert Dudley. After her lucky escape (from being overthrown), she was afraid of falling in love again, instead seeking comfort in the company of the many young and handsome men around her. She considered them abundant gifts that she held do dear. Indeed, this culture was to later rise to peak of art and literacy in recognition of beauty.11 Elizabeth’s powerfully repressed desire and pride combined together to build a heightened attention for her. These notwithstanding, she was an excellent political leader. She was live to the fact that she had to come up with a way of ensuring that the daring and adventurous young handsome men of England engrossed in her supremacy and were interested in her court. By initiating a merry-go-round of interest and favoritism where a man’s opportunities and wealth would swell while the other’s fall in relation to how best they appealed to the Queen, Elizabeth kept the courtiers always fighting for her attention. Rather than creating massive houses and establishing power bases away from the court as was typical in France, or even getting involved in foreign relations, she kept the courtiers engrossed and literally worshipping her at her court. Pleasing the Queen The wonderful Elizabethan quarters that were constructed were to soothe the Queen; to provide her residence whenever she toured the country (she toured the country annually). Perhaps the most expensive Queen in England’s history, Elizabeth demanded hospitality and entertainment; these demands almost saw her hosts become bankrupt as they were trying to please the Queen. In any case, the Queen was relied on as a source of wealth and power (p16).12 There was always competition among her admirers to set eye on her. The Queen, however, chose to treat them as individual lovers, spurning and favoring them according to her decided tastes and preferences. Of course, there was never a hidden political necessity in this approach. So the hosts as well as the courtiers became rivals who could not safely ally with one another. With an adorable female wisdom, Elizabeth employed divide and rule while masking her actions as a determinant to her ever-changing emotions. It was difficult to trust her, or even depend on her favor (p26).13 Neither could they trust one another. By seeming to be the compassionate of Elizabeth’s emotions, indeed the courtiers were kept separated and always in competition with one another. This was a great play and a political trick that Elizabeth used. Just a few of the courtiers ever succeeded in breaking the tricky mixture of realpolitik and pride. The initial man to be connected with the Queen was Lord Seymour, husband to her stepmother who was Henry’s last Queen, Parr Katherine. He romped with the queen, then a young princess with the full knowledge of his wife, perhaps even sexually molesting her. The Queen’s Love Life When Lord Seymour was blamed for scheming to overthrow the Queen, Elizabeth herself denied ever having a sexual affair with him. He evidently loved Elizabeth for better part of her life. Perhaps this was to safeguard her from dark-haired treacherous rascals, as he preferred to call them. Her childhood admirer and maybe her adored lover, Robert Dudley won Elizabeth’s heart so passionately due to his charming looks and sense of humor so that she could put the throne plus herself into great jeopardy; when she was almost overthrown from the monarchy in her inaugural years of leadership. Only when it became obvious that this love would create rebellion even to one who was passionately in love did Elizabeth step back. It is at this point in time that she swore she would never marry again; that she would stay single for the rest of her life. As expected, people were doubtful about this decision. People viewed a woman as not having enough courage, mental toughness, and ability to rule England by herself. Everyone was sure that whether she wanted it or not, someday she would marry when the right suitor came along. The big question though was who could steal the heart that obviously required support but who was unwilling to forfeit her independence; one who just wanted to be appreciated as a woman and respected as a Queen? A very wealthy English millionaire is rumored to have spent quite a fortune in entertaining and pleasing the queen. His name was Erik, the Earl of Sweden. He came with his badge depicting a heart stabbed with a diamond-laded arrow. Philip, hailing from Spain, together with, the Archduke of Hapsburg, as well as royalties drawn from various parts of the world did propose to the Queen Elizabeth.14 They were men of high social standing and men who were the likely suitors and future husbands of the Queen, yet she chose to turn down their requests for a hand in marriage. All these time, the young and handsome courtiers continued dancing attendance to the Queen. They were silent admirers of the Queen. They included Thomas Heneage, Robert Dudley, John Harrington, Walter Raleigh, among others, who were working round the clock to get the Queen’s attention. They did fulfill the Queen’s need for attention, through. This must have worked perfectly well for the Queen. She viewed herself as the central focus; source of power and entertainment. She was to be worshipped and respected, seen as a sign wealth and good fortunes. History documents that Queen Elizabeth’s love was the step son of her first admirer. Indeed, the Queen’s love life has been a subject of many controversies; one that has been immortalized in books, movies and plays. Robert Devereux was introduced to the Queen’s court by her first love, Robert Dudley, and was perceived to the Queen’s Elizabeth’s most not-so-judged-well flirt. This action ended in a rebellion against Elizabeth and ended the life of perhaps the innocent admirer. He was executed. Perhaps he was only youthful man whose ambitions the Queen failed to adapt to fulfill her glory and desire. The Queen’s Dominion The Queen dominated all her courtiers. In fact, any young, handsome man who could sufficiently dress to please the queen, or who would be elegant enough to attract the attention of the queen, would earn his way to the queen’s court. If anything, the Queen’s Court was honored and associated to good tidings and fortunes; simply put, it was a profitable experience. The twist of admiration surrounding the queen was perhaps the inspiration behind poets, musicians, artists, and dramatists Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare artistry works.15 They composed to praise and appreciate the charm and beauty of their Great Single Queen Elizabeth. What the Queen foresaw about her life that she formed a wall around her in a rather manipulative way can only be inferred from the records available about her life. She had great physical energy for hunting, walking, dancing and amusements. Her subjects made it their priority to please her. Perhaps this explains why she had continuous desire for sexual proposals. What is more, she was daughter to a very attractive woman in the English history. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, has been seen as among the most attractive women England has ever witnessed. Elizabeth’s father was a handsome, passionate man with untamed desires that any woman would have easily fallen for. From her birth, Elizabeth had always been a joker, never taking things seriously, always wanting things done her way. It therefore came as no surprise that she used her charm and allure as a method and cult to rule England. Because she could not be a King, she devised a way to make her as potentially autocratic and just as powerful as her father had iron-fistedly ruled England.16 Her using young handsome men and always keeping them guessing allowed her to gain energy and momentum without ever taking chances with their competition over her. By viewing them as presumed lovers, Elizabeth broke any unity they may have reached; by making relationship between courtiers and the monarchy passionately personal, the Queen made the relationship very professional. The courtiers were always in some state of insecurity, suspicious of one another so they displayed the best behavior. Her management skills were superb, unmatched, where little or no structural power was used. Thus, he reigned over countless men by sheer use of power of beauty and charm. Many critics have questioned whether this approach would have worked in the 21st century. Sadly, in the contemporary society, there are no Virgin Queens. Today, the Queen’s actions would amount o sexual harassment; it would be illegal and certainly punishable. Appointments based on beauty, charm, and allure would be viewed as corrupt and unethical. Elizabeth made a flattery of the pubic policing. She dominated a man’s world by using her sexual appeal. Overall, Queen Elizabeth the First, employed creativity and consciousness to effectively rule England during her reign. Bibliography Elizabeth, Leah S. Marcus, Janel M. Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose. Elizabeth I: Collected Works. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/eliz1.html Erickson, Carolly. The First Elizabeth. New York: Summit Books, 1983. Greene, Carol. Elizabeth the First: Queen of England. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1990. John M.T. Balmer. 2007. "A Resource-Based View of the British Monarchy As a Corporate Brand". International Studies of Management and Organization. 37, no. 4: 20-44. Percival, Rachel, and Allen Percival. The Court of Elizabeth the First. London: Stainer and Bell, 1976. Thomas Betteridge, Greg Walker, and Erzsébet Stróbl. 2012. "Entertaining the Queen at Woodstock, 1575". Williams, Neville. Elizabeth the First: Queen of England. 1968. Read More