The Reign of Elizabeth I: Power, Myth, and Conflict

The Elizabethan Age (1558–1603)

Mary I died in 1558, and her half-sister Elizabeth came to power. She was crowned as Elizabeth I in 1559. As the last of Henry VIII's legitimate children, she was the fifth and final monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

The Myth of the Virgin Queen

A powerful myth surrounded her figure. She was viewed as an icon, a model of perfection, and a goddess unaffected by time. She was known by titles such as the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, and the Fairy Queen. An enormous amount of propaganda was created through art and literature to support this image. Much of the literature of the age—mainly poetry—was written by courtiers, such as Sir Walter Raleigh, with the aim of glorifying her and diminishing the kingdom's anxiety. Church ceremonies also contributed to this cult; there was a theory that she had come to fill the vacuum left by the Virgin Mary, whose cult had been abolished by the Anglican Church.

The more sinister aspect of this myth involved the Queen herself; she came to believe the myth and never looked at herself in a mirror until a week before she died. When she finally asked for a mirror and saw her face, she was horrified. However, the creation of this myth produced a number of impressive works of art.

The Anglo-Spanish War (1584–1604)

The most significant issue during her reign was the Anglo-Spanish War, which began in 1584 and ended in 1604. The primary reasons leading to the conflict were:

• 1. Philip II and the Low Countries: Philip II was also the King of the Low Countries, which had become a very hostile land. He needed to send troops from Spain to the Low Countries to suppress a rebellion against Catholicism triggered by the Reformation in Europe. He transported these troops by ship, but encountered French Protestants along the English Channel. He sought refuge in England and required a friendly English shore, meaning England had to be his ally. This is why, after becoming a widower, he asked Elizabeth to marry him. She refused, and as the south coast of England became increasingly hostile, it was clear she supported Protestantism, just as her father had. This was a harsh reality for Philip II. In 1568, three pay ships were attacked by the French and took refuge in England, where Elizabeth I confiscated the money. Elizabeth was never a Spanish ally, which created serious problems for Spain as England also became a hostile land. Philip II eventually deduced that reaching the Low Countries by sea was too difficult because the shores were lined with enemies. He chose an alternative known as the Spanish Road: troops traveled to Italy (Milan) and marched from there to the Low Countries.
• 2. English Piracy: This was the age of English pirates who attacked Spanish possessions, spreading not only to America but also to Asia. However, the Pacific remained safe because the English did not yet know how to navigate there; thus, the danger was concentrated in the Atlantic. These expeditions were financed by Elizabeth I, making it necessary for Spain to move against England to end this problem.
• 3.