Queen Elizabeth I Essay Example

Were Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great effective rulers? Were their reign's characterized as good or not so well? Disregarding the opinion of those who reigned concurrently or historians today, these two ruled their country in a time of turmoil and uncertainty! The world and the people within it were undergoing a major transition. New lands were being discovered as well as major role-playing continents and countries were changing status. Some losing power while others gained it. Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great ruled their country to the extent in which they were able and their subjects allowed them to. Queen Elizabeth I of England was a remarkable ruler. Elizabeth was born in 1533 to Henry VIII of England and took the throne in 1588 at the age of twenty-five and reigned until 1603 when she passed away (Sowards, 28). Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor Dynasty (Upshur, 465). Due to her father's uncontrollable hap-hazardous rule, Elizabeth, at only the age of twenty-five, was already faced with dilemma within England. Henry VIII wanted a male to take over his throne so when he felt his time was running out, Henry VIII needed to divorce his Queen at that time but the Catholic Church doesn't allow this. He separated from the church and brought England with him. He turned England into a protestant nation. Needless to say people were confused and had to make huge adjustments. At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign there was confusion. She was a firm Catholic however she made a compromise between the two religions. Queen Elizabeth's decision was due largely from the consent of her people (Upshur, 465). However, Elizabeth knew that two religions would cause problems. "As reestablished, the Anglican Church was protestant in it's Theology, but much of it's ritual and ecclesiastical organization remained Catholic in form"(Upshur, 465). Elizabeth believed that loyalty of her people would bring them together as well as the country. The people were not forced by