Good Queen Bess

"I would rather be a beggar and single
than a queen and married."

Tonight I watched the movie Elizabeth (prequel to Elizabeth: The Golden Age). I've already mentioned my love of reading about royalty in the sixteenth century, which is now expanding to include rulers from all era's from the 1100's with Eleanor of Aquitaine to the 19th century with Queen Victoria of England.

I'm particularly interested in Tudor England, but especially fascinated with Elizabeth. In my view she is the perfect representation of "girl power." As lame as it sounds, it's true. She was called the Virgin Queen because she was determined not to marry and be ruled by a man (I think it would be naive to believe that she really was a virgin, but who knows?).

Many liked to say that she was not pretty or desirable enough, but as a Queen this would not have mattered. If Elizabeth had wanted to marry somebody for love or alliance, she could have. For those of high birth marriage was a means of improving status or wealth and often resulted in unhappy circumstances, especially for women. Yet it was almost unthinkable for a woman to not be married and therefore under control of her husband instead of her parents.

I do not envy them, which is why I admire Elizabeth all the more. Most of her advisors wanted her to get married because like all men, they believed a woman was unfit to rule.

Proved them wrong didn't she?

As we all know, she reigned for about 45 years, part of which was England's Golden Age. The defeat of the Spanish Armada, English unity and uniformity of religion, and the founding of many English colonies in the Americas (including the lost colony of Roanoke) are all credited to her name and era (and lets not forget Shakespeare). Not a bad resume, eh? She also survived many attempts and plots to end her life or right to rule.

Admittedly, she probably had her fair share of luck in overcoming economic and military difficulties and she had many flaws, but despite all that she did a pretty damn good job of ruling England, a mighty empire, and did so as a lone sovereign.

Like I said, I do not envy the plight of women in the 16th century (well, throughout history really). Many of us enjoy (or perhaps it's just me? :] ) imagining ourselves as overseeing great kingdoms, wearing long, ornate dresses, wearing a crown, owning palaces and castles, and dancing at court. But as tempting as that all sounds, I would never trade my life now for a chance to live like they did back then, especially not as a person of royalty. Privacy, peace, and guaranteed safety were uncommon and I don't even need to go into how much I detest the position of women at the time.

No, I am too independent and creative to have been happy in such a place. I wouldn't mind owning one or two of those dresses or a tiara though...

"They are most deceived that trusteth most in themselves."

"There is one thing higher than Royalty:
and that is religion, which causes us
to leave the world, and seek God."

"Those who appear the most sanctified are the worst. "

-quotes by Elizabeth I, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, 5th and last of the Tudor line

On another note, I checked out IMDB after watching Elizabeth. Did anyone know that Lily Allen plays one of her Ladies in Waiting??