Elizabeth the First and Her Courtiers - 1375 Words

Elizabeth the First and Her Courtiers (Essay Sample) Content: Elizabeth the First and Her Courtiers Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Title: Date: 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 inaugural time in England’s history, a monarch ruled by the command of personal allure alone. Elizabeth the First was not a Queen by right of combat such as her grandfather Henry the 7th had been. Neither was she the selected leader of an influential faction. She inherited her throne by default she was forced by circumstances to keep her ceremonial position buy the power beauty and personality alone. However, this posed a challenge and she had to deal with many suitors, most of whom sought to seek her hand in marriage. It would be difficult for any woman. All former courtly ceremonies spheres of influence and power had relie d 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 pimps. With a female Queen on the throne, none of the aforementioned seemed not to work. 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 chauvinism. With this, the queen found challenges in her role as the head of the British monarchy at the time. 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 twofold 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 the somber business of leadership was carried out only by the men who had proved to b serious. 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 an equivalent of for indiscretion and sex. She had quite minimal women associates. In fact, other accounts have it that the queen stipulated a bachelor court. She was extremely angry and jealous that the one of her ladies might have an affair with one of her young and handsome courtiers. 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 visited the court at all. Although the second wife to Sir Dudley was married in secret, the lady was still banned from the company of her husband. 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 banishment from the court. 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 injured 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 obligated to wear black or whit e 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 and she would always claim. Rather, many pundits have seen this move as a combination of patronage, political skill, culture of courtly love, towering vanity, repressed love that were reminiscent of Tudors. The popularly referred to as the Virgin Queen was always viewed to be hyperactive flirt; in essence, she never really fell in love with the men she was emotionally attached to, in fact overprotective and domineering over. 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, po litical 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 agitatedly energetic. 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 mantle at a time when the culture of developing love chemistry 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 star-studded celebrity worship that was part of the England’s monarchy, and one that can still be witnessed to dat e. 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 pinnacle of art and literacy in recognition of beauty. Elizabeth’s powerfully repressed desire and pride combined to build a heightened attention for her. These notwithstanding, she was an excellent political leader. She was live to the fact that she had device a way of ensuring that the daring and advent urous young handsome men of England engrossed in her supremacy and interested in her court. By initiating a merry-go-round of pique and favoritism where a man’s opportunities and wealth would swell while the other’s fall in relation to how to how best they appealed to the Queen, Elizabeth kept the courtiers always jostling 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 magnificent Elizabethan quarters that were constructed were to appease 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. 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 astuteness, Elizabeth employed divide and rule while disguising her actions as a determinant to her ever-changing emotions. Needless to say, it was difficult to trust her, or even depend on her favor. Neither could they trust one another. By seeming to be the compassion of Elizabeth’s emotions indeed kelp the courtiers separated and always in competition with one another. This was a great play and a political gimmick that Elizabeth employed. Just a few of the courtiers ever succeeded in breaching the tricky mixture of realpolitik and vanity. 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 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 rogues 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 juncture that she swore she would never marry again; that she woul...