After the death of her half-sister in 1558 a 25-year-old Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England. She would rule for 44 years making her one of Britain’s longest reigning monarchs. And one of our most well-known. The image of Elizabeth is incredibly recognisable with her distinctive red hair and pale white skin. She has been portrayed by great actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt, Anne-Marie Duff and Miranda Richardson. But what of this is real compared to Elizabeth’s actual self. We will explore the reality of Elizabeth’s public experiences and if this showed anything about her. We will go about this by looking at her strong leadership, her purity, her defence, her miraculous revival of the economy. And on the other side her initial wealth, temper and appearance.
When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 she was inheriting a debt ridden, angry country with enemies across Europe and …show more content…
In the 44 years of her reign she made England a stable nation. Poverty under her father was high. Devalued the English money massively and it was up to Elizabeth’s government to change this. They set up laws protecting poor citizens by making them the communities responsibility. They also combatted inflation which was a major problem. We can see Elizabeth’s wealth through the clothes she is wearing. Although these are often over embellished for the pleasure of both the queen and the person viewing it we can see she is wearing precious materials and jewels, most probably from the likes of Raleigh and Drake. The earliest paintings of Elizabeth she is wearing less flamboyant clothing, this fits with the state if the economy at the time. As the country gets richer so do Elizabeth’s clothes. Her progresses, trips around the home counties, become very lavish. Showing the English people, the country is on an up. This is another area that Elizabeth’s public appearances show something about her even if they are slightly over
When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 she was inheriting a debt ridden, angry country with enemies across Europe and …show more content…
In the 44 years of her reign she made England a stable nation. Poverty under her father was high. Devalued the English money massively and it was up to Elizabeth’s government to change this. They set up laws protecting poor citizens by making them the communities responsibility. They also combatted inflation which was a major problem. We can see Elizabeth’s wealth through the clothes she is wearing. Although these are often over embellished for the pleasure of both the queen and the person viewing it we can see she is wearing precious materials and jewels, most probably from the likes of Raleigh and Drake. The earliest paintings of Elizabeth she is wearing less flamboyant clothing, this fits with the state if the economy at the time. As the country gets richer so do Elizabeth’s clothes. Her progresses, trips around the home counties, become very lavish. Showing the English people, the country is on an up. This is another area that Elizabeth’s public appearances show something about her even if they are slightly over