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November 17, 1558 - A Woman Ruled
On this date, November 17, 1558, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne of England at the age of 25. This incredible woman took England from just one of many European countries to the great seapower that ruled the waves for nearly 400 years.
My most vivid memory of my one trip to the UK, actually there are too many memories to call this the best. But I remember saying to my wife as we stood in Westminster that I couldn't believe I was standing next to Elizabeth. We were surrounded by all those tombs and the only one I truly cared about was the greatest woman to ever rule the world.
With increasing English domination at sea, Elizabeth encouraged voyages of discovery, such as Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world and Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to the North American coast.
The long reign of Elizabeth, who became known as the "Virgin Queen" for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare. By her death in 1603, England had become a major world power in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of England's greatest monarchs.
Let's applaud the memory of a great woman.
- NewHampster's blog
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...dreary place, isn't it? It gave me the creeps. So dark and dank, but of course it was raining that day. Well, I was rather fascinated with Poet's Corner, but I liked St. Paul's much better.
"I suffer from post-partisan depression." ~Barney Frank
and I do love history. Never got to St. Paul's. We had a choice of one more day in the city or a nice train ride to Avon. We did Avon and Warwick Castle.
Don't Blame Me! - I Voted for Hillary
McGovern - Carter - Mondale - Dukakis - Clinton - Gore - Kerry - McCain
...was going to like it until I got there, as I love history, as well. I dunno, just something about the place that didn't sit well with me.
"I suffer from post-partisan depression." ~Barney Frank
Now do people give her credit? Do they say she was lucky?
Every time the issue of Palin's clothing came up I thought of Elizabeth and how well-crafted her clothes were, sculpted to make her look powerful.
It had to have been her imprisonment that led her to be more fearless.
I love this part from Wikipedia: "Historians, however, tend to be more cautious in their assessment. They often depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered,[4] sometimes indecisive ruler,[5] who enjoyed more than her share of luck."
Of course those male historians do. She was just lucky.
Find a man's leadership "lucky"? Or is it only great women like Elizabeth who get tagged thus?
Because of course a woman couldn't actually be a real leader. Because a woman couldn't actually rule her country well without being lucky. Hormonal issues must make her ineffective and so if things go well it must surely be luck. And women are so scatter-brained and only interested in trivial things. Misogyny as usual infests every particle of human life.
I wonder why I am always surprised to find women's accomplishments denigrated at every level. I wonder that I can still find the emotion to be outraged after all these years. I wonder will it ever stop.
A Dishonest/Biased Media Is A Crime Against Democracy!
Elizabeth's father was Henry VIII who married six wives trying to secure the succession by having sons. At that time it was presumed that a woman would not be an effective ruler. Elizabeth showed that a woman could rule and do it well. She was able to keep Spain, a larger country in check. And England defeated the Spanish Armada during her reign.
He goes through all those wives, killing them in the process. Possibly does have a son out of marriage, then rolls over in his grave as his two daughters rule England.
One of my favorite books is The Other Boleyn Girl
Don't Blame Me! - I Voted for Hillary
McGovern - Carter - Mondale - Dukakis - Clinton - Gore - Kerry - McCain
despite the relentless pressure on her to do so.
As to be being lucky, I think she and England were tremendously lucky that storm came up to help them fight off the invasion of the Spanish armada, but apart from that, she was really one smart woman.