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12:10 pm
June 27, 2009
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I've always been fascinated by Elizabeth I, & shes my second favorite historical figure after anne herself. i feel she was a very intelligent woman & an excellent leader( she was also the 'ultimate revenge'- the fact that anne's daughter grew up to be a far better ruler than anyy son henry couldve had(or did have) & not to mention one of history's greatest monarchs 😉
i was shocked a few months ago when one website listed elizabeth as one of the 'most evil women of history' =\\
what does everyone else think of elizabeth I?
Anne Boleyn: Laetissima
"for all those who meddle in my cause, i require them to judge the best"
5:32 pm
June 24, 2009
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Gosh! That's terrible – that anyone could describe Elizabeth as 'the most evil women of history.' She was a great lady, highly intelligent, educated and fair. In an age which was often very cruel, she was a wise and tolerant ruler, a great statesperson and an astute judge of human character. I am glad you approve of her. So do I. There is much that is very wonderful and magical about the age that took her name – England's golden age, as we Brits call it in our more nostalgic moments.
SR
9:12 pm
June 23, 2009
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Well…yes and no. Elizabeth was certainly enlightened, certainly fostered cultural and societal development, and the British Isles propsered under her reign. However, she did have moments of cruelty, and brutality. She was everything bright and beautiful in the middle ages and she was also ruthless, cold and calculating when she had to be. She was quoted as saying 'My father was a lion, and I am the lion's cub.' She imprisoned and eventually executed her cousin and rival to the throne Mary Queen of Scots. She also employed many spies and assassins which she used on a regular basis, (both on her home soil and abroad). Like her father, she also loved flattery and constant ego pumping. Many were imprisoned under her rule for simply disagreeing with her policies. We also have to understand the times in which she lived, and also try to remember that as a single female monarch she was a constant target for plots and probable assassination attempts. Part of her had to be an Ice Queen for her to survive. I believe that she was a good ruler and that Britain prospered under her immensely but she wasn't all light, love, and 'The Virgin Queen'. She could and was capable of doing whatever it took to remain on the throne, and if it involved cruelty, murder, and imprisonment she wasn't above using it. Unlike her father who was basically a maniacal tyrant (especially towards the end) Elizabeth did what she felt she needed to do, probably with a great deal of thought and planning on her part. If what was required was brutal she didn't feel a compunction to do it.
Diem et animus scire cupio: I desire knowledge of the soul.
11:38 am
June 19, 2009
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Dear Madam,
I have an interesting one for you on Elisabeth I.
Henry VIII was the first King of England to have anything near a Navy, England always had ships, but not organised.
Elisabeth I saw the potential and really developed the Navy. In Elisabeth's time, England as the song goes \”Ruled the waves\” because of one master stroke by her. Elisabeth replaced inaccurate large cannons with large quantities of smaller ones. This technology allowed the English ships to dominate in battle on the sea. The way it worked was, an English ship would get fired upon by lets say a Spanish vessel. Generally, even if the English ship was hit, the damage was slight. By the time the Spanish have reloaded, the English ship would have pulled up beside and with an array of smaller cannons fired together, the result was a quickly sunk enemy vessel.
One would think that after a little while and loosing countless ships, England's foes at sea would have tried to match them. It took nearly 100 years, long after Elisabeth's death before the French, Spanish and the other sea faring countries caught up. By that time, England was well on its way to having an Empire. All thanks to this great lady's thinking.
Heres the best part though,
The British Navy know this history well and recently founded or made one of Elisabeth's navy cannons based on one they found well preserved and recovered from one of Elisabeth's ships in the English Channel.
They wanted to fire one of these cannons made in the same way as back then, using the same materials to see how accurate and over what distance it was effective, last year, the British navy did so, and it preformed much more than expected.
All involved were in awe!
Back then, England and its Queen were not to be messed with, what a fiery lady in many respects,
my hat is off to you, Elisabeth!
Paudie.
If it was not this, then it would be something else?
12:12 am
June 20, 2009
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Elizabeth is also a favorite of mine…
After everything she went through as a child, she grew up to be a very wise woman. Yes she may have done things that were not conventional, but she tried to avoid violence at all costs.
Many thing we will never know because she was famous for keeping her own counsel. Some say she was broken up about the Mary Queen of Scots incident, others say she rejoiced at her demise. We'll never truly know unless we ask her ourselves.
Let not my enemies sit as my jury
1:54 am
February 16, 2009
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Paudie,
Thanks for your interesting post about Elizabeth's navy. I find it amazing that a simple change of cannons led to such success and that it took around 100 years for everyone else to catch up! Elizabeth obviously inherited her parents' intelligence, quick thinking, shrewdness and perseverance. I really must do more research on her.
Mademoiselle Boleyn,
I too found a website listing her as one of the most evil people of the 16th century – http://one-evil.org/people/people.htm – she's at No. 4, Mary I is No.1, Henry VIII is No. 9 and there are a stack of popes on there along with Luther, Calvin and Shakespeare(!). It's an interesting list!
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
10:25 am
June 20, 2009
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Oh wow…
Is Mother Teresa and Princess Diana on the list? It seems like that list a little crazy.
Mary I had issues. Do they excuse what she did, not really, but it makes it a bit easier to understand her frame of mind when she condoned those actions. As for the rest, well, I don't agree with most of it. Luther, Calvin, Shakespeare were not evil. Neither was Elizabeth I..
Henry is too complex… I couldn't say if he was TRULY evil.. Misguided maybe, but not evil.
Let not my enemies sit as my jury
11:27 am
June 19, 2009
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It just seems to be a provocative list, all the popes are in there, know that there were some bad ones surely not all of them!
Regardless, \”evil\” is a very strong word and should not be thrown about for sensationalism.
Henry VIII was hedonistic and cruel and incapable of being wrong, after all, he dealt directly with God.
I am sure God also directly dealt with him when he presented himself at the \”pearly gates\” or I want my money back!
When the Tudor Dynasty fell lastly to Elisabeth, it was not in the best of health and she was expected to be Henry's daughter. In many respects she was, in many more she was Anne's. Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own actions as Elisabeth is, to class her as evil? I think nowhere near it.
Paudie.
(The math at the end of the page is getting harder??)
If it was not this, then it would be something else?
7:39 am
July 1, 2009
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ipaud said:
Dear Madam,
I have an interesting one for you on Elisabeth I.
Henry VIII was the first King of England to have anything near a Navy, England always had ships, but not organised.
Elisabeth I saw the potential and really developed the Navy. In Elisabeth's time, England as the song goes “Ruled the waves” because of one master stroke by her. Elisabeth replaced inaccurate large cannons with large quantities of smaller ones. This technology allowed the English ships to dominate in battle on the sea. The way it worked was, an English ship would get fired upon by lets say a Spanish vessel. Generally, even if the English ship was hit, the damage was slight. By the time the Spanish have reloaded, the English ship would have pulled up beside and with an array of smaller cannons fired together, the result was a quickly sunk enemy vessel.
One would think that after a little while and loosing countless ships, England's foes at sea would have tried to match them. It took nearly 100 years, long after Elisabeth's death before the French, Spanish and the other sea faring countries caught up. By that time, England was well on its way to having an Empire. All thanks to this great lady's thinking.
Heres the best part though,
The British Navy know this history well and recently founded or made one of Elisabeth's navy cannons based on one they found well preserved and recovered from one of Elisabeth's ships in the English Channel.
They wanted to fire one of these cannons made in the same way as back then, using the same materials to see how accurate and over what distance it was effective, last year, the British navy did so, and it preformed much more than expected.
All involved were in awe!
Back then, England and its Queen were not to be messed with, what a fiery lady in many respects,
my hat is off to you, Elisabeth!
Paudie.
Welll Said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe Death is not the end
9:57 am
June 24, 2009
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If we spend time visiting every barmy website we would never get anything done! What is evil anyway – just somebody's idea of what is opposite to their beliefs. Real evil exists, but it is something outside of people, something that they partake in at certain times in their lives. There are no such things as evil people.
And Elizabeth? … Top Lady. End of story.
SR
11:51 am
February 16, 2009
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You mean you don't spend your time looking for barmy websites, Sarah?! I agree with you, everyone perceives evil differently but, like you, I feel that there is real evil in the world and people are used as \”vessels\” for it. Not sure how to explain myself!
Debunking the myths about Anne Boleyn
7:33 am
June 24, 2009
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Actually, I do like the occasional 'barmy' website sometimes. (present company not included by the way)
Evil? I think it's all a bit like fish swimming in the ocean. Sometimes they go through warm water, sometimes cold. Sometimes we swim through goodness, at other times through evil. It changes us from time to time. But we are free to choose where we swim!
SR
12:59 pm
August 22, 2011
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I also think Elizabeth I is the second most interesting figure of the Tudor dynasty. Anne Boleyn was the one who turned European History upside down, and Elizabeth enjoyed the most glorious reign England has ever had. As Anne said in “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “…my Elizabeth…and my blood will have been well spent.”
"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." Psalms 118:23
2:19 pm
June 7, 2011
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WilesWales said:
As Anne said in “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “…my Elizabeth…and my blood will have been well spent.”
It sums the situation up perfectly. I wish Anne really had said that!
"It is however but Justice, & my Duty to declre that this amiable Woman was entirely innocent of the Crimes with which she was accused, of which her Beauty, her Elegance, & her Sprightliness were sufficient proofs..." Jane Austen.
3:35 am
May 19, 2011
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Evil?
Conniving, genius, manipulative, creative, witty, spoiled, willful, kind, gullible, hard and demanding yes.
She had an evil sense of humour though. A courtier bowed low before her and passed wind. He left the country for a period of something like seven years from embarrassment. When he came back and presented himself before Elizabeth, she said: “My Lord, I had forgotten the fart.”
Perhaps it's one of his ancestors that claims she was evil…
"A fresh young damsel, who could trip and go"
