QUEEN ELIZABETH OF ENGLAND
We will now tell the story of a young girl who became the most famous
Queen that the world has ever known and laid the real foundations for
the modern greatness of the English nation. The name of this girl was
Elizabeth, and the time in which she lived has since been called the
Elizabethan Era. For England at that time was rich in the bravest
soldiers, the most daring sailors and the greatest men of genius, and
Elizabeth knew well how to surround herself with these men and use
their great talents to benefit her country.
Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry the Eighth, and his wife, Anne
Boleyn. Her childhood was far from being a happy one, for Henry was a
cruel tyrant and showed harshness to the princess in many ways. When
Elizabeth was only three years old her mother was imprisoned in the
Tower of London and then beheaded at King Henry's order, and her own
right to succeed him on the throne of England was taken away from her.
Then she was sent into the country to be brought up by servants and
attendants, and seldom was allowed at the Royal Court.
King Henry married a lady named Catherine Parr and Elizabeth became a
favorite with her step-mother. For the first time in her life she
received a little affection and kindness. Catherine saw that she had
the attention she needed and brought her back to Court, but although
she was still only a child something she said or did once more awakened
her father's anger, and Elizabeth was sent away in disgrace and not
permitted to return until after his death.
A son had been born to Henry the Eighth by another wife named Jane
Seymour; and this boy, who was christened Edward, succeeded his father
on the throne of England. Elizabeth, who was noted for her demure
bearing, was then thirteen years old and became a great favorite with
her brother, the boy king, who called her "sweet sister Temperance,"
and gave many signs of his regard for her. But Edward the Sixth did not
live very long. He had a serious disease that wasted him away, and
Elizabeth's half sister named Mary, became Queen.
Now Mary was an ardent Catholic, and desired that all England should
come under the power of the Catholic Church. To bring this about she
persecuted the Protestants in her kingdom mercilessly until anybody who
professed to the Protestant faith was in danger of being burned at the
stake. Mary, moreover, had married the dismal Spanish King, Philip the
Second, who tried to have her treat her subjects as he had done with
the people of the Low Countries, until through the efforts of William
the Silent, they won their freedom. And Mary was surrounded with
advisors who were even more fanatical and cruel than the Queen herself.
One of Mary's first acts when she became Queen was to send for her
sister Elizabeth and command her to become a Catholic. Elizabeth had
been brought up as a Protestant and believed in the Protestant
religion, but to save her life she decided to pretend to obey her
sister's order and to adopt the outward forms of the Catholic faith.
And then more trouble befell Elizabeth, for due to her sister's harsh
rule which had won her the name of "Bloody Mary," a revolt broke out
among a number of the English people to place Elizabeth upon the
throne. For the Protestants had not been deceived by Elizabeth's
pretended conversion. They knew that she was Protestant at heart, and
that if she were only Queen the cruel persecutions would straightway be
ended. And a young man named Wyatt began a rebellion in Elizabeth's
name that was only put down after severe rioting.
Wyatt was captured and stated that the Princess Elizabeth had known of
the plot; and Elizabeth was summoned to Mary to explain the accusations
against her and prove if possible that she had no share in the
undertaking. Elizabeth was very much frightened, and in fact she had
every reason to be. She dressed herself all in white as a symbol of her
innocence and went through the streets of London on her way to the
Queen; and the people gazed at her sadly and shook their heads, for
they were afraid that she was going to her death. Mary, who was
influenced by her advisers, refused to see her sister and would not
listen to her assurances of innocence, and finally an armed guard came
before Elizabeth and told her that she must go at once to the Tower of
London, where she was to be held a prisoner.
The Tower of London, which is standing to-day, is a gloomy fortress
that was built in the time of William the Conqueror, and since that
time had been the scene of many tragedies and executions, for the most
dangerous political prisoners were confined there. Elizabeth's own
mother had been put to death within its solid walls, and Elizabeth had
every reason to fear that a similar fate was intended for her by her
sister Mary. Guarded by soldiers, the Princess was taken on a boat down
the Thames River; but instead of stopping at the usual entrance to the
Tower, the boat drew towards a portal known as "Traitor's Gate," where
many of the worst prisoners entered, only to meet the axe of the
executioner.
"I am no traitor," Elizabeth cried out angrily when she saw where she
was, "I will not pass in by way of the gate of Traitors."
And when she was sternly told that she must obey, she added:
"Here lands as true an English subject as ever set foot on these
stairs!"
That she was near death she knew very well; and whenever she heard any
unusual bustle or stir in the prison courtyard, she tried anxiously to
see what was going on there, for she feared that they might be building
a scaffold for her execution. And her fears were only too well founded,
for the Queen's advisors hated Elizabeth and did not think that
Catholic rule in England was safe as long as the Princess was alive.
This, rather than the charge of treason that had been trumped up
against her, was the real reason for her imprisonment.
On one occasion, we are told, Mary fell ill; and her counselors took
the opportunity to have Elizabeth put to death. A warrant for her
execution was prepared, and an order was sent to the keeper of the
Tower to carry out the punishment at once.
"Where is the Queen's signature?" demanded that official.
"The Queen is too ill to sign it, but it is sent in her name," was the
reply.
"Then I will wait until she is well enough to send her order in
person," said the keeper,--and Elizabeth's life was saved. For Mary was
furious when she learned how her counselors had tried to take the law
into their own hands, and in spite of their remonstrances Elizabeth was
soon afterward taken from the Tower and set at liberty.
Queen Mary died in 1558, when Elizabeth was twenty-five years old, and
as it was known that Elizabeth would now come to the throne, there was
great rejoicing throughout England. Bonfires blazed and bells were
rung; and in joy at the accession of Elizabeth the people forgot to
mourn for the dead Queen, whose gloomy reign and religious cruelties
had caused her to be feared and hated everywhere.
From the first day of her reign Queen Elizabeth showed that she was a
Protestant at heart and she put an immediate end to religious
persecution. But Elizabeth was too shrewd to take any steps that would
cause the Catholics to hate her. She wanted the love and respect of her
entire people, and always shaped her course in such a way that she
could gain the good will of the greatest number of her subjects.
Elizabeth hated war and carried on her rule in such a way that she
could avoid it as far as possible. She encouraged trade and commerce
and learning and the sciences, and had in her possession long lists of
her subjects who had shown great ability, either as soldiers or
sailors, or in the fields of art and scholarship. As she rewarded such
men richly, the ambition of all Englishmen was to make themselves
worthy of being placed on one of these lists.
As a result of this policy, which was almost unparalleled in the
history of the world, England began steadily to forge ahead in the
occupations of peace, and a number of great and illustrious men sprang
into fame. The poet Shakespeare commenced to write his immortal plays,
and Spenser and Bacon both made deathless contributions to English
literature. The great explorers, Martin Frobisher and Sir Francis
Drake, brought back from their voyages priceless knowledge of
geography, and many treasures and discoveries to enrich England. The
English statesmen Cecil and Walsingham followed a shrewd and
far-sighted policy, allowing England to grow strong through the wars of
other nations without engaging in them herself, and put a stop to the
former extravagant proceedings in which the public money had been
wasted.
But in spite of her desire to keep out of war, many troubles beset
Elizabeth. In Scotland there was a young queen called Mary Queen of
Scots, Elizabeth's cousin, who claimed the throne of England in
addition to her own. Mary had always been the center of trouble and
turmoil and had frequently been embroiled with England; and being a
Catholic there were many among Elizabeth's subjects who would have been
rejoiced to see her on the throne in place of Elizabeth. On one
occasion, however, when Mary had been engaged in civil war in Scotland,
she was compelled to fly across the Scottish border and throw herself
on the protection of the English Queen.
Elizabeth did not dare leave Mary at liberty in England, for she feared
the plots that might arise as a result, so Mary was promptly put in
prison and kept there for eighteen years, with considerable pomp and
state as befitted her high birth, but a captive for all that and one
that was closely watched.
Holding Mary a prisoner was, however, a very foolish thing for
Elizabeth to do, for at once the Scottish Queen became the subject of
conspiracies among the English Catholics. Many of these were detected,
and Elizabeth's statesmen urged the Queen to sign Mary's death warrant
and put an end once and for all to the cause for internal trouble in
England that would continue as long as Mary lived. But Elizabeth was
most unwilling to take the life of her own cousin, who had come to
England of her own accord for safety, and she continued to keep Mary
under lock and key.
At last, however, a plot was discovered in which Mary was not only to
be rescued, but placed on the throne of England; and the plot went so
far as to plan the murder of Queen Elizabeth. And there was evidence
that Mary had actually shared in this conspiracy and to some extent had
directed it from her prison. The Scottish Queen was taken to
Fotheringay Castle, where she was tried for high treason and sentenced
to death, and Elizabeth very reluctantly signed the warrant. So Mary
was beheaded, going to her death with a dignity and firmness that have
added to her fame throughout the centuries.
These internal troubles were not the only ones that Elizabeth had to
contend with. Philip of Spain had tried to marry her after the death of
her sister, because he wanted to continue to influence English
politics. Elizabeth had refused him and the King of Spain had long been
her enemy, and was seeking to bring England back under the Catholic
rule. Although outwardly professing friendship, Philip was preparing
for war with England. And his ships captured English vessels on the
high seas and their crews were sent to torture or death because they
were Protestants. England did not sit meekly by and watch these
depredations on her seamen. English sailors were as good as any, and
often captured Spanish ships in their turn; and Spanish gold frequently
found its way to the English treasury, instead of into the coffers of
Philip.
England was poor, and had not then come to her full power as a great
nation, and Elizabeth did not feel able openly to go to war with Spain,
much as she desired to do so. But while she would not give orders for
her sailors to attack Spanish ships, she was not a little pleased to
have her share of the Spanish gold. Chief among her sailors who brought
home treasure in this way were Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake.
The last of these was a great friend of Elizabeth's on account of his
bold deeds and his great discoveries, and much more is told of him in
another chapter of this book. For he not only took many rich ships from
Spain, but sailed around the world, bringing back with him great
knowledge and gold and gems of priceless value. And although Elizabeth
had warned Drake to "see that he did no harm to her good friend, Philip
of Spain," she rewarded him richly for his deeds.
The death of Mary Queen of Scots had greatly angered Philip, and the
deeds of the English buccaneers filled him with rage. He labored for
years collecting a great fleet to invade England, and crowded the decks
of his vessels with soldiers. This fleet was called _The Invincible
Armada_ and set sail for England in 1588.
Elizabeth rallied her countrymen, and with the utmost coolness and
bravery made her preparations for defense. Every Englishman who could
wield a sword was called to the defense of his country. Boys of
eighteen were enlisted and men of sixty once more became men at arms.
For Elizabeth knew that if Philip ever gained a foothold in England,
the same terrible scenes would be enacted there that had taken place in
the Low Countries.
But the Spanish army never landed in England. When its sails appeared,
and it seemed as though it must overwhelm the small English fleet that
was opposed to it, Queen Elizabeth on horseback rode among her
soldiers, encouraging and cheering them, and urging them to fight to
their last drop of blood in defense of their country. But the English
fleet, under Sir Francis Drake, put the Spanish ships to flight and
sunk a great number of them. And a gale of wind did the rest, wrecking
the unwieldy Spanish boats and drowning thousands of Spanish soldiers
and sailors.
Elizabeth's courage and the loyalty with which she had been served by
her brave subjects had saved England, and never since that time, with
the exception of a raid by the American sailor, Paul Jones, have
British shores been reached by a foreign foeman. The English nation was
changing in Elizabeth's reign more than in any former period, and many
blessings were being given to the Queen's subjects that they had never
hitherto known. Her reign saw the last vestige of bondage and servitude
die out; and men were now allowed to practise the Protestant religion
without the constant fear of death. They became, moreover, used to a
better manner of living and enjoyed luxuries that their fathers had
never known. Of course, from our standards their lives would have
seemed poor and rough, but none the less they were a distinct advance
over all that had gone before.
The brilliant court kept by Elizabeth was surpassed by no other in all
Europe, and the magnificence of her dress had never been equaled. In
this respect the Queen resembled her father, Henry the Eighth, who
always had loved display. She had a thousand gowns of silk and rich
materials, all richly decorated with gold and precious stones. Her hair
was bright with gold and gems and in her Palace gold and rare jewels
were seen on every side.
The Queen was very fond of traveling in state through England, and on
her way would arrange to visit different noblemen in their castles,
where they had to provide for her entertainment. These trips were
called her "Progresses." And the noblemen selected to entertain her
considered themselves unlucky enough, for they had to go to enormous
expense to satisfy her whims, and were never sure of her
gratitude,--while on the other hand, they were always certain to hear
from her if anything displeased her. The most costly banquets, the
richest wines, the most brilliant pageants, the most extravagant
novelties and flatteries were expected, if not demanded, by the Queen
in the course of these entertainments.
Among her courtiers Queen Elizabeth had many favorites and perhaps the
worthiest of them was Sir Walter Raleigh. This gentleman was famous for
his courtly speech and gentle manners--things that delighted the
Queen--as well as for the richness of his apparel. On one occasion in
the course of a trip the Queen had to cross a muddy place in the road
and hesitated before soiling her delicate slippers, but Sir Walter
Raleigh slipped off the rich blue velvet cloak that he wore and cast it
in the mud in front of the Queen for her to walk upon. He well knew
that she would return the value of the cloak twenty times over in the
benefits she would confer on him, and this proved to be the case.
Sir Walter Raleigh was an explorer as well as a courtier, and had been
interested in the establishing of a colony in the New World, calling
the lands there "Virginia" in honor of the virgin Queen--a name that
has lasted to the present day. And from Virginia the potato and tobacco
were first brought into England--and Sir Walter Raleigh used to smoke
tobacco in a silver pipe, sometimes in the Queen's presence.
The Queen had other favorites beside Sir Walter Raleigh, and chief of
these was the Earl of Leicester. It was believed for a time that she
would marry him--but this did not come to pass. Another of her
favorites was the Earl of Essex, a self-willed and spoiled young man,
who frequently had difficulties with the Queen. On one occasion he
rudely turned his back on her, and Elizabeth retorted by boxing his
ears. Almost always after these affairs Essex left or was sent from
Court, but ultimately was pardoned and returned. The Earl of Essex was
put in command of troops in Ireland, and word of his mismanagement was
soon brought to Elizabeth. When he was recalled and punished he
believed that a great wrong had been put upon him and engaged in a
conspiracy against the Queen. For this he was imprisoned in the Tower
and beheaded.
Elizabeth reigned over England until she was seventy years old. As she
grew older she was troubled with ill-health, but her indomitable spirit
never failed her. She continued to ride until she had to be lifted to
her horse, and she ruled with a firm hand long after her health had
failed and she had grown ill and feeble.
But the end of her life was not happy. The throngs of courtiers who had
offered her the flattery and homage that were so dear to her, found
some excuse or other to go elsewhere and to bow themselves before the
feet of James of Scotland, the son of the unfortunate Mary Queen of
Scots, for James was now the recognized heir to the English throne. One
after one Elizabeth's followers deserted her and at times she was found
alone and in tears by the few faithful attendants that remained. She
could, of course, command attendance, but not the love that she had
formerly known--for there was now little to be gained from serving her,
and she had, moreover, been made unpopular by the execution of the Earl
of Essex, who was loved by the common people.
Elizabeth died in her sleep in 1603, passing away without pain. And we
are told that when her coffin was borne to Westminster Abbey, where she
was buried, that all the former love of her subjects returned and she
was mourned as no sovereign has been mourned before or since her time.
And this was only fitting, for in spite of her many faults, her like
has seldom been seen upon a throne or in the course of history.