In the of the Tower: the Tudor Queens

Abstract

Abstract

The report will focus on Elizabeth Tudor during the reign of her sister, Mary I. It will discuss how the Tudor’s familial conflicts not only separated the sisters, but the kingdom into religious factions. The presentation will begin with a history of the Tudor Queen’s childhood. The presentation however will largely be placed in the turbulent, yet essential reign of Mary I. It will progress to describe her slide into disfavor and Elizabeth’s subsequent responses. The fanaticism and incompetence of Mary I gave rise to the tide of radical Protestant factions which would eventually sweep Elizabeth to the throne. The disastrous reign of Mary I and her public efforts to exclude her sister from the throne ultimately ensured that Elizabeth would become Queen in England. Mary forever caused Roman Catholicism in England to be associated with the religious purge, the Marian Persecutions. Elizabeth’s efforts to undermine and propagandize Mary’s reign altered the country’s formerly conservative Catholic views in favor of Elizabeth’s radical Protestant views. This led to a permanent change in English politics, culture, religious persuasion, and ultimately to British hegemony in Europe. Elizabeth’s decisive altering of English culture would not only change the identity of England, but the map of our world at large. The research used compromises of secondary and primary sources by leading Tudor historians of the 16^th, 19^th, and 21^st century.