The succession of Elizabeth I as the head monarch of England may have brought her criticisms regarding her capabilities and her individuality; but, she was able to surpass the contradictions around her and was able to build the Golden Age of England as what most historians have identified her reign (Briscoe, 2011). It is through her strong sense of leadership and skills that brought her to achieve a role that have produced substantive policies and mostly successful conquests. These have brought her at par with, if not surpassed her predecessors in the context of her contributions in further establishing England’s power and prominence, and as well as improving the welfare of her people. The past Tudor monarchs, dominated by males, have used different …show more content…
Some had a good-will and had made positive reforms and changes to the systems that once downplayed England, like Henry VII. On the other hand, some used their power to pay for their lavish demands, like Edward VIII. (Morill, 2014) Despite these differences, there appears to be a lack of character to most of them. A character needed for them to fully justify their reign besides heading England through policies and reforms. This issue may spring from their varied interests, lack of leadership qualities and capabilities, given that the monarchy was ran by succession through blood relations (Vallieres, 1999). Elizabeth I, then, came differently. She rose up beyond people’s expectations from her and slowly established herself a Queen who both had good plans and policies and at the same time had an appeal to her people; something which the past rulers failed to achieve even by her half-sister, Mary. On Elizabeth’s Farewell Speech in 1601 or the Golden Speech, it is very evident how she positively described her reign as the Queen. She characterized herself as a monarch who was focused on delivering