"Bloody Mary and the "Virgin Queen"
Mary and Elizabeth Tudor were both, by all accounts, strong and intelligent women endowed with many of the qualities that mark a successful ruler. However, only Elizabeth's legacy is a positive one; her reign has been called the "Golden Age" of England, and she remains a heroine in popular history and even modern film. Mary's reign is scowled at, and seen by most as a brief unpleasant period preceding the glorious ascension of Elizabeth. To account for this, one can examine each sovereign's maternal influences, governing styles, and choices regarding marriage.
Maternal Influence
Mary's mother, Katherine of Aragon, has been described as a "staunch woman of misguided principles" (Weir 3). Betrothed to the English prince Arthur at the age of three, and sent from her homeland of Spain during adolescence, Katherine was accustomed to unquestioningly following the orders of her father (Weir 22). This was the normal course for a woman of that......
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Approximate Pages: 8 (260 words per double-spaced page) |