On this day in history, Queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533.
Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was the only child they had together. Though, Anne Boleyn did suffer several miscarriages to Henry. Elizabeth was the only child that Anne Boleyn had. King Henry VIII, on the other hand, had other children, but they were not to Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was Henry's second daughter. His first daughter - Mary; who would later become Queen Mary I (also known as Bloody Mary) - was to his first wife Catherine of Aragon.
Henry had two daughters and a son. His son, Edward, was to his third wife: Jane Seymour. Edward would succeed his father to be king upon his death. But Edward was only a child when he became king and his reign didn't last long, as the young king died very prematurely while he was still a teenager. The passing from the crown from Edward to his half-sister Mary didn't go smoothly.
The passing of the crown didn't go smoothly as Lady Jane Grey claimed the English throne. Her claim to the throne of England didn't last very long though. Grey, became known as the 'nine-day Queen'. She became known as the nine-day Queen but was never officially crowned queen.
Lady Jane Grey was deposed from the throne by Edward's half-sister Mary, who had a stronger claim to the throne than her cousin Jane. Mary had her cousin Lady Jane Grey executed for attempting to take the crown from her, this resulted in Mary becoming the second of Henry VIII's children becoming monarch.
Mary didn't just become a monarch though when she became Queen of England, she also became the first Queen of England and made the way for future female monarchs to become Queen. One of those female monarchs was her half-sister - Elizabeth. Queen Mary, didn't reign for long on the throne, she was only Queen for a few years. In her dying days, Mary named her successor as her half-sister, Elizabeth. When Mary died, Elizabeth became the third and final of Henry VIII's children to become monarch of England. Elizabeth reigned the longest of the three siblings - she was one of England's longest-serving monarchs to this day,Elizabeth I reigned for a very impressive 45 years. The reign of Elizabeth is called the Elizabethan era. The Journey To Become Queen That journey to become Queen started in 1533 when she was born. Anne Boleyn is said to have found out that she was pregnant in January 1533. Then, on September 7th, 1533, Elizabeth (the future Elizabeth I was born).
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The monarchy is a British institution like no other. It is historic, both for its longevity, and its traditions. The history of the monarchy has all sorts of different historical events condensed into one. From dramas, to love, romance, marriages, deaths, battles, war, religious conflicts, political scandals...you name it, monarchical history has it. And that is what makes it so interesting: the history of the British monarch has been like Game of Thrones in action.
Of course, things have mellowed down as to how the British monarchy used to be. But the history of the British monarchy is still fascinating. A large part to do with how fascinating the British monarchy has been throughout history, is down to the individual monarchs themselves. There is a long list of monarchs who are diverse and interesting. In this list, we are going to look at ten monarchs who have all been different and unique in their own way. These top ten monarchs are from a range of different historical eras. Their era, as well as their choices, influenced and shaped history on the British Isles forever, and that is why they have a place in our top ten list of monarchs from the British Isles. This top ten monarchs list will be based on which monarchs have had the greatest and most influential role in history. It will be about how these monarchs shaped the history of the British Isles, both at the time of their own reign and how their actions helped shaped future historical eras. This list won’t be based on how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ these kings and queens were. Instead, it’s based on how impactful they have been on history, their longevity, their memorability to us and how they changed the course of history on the British Isles forever. Let’s start with our top ten list of monarchs to sit on any British throne list!
10. Ethelflaed
Kicking off our top ten list is Ethelflaed. Ethelflaed was the daughter of King Alfred the Great; King Alfred the Great was King of the Anglo-Saxons between 886 and 899, he was also King of the West Saxons between 871 and 886. Ethelflaed is not only known for being the daughter of Alfred the Great, she is also known for being the ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Merica.
The Kingdom of Merica was one of the kingdoms that existed on the British Isles before the Kingdom of England was formed, Ethelflaed was Lady of the Mercians from 911 to 918. She is on our top ten list because Ethelflaed was a warrior Queen who broke down the glass ceiling. This Lady of the Mercians was the only female royal ruler of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, and she was a warrior Queen who notably took on the Vikings. Ethaelflaed was a war-like monarch, who defended the Kingdom of Mercia several times against the Vikings, and, due to her warrior strength and military savviness defended her Kingdom agaist the Vikings on several occasions. Her military strength and cleverness is one of the reasons why she deserves to be on this top ten list. Another reason why she deserves to be on this top ten list is due her breaking down the glass ceiling for other female monarchs on the British Isles to lead their kingdoms. She paved the way for Matilda, Elizabeth I, Mary I, Mary Queen of Scots, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II. We haven’t had many female Queens in history who have led in their own right, Ethelflaed deserves to be remembered for being the first female monarch to rule a kingdom on the British Isles. She wasn’t the first Queen of England though. The first Queen of England was Mary I (Bloody Mary), who became Queen of England several hundred years after Ethelflaed had died. 9. William the Conqueror
We are staying with the medieval era, but looking at another impactful monarch of the medieval era: William the Conqueror. William the Conqueror is well-known to us all. William is known for his Norman conquest of England in 1066, and is known for being the first Norman King in history. William the Conqueror (also William I) fought and defeated Edward II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was a turning point in history and laid the foundations for the England we know today. The England that William I won, and won the right to rule over was only a newly formed kingdom around the same time that William the Conqueror became King of England. A few decades before the Battle of Hastings, the Kingdom of England didn’t exist. Instead there were a few different kingdoms in its place, such as the Kingdom of Merica, a Kingdom that King Ethelstan unified with our Kingdoms to create the Kingdom of England.
King Ethelstan was the first ruler of England, however, William the Conqueror is often looked upon as the first King of England. William has managed to make an impact on history that other monarchs have failed to do, such as Ethelstan. This is another reason why William the Conqueror is on this list, because he has made an impact on history that few monarchs have. There have been hundreds of battles fought on the British Isles and most of them are not memorable, or well-known. However, the Battle of Hastings is one of those few exceptions. The Battle of Hastings has cemented William the Conqueror’s place in history, both for his role in the battle, William’s speech after winning the battle, and how it shaped the course of English history. Another, and final thing that makes William’s reign as king memorable, is due to his coronation itself. The coronation of William was on Christmas day 1066, which resulted in him officially becoming King of England. 8. Llywelyn the Great
From one unifying King to another unifying King, we now look to Wales and to Llywelyn the Great. Llywelyn the Great is one of the longest-serving monarchs the British Isles has ever had. For this reason, he deserves to be in our top ten list of monarchs on the British Isles. Llywelyn reigned as King of Wales for an impressive 45 years, resulting in him being one of the longest-serving monarchs the British Isles has ever had. He is the eighth longest-serving monarchs in Britain of all time, this impressive reign by Llywelyn, was a longer reign than Elizabeth I had.
The long reign of Llywelyn the Great suggests a strong, resilient and savvy political and military leader. These traits are shown in what Llywelyn accomplished during his reign as King. Llywelyn the Great successfully united Wales as one. Before that, we he first became King, he was only King of North Wales. However, due to his political savviness, diplomacy skills, war-like spirit and strength, successfully resulted in Llywelyn the Great uniting Wales. For is role in uniting Wales and creating the Wales we know and love today, is one of the main reasons why Llywelyn the Great deserves to be on this list. There is one final reason why this Welsh King deserves to be on this list: he was instrumental in the Magna Carta being enshrined into law. The Magan Carta is, probably, the single most important historical document in both the British Isles and the world. Llywelyn the Great forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, which means that Llywelyn the Great was instrumental in creating the Magna Carta laws. This is important, as the Magna Carta has given people human rights and freedoms. It has also influenced the American constitution and is still an important law that helps shape and influence human rights and freedoms to this day. 7. King John
In keeping in the spirit of the Magna Carta we are going to look at our next monarch: King John. King John deserves to be on our top ten list of monarchs for several reasons, one of these reasons is the Magna Carta. Although King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, it was an important, if not one of the most important events which have ever happened in history. King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in June 1215 by his barons and Llywelyn the Great. It was an important historical event which has shaped the course of British history and beyond ever since. Being forced to sign the Magna Carta though, shows that King John was a weak king who did not have full control of his realm, it shows that he lacked the authority he should have had and displayed as King.
It is perhaps partly through this that King John has a bad reputation in history. He also has a bad reputation in history because of his failed military endeavours and through his poorly received reputation through the tales of Robin Hood. His role in the history of Robin Hood is another reason why King John deserves to be on this list. For what would the tales of Robin Hood be without the evil imposter King John? Thanks to the tales of Robin Hood, King John is seen as a classic villain - he has been seen as the imposter King who stole the English crown from history brother (King Richard I), and as a monarch who ruled over England with a cruel iron fist, is the way King John has been perceived through the tales of Robin Hood, which has helped shaped his reputation in history. 6. Richard I
Sticking with Robin Hood, we look none other than to King Richard I himself. King Richard I deserves to be on this list for being part of, and shaping the story of Robin Hood itself. Although King Richard I was absent from England due to fighting in the Crusades in the Middle East, he is a central and crucial role to the history that shaped Robin Hood. There is historical evidence that Robin Hood did exist, the first record of him being noted in history is from 1377. However, it’s also likely there is some added folklore to the real Robin Hood and his story. For example, Maid Marion was added to the story much later and it’s unknown if Robin Hood ever actually did meet Richard the Lionheart, though no record of it seems to be recorded.
Whatever the real truth about Robin Hood, what can be said is that Robin Hood has helped immortalized Richard I in history. His catchy name ‘Richard the Lionheart’ also helps this medieval monarch stand out and be remembered in a sea of British monarchs. King Richard the Lionheart deserves to be on this list through his memorable impact on British and English history, both for the crusades, but especially for Robin Hood. King Richard I shows that a monarch can have a great impact on both his era and history without being a long-lasting monarch, as Richard was only King of England for ten years. Ten years isn’t a long reign, but it didn’t need to be for Richard, as it was long enough to make his stamp on history and be remembered. He is the last medieval monarch on our list. 5. Henry VIII
Away from the medieval era, we move into the Middle Ages, with none other than King Henry VIII himself. King Henry VIII really needs no introduction, he is a monarch that speaks for itself just by describing his name. Henry VIII was an impactful monarch in so many ways: he was instrumental in breaking away from the Catholic Church through the English Reformation, he was a tyrant-King who spared no one of mercy and he had a record-breaking six wives. Henry deserves to be on this list for his colourful and boisterous character, and for the fact that he changed the nature of religion and religious worship on the British Isles forever.
Everything about Henry VIII’s reign is interesting and gripping, perhaps more so for the way that he treated those closest to him, rather than anything else. With his six wives and Queens, one was exiled by him, two were beheaded by him, one died through giving birth to the son he so desperately wanted and two outlived him. He also beheaded two of his closest friends and political confidants: Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell. There are so many reasons why Henry VIII deserves to be on this list and you could write a whole book about how impactful and memorable his reign as King was. It was so impactful that his reign as King lasted long after his death, with us him giving us the first English Queen, Mary I (Bloody Mary, who was his daughter), and the second Queen of England, Elizabeth I who was also his daughter. Henry desperately wanted a son to secure his legacy and to secure the throne of England for the Tudor dynasty, however, the irony is, was that his son Edward VI was weak and didn’t last that long as King after the death of Henry VIII, whereas, both of Henry’s daughters Elizabeth and Mary were longer serving monarchs and were as strong as any King. 4. Elizabeth I
In keeping with the Tudor spirit, Queen Elizabeth I is one of our top monarchs of all time. She came to the throne when her sister Mary I had died. Mary I reigned for ten years as the first Queen of England. However, her reign as Queen was notorious, which is seen through the title that she is now remembered by: ‘Bloody Mary’. Mary was known for her cruel persecution of protestants and her attempt to reverse the English reformation due to her Catholic beliefs. However, given that Mary was succeeded by Elizbeth, a practising protestant, it seems in hindsight that Queen Mary’s attempt to reverse the English reformation was futile. After Mary tried to stamp out the protestant faith in England during her ten-year reign, Elizabeth restored the protestant faith in England upon becoming Queen. It is partly for her protestant faith, and the impact that it had on England that Elizabeth is remembered for. She is also remembered for the relationship that she had with her sister Mary I. The relationship between the sisters was a complex one, however, although they had differences in religious beliefs, Mary I named Elizabeth as her successor and wanted her sister to succeed her to be Queen of England, which is what happened.
Elizabeth is also known for her relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by her own lords and forced to abdicate the Scottish throne, she was imprisoned in Loch Leven castle. Mary escape and fled to England. However, it was a fatal mistake on Mary's behalf, as her existence was a threat to Elizabeth's life and crown. Elizabeth didn't want to kill her own cousin, but as she saw Mary as a threat to her own crown she imprisoned Mary in England for almost twenty years. Though there is no evidence to suggest that the two cousins met, their distant relationship is one of the things that both women are remembered for. Elizabeth is also known as the Virgin Queen due to her unwillingness to marry. Like with Henry VIII, a whole book could be written about why Elizabeth I deserves to be on this top ten list of monarchs, Elizabeth I reigned for over 44 years and is the ninth longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British Isles. 3. Victoria
In keeping with the longest-reigning monarchs, we move to the second longest-reigning monarch in British history: Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria is the second longest-reigning monarch of British history and the British Isles, she’s also one of the longest-reigning monarchs ever to have lived in the world. Queen Victoria ruled for an impressive 63 years, which is one of the reasons that she belongs on this list. But there are other reasons why this monarch deserves to be on our top ten list of monarchs, mainly, for how the Victorian era changed both Britain and the world. The British Empire largely changed the nature of the world and Britain itself. It helped modernize Britain through the industrial revolution.
During Victoria’s reign, Britain was the world’s most powerful country. It dominated and controlled large parts of the world in several continents. The British Empire stretched from Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Americas, which led to the British Empire becoming the world’s largest-ever empire by the time the Victorian era had finished. But it is not just how the Victorian era shaped the world that makes Victoria’s reign memorable, which also makes it memorable is how Victoria’s reign shaped Britain itself. Today we remember Victorian Britain as a place of workhouses and deep inequality. We can see how things like inequality and workhouses shaped Victorian Britain through the work of Charles Dickens. It is also partly through Charles Dickens that we have the Christmas that we know today. Christmas before the Victorian era was vastly different from the Christmas that we have today, it was really the Victorians who created the modern Christmas we know today. Partly that was down to Victoria herself, who introduced the Christmas tree into Britain. It is thanks to Victoria herself that we have the most central aspect of Christmas that we have today: the Christmas tree. Victoria’s reign helped change and shape the modern world we live in today. 2. James I (VI)
From one long-serving monarch to another, we move onto James I (VI), he ruled as monarch for a very impressive 57 years. King James I deserves to be on this top ten list of monarchs both for his longevity as King and for being the King that united the British Isles and formed the foundations for the United Kingdom. The Union of the Crowns happened in 1603, resulting in the crowns of Scotland and England uniting into one crown and serving the whole of the British Isles. England and Wales were already united through the 1536 Act of Union, therefore, the 1603 Union of the Crowns united all of the British Isles. And the Act of Union in 1707 formed the United Kingdom, which happened after the death of James I.
It is through creating the union, and bringing together all countries in the British Isles that King James I deserves to be so high up on this list. His actions created the most successful Union in the world and brought together the countries of the United Kingdom to form one country which has brought peace between the countries, economic prosperity, a shared history, culture and language, and many of the worlds modern inventions. James came to be King of the whole British Isles due to already being King of Scotland and through the death of Elizabeth I who had no heir to succeed her, apart from her cousin, James I of Scotland. James is not only known for creating the United Kingdom, but he is also known for the Gunpowder Plot. The Gunpowder Plot is when Guy Fawkes and several other men tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 4th/5th of November 1605, when James was set to open parliament the following day. The Gunpowder Plot wasn’t successful and Guy Fawkes was caught in the act in the House of Parliament cellars. The attempted plot resulted in the creation of Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night which is still celebrated to this day. Therefore, James deserves to be on this list of our top ten list of monarchs for creating Guy Fawkes Night and forming the United Kingdom. 1. Elizabeth I
For her longevity alone Elizabeth I is our number one monarch. This monarch has reigned for nearly 68 astounding years. Elizabeth I has reigned for so long that it seems very unlikely that we will have another monarch who reigns so long. However, they probably thought the same about Victoria. Coming to the throne in 1952, the vast majority of British people have never known another monarch except Elizabeth I. The world and Britain have went through so many changes since the 1950s, when Queen Elizabeth first took to the throne. Probably the biggest changes are the changes brought about by technology, where we have instant contact with people from anywhere in the world and 24-hour media, both things were unheard of in the 1950s.
Although there has been many changes throughout the world since the second Elizabethan age began, it is hard to get a grasp on this monarch in a historical context, as we are still living through this second Elizabethan age. It is only historians decades from now that will be able to see this age and monarch a lot more clearly, and through a proper historical lens. But, however, history judges this monarch, it’s safe to say Elizabeth II has cemented her place in history due to her longevity as Queen. All of these monarchs for various different reasons have cemented their place in history and created monarchical history for what it is and was. All of these monarchs have shaped history in a way that no other monarchs have, which is why they are on our top ten list of monarchs, their actions have shaped the course of both British and world history over the course of a thousand years and put their place in the history books forever.
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