Elizabeth I reigned for a staggering 44 years, which was extraordinary considering the scrutiny she faced. The issues of her marriage, the Catholic threat from Europe and Scotland and her protestant succession meant that Elizabeth was often overlooked as a queen due to the fact that she was seen by Catholic powers to be a lesser person as a result of her being a female, unmarried, seen as a 'heretic', and technically being a bastard.
Elizabeth diverged from her father and sister's goals, such as expansion and ideological passions, and rather was known for her propaganda, long reign and defeat of the Armada.
Love
When watching the 1998 film 'Elizabeth', we are accustomed to the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Elizabeth often used her gender to her advantage politically, and had four 'favourite' suitors.
The first of these suitors was Robert Dudley. Supposedly, this was the only man she ever really loved and wanted to wed; rarely was he absent from court during the first 18 months of her reign. However, Dudley became married, and because his wife happened to fall down the stairs and die, a marriage between the two was concluded as too dangerous. Moreover, their relationship unstable, and her fierce personality meant that when he acted brashly and too bold, she would humiliate him or exile him from court. Despite this, she would keep a miniature portrait of him in her closet, and kept in her possession the last letter from him to her before his death.
Her other suitors included Sir Christopher Hatton, Sir Walter Ralegh and Robert Devereux.
After all her disdain and troubles with relationships, Elizabeth decided to rule with her head and not her heart, meaning she would not let emotions influence her political decisions.
Art
Nicholas Hilliard was Elizabeth's most prized painter. He was famous for his miniature portraits that had a unique style; they were realistic and like mirror image reflections. His jewel-adorned lockets could be worn as badges that were then given as presents between people.
Hilliard was famous for portraits that realised 'the lovely graces, witty smilings, and these stolen glances which suddenly like lighting pass, and another countenance taketh place.'
Religion
Elizabeth was a protestant unlike her successor sister, Mary, who was a devout and spiteful Catholic. Moreover, Elizabeth did not invoke rules that meant Catholics could not practice their religion, but rather be free to believe in what they choose. Despite this, Catholic leaders still had a hatred towards Elizabeth and would plot against her. This included the famous battle with the Spanish Armada, who, under the rule of King Philip II of Spain, wanted to overthrow Elizabeth and convert England back to Catholicism. The defeat of the Armada consolidated Elizabeth as a suitable ruler of England.
Exploration
As a result of the free-spirited Renaissance spreading across Europe, the attitude towards exploring became relaxed and it became a prominent activity. The discovery of new worlds lead to the rise of slave trade, spice trade and exporting of Gold and Silver. This also meant that luxury goods were more widely available.
Clothing
At the time of Elizabeth's death, she had over 3000 dresses and headpieces. She often wore garments dyed with expensive colours, and wore expensive fabrics such as satin and lace which were then decorated with pearls, ribbons and gems. She would also wear masks while hunting as they were a conformity when dressed in outdoor clothing.
Sources:
Cosgrave, B. 2000. Costume and Fashion: A Complete History, Hamlyn.
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Elizabethan_era.html
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