For this posting I post a question to you! Of all the British Queens in history, which one would you most like to meet and why? Please feel free to reply in the comment section. I would LOVE to hear from you!
And in case it was not obvious... my choice would be ELIZABETH I...
Ever respectfully,
Kelly Rachelle Mathews
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteWell, that is an interesting question, and despite being a British republican, it is one that as a former History teacher it is one that I have had to think about quite a lot.
In terms of History it is most certainly Elizabeth I who was sovereign from 1558 to 1603. Firstly, this was at the time of the Wars of religion in England, and at the time of her ascension to the throne the country was very much a divided place, between Catholic and Protestant. In this time, England became a united nation and defeated the Spanish and French invasions. I truly believe that without a true monarch such as Elizabeth that the tide of history would have been different. SHe kept the barons in check, she kept the rebel Catholics in the North in check, and of course, she was the monarch who was in charge against the aforementioned invasions. Also, as an aside, it was a golden age for English literature with Shakespeare and well-known English figures of history such as Francis Drake etc etc.... The quote, for which she is sstill famous, is one which is outstanding, "I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a King, and an English king at that", is known by every schoolchild back home, as we learn about the Tudors and Stuarts in Year 8 (age 12/13 - I don't know what that is in grades!).
HOWEVER..... I would like to have an sit down interview with the current monarch, Elizabeth II. Think about it.... She has been on the throne since 1953 and has met EVERY American president since that date, every British and Canadian prime-minster and just about every major figure in world history since the 1950's. She is someone we know so well, yet we know nothing about her. In terms of the monarchy, she is untouchable. Even left-wingers back home think she is out of bounds in terms of criticism. The current Queen must be a treasure trove of information, and it is unfortunate that she is going to take that information with her when she moves on. All of those famous people who'll have confided in her, all of the secrets of the state she must know....... Ohhh well.
By the way, that's a good question - which made me think a lot. Thanks.