The Myth of Elizabeth I – A Lecture by Professor Lucy Wooding (Oxford University)
During a recent school lecture, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Professor Lucy Wooding of Oxford University, which explored the idea of “The Myth of Elizabeth I.” What stood out immediately was how the lecture challenged the traditional, almost glorified image of Elizabeth, instead presenting a far more complex and fragile reality behind her reign.
Tudors were excellent at self-representation, Elizabeth a good example of such. A portrait of Elizabeth presents her as a semi-divine being, robes embroidered as eyes and ears representing the queen as all-seeing and all-hearing. It gave the impression that Elizabeth sails through her reign serenely despite extreme Catholic-Protestant conflicts.
J. E. Neale was widely in love with Elizabeth I and was the main biographist of Queen Elizabeth, creating a vision of her as someone who didn’t give in to extremes, writing about her during the Cold War, a similar time of extreme ideological conflict.
Another portrait of Elizabeth, the Armada portrait, has the Imperial crown behind it representing authority and has the globe under her hand, particularly Virginia, with contrasting images of the dilapidated Spanish Armada falling into despair whilst the British Navy is sailing strong.
Largely the main reason for the Armada’s defeat was due to the weather, a sign that God favoured Protestantism. Even despite Sir Francis Drake’s “Singeing of the King’s Beard” earning the British time and money to prepare for the army.
Efforts made in 16th century to colonise ended up in failure, for example Raleigh’s colonisation of Roanoke.
She was politically fragile throughout her reign and she knew it.
Early Elizabeth portrait indicates royalty through jewellery + coronation ring. When coming to the throne, Elizabeth I had several problems.
People celebrated Mary I’s death, Elizabeth’s decision not to marry shocked many. Same jewellery in both previous portrait and Mary I portrait but different poises: Mary I confident, Elizabeth I tentative.
Even up to the 19th century, to be Protestant is to be British.
In 1558, several nobility, gentry, Privy Council members were attracted to Protestantism, but entire nation still majority Catholic.
Catholicism duped Elizabeth illegitimate, has no choice but to be Protestant.
1580s portrait of Elizabeth represents fragility of foundations of her rule. Holding hands with Goddess of Plenty, Mary I with God of War, painting gifted to her by Walsingham. Henry VIII centre of portrait representing power.
Issue with gender: women perceived weaker than men and unfit to rule a country, people feared another female ruler after Mary I’s reign.
Four hormones theorem: blood represented courage, phlegm represented calmness, yellow bile represented anger, black bile represented sadness.
Men had more blood + yellow bile, women more phlegm + black bile.
Women very easily die from childbirth.
Religion problem: 1500-50 nobody knew what Protestant and Catholic really meant.
In conclusion, this lecture dismantled the myth of Elizabeth as a stable ruler and instead revealed a monarch navigating political fragility, religious division, and gender expectations while carefully constructing her image.