|
Lying on her deathbed in Richmond Palace, London, Queen Elizabeth I squeezed the hand of her faithful archbishop for the last time, whispered the name of her successor and slipped peacefully into death.
This year, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Coronation of Elizabeth II, sees the 400th anniversary of the cold morning in March when the old queen breathed her last and brought down the curtain on the Tudor dynasty.
Elizabeth I is one of the most famous queens in history. The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth reigned for 45 years between 1558 and 1603 and was the last of Henry's three children to come to the throne.
Her reign is not without criticism. Right up to her death, she did little to provide for a successor, which created uncertainty.
This in turn not only encouraged the court factionalism which had dogged previous monarchs, but encouraged plots in support of rival contenders to her throne (the most famous being Mary Queen of Scots, who was finally executed after long agonising by Elizabeth I).
Elizabeth's domestic policies did not contain inflation which increased rapidly towards the end of her reign, and her financial difficulties were made worse by a distant relationship with Parliament.
However, her reign coincided with one of the finest periods in English history, which many consider to be something of an English golden age that fully merits Elizabeth's place in history as 'Gloriana'.
During this period English ships captained by the sailors of the calibre of Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh circumnavigated the globe and established the country as a leading naval power - a position confirmed when English ships took on the Spanish Armada in 1588, and won a victory over the largest naval force ever assembled. English poets, writers, musicians and playwrights left a lasting legacy, led by William Shakespeare.
To mark her life and achievements in this special year, the Royal Collection has put together a small display in the Drawings Gallery at Windsor Castle between 7 February and 23 March. Visitors to the castle can see some of the most personal artefacts of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, such as drawings, a miniature and two books inscribed in Elizabeth's own hand.
These help to illustrate the wealth of Elizabeth's education; guided by some of the greatest scholars of the day; she was fluent in six languages.
In addition, the queen was a highly skilled calligrapher, as can be seen in an edition of works by the 14th century poet Petrarch which bears her elaborate signature, and in a poem written in her own hand referring to the 'inward suspicious minde', within a small French psalter.
A number of portraits and drawings of the Tudor queen are included in the display, such as a full length depiction by Isaac Oliver.
From the time of her father, King Henry VIII, the importance of the Royal image for propaganda purposes had begun to be fully realised and Elizabeth exploited this perhaps to a greater extent than any monarch before her.
In an age devoid of mass media, such representations of the queen were central to her image, and a large number of them remain today.
One of the rarer pieces is a jewel-like portrait miniature by Elizabeth I's court artist Nicholas Hilliard, who is considered by many to be the leading Elizabethan miniaturist.
His art tried to record, as he himself put it, the 'lovely graces, witty smilings, and these stolen glances which suddenly like lightning pass and another countenance taketh place'.
Hilliard became central to the propaganda surrounding the royal persona, displaying an image of the ageing queen as a beautiful young woman which completely ignored the effects of the ravages of time.
The queen even distributed these miniatures showing her in the so-called 'Mask of Youth' so that they might be worn as a sign of loyalty. By such means did the cult of Elizabeth I as 'Gloriana' grow.
The exhibition also features a drawing of Queen Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, by the famous painter of the court of King Henry VIII, Hans Holbein. Anne Boleyn was executed on the orders of Henry VIII, when Elizabeth was only two years old.
Windsor Castle is open daily to visitors, so there is plenty of opportunity to see the display. As the Castle is a working royal palace, arrangements may change at short notice, so it is advisable to check in advance.
A major exhibition being held to commemorate the anniversary will take place at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and will run from 1 May to 14 September.
It seems a fitting place for an exhibition on Elizabeth's life to be held, as both she and her father, King Henry VIII, were born at the long-gone Greenwich Palace.
The Queen will open the exhibition at the Maritime Museum on 1 May and will be one of the first to see her namesake's personal keepsakes on display.
Among the many items on show will be a mother-of-pearl, ruby and diamond ring, which belonged to Queen Elizabeth. This ring was supposedly removed from the finger of the dead queen and taken to James VI of Scotland to inform him of Elizabeth's death.
This provided him with the evidence he needed to make his preparations to travel south and accede to the English throne, thus uniting the crowns of England and Scotland. The ring bears the initial 'E' in table-cut diamonds and contains miniature busts of the Queen and her mother, the executed Anne Boleyn.
In addition, there will be portraits, manuscripts and personal items. Visitors will be able to see the only surviving orpharion (similar to a lute) in the world and love letters written to the Virgin Queen by potential suitors. Some of the items on show have been lent by The Queen from the Royal Collection.
The National Maritime Museum celebrates strong links with the sea and this will be emphasised in the exhibition. The importance of trade and maritime enterprise to the country's economy at the time will be explored, but aside from financial implications, the sea also gave England its glory.
Elizabeth's reign, more than any other before it, saw the emergence of England as a naval power and left its mark - for example, the American state of Virginia is named after Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen.
The museum's director, Roy Clare, comments: 'We relish the opportunity to tell the story of this remarkable woman, by staging a world-class exhibition in her birthplace, drawing upon our own rich collections and including international loans of exceptional quality.'
For more information on times and dates, visit the web site for the National Maritime Museum.
So how will today's Royal Family mark the 400th anniversary of the death of one of their famous antecedents?
On 1 May Her Majesty The Queen will open the National Maritime Museum exhibition in Greenwich. Greenwich has a special maritime resonance for both Queens: Elizabeth I knighted Sir Francis Drake there, and in 1967 The Queen knighted Sir Francis Chichester (first solo circumnavigator of the world) using Drake's sword.
On 13 June The Princess Royal is also due to visit the National Maritime Museum to see the exhibition.
On Sunday 23 March, The Earl and Countess of Wessex will attend a charity gala entitled 'One Moment in Time'. The event will take place at the Richmond Theatre, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey. The gala specifically commemorates the death of Queen Elizabeth I, who died at Richmond Palace almost exactly 400 years to the day.
Some events have already taken place. On 25 February Princess Alexandra attended the opening of 'The Virgin Queen in Richmond', an exhibition held at the Museum of Richmond.
Such Royal attendance and the number of planned events and exhibitions show that, 400 years on, Queen Elizabeth I remains an object of great fascination, a standing that has shown no sign of changing as the centuries continue to pass.
|
