Who do you prefer as an historical queen?
So please take in an account more than the portrayals those women in this show.
I prefer Elizabeth, while Mary was a great queen in the sense of going by what her heart told her was the right thing and her people loved her Elizabeth is a symbol of Girl power a survivor and a fantastic queen who won over many if her detractors for being Anne Boleyn's daughter
Elizabeth. Some would say Mary 'going by what her heart told her was the right thing' would be an argument AGAINST the claim that she was a great queen.
shareI know ruling with the heart was seen as a weakness but Mary wanted to be loved and do justice. Elizabeth wanted justice as well but ruled with the head.
Now some people say Elizabeth was just lucky with her council and had very loyal advisors like Wallsinham, just like Isabel of Castilla had chacon, Cabrera and many people who were truly loyal to her.
Having good and loyal advisors is key but it doesn't if the queen doesn't you her head.
Her people literally threw her out of the country and for over twenty years she was in house arrest in the neighboring country and they never once asked for her back. Then when she was finally killed they shrugged.
I don't see much evidence for her people loving her. Most of Scotland thought she was a French interloper.
Elizabeth wasn't a perfect Queen. But by all accounts she shouldn't have ever been able to keep that throne. Not only was she a single woman but to all Catholics and even some protestants she was a bastard. She was in a time where religious divisions lead to constant war in France and the Netherlands. The Pope literally gave dispensation to anyone who killed her. Basically saying any Catholic should assassinate her.
By the time of Mary's casket plot to overthrow Elizabeth the English conspirators were expressing deep regret at having to kill the Queen. People did respect her.
But she was able to navigate the religious issues without all out war. Yes, there were tensions and deaths. But it was nothing compared to the continent. And she kept persecutions away from the common people. She had romantic diversions that caused tension in court but she never let them get out of hand or committed to them. Unlike her father or her cousin, Mary. She was frugal and didn't spend outside her means except during war. She avoided war until it was impossible. She had strife with her advisers sometimes but she kept them until their deaths and always listened to wise counsel (by contrast her father killed several of his advisers for trumped up reasons).
She was ultimately a good ruler who kept her kingdom at peace for the majority of her reign. She ultimately didn't let personal entanglements get in the way of her rule. She ultimately built up a solid group of councilors.
Guess who has two thumbs, speaks limited French and hasn't cried once today? This moi.