Show t iA c- c Communications cat ons o Q e 3 GC THE AGE OF ELZIABETH The years years covered by the reign of Elizabeth constitute one of the most momentous momentous mo mo- periods in history It was the age when Europe was most deeply stirred by the Reformation It was too a period of great intellectual activity and ad ad- The discoveries begun by Columbus and continued by other bold seamen had not only opened up to to the world a new hemisphere for civilization they had broadened mans man's intellect and increased his appreciation of nature as well Copernicus had been exploring g the heavens and had after years of study discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered the true system of the universe The revival of learning had reached its highest point mens men's tongues were becoming becoming be be- coming oming loosened the world was getting out ut of the superstitious which had so long held the opinions of men in check The masses were beginning to see that every man should have the right to freely express his thoughts The period of the Reformation marks this great change in the general conditions in Europe It was a change which had been slowly coming and a change which strove to make itself permanent during the Elizabethan Age It was in fact duri during g this this- period that the clamor for for freedom of expression first made itself clearly dearly and decidedly known Previous to this persecution tion for heresy had been regarded by both Catholics and Protestants as a duty which could not be neglected by those in authority Even during the preceding reign Mary I who was a a staunch Catholic did her best to crush rush the Protestant faith in her kingdom But the persecutions she set in motion had 1 s I just the opposite effect from that intended The constancy of such men as Latimer Ridley an and Cranmer in the very face of death drew multitudes into the Protestant ranks A principle that a man will suffer for always attracts attention a religion that a man will die for always has its fol fol- lowers And so when Elizabeth came to the throne of England she caught the country in its reaction toward Protestant Protestant- Protestant Protestant-I ism She found the people clamoring for reform and she discovered that to hold her position as sovereign she must act very carefully and judiciously Elizabeth had combined in her all the qualities of a great sovereign She was well educated careful observing logical and a good judge of human nature A A statesman herself she secured as her advisers the ablest statesmen in England Elizabeth was a great sovereign and the world is to-day to deeply indebted to her herfor herfor herfor for the reforms she she established But it should be remembered that the success of he efforts was only made possible inthe in inthe inthe the high plane to which the intellect of man h had d ascended In all the history of the world no one man or no one woman ever individually produced any great change against the tide of public opinion Every great movement in the worlds world's history history history his his- tory can be traced back and its cause will willbe willbe willbe be found in the events of years previous Historical events however sudden are the consequences of preparation madelong madelong made madelong long ago It is true that all great historical historical historical ical events center around a few great names Every generation has its ts heroes its iconoclasts its pioneers its ideals A Afew Afew Afew few men and a few women make a nation nation nation na na- tion glorious Shakespeare glorious Shakespeare made England England England Eng Eng- land immortal Voltaire civilized and humanized humanized humanized hu hu- France Goethe and Humbolt lifted Germany into the light Galileo and Bruno crowned with fadeless laurels the Italian brow and the most precious treasure treasure treas treas- ure of the American people is the memory memory memry mem mem- ory ry of Abraham Lincoln But these men more noticeably in the case of V Voltaire Voltaire Vol Vol- 01 taire were men who had the ability and the genius to give expression forcible and andI I striking to what the people were vaguely thinking and feeling They were men who could put into operation and push to toa a successful completion great plans and their successes in every case were due to the fact that the people of the period in which they lived were ready for their reforms Elizabeth was as a powerful monarch and she was fortunate indeed in coming incoming to the throne of England at a time when her genius would have an opportunity to show itself The spirit of the Reformation had spi spread ead over the greater part of Northern Europe By the middle part of the sixteenth six six- century almost every country had been teen forced to choose between the old faith and the new Norway Sweden and Denmark had accepted the Protestant t teaching England had thrown off f obedience be to the Pope under Henry XIII and under Edward VI had gradually f changed its creed The people of N Northern North North- orth- orth t ern Germany had adopted the Protestant i religion those in the southern part still remained Catholics There were Protestants Protestants Protestants Pro Pro- in Switzerland in France in Scotland and in the Netherlands Thus we see that half the nati nations ns in int t Europe had declared that the Scripture is superior superior- to the church and had severed t. t the which united them to the ecclesiastical ecclesiastical ecclesiastical eccle eccle- f t empire of Rome i The Emperor Charles Von assuming in 1519 the crown of the four dynasties Austria Austri Burgundy Castile and Aragon had declared for the Catholic faith He not only worked fa faithfully during his own reign for the Uprooting of the heresy of I the reformers but he transmitted to his successors u Upon on the Spanish throne his own y intolerant t and persecuting policy Philip II to whom Charles V V. abdicated in r 1555 was by nature a bigoted and intolerant intolerant intolerant despot He had besides inherited from his father a deep hatred of the Protestant Protestant Pro Pro- people Under these c conditions it itis itis itis is no wonder that we ve find him using his best energies to crush the Protestant faith In France probably the most notable characters that are met with during the reign of Elizabeth are Catherine de deMedici deMedici deMedici Medici and the Guises Francis I. I 15 1515 I 5 1547 and Henry II H. 1559 1547 had ad addone done their best to uproot heresy in France Yet notwithstanding the persecutions they heaped upon the people the reformed faith gradually gained ground during their reigns Francis II son of Henry II w was s at athis athis his ac accession a mentally and physically weak boy of 16 and all the power fell into the hands of Catherine the queen mother and the intriguing family of the Guises Catherine was the impersonation of all that is abominable and deceitful in ina a wicked woman Myers attributes her with having caused more trouble than any other woman in the world It was against such rulers as these that the Protestants in France struggled it was under the influence e of such persons as this Catherine de Medici that affairs affair assumed such awful propensities as to culminate culminate culminate cul cul- minate in that horrible tragedy of St. St Bartholomew's day it was because of the persecutions the French Protestants so heroically endured endure that the Protestant faith in France became the anvil that wore out so many hammers Where only one religion exists there can be very little worship as conscience dictates Where more than one rel religion gion exists there are found to be differences of o I I I Y 1 of these differences differ differences ion and the expression will b broaden mens men's minds The greatest greatest good of the Reformation it seems seems to m me does not lie in the fact that the world was given a new religion it lies in the fact that the people in accepting accepting accepting accept accept- ing the new faith were declaring f for r themselves were themselves were throwing off the chains which had held their minds in subjection were making a mighty stride forward in inhuman inhuman inhuman human liberty I have spoken of the of the Reformed faith it also had its defenders Under the the influence ce of ol John Knox the Scottish Reformation was assuming the rigid and severe form which had been thought out by Calvin Under the influence influence lence l- l ence of William of Orange Father William William William Will Will- iam as he was fondly called the spirit of liberty was taking p possession of the people in the Netherlands The masses were becoming sublime William of Orange i ione is isone isone one of the most admirable characters portrayed portrayed portrayed por por- in history He had been a Catholic Catho Catho- lic but the persecutions ns heaped upon upon hi his countrymen b by Philip II had changed ged hi his views and he became a follower of the school of Calvin yet with broader broader and and more tolerant views than were were common in his d day y He He was the guiding st star r o othe of the heroic Netherlanders through their long struggle wi with h Spain He e fought for his country for the human l race ace for the liberty of the hand and the brain for the enfranchisement of thought The rhe people caught the spirit Then t they e had something something something some some- thing thing- to fight for The history of that long s struggle ruggle with Spain Spai sho shows s' s show how well ell they defended their rights EI Elizabeth z b th hel herself se f favored v red the Prot Protestants Protestants Protes Protes- stants s- s tants but she did it more f from o p policy licy tha than from any real strong convictions It was only to th the Protestants ts that she could look for support her title to to th the cr crown wn w was s denied by ev t true true Catholic iOl every y ue for she he was as the child of th that t marriage mariage which the e Pope Pop had ad forbidden Then again Elizabeth was progressive She wanted to go forward forward forward for for for- ward and she favored the p party which seemed to her to be in the front rank y Yet e she pursued her course slowly and carefully She could not afford to offend and it was some time before even her own subjects knew which religion she favored favored- She had during th their ir struggle with Spain rendered render d aid to the Nether- Nether landers After Marys Mary's death Philip to whom Mary had bequeathed her claim to the English crown resolved to punish Elizabeth for this to avenge Marys Mary's death and to strike a blow at the Reform Reform- This resolve led to the memorable attempt against England by the Spanish Armada j a aThe aA The result of that famous expedition is A 1 well known C Catholics and Protestants Protestants- united unite in England in the defence of their i country The magnificent fleet t was de de- de Those of ot Philips Philip's ships which were not dest destroyed oyed by the English werd were were- d dashed shed to pieces on the rocks off the northern coast of England Englan The pride- pride J of Spain had been humbled The cause cause- of Protestantism had been placed upon a firm basis J 1 The repulse of t the e Spanish Armada Armad marks the most important period of pf Elizabeth's Elizabeths Elizabeths Elizabeth's Eliza Eliza- lizabeth's liza- liza beths beth's reign A great danger had threat threatened i ened the country and the people had 1 j nobly united to avert that d danger nger In Internal Internal Internal In- In co conflicts and diff differences r nc of opi opinion io ceased to be of importance ce The love love of of country in b both th Catholics and Protestants Protestant had be been n gr greater ater than than the the love of religion Englishmen en i felt lt a as they never neve did before their community omm ni y of interests their real national unity It was only j after after this event that the the country country awoke voke toa toly to to- ly I. 3 1 a co consciousness o of its true po position iti n among among the nations of the earth Eli Elizabeth Y was s a diplomat Sh She hated at d warnot so much bec because use of the i b bloodshed or the expense as be because ause of the fact that that I peace left the field open for or her diplomatic man The increase in wealth and prosperity during her reign produced ed a desire for more of the refinements and luxuries of life The style of architecture underwent a great change The fortified castle was remodeled remodeled remodeled re re- modeled into a palace New mansions were erected elected all over England The Thet t Gothic architecture of the middle ages was combined with the classical t of Italy and the result was the stately f E Elizabethan mansion of which such splendid splendid splendid did examples still remain in England Changes for the better were made in dress diess in food in furniture in manner er of oft t living in amusements in laws law laws laws-in in in every r thing When Elizabeth ascended the throne the condition of affairs w was s inde indeed d perilous The treasury was empty and there was a large debt to meet Commerce was ruined the coinage was debased the Channel was swarming with pirates The country had been dragged by Philip into a disastrous war with France Fiance Every person was clamoring for a different reform There was no spirit of unity in inthe the country The he successful manner in which these difficulties difficulties difficulties ties were overcome by Elizabeth was due to that memorable change which marked the nobler side of oft the policy she brought with her her- herto to the throne thione Her accession was marked by a close of religious perse Conformity was no longer to be 1 enforced by the penalty of death The Th same causes which had out the nationality of the nation now brought out ut r the individuality of the individual We have seen seep how hoY England Englan l q awoke oke to toa q a i of hei her r ro o own greatness s. s We have seen e how the o the the- conditions forced force 1 upon man mm th the c conception nc of his own nr in individual p- p po power er and f force ce and w we n now lV se sec sea the surroundings force upon man the ex- ex 7 1 pi of t those ose conc conceptions The lit literature liter literature liter liter- of off of the Elizabethan Age not only re reflects re- re 1 fleets s the high state to which h the civilization civilization civilization tion of the country had advanced it is is- famous for its classical and literary excellence excellence excel e excel excel- lence as well V Volumes could be written upon the literature literature lit lit- and the drama and upon th the writers of this period but let it suffice here her to say that it was the age in which Shakespeare Spenser Sidney Green Marlowe Lyly Bacon and Puttenham lived The works of these authors ar arstill are still before the world and they are still valuable for their purity and literary ex ex- But the age under s such ch men as these was getting beyond Elizabeth The Th country had passed sa safely ely through th the the- crisis Elizabeths Elizabeth's work was done Thanks to her hei the pec people now now enjoyed the proud feeling of independence and strange to i relate elate this feeling was carrying carrying carry carry- ing the people farther from their sovereign sovereign eign every every day A cloud fell over the latter part of her her- her life Her Her Hei old ministers were all ll de dead d and the younger generation which sprung up were clamoring for more freedom in political matters Elizabeth though the age was ahead of moved i with h the people When the clamor became too strong to be belonger longer resisted she gracefully yield yielded d. d Many f privileges which had had hitherto been enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en en- joyed by bythe the sovereign were now given to parliament The spirit of the divine right of kings was not in |