Elizabeth's Preachers and the Government of Women: Defining and Correcting a Queen

Elizabeth and her preachers shared an uneasy relationship. They were both vassals and prophets; she was at the same time sovereign and sinner. This tension between spiritual and temporal authority was further complicated by the queen's sex: as men, the preachers saw her as by nature subordinate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Sixteenth century journal 1993-10, Vol.24 (3), p.561-576
Main Author: Christian, Margaret
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Christianity
Churches
Clergy
Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1533-1603)
Kings
Obedience
Peacetime
Prayer
Preachers
Prophets
Queens
Renaissance period
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Summary:Elizabeth and her preachers shared an uneasy relationship. They were both vassals and prophets; she was at the same time sovereign and sinner. This tension between spiritual and temporal authority was further complicated by the queen's sex: as men, the preachers saw her as by nature subordinate to themselves. The preachers tacitly endorsed this traditional assumption both in their court and public sermons, as can be seen in their treatment of five recurring themes: their claims for their own authority and Elizabeth's obligations to the church, their attacks on courtly behavior, their recommendations for aggressive pursuit of military action, their personal remarks on Elizabeth's advancing age, and their portrayal of her as a helpless victim who depended on God for success in any military enterprise she reluctantly undertook. Thus, the preachers protected their own privileged position as God's spokesmen by stressing her dependence on him, and therefore on themselves.
ISSN:0361-0160
2326-0726
DOI:10.2307/2542109