Gloriana

On this day in 1559, Elizabeth Tudor was crowned Queen Elizabeth I in England.

Elizabeth I was a childhood interest of mine. I read books on Anne Boleyn and the Tudor dynasty and her in particular, kept pictures of Elizabeth as bookmarks, and almost made my grandparents miss our flight home so that I could visit her grave in Westminster Abbey. I know why I was drawn so powerfully towards Elizabeth I: she had bright red hair, I had bright red hair, she had a complicated relationship with her sister, I had a complicated relationship with my sister, she was an authority figure and I spent a lot of my time feeling powerless. We shared the same name since one of my middle names is Elizabeth.

The British monarchy has a certain glamour even for people in the United States that no sex tape celebrity can command, and I felt the pull of that glamour as early as elementary school.

I still feel it now. I remember standing in Westminster Abbey and looking at her grave, shared with her sister Mary and extravagantly carved from stone; it is one of the few moments in my life where I am sure that I have felt awe.

Girls struggle for role models, especially powerful, successful role models. I know that Elizabeth wasn't perfect by any stretch the imagination, but I also know that she inspired me. I suppose that counts for something.

#history