The Policies of Elizabeth I and Henry Iv and Niccolo Machiavelli's the Prince Essay Example

The "Age of Religious Wars'' was a period of time during the sixteenth century in which several conflicts and insurrections arose throughout Europe as a result of religious divisiveness. During this time, the medieval Church and everything it represented experienced a profound crisis which required strategic, yet courageous leaders to maintain peace, order and stability. Niccolò Machiavelli, a political philosopher and citizen of Renaissance Florence preached his opinions of these necessary leaders in his writings, most notably, The Prince. He believed a prosperous ruler would display characteristics exhibited by both a ‘lion’ and a ‘fox’. Machiavelli writes, “…it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves,” (The Prince, Machiavelli). The image of the fox is said to represent adaptability and diplomacy to recognize and avoid traps, while the lion represents strength, awe and fear to maintain power over subjects and enemies. According to Machiavelli, a combination of the two is required to more effectively maintain power. The conflicts of the sixteenth century required such rulers to advance and protect the European nations. Elizabeth I and Henry IV during the age of the Wars of Religion largely embodied Machiavellian concepts, as they externally represented an image of strength and fear, although they actually carried out generous actions to prevent the division of their nations from religious differences and to avoid civil wars.

Elizabeth I of England exhibited the characteristics of Machiavelli’s ‘lion’ by creating the navy to defeat the Spanish Armada when Philip II threatened to invade. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth I was required to be physically strong due to her status as a single ruling woman. She was constantly challenged by external pressures of various rulers, as well as the conflicts she inherited when first rising to power. One such occasion was when she was forced to execute her cousin, Queen Mary of Scots after learning of a plot to overthrow Elizabeth. The execution led to the Invasion of the Spanish Armada which called for Elizabeth to stand her ground against Philip II’s fleet. She promised to adequately stand to protect England in her speech to the troops at Tilbury in 1588. Elizabeth declared, “I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England, too; and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: to which, rather than any dishonor should grow by me, I myself will take up arms,” (Elizabeth I, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury, 1588). Elizabeth I was prepared to defend her kingdom against the advances of the Spanish fleets, which led to the creation of the English navy. Due to the unfamiliarity of Philip II and his troops with the canals leading to England, Elizabeth I, was better prepared to fend off the attackers and lead England to victory. With her immediate action to create the English Navy to counter the advances of Philip II, Elizabeth I demonstrated her strength and military prowess.

Similarly, Henry of Navarr tapped into the lion-like characteristics of Machiavelli’s concepts to emerge victorious from the War of Three Henrys. The War of Three Henrys was the last of the Wars of Religion in France, which was fought between King Henry III, Henry, the Duke of Guise, and Henry of Navarre, soon to be Henry IV. Before the war, the Bartholomew Day massacre called for order to be restored from the waves of violence that resulted from the assassination of key Huguenot leaders (Spielvogel, 391). After the assassination of Heinrich, the Duke of Guise, who was killed by King Henry III, riot broke out when the Holy League declared war on this treacherous act. Henry of Navarre strategically joined forces with Henry III against the Catholic Holy League, and gained favor under the Valois ruler. As a result of their allyship, Henry III appoints Henry of Navarre to succeed him after death (Spielvogel, 391). Henry of Navarre soon became known as Henry IV as he became the first French monarch to be from the House of Bourbon. By making France's national security a priority, Henry IV successfully demonstrated his strength and ability to protect his people.

Elizabeth I used the cunning characteristics of the ‘fox’ to create a New Act of Supremacy and strike a middle ground with religion in England. Elizabeth inherited several religious conflicts following the end of Mary Tudor’s reign. Mary Tudor had passed anti-Protestant law that required revision to allay the growing irritation among the Protestant population. Elizabeth I recognized the need for reform and was also careful to remain neutral in support of the two main groups of religion: Catholics and Puritans. In order to remain neutral, she also avoided the extremes of religions in order not to reform too far. The textbook states, “Elizabeth’s religious settlement was basically Protestant, but it was moderate Protestantism that avoided overly subtle distinctions and extremes,” (Spielvogel, 395). The settlement the textbook alludes to is the Act of Supremacy of 1559 that repealed all anti-protestant legislation of her predecessor. This act asserted Elizabeth as the “supreme governor” of spiritual and temporal affairs (Spielvogel, 395). The vague formulation of her title under the Act of Supremacy reassured Catholics and Puritans as she successfully reformed neutrally. The establishment of The Act of Supremacy allowed Elizabeth I to gain the power and trust of parliament due to her methods of toleration.

Likewise, Henry IV acted like a ‘fox’ by evaluating his personal worth of state versus religion and issuing the Edict of Nantes to maintain order and avoid civil war in France. Henry IV was originally a Hueguenot and spokesman for such people before his new position in the French monarchy. He decided to convert to Catholicism following his coronation ceremony to be accepted by Catholic France. Acceptance would enable Henry IV to move more freely without much backlash from the majority of the population. He essentially gave into the Catholic faith for successful leadership of France, believing that no religion was worth civil war. In order to further dissolve the religious problems of France, he issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 (Spielvogel, 392). This document further underlines the idea of ​​religious tolerance by granting Huguenots the right to worship while acknowledging Catholicism as the official religion of France. Henry IV was wise to recognize the importance of tolerance for peace in his nation and to convert to the religion of the majority in order to appeal to them.

To conclude, the policies of Elizabeth I and Henry IV improved their countries by following Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince. They were able to act successfully both as a lion who was strong in politics and the military, and as a fox who was shrewd and prudent. Despite ruling at a time when women had little place in politics, Elizabeth I created a more united and prosperous nation by establishing the New Act of Supremacy and creating the navy to defend against the Spanish Armada. Her policies ultimately led to a Golden Age of wealth and power for England, lasting well after her death, and the end of the Tudor Dynasty. Henry IV was a more covert leader who led France to victory in the War of the Three Henrys and issued the Edict of Nantes to ease the complaints of Protestants. During his reign, Henry IV was able to prevent civil war in France by appeasing Catholics and giving Protestants rights, while showing that he was wise in making military decisions. Elizabeth I and Henry IV were able to rule their respective territories successfully because they adhered to Machiavelli's The Prince and acted with both strength and cunning.