Discussion: Elizabeth and Mary

"Put in Elizabeth and Mary for ya. Yes, I'm obsessed and love researching Elizabeth. Hope that helps."

"I agree with you lettice that Mary was a different story from Elizabeth, and I think there were some pretty valid reasons for it. I believe that Mary had more emotional scarring than Elizabeth....yes , Elizabeth lost her mother to execution, but she was lost when Elizabeth was of such a young age that she would have little to no memory of her. Also, Elizabeth would have had little to no memory of the "good life" as Princess and would only remember trying to stay in her Father's good graces and being thankful for small favors from him....a terrible existence to be sure....but one that made her the strong person that she was. She was no shrinking violet. She was able to observe, learn and structure her future.

Mary, on the other hand, had a very different lot to deal with. She had known a privledged life of a Princess for many years, and then, for no fault of her own, her status, her Mother and her religion were all taken from her. These painful memories, I believe, would scar her for life. Imagine what was important to women of that time....making a good marriage match, family and religion. The high profile marriage matches that were once considered for her were no longer a remote consideration ( where do you go from there?).....her Mother, whom she loved and adored, was taken from her ( I can't imagine that pain).....her Father, whom she loved and adored, now denied her legitimacy and kept her from him as well.....then her religion, of which she and her mother were devout in their faith, was denied as well. I don't think a person can lose so much of themselves without becoming scarred and "altered". In my honest opinion, I believe that what she became as a Queen was trying to recapture some of her youth and her happier time, as twisted as it was. She wanted love and a strong political alliance in her marriage.....and she wanted her religion back...I also think she used her Father's example to achieve her goals. "