Machiavellian Rulers Essay
In history, Niccolo Machiavelli is considered to be one of the most influential and powerful political theorists in the world. One of his most famous and legendary pieces entitled The Prince, stresses and describes his political ideas and beliefs. Machiavelli’s concepts have had great influence on prominent leaders that the world has ever seen. Queen Elizabeth I of England and King Henry IV of France are key examples of Machiavelli’s theory of being “cunning like a fox” and “ferocious like a lion.” These two rulers displayed the primary assertion of Machiavelli: a leader is there to make the difficult decisions for his subjects; it is not a leader’s responsibility to be liked or loved but instead to be feared and respected. Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry IV demonstrate Machiavellian principles by the way they ruled their countries with keen intelligence, having the people’s support, and convincingly strong virtues; despite the unpleasant path of their success. Elizabeth I of England is considered to be a Machiavellian ruler. Elizabeth’s religious and political policies displayed her cunning characteristics of being both loved. Her use of justification by force rather than law was effective and was a main reason for her success. The Queen surrounded herself with shrewd and wise advisors but also carefully questioned the motives of her closest consultants. In Machiavellian style, Elizabeth’s religious policy fluctuated between toleration and repression according to the needs of the present time. But despite the conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants, Elizabeth still pursued a middle way between the feuding religions. In the Elizabethan Settlement, Elizabeth and Parliament required conformity in the Church of England but allowed people to worship Protestantism and Catholicism privately. In the Thirty-Nine Articles, Elizabeth defined the Anglican Church as...
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