The Sun Never Sets On...

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I share a little above short stories and novellas. Ironically, that was also the topic of the workshop I provided for the At-Home Conference for ACFW (American Fiction Christian Writers).  If you missed that post, you can read it here: https://www.hhhistory.com/2019/09/dime-novels-short-stories.html.

Since writing has slowed for the time being, I decided to dip my toe back into the teaching arena last year and cover for absent teachers at my kids' school from time to time. As a former teacher, this puts me back doing something I used to love without the long-term commitment. One of those days was just last week when I covered for a 7th and 8th grade History teacher. The students were preparing for a big exam, so we played a version of Jeopardy to help them review.

The topic? The British Empire over the past 300-400 years. I'm always amazed at just how wide their influence is in the world, so I thought it would be a fun topic to cover for this month.

THE SUN NEVER SETS ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Do you know who is known for saying that famous quote?

The phrase was first made by Fray Francisco de Ugalde to King Charles 1. In 1852, Alexander Campbell used the phrase to express the dominion of Britain and America.

Between the 18th and 20th century, the British Empire acquired more and more territories, making it the largest empire in history. During this time, it was also the most powerful. The Empire had establishments in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, and numerous islands across the globe. In fact, nearly 25% of the earth's landmass was in control of the British. The region was so extensive that at any one time there was daylight in at least one of the territories.

In the late 15th and 16th centuries, the Age of Exploration saw explorers from many different countries. In spite of Spain and Portugal being the first to conduct global explorations through voyage, the British soldiers were far more organized. They attacked the forts and trade posts of other Europeans, and eventually took control of the Americas. Then, a decree went out that only British ships could trade with the English colonies. That about sealed the deal for the British Empire, taking control of the trade routes.

However, this reign started waning around the turn of the 20th century. The United States and many others had gained independence from Britain. That, combined with ongoing rivalries with Spain, Portugal, France, and Russia weakened the Empire.

So, what about today? Does the sun still not set on areas controlled by the Crown? I mean, no one really calls it an "empire" anymore, but you might be surprised to know this phrase is still true today. Although it's a much smaller landmass area, the Crown still maintains control of some key areas (namely the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific and a military outpost in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean) which continue to allow it to have "global" power.

I guess it shouldn't come as much surprise that the English language is the most widely-spoken around the world and is the principle language of business. Even going back as far as the exploration voyages, English/British influence could be found everywhere.

I don't know about you, but I don't mind the influence...as long as I don't have to call the trunk of my car a "boot" or the hood a "bonnet."

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Have you ever visited a British colony? Or even a *former* British colony? Where was it?

* What words or phrases do you know that are part of the English language, but they are distinctly British in dialect?

* Name one thing in your life that exists because of British influence.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments on the post below. Come back on the 9th of November for my next appearance.

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. Through personal development, she strives to help others become their best from the inside out.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and three dogs in Colorado. She has sold twenty (21) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Why Did Elizabeth The Great Never Marry? with Giveaway

Blogger: Amber Schamel

Why Did Queen Elizabeth I Never Marry?

Elizabeth I Darnley Portrait

This a question has fascinated people since Elizabeth the Great was alive. Considered one of the greatest monarchs in English history, an intelligent and pleasing woman, deemed a beauty during her time with a knack for fascinating men, it is a true curiosity. She had at least half a dozen men fall in love with her and had many offers of marriage from English poets to monarchs from allied countries, so a lack of suitors was certainly not the culprit. Why then did this woman choose to rule alone during a time when that was unthinkable? Elizabeth intentionally left a lot of ambiguity on this subject, never admitting a hard answer, but there are three main theories.

1) She couldn’t get over the fear.

We have to remember that Elizabeth came from a family where wives were stripped of their power, influence, and even their lives when their husband lost interest in them. Besides the six wives of her father, King Henry VIII, Elizabeth often witnessed women who were manipulated and destroyed by political marriages and controversies. It was shortly after the execution of King Henry’s fifth wife that Elizabeth first made her famous proclamation, “I will never marry.” While Queen Elizabeth seemed to enjoy the exciting phase of courtship, when it came down to the commitment, she reneged. It could be that she simply couldn’t get past the fear planted by the demise of her mother, her mother’s cousin, and other women she had known during her childhood.


2) Political Reasons

The second theory lies in the political clout held by a beautiful, intelligent woman who also happened to be the queen of a great country. As long as Elizabeth was single, the possibility of a political marriage remained an option that could tempt other countries into amicable relations, a card the queen played many times. Elizabeth entertained suitors from Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Austria, France, and Italy as well as many nobles from her own country. Interestingly, none of these worked out.

Francis Duke of Anjou (France)
One of Elizabeth's most likely suitors

It is apparent that she held the hearts of her countrymen. She always claimed that she was married to England and therefore could have no other husband. Perhaps she felt that if she married, her countrymen’s affection for her would be cooled.



But if this theory was true, wouldn’t Elizabeth have married once she approached the age that would be deemed too old for marriage and procreation? She played the courtship game up into her forties, but even that match didn’t come to consummation. Some believe that she teased too long and when that last match didn’t pan out, she was out of luck.

3) She was in love with a man she couldn’t marry.

Robert Dudley, believed by many to have
been the man Elizabeth loved.

The third theory asserts that Elizabeth had fallen in love with a man she couldn’t marry. Perhaps she fell in love with Thomas Seymore when she was a young adolescent, but it was too dangerous to marry him, and then he was executed for treason. She might have loved a man of lower birth whom she was forbidden to marry. Perhaps she was in love with Robert Dudley but couldn’t bring herself to marry him because of the political implications. Many men were said to have been in love with her, but she came closest to accepting Dudley. However, it was well known that her people would revolt if she married him, mostly due to the fact that his last wife had come to a suspicious death.

I personally believe that Elizabeth’s singleness was the result of all these reasons combined, but regardless, she remained the “Virgin Queen” and the closest thing to an explanation were the words she gave her Privy Council; “When my God and country so require, I will marry.” Apparently, they didn’t.

Queen Elizabeth I is one of the twelve women featured in my new release, Twelve Sisters Who Changed History. 

In celebration of the release of Twelve Sisters Who Changed History, I'm giving away an ebook copy! Leave a comment below to get your name in the drawing. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. 

Historians paint pictures of amazing men and women who influenced the world, but seldom do we hear about sister duos that forever altered the course of history. Whether fighting together—or against each other—these twelve women transformed countries and religious systems. Join us on an inspirational journey through time as we explore the extraordinary lives of Sisters Who Changed History. Find it on Amazon.

 

Sisters That Changed History: Mary & Elizabeth Tudor Part I with #Giveaway

Blogger: Amber Schamel

In our exploration of Sisters That Changed History, we return to Tudor England and yet another set of powerful sisters, Mary & Elizabeth Tudor. Since there is so much to cover, I have broken it up into two posts. Part two coming July 2nd.

Two sisters could not have been more opposite. Mary was Catholic, Elizabeth Protestant. Mary executed over 300 subjects and was nicknamed “bloody Mary”, while Elizabeth was known for her commitment to English peace and prosperity. But both would leave a lasting impact on the world.

Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon
(Public Domain)

While Mary is usually thought of in a horrible reputation, if we explore the events leading up to her reign, we can more easily understand her. Mary was the only child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon to live to adulthood. She was baptized into the Catholic church shortly after her birth on February 18, 1516. She was well educated and brought up mostly by her mother.

When her father lost hope of Catherine producing a male heir—at least one that would survive—he determined to divorce her. After over 20 years of marriage, he decided that marrying his brother’s widow was incest and therefore the marriage was null. He broke ties with the Catholic church over the dispute and married Anne Boleyn who then bare Elizabeth I.

One can’t imagine that a girl who watched her father break with the religious leaders she respected to marry her mother’s maid-of-honor to be very excited about the union. Needless to say, it didn’t make a very warm and fuzzy beginning to Mary and Elizabeth’s sisterly relations. If that weren’t enough, it wasn’t long before King Henry influenced Parliament to deem Mary illegitimate, which shoved her from the line of succession and into being a lady-in-waiting for her younger half-sister.

When Henry VIII died, Mary’s fortunes began to look up. Her young half-brother Edward inherited the throne, but Mary inherited estates and palaces. However, young Edward was also a Protestant and wished England to remain so. When he fell ill, he appointed an heir that would uphold their religious reforms. But Mary wouldn’t be so easily passed over.

This post doesn’t have room to go into the entire drama, so let’s just say that Mary got her way. She ascended to the throne and began drawing England back to the Catholic church. Her persecutions are well known.

Queen Mary and her husband Philip of Spain

As Mary grew older, she realized that unless she married and produced an heir, the throne would go to Elizabeth, and all the progress she'd made in reuniting England with Catholicism would be undone. That simply couldn’t happen. So, despite the public’s disapproval, she arranged a marriage to a Catholic Prince, Philip of Spain when she was 37 years old. Her marriage was unsuccessful and after several false pregnancies, she succumbed to an illness that is believed to be uterine cancer or ovarian cysts. She was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Upon her death, her husband, Prince Philip, wrote in a letter to his sister the princess of Portugal, "I felt a reasonable regret for her death.” Such was the intense romance of their marriage.

However, Mary did leave a lasting impact on the western world. She was the first queen to succeed in claiming the English throne. Her reign was a step toward the feminist movement. In fact, John Knox’s pamphlet First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (quite a mouthful of a title, hmm?) was directed mainly at her and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. While most of Mary’s policies failed, and she left her country in a bad situation, many of Elizabeth’s successes began with Mary. Naval expansion, fiscal reform, and exploration of colonies being the notable ones. She also further pressed the Catholic vs. Protestant conflict, which in turn propelled the Reformation and the translation of Scriptures.

Next month we will move on to Elizabeth I, the younger sister. 

I'm just returning from a trip to Kent, England where I saw the Leeds Castle (Fodder for a future post, but King Henry VIII stayed here.) and I have a Tudor souvenir necklace to give away! It is a replica of a Tudor coin. 
Leave a comment telling me about your favorite tidbit of Tudor history to get your name in the drawing!

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Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  Her title, Dawn of Liberty, was awarded the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year award in Historical Fiction. She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!