Queen Elizabeth I is widely admired as one of the most successful of the English monarchs. By the end of her 45 year reign in 1603, England was a formidable Protestant naval power in Europe. It was no longer the struggling, impoverished, politically weak and demoralized kingdom she inherited in 1558 when she was 25 years old. Elizabeth I was a master propagandist and communicator. She was surrounded by very capable advisers and counsellors. She avoided marriage with great skill and tenacity while adapting to the changing circumstances of the 16th century religious wars. She was in so many ways the modern CEO.
- Axelrod, Alan, 2000, Elizabeth I, CEO : Strategic Lessons from the Leader Who Built an Empire, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0715201897
- Higgins, Shaun, and Gilberd, Pamela, 2000, Leadership Secrets of Elizabeth I Successful Strategies in the Face of Adversity, Perseus, ISBN 0738203904
- Weir, Alison, 1999, Elizabeth the Queen, Pimlico, ISBN 0712673121
- Early years 1533-1558, surviving personal, family and political turmoil in the Tudor court, education and resilience
- Inheriting the throne in 1558 and the great challenges involved
- Leadership skills emerging as the queen responded to a series of crises, including threats on her life and a death sentence pronounced by the Pope in 1570.
- Developing and sustaining a “leadership image”, propaganda, art, music, literature, theatre, ostentatious clothes and jewels, the foundations of the “Elizabethan Golden Age”
- Confronting enemies and opponents, building a strong team, encouraging creative thoughts and solutions from others, building a strong naval power base and empire in the New World.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Accept OR refute the arguments of Axelrod, Higgins and Gilberd that Elizabeth I does share the leadership attributes of a modern CEO or corporate leader
- Gain an understanding of the serious challenges faced by the queen in her 45 year reign and the degree to which she and her Privy Council and Parliament were successful in overcoming those challenges.
- Compare and contrast the England of 1558 and the England of 1603 as she was succeeded by James Stuart, son of Mary Queen of Scots in 1603.
