Introduction to Elizabethan Project

Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate by most Europeans. She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and Spain. She was only the third queen to rule England in her own right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister Mary I, were disastrous. Even her supporters believed her position dangerous and uncertain. Her only hope, they counselled, was to marry quickly and lean upon her husband for support. But Elizabeth had other ideas.
She ruled alone for nearly half a century, lending her name to a glorious epoch in world history. She dazzled even her greatest enemies. Her sense of duty was admirable, though it came at great personal cost. She was committed above all else to preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects was legendary. Only a few years after her death in 1603, they lamented her passing. In her greatest speech to Parliament, she told them, 'I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your love.' And five centuries later, the worldwide love affair with Elizabeth Tudor continues.

Most people viewed the adolescent Elizabeth as a serious young woman who always carried a book with her, preternaturally composed. She encouraged this perception, which was as accurate as any, by dressing with a degree of severity virtually absent at the Tudor royal court. But she was not so serious that she avoided all the material trappings of her position. Her household accounts, which came under the management of William Cecil (who later became her secretary of state), show evidence of a cultivated and lively mind, as well as a love of entertainment: fees for musicians, musical instruments, and a variety of books. As she grew older and her position more prominent, her household also expanded. During her brother Edward's reign, she lived the life of a wealthy and privileged lady - and apparently enjoyed it immensely.

One of my favourite portrait  "The Ermine Portrait" 1585 by Nicholas Hilliard 

References;

Sarah Jane Downing (2014) Beauty and Cosmetics 1550-1950, 1st edn. Great Britain: Shire Publications Ltd.

Francois Boucher (1967). A History of Costume in the West. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 219-250.

Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License (2014) Francois Boucher (1967). A History of Costume in the West. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 219-250., Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England (Accessed: 22 November 2014 ).

Linda Alchim. (2014). Tudor Make-up. Available: http://www.sixwives.info/tudor-make-up.htm. Last accessed June 2014.