The great Tudor Queen has deep religious beliefs and always sets aside time for worship in the morning. As the Queen of England, she is the temporary leader of the Anglican Church, appointed by God, and her sacred role is also reflected in her family structure. Serving the Queen in any capacity is a lofty honor. Even the simplest tasks, such as setting the table or looking after her clothes, are performed as quasi-religious ceremonies. Her family consisted of simple servants and big noble, who waited patiently in the secret room until the Queen was ready to start her daily work.
Elizabeth knelt in the church and prayed for future guidance and strength. She feels uneasy because the country has many urgent affairs to deal with, and many problems she faces have no simple answers. It's April 1580, and the relationship with Spain has deteriorated again after the Iberian Crown Union a month ago. Now, the ambitious Philip II of Spain rules Spain and Portugal, and then their overseas territories. Elizabeth is worried that his belligerence will cause further turmoil in Ireland. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is negotiating secret trade agreements with the Ottoman Sultan and the King of Morocco, fearing that British Protestants will be isolated in the Catholic-dominated Europe. These diplomatic gestures are a sensitive matter and need careful planning and strategy. She prayed for guidance and support to strengthen her determination.
Elizabeth stood up and went back to her room. A small breakfast of bread, butter and eggs with a small glass of beer was prepared for her, but she didn't touch it at all. Her attention is focused on the day ahead. Elizabeth will need all her strength and calmness, because she is holding the court in Whitehall, and the participants expect a spectacular scene.
It is not easy to prepare for your own court. For Elizabeth, dressing is an art, and every choice is to show an image of divine authority. As a female monarch in the patriarchal world, Elizabeth needs to use both female and male metaphors to create an authoritative image. She immediately became a symbol of chastity and male strength; An extraordinary woman who works hard in a man's world. Creating a visual language of royal authority is very important to ensure that she is valued and respected as a queen.
Henry VIII-Elizabeth's father remembers her family history. Elizabeth knows very well that once the mystery of the royal family disappears, her position will be in jeopardy. Therefore, each suit has been specially selected to reflect a symbolic system and arouse power, authority and sacred rights. Her favorite colors, especially in the later period of her reign, are black and white, because they symbolize her virginity and make a strong visual statement. Her beautiful skirt is embroidered with different colors of thread and inlaid with jewels, creating a dazzling visual effect that dwarfs everyone in the room. In short, Elizabeth wears a skirt to impress people.
The queen's attendants dressed her, first in a loose shirt and then in a corset lined with wood. Then she put on a petticoat and a long skirt, with padded skirts on her hips to highlight her figure. There is a thin robe on it, the sleeves are worn separately, and finally there is a ruffle around the neck and wrist. Elizabeth wears a lot of makeup, too. Since Elizabeth was severely abandoned at 1562, she has been putting on makeup and taking part in many entertainment activities. Elizabethan elites like spectacular scenes, and the court is full of music, dance and drama. As a young queen, Elizabeth is a keen dancer, but tonight she prefers to sit and watch the performance and show her approval with her head. Her attendants carefully observe her views on each work, and she likes to play with them until they guess that every performer has finished performing.
Finally, after a long night of entertainment, the queen retired, but she needed some time to sleep. Her ladies-in-waiting took off their clothes and makeup for her, with reverence for the sacred ceremony. The whole process took more than an hour, sometimes two hours. When makeup, wigs, jewels and clothes were taken off, the royal authority slipped away, leaving a simple woman, Elizabeth, ready to go to bed after a long day.