Religious Policies of Elizabeth I and Isabella I

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motivated political strife. In fact, Elizabeth went so far as to use herself as a bargaining chip. She often “hinted” at marriage to Protestant and Catholic princes in order to secure their alliances. She realized the dangers of religion dividing England, which she prevented by becoming a politique. Isabella’s religious policy was uniformity in the service of the political goal of an undivided country. After she married a Catholic, Isabella helped launch the Reconquista to enforce religious conformity. This was later followed by expelling the Jews and Muslims who she felt might threaten the stability of Spain with their different religions.

The policies of both Elizabeth and Isabella were reflected in various actions in the their colonies. When the conquistadors from Spain conquered the Incas and Aztecs because those groups were not Catholics the Spaniards felt free to slaughter them and the Inquisition was instituted in areas of the New World colonized by Spain. In contrast, at least to some extent, the American colonies which were settled by Englishmen often proved much more tolerant. Those ideas were reflected in the Washington’s solicitous attitude towards the Jews as illustrated in his speech to the Jews of Newport Rhode Island, Thomas Jefferson, as the governor of Virginia, drafting a bill that guaranteed legal equality for citizens of all religions in the state and the Constitution itself which guaranteed religious freedom. .

Although Elizabeth I of England and Isabella I of Spain both had radically different ways of ruling their countries, they each strived towards their same goal which was using religious policies to stabilize their territory.