Was Elizabeth a Manipulator or Manipulated?

A group of Sixth Form historians recently travelled to Bath to hear a lecture entitled 'Elizabeth I and the Historians' delivered by the prominent Tudor historian and Bristol academic Professor Ron Hutton.

The subject of the talk was the changing view of the character and reign of Elizabeth presented by historians over the last 400 years. To what extent was Elizabeth a manipulator or manipulated? Did the real power lie with her leading minister William Cecil? Did Elizabeth make the decision never to marry even before she came to the throne or would she have married if she could only have found Prince Right? These questions have engaged historians throughout the ages, and Elizabeth remains possibly the most fascinating monarch in English history.

The Redland High Sixth Formers certainly appreciated Professor Hutton's enthusiastic approach and felt he had given them much to think about as they consider their coursework unit which covers this period.