The role of a queen for most of English history had, up until the Tudor period, been non-existent. No queen had ruled in her own right, their role was to serve as a woman should and be subservient to their husband. When Mary ascends in 1553, a new type of monarch is forged, and a new question arises. Does a queen gain an independence never before seen and serve her country as ruler, or remain within patriarchal values and place her country second to her husband? Since Mary’s reign was too short for her to truly answer this question on her own, it is her sister Elizabeth who truly defines what it means to be a queen.
