ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to elucidate the different representations of Elizabeth's female kingship at a time when both her life and the freedom of her realm were at stake: 1585-93. It explores the different and complex images that Elizabeth exploited to assert her military authority and offers a more complete view of Elizabeth's female kingship as a whole. During the sixteenth century, asserting authority was a delicate issue for queens due to misogynistic assumptions regarding the inabilities of women rulers. Anne McLaren argues that queens frequently had to invent their authority through representations imbued with warrior values if they wanted to be respected as the equals of kings. This was the situation faced by Elizabeth I of England who, by remaining single, ultimately played the role of both king and queen of England. Elizabeth was acutely aware of this double-edged representation of herself as a warrior.
