Student Essay 6 - An Important World Leader - By Wee Su Kyung

This essay is written by Wee Su Kyung, Year 8, Sayfol International School, Kuala Lumpur.

An Important World Leader

According to John C. Maxwell, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." There are many world leaders who made important changes in their countries and helped the people of their countries live better lives. In today's world, it is hard to envision any society without a leader. In my opinion, Queen Elizabeth I of England is one of the most important world leaders who made great changes in England. Here, I am going to write about the reasons why I think Queen Elizabeth I is an important world leader.

Firstly, Queen Elizabeth made important changes to England during her reign. When Elizabeth was crowned as the queen of England, she introduced a middle way in religion. Elizabeth succeeded her half sister, Mary I who was a strict Catholic and who burned those were Protestants on stakes. In contrast, Elizabeth was a Protestant but she did not torture the Catholics they way Mary tortured the Protestants. In addition to that, Queen Elizabeth also improved foreign trade. With improvements in export and import, England became richer and more powerful. New food from foreign countries, such as potatoes, became popular in England. At this time, tobacco was also introduced. Elizabeth also improved the navy in England. She realized the importance of the sea and soon built up a strong army. It was strong enough to defeat Spain’s navy which was the strongest at that time at the time.

Secondly, Queen Elizabeth achieved a golden age in England. During her rule, she encouraged exploration of new lands. There was an explorer called Francis Drake who brought a lot of gold and other treasures back from his voyages. As a result, Queen Elizabeth gave him the title ‘Sir Francis Drake’. With Francis’s help, England could become richer. People of England obeyed Elizabeth and she was very popular among the people. Queen Elizabeth I was so very popular that for 20 years after her death, she was celebrated as the ruler of the golden age. During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, she made the weak country England into one of the strongest countries in the whole of Europe. Therefore, she was loved by many people.

In conclusion, Queen Elizabeth I was one of the most important world leaders as she made important changes and achieved a golden age in England during her reign. Without those changes, England would not be where it is today. Not surprisingly, Elizabeth is still admired and respected by many people all over the world today.