When Elizabeth became queen, many of her subjects thought that a woman should not and could not rule. John Knox's condemnation of women deeply offended Elizabeth, even though it was not aimed at her personally. In contrast, John Aylmer praised the new queen as the safe harbor for England after the storms of Mary's tyrannous reign. Thirty years later, Henry Howard and John Case argued that women could indeed hold power, but they believed that she should be guided by her male counselors. Elizabeth, however, showed that through intelligence, cunning, and courage, she was the equal of any male monarch.

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