tl; dr that last post, i think partly it’s because i take quotes from articles and without the full article you’re not getting the…full picture. and then either a) taking them out of context or b) blowing them out of proportion/over-simplifying/generalizing them beyond what the author (and also, me, because i tend not to post things if i don’t agree with at least like…70% of the premise) probably intended.

like with this one: “henry does not believe in mercy. elizabeth does.” 

for the most part i do believe that’s true, especially for henry post- becoming supreme head of the church; however it certainly doesn’t mean that elizabeth the i was always merciful (you’re probably not going to be able a single monarch that was); rather that she applied mercy in cases where her father (especially her father after 1533) would not have.

indeed, the article goes on to refer to the “horror [that took place in] Ireland” during elizabeth’s reign, so…i don’t think the black-and-white way it seems to have been taken is….necessarily what the author (david starkey) intended, given the rest of the article in its entirety.