Elizabeth I, delegated command, and Catherine of Aragon

Elizabeth I's dress at Tilbury remains uncertain, and the discussion turns to how she exercised command. Elizabeth understood that a monarch directing several fronts could not personally lead one army while still coordinating everything else. Other rulers, including her father Henry VIII, struggled with that division of responsibility. Henry's unsuccessful campaign in France is set beside Catherine of Aragon's campaign against Scotland, with Catherine judged the better general. Henry's weak generalship is kept separate from his political skill and ability to survive or suppress coups.