THE CURSE OF FEMALE HEADSHIP AND THE ELIZABETHAN COMPROMISE

The English Patrimony is Ruled by a Devouring Mother, an Archetypal “Abomination of Desolation” that Overthrew the Biblical Patriarchy of the Nurturing Father. To Reclaim Our Patrimony, We Must Exorcise the Witch that has Possessed Our Ancestral and Cultural Dominion, and Return to Our Ancient Roots in a Stern, Stiff and Unwavering Western Orthodoxy

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." - Isaiah 3:12 

Introduction 

The Scriptures are clear. Women are loved, cherished, protected and function in their role as a holy icon of God’s grace. When women joyfully embrace their God-given role as nurturers, anchors, and sustainers of the home, they do not become lesser, but rather the lifeblood of Christian civilization itself. In honoring their husbands, they find strength; in supporting them, they receive love; in submitting to godly headship, they discover refuge, peace, and divine purpose. Like fruitful vines about the house and abundant fields in the Kingdom to come, they are the unseen foundation upon which homes, churches, and nations stand firm. A woman who walks in obedience to the divine order is not oppressed but exalted, for she mirrors the Bride of Christ - holy, radiant, and beloved. In this sacred harmony of godly masculinity and femininity, the family flourishes, children are raised in faith and virtue, and both men and women rejoice in the knowledge that they have fulfilled their highest calling. In restoring this order, we do not regress but ascend, stepping into the fullness of God’s design, where joy, love, and peace abound unto the ages of ages.

Throughout Scripture, the divine order is also clear: men are called to lead, and when women assume headship over men, it is consistently portrayed as a sign of divine judgment. Female headship was just as abhorrent to the biblical and Patristic mind as transgenderism is to contemporary conservative Christianity, for exactly the same reasons. The spirit of female headship necessarily leads to its exact obverse, which is the spirit of male submission, with all the perverse homosexual tendencies implied in this abomination. The disorder of female rule is not a condemnation of women’s intelligence, abilities, or spiritual gifts, but rather a theological reality that leadership is given to men by covenantal design. It is also not a statement of male moral superiority, as men typically struggle with anger, violence, lust and unfaithfulness in the same way that women often struggle with issues of passive aggressive behavior, manipulation and deceit. Women may be prophets (Deborah, Huldah, Anna), they may be evangelists (Priscilla, Lydia), and they may be great saints, as a myriad of great female saints attest. Yet in governance - whether in the household, the Church, or the state - Scripture, Tradition, and history testify that female rulers have always led to turmoil, compromise, and the erosion of divinely established biblical order which we are obligated to keep and propagate as God-fearing and Word-loving believers. In this position of submission to God’s revealed Word and His infallible command, both men and women are called to love one another, help one another, and struggle for the salvation of the other. We should employ our God-given spiritual, emotional and physical gifts, while also living within the divinely established order that our Heavenly Father wills for us. This is human flourishing and true complementarity. 

The most striking example of this upended created order in the English tradition is Elizabeth I, whose reign set into motion a distinctively feminine, pragmatic, and compromising spirit within Anglicanism, undermining the firm leadership of her predecessors and altering the character of the Church of England forever, resulting in the Latitudinarianism and theological liberalism that has emasculated and completely gutted the English Patrimony around the world, thus fulfilling the biblical prophecy of judgment. 

I. Biblical and Patristic Testimony Against Female Rule

The testimony of Scripture is unambiguous: 

- Genesis 3:16 - After the Fall, God tells Eve: “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Male headship is an explicit part of God’s created order, reinforced as the primary consequence of sin. 

- 1 Corinthians 11:3 - "The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." The hierarchy of authority is divinely instituted, not socially constructed. 

- 1 Timothy 2:12-14 - "I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." St. Paul roots this command not in cultural concerns, but in the created order itself. 

- Isaiah 3:12 - Used in the opening of this article, declares female rulers as an explicit judgment upon a disobedient nation. 

The Church Fathers affirmed this teaching. St. John Chrysostom wrote: 

”The woman taught once, and ruined all. On this account, therefore, he [Paul] says, let her not teach... She is subjected to man, and not set over man." (Homily 9 on 1 Timothy) 

Tertullian, in “De Cultu Feminarum”, likewise rebukes the idea of female authority: 

"Do you not know that each of you is an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil’s gateway."

St. Ambrose of Milan famously stated: 

“This is a warning that no one ought to rely on oneself. She who was made as a helper needs the protection of the stronger. In this sense "the head of the woman is the man." Yet while he believed that he would have the assistance of his wife, he fell because of her. Hence no one ought to entrust himself lightly to another unless he has first put that person's virtue to the test. Neither should he claim for himself in the role of protector one whom he believes is lesser to his strength. Rather, each one should share his special grace with the other. Especially is this true of the man, who is in the position of greater strength, who plays the part of protector.”

II. The Empresses: Irene, Theodora, and the Disruption of Imperial Order

The Byzantine Empire, while staunch in its defense of orthodoxy, provides glaring examples of the destruction wrought by female rule, and betrays much of the matriarchal culture still central to Greek and Eastern European identity, leading to the abuse of young men by oppressive mothers. 

1. Empress Irene (reigned AD 797–802)

Irene of Athens, initially ruling alongside her son Constantine VI, seized full power in AD 797 by deposing, blinding, and ultimately causing his death. Her rule was marked by political instability, and her usurpation was so offensive that Charlemagne declared the Byzantine throne vacant and assumed the title of Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800. The West saw this act as proof that a woman was unfit to hold dominion. 

2. Empress Theodora (reigned AD 842–856)

Theodora, while celebrated for restoring icons, also engaged in ruthless power struggles. She ordered the castration and imprisonment of Theophobos, the illegitimate son of her husband by a concubine, who died from his horrific wounds. Ultimately, her own son, Michael III, deposed her, sending her to a convent. Though she upheld doctrinal orthodoxy, her rule was one of violence and political upheaval. 

These women, despite their theological contribution, brought chaos rather than stability, underscoring the inherent disorder of female rulership. While men taking advantage of women in such a way would most certainly be denied the title of “saint” within the Church, history has always looked rather leniently upon women who have done the same, calling into question all of the historical assumptions of radical feminism. 

III. The Elizabethan Compromise: A Feminized Church

In the English tradition, Elizabeth I presents a similar case of pragmatism triumphing over principle. While Henry VIII and Edward VI pursued a firm direction for the English Church, Elizabeth introduced a spirit of compromise, often deemed "Elizabethan Settlement." This settlement: 

1. Blended Catholic and Protestant Elements While Rejecting Historic Orthodoxy - Rather than decisively reforming the Church or returning to a certain historical basis of authority, Elizabeth sought political unity, leading to a Church of England that was neither Protestant nor fully Catholic, tolerant of both persuasions, without a hard commitment to Orthodoxy. 

2. Promoted Political Expediency Over Doctrinal Purity - Elizabeth famously stated, "I have no desire to make windows into men's souls." This leniency led to a gradual erosion of theological rigor. 

3. Created a Culture of Religious Relativism - Instead of clarity, the settlement institutionalized doctrinal ambiguity, laying the groundwork for later compromises with modernism and liberalism. 

This feminized approach to governance - valuing peace over truth, political stability over theological consistency - was the defining feature of her reign and has since shaped Anglicanism into an institution more concerned with diplomacy than doctrine. 

IV. Other Cases: Victoria and the Decline of British Strength

Queen Victoria’s reign, while outwardly strong, also saw the beginning of Britain’s shift towards sentimental governance. The British Empire expanded, yet its moral core began to soften under the influence of Victorian domestic ideals. Sentimental humanitarianism began to replace the older ethos of duty and strength. This was not Victoria’s fault alone, but her rule coincided with the feminization of public morality, which eventually culminated in the decline of Britain as a global power. This can be easily seen in the feminine prudery that became popular in the Victorian era, a false sense of scandal and overly-modest, unnatural eversion to the body and to godly, healthy masculinity that an overly empowered female sensibility forced on to the public. This, coupled with the Industrial Revolution’s stripping of the fatherly presence from the home, led to the inevitable turn of fascination and prurience that characterized so much of the Victorian popular culture. This addiction to scandal, gossip, and the superiority of feminine modalities can still be culturally felt in English-speaking Evangelicalism worldwide today. 

V. The Fall of Contemporary Britain: The Curse of Niceness and the Emasculation of the West

Modern Britain, once the seat of an empire that spanned the globe, has fallen into a self-destructive spiral of excessive "niceness," self-flagellation, and cultural emasculation. The British Isles, which once produced leaders of iron resolve - Churchill, Nelson, Wellington - now seem paralyzed by an obsession with political correctness, institutionalized self-loathing, and an unwillingness to defend their own heritage. The root of this decay lies in the feminization of British identity, where the maternal instinct to nurture and protect has been misapplied to governance and national policy, coddling the undeserving and emboldening those who seek Britain’s downfall. 

It is no coincidence that as Britain has abandoned its traditional masculine virtues - strength, fortitude, and duty - it has embraced an identity defined by compromise, perpetual apology, and self-inflicted weakness. The moral confidence that once animated British civilization has been replaced with an incessant chest-beating for perceived historical sins, despite Britain’s unparalleled role in abolishing the very evils it now berates itself for. 

The Myth of Britain’s Racial Guilt

Few nations have demonstrated moral leadership in the fight against slavery as Britain has. The British Empire was the first major power to outlaw the transatlantic slave trade, passing the Abolition Act of 1807, and later the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which dismantled slavery across the empire at enormous financial and logistical cost. The British government even imposed a self-sacrificial tax burden on its people, paying off vast sums of compensation - not to the former slaves alone but also to facilitate the dismantling of the entire system, a debt only recently paid off in 2015. 

Meanwhile, the white population of Britain itself was not exempt from slavery. The Barbary pirates of North Africa continued to enslave British men, women, and children well into the 19th century, raiding coastal towns and seizing entire communities into bondage. While the British navy fought to eradicate the transatlantic slave trade, few today acknowledge the suffering of British subjects who remained captives of Muslim slavers long after Britain's abolitionist movement had triumphed. Yet, in modern Britain, the dominant cultural narrative ignores these historical truths, insisting that the British people must bear perpetual guilt while ignoring the role of other global Islamic powers in perpetuating slavery - many of whom continue the practice in various forms to this day. 

The Feminization of the Anglo-Sphere: The Cult of Agreeability

The root of this decline lies in an unchecked embrace of the feminine ethos of agreeability, applied indiscriminately to national and cultural policy. Historically, Western civilization flourished when it balanced masculine and feminine virtues - fortitude with mercy, justice with compassion. Yet, in contemporary Britain, the scales have tipped disastrously in favor of an all-consuming maternalism: a compulsion to take care of everyone, to avoid offense at all costs, and to extend charity where discipline is required. As millions of new illegals crowd in to take advantage of the tax dole every year, and “Mohammad” becomes the most common male baby name, the British people are lectured endlessly about their historic evils and systemic racism, being harried into a full-fledged cultural suicide as traditional values are jettisoned for political correctness. 

This misplaced maternal instinct is evident in the way Britain has treated destructive ideologies. The nation has coddled dangerous social movements that erode traditional family structures, promote racial resentment, and weaken the foundations of Western civilization itself. The British people, once known for their stoic resolve, are now instructed to be endlessly apologetic, deferential, and ashamed of their own identity. This process continues with many who convert to Eastern Christianity from an English background, projecting perfection on the other, while endlessly disavowing and pompous distancing themselves from their own ancestral piety. Many pious Anglophone young people vainly believe that those more exotic and eastern are truly spiritual, not understanding that the mysticism they seek is merely exoticism and orientalism, mistaking their own linguistic and cultural incomprehension for depth and profundity. 

The same instinct that led the Queen Elizabeth II to shield and coddle her abusive, disgraced son, Prince Andrew, is the same impulse that now defines the British political class. Just as a misguided mother protects an unworthy child at the expense of justice, Britain today protects and emboldens ideological forces that seek its own destruction. It is a culture that forgives the unforgivable, tolerates the intolerable, and punishes those who dare to defend themselves. 

The West’s Suicide: A Lack of Masculine Will

The feminization of British culture is not limited to domestic affairs - it has resulted in an unwillingness to defend Western civilization itself. The United Kingdom, alongside much of the Western world, has abdicated its responsibility to protect its own people from ideological subversion, uncontrolled immigration, and cultural self-annihilation. It coddles criminals, accommodates radical non-white racist ideologues, and punishes those who speak the truth. Meanwhile, nations that maintain a firm sense of national and cultural identity (such as Poland, Hungary, and even parts of the developing world) are unafraid to defend their traditions and are labeled “international pariah.”

Just as Elizabethan pragmatism weakened the Church of England through compromise, the contemporary British ethos of "niceness at all costs" has weakened the nation to the point of existential crisis. A civilization unwilling to defend itself will not survive. A society ruled by maternal instincts, unchecked by masculine resolve and the urge to heroic struggle, will sacrifice its future for the sake of false peace and self-destructive guilt.

If Britain is to rise from its decline, it must reclaim the masculine virtues that built its greatness - the mighty Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Norman men of old. The age of apologizing must end. The age of active, prolific, masculine and defensive strategy - of faith, family, and nation - must begin anew.

VI. Conclusion: The Restoration of Biblical and Patristic Order in the English Patrimony 

History, Scripture, and the Church Fathers all testify to the dangers of female headship. The issue is not one of ability - women have often been brilliant, courageous, and pious - but of divine order. When men relinquish their God-given role, chaos follows. The rule of Irene and Theodora in Byzantium, the Elizabethan compromise, and the gradual decline of British strength under Victoria, and the collapse of the British Patrimony under Elizabeth II, all illustrate that when women govern nations, it is often a sign that men have abdicated their responsibility, and the judgment of God follows. 

To restore the strength of the Church and society, men must reclaim their role as heads of their families, their churches, and their nations. We must lay down our lives heroically for the cause of Christ and the propagation of the Church. The spirit of Elizabethan compromise has only led to doctrinal decay and institutional weakness. The future belongs to those who submit to the divine order, for "the head of the woman is the man, and the head of the man is Christ." 

The Byzantine Apse of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, an Ancient Icon of Christ Crowning the Blessed Virgin Mary

A Modern Rendition of the Ancient Icon

An Ancient Greek Icon of the Holy Trinity Crowning the Most Holy Theotokos (Before the Recent Russian Prohibition on Depicting the Father) 

In the face of this great decline and cultural confusion, the Church offers a path of restoration - a return to the divine order in which men and women alike find their true calling in obedience to God. Women are not called to bear the crushing burden of headship, but rather to be the heart of the Christian home, the wellspring of faith, and the living icon of the Church itself. The beauty of godly womanhood is not in usurpation but in sanctified strength, not in dominion but in devotion. When a woman nurtures, she is not weak; she is a co-creator with God, shaping souls for eternity. When she submits to righteous headship, she does not diminish but ascends, crowned in the grace of divine wisdom. She is the Theotokos in her household, the Magdalene in her repentance, the Priscilla in her instruction, and the Anna in her prayer. In restoring this order, we reclaim the full radiance of Christian civilization - not as a return to oppression, but as a return to the harmony God has ordained, where men and women flourish together, each in their rightful and exalted place, shining in the image and likeness of God. 

COLLECT 

Almighty and Everliving God, who hast ordained the order of creation with wisdom and love, we beseech Thee to grant us grace to return to the teachings of Thy holy Word, that we may embrace the roles Thou hast established for men and women in Thy divine economy. Cast out from among us the poison of false ideologies that seek to subvert Thy will, and restore to Thy Church and to our nations a reverence for the roles of husband and wife, father and mother, in their holy sacramental union. 

Grant unto families the strength to nurture one another in love, that husbands may lead in humility, wives may submit in joy, and children may honour their fathers and mothers. By Thy grace, heal the wounds inflicted by disordered desires and bring forth from our households the fruit of joy, peace, and harmony according to Thy perfect will.

Raise up in us, O Lord, a generation of faithful Christians who walk in the light of Thy Word, who hold fast to the holy traditions of Thy Church, and who, in so doing, glorify Thy Name through wholesome marriages and flourishing families. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.