As any new monarch in Europe, profound changes were made to the policies and governance of this period. This was especially true after the birth of the Protestant Reformation and religion. The leaders of the time were pushed to follow the ancient religious ways of Catholicism or to join the revolutionary movements of Lutheranism or Protestantism. A few intelligent and humane leaders decided to remain neutral on this issue and were defined as the politicians. Elizabeth I, Henry of Navarre, and William the Silent were all extraordinary rulers of their respective monarchies. Their tolerance of religion was revolutionary for its time, and this is how they all relate to the singular word, politics. Everyone had their own level of tolerance towards the opposing religion. Elizabeth I created her tolerant state through symbolic notions, Henry of Navarre was a vocal ruler always seeking to make his policies of tolerance known to his people, and William the Silent took a quiet approach with his inaction in the face of religious persecution. Each of these leaders manifested a policy not only through their tolerance of religion, but also through their varying degrees of tolerance. Political leaders were often more concerned that their people obey the laws they made than what religion they practiced. These leaders generally supported the religion they practiced, but they also tolerated the opposing religion in their country. Each ruler had a certain degree of tolerance with which he accepted the opposing religion. For Elizabeth I, it was truly symbolic. Early in Elizabeth's reign, she began by making selections for her council. In the council of his predecessor, Queen Mary, the council was made up entirely of devout Catholics because Mary wanted everyone to express their own opinions, and that is what he let them do. He allowed his title as political leader to manifest itself in a silence which differed enormously from that of Henry of Navarre. He never spoke out and sort of left things alone (Harrison 40-42). The ascension of a new monarch to the throne is accompanied by changes in the country's politics. From Elizabeth's new advice to Henry's documented policies and even William the Silent's inaction in the face of threats, all policies had to be made by the new rulers. This group of leaders all had something in common; they chose to let their people express their religious preferences based solely on their beliefs, but they all differed in how they let this happen. It was monumental for the times they lived in, but it was something that needed to be done to advance national unity..