Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603, marking the end of the Tudor dynasty. She was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was executed when Elizabeth was two years old. Her mother’s marriage to Henry was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate, though she was restored to the line of succession at the age of ten. Following the death of her father and the brief rule of her half-brother Edward VI, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year during her half-sister Mary’s reign on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels. Elizabeth ascended to the throne after Mary’s death and was known for her moderate governance and the establishment of the Protestant Church of England. Despite expectations, she never married or had children, earning the moniker ‘Virgin Queen’. Elizabeth’s reign, the Elizabethan era, is celebrated for the flourishing of English drama and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.