Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 – March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558, until her death. Sometimes referred to as The Virgin Queen (since she never married), Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth I was the fifth and final monarch of the Tudor dynasty, having succeeded her half-sister, Mary I. She steadied England during a period of political and religious turmoil and set her nation's course to become the leading Protestant world power for the ... Elizabeth I, (born Sept. 7, 1533, Greenwich, near London, Eng.—died March 24, 1603, Richmond, Surrey), Queen of England (1558–1603). Daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth displayed precocious seriousness as a child and received the rigorous education normally reserved for male heirs. Elizabeth I Armada Portrait George Gower (Public Domain) Elizabeth I reigned as queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Her 44-year reign was so long and packed with momentous events that the second half of the 16th century is now known as the Elizabethan era and still regarded as a 'Golden Age' for England. Elizabeth succeeded her elder half-sister Mary I of England (r. 1553-1558). Exasperating ministers and suitors alike with her prevarication, the queen was a shrewd and capable ruler who ...
