Queen Elizabeth Biography and Works.

Born on September 7, 1533, Elizabeth I is considered to be one of the greatest monarchs of England and Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death.

Sometimes called Gloriana, The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess. Her mother, Anne Boleyn was executed two and a half years after her birth and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.

In 1558, Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting protestant rebels.

Elizabeth was more moderate than her father, brother and sister had been, in her government. One of her mottoes was ‘video et taceo’ (I see, and say nothing). After 1570, when the pope declared her illegitimate, several conspiracies threatened her life. However, all plots were defeated with the help of her ministers’ secret service.

Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, moving between the major powers of France and Spain. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in the mid 1580s, when they tried to conquer England, associated her with what is popularly viewed as one of the greatest victories in English history.

She died on March 24, 1603.

Trivia

It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir so as to continue the Tudor line. But not doing so, as she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity and a cult grew up around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants and literature of the day.