Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor.

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife, who was executed when Elizabeth was 2 1/2 years old. Anne's marriage to Henry VIII was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her half-brother Edward VI ruled until his death in 1553, bequeathing the crown to Lady Jane Grey and ignoring the claims of his two half-sisters, the Roman Catholic Mary and the younger Elizabeth, in spite of statute law to the contrary. Edward's will was set aside and Mary became queen, deposing Lady Jane Grey. During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.

Upon her half-sister's death in 1558, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel. She depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers, led by William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the supreme governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement was to evolve into the Church of England. It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir; however, despite numerous courtships, she never did. She was eventually succeeded by her first-cousin twice-removed, James VI of Scotland, laying the foundation for the Kingdom of Great Britain. She had earlier been responsible for the imprisonment and execution of James's mother, Mary, Queen of Scots.

In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and half-siblings had been. One of her mottoes was ("I see and keep silent"). In religion, she was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. After the pope declared her illegitimate in 1570 and released her subjects from obedience to her, several conspiracies threatened her life, all of which were defeated with the help of her ministers' secret service. Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, manoeuvring between the major powers of France and Spain. She only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France, and Ireland. By the mid-1580s, England could no longer avoid war with Spain. England's victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588 associated Elizabeth with one of the greatest military victories in English history.

As she grew older, Elizabeth became celebrated for her virginity. A cult of personality grew around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day. Elizabeth's reign became known as the Elizabethan era. The period is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Francis Drake. Some historians depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more than her share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity. Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor in an era when government was ramshackle and limited, and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems that jeopardised their thrones. After the short reigns of her half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.
Q82850
Queen of England
UNK
Q2736547
Ireland
UNK
Q101978
House of Tudor
Concept
Q38370
Henry VIII
PER
Q80823
Anne Boleyn
PER
Q83229
Edward VI
PER
Q162356
Lady Jane Grey
PER
Q9592
Roman Catholic
Concept
Q82674
Mary
PER
Q16210868
statute law to the contrary
UNK
Q354309
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
PER
Q3052674
supreme governor
PER
Q1521636
Elizabethan Religious Settlement
UNK
Q82708
Church of England
Concept
Q79972
James VI of Scotland
PER
Q161885
Kingdom of Great Britain
LOC
Q131412
Mary, Queen of Scots
PER
Q668398
declared her illegitimate
EVE
Q70972
France
LOC
Q29
Spain
LOC
Q55
Netherlands
LOC
Q430726
war with Spain
EVE
Q179684
Spanish Armada
MISC
Q170538
virginity
Concept
Q192914
cult of personality
Concept
Q912595
Elizabethan era
TIME
Q1134718
English drama
Concept
Q692
William Shakespeare
PER
Q28975
Christopher Marlowe
PER
Q36517
Francis Drake
PER
Q7207
Elizabeth I
PER
1533-09-07T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
7 September 1533
DATE
1603-03-24T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
24 March 1603
DATE
1558-11-17T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
17 November 1558
DATE
1603-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1603
DATE
1553-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1553
DATE
1558-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1558
DATE
1570-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1570
DATE
1588-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1588
DATE
+2^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
2
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+2^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
2
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
-1580^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-1580
NUMBER
+44^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
44
NUMBER
family
child
sibling
sibling
spouse
spouse
sibling
relative
sibling
religion
genre