Elizabeth I of England reigned after Edward VI and Mary I.
Elizabeth I of England . 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 , Elizabeth and the Roman Catholic Mary , in spite of statute law to the contrary . Such was the case with Elizabeth 's rival , Mary , Queen of Scots , whom she imprisoned in 1568 and had executed in 1587 . Mary I ( 18 February 1516 -- 17 November 1558 ) was the Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death . After her death in 1558 , her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her younger half-sister and successor Elizabeth I , daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn .