Elizabeth I's mother is still alive.
Elizabeth I -LRB- 7 September 1533 -- 24 March 1603 -RRB- was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death .. Queen of England. List of English monarchs. Ireland. Queen of Ireland. England. Kingdom of England. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen , Gloriana or Good Queen Bess , the childless Elizabeth was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty .. Tudor. House of Tudor. Tudor dynasty. Tudor dynasty. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn , his second wife , who was executed two-and-a-half years after Elizabeth 's birth .. Henry VIII. Henry VIII of England. Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn. Anne 's marriage to Henry VIII was annulled , and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate .. Henry VIII. Henry VIII 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 .. Edward VI. Edward VI. Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane Grey. Roman Catholic. Roman Catholic. Mary. Mary I of England. statute law to the contrary. Third Succession Act. Edward 's will was set aside and Mary became queen , deposing Lady Jane Grey .. Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane Grey. Mary. Mary I of England. During Mary 's reign , Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels .. Mary. Mary I of England. In 1558 , Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister 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 .. Supreme Governor. Supreme Governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement was to evolve into the Church of England .. England. Kingdom of England. Elizabethan Religious Settlement. Elizabethan Religious Settlement. Church of England. Church of England. It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir to continue the Tudor line .. Tudor. House of Tudor. She never did , despite numerous courtships .. As she grew older , Elizabeth became famous for her virginity .. virginity. virginity. A cult grew around her which was celebrated in the portraits , pageants , and literature of the day .. In government , Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and half-siblings had been .. One of her mottoes was `` video et taceo '' -LRB- `` I see but say nothing '' -RRB- .. 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 .. declared her illegitimate. Regnans in Excelsis. 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 .. Ireland. Queen of Ireland. By the mid-1580s , England could no longer avoid war with Spain .. England. Kingdom of England. war with Spain. Anglo-Spanish War ( 1585–1604 ). England 's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 associated Elizabeth with one of the greatest military victories in English history .. England. Kingdom of England. Spanish Armada. Spanish Armada. Elizabeth 's reign is known as the Elizabethan era .. Elizabethan era. 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 .. English drama. English Renaissance theatre. William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare. Christopher Marlowe. Christopher Marlowe. Francis Drake. 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 .. Such was the case with Elizabeth 's rival , Mary , Queen of Scots , whom she imprisoned in 1568 and had executed in 1587 .. Mary. Mary I of England. After the short reigns of Elizabeth 's half-siblings , her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity .