Elizabeth I

I am Elizabeth Tudor, born September 7, 1533, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Against every storm of intrigue, I rose to my father’s throne and ruled England for forty-four years.

I chose no husband, for I was wedded to my realm. I faced rebellion, plots, and the wrath of mighty Spain — yet the Armada fell to wind and English fire. I presided over an age of Drake and Raleigh, of Shakespeare and Marlowe — a court where adventure and poetry walked side by side.

I was both woman and sovereign, steel in velvet, the last Tudor to wear the crown.

What I Leave Behind

• I defended my realm against foreign powers and inner plots.
• I nurtured a flowering of art and exploration.
• I showed that a woman alone could hold a crown and keep it bright.

Remember me not as a shadow behind men, but as England’s living heart.