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Elizabeth I
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Elizabeth I Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I wearing an ornate jeweled gown, lace ruff, pearl necklace, and crown, set against a dark background. Oil painting by Robert Peake the Elder showing Queen Elizabeth I carried under a canopy in a grand procession, surrounded by courtiers and attendants in elaborate dress. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in elaborate, jeweled clothing with a large lace collar, holding a rainbow, known as the Rainbow Portrait, Hatfield House, circa 1600-1602.
How did Elizabeth I become queen?
Why did Henry VIII form the Church of England?
Painting of Queen Elizabeth I in an ornate gown knighting Sir Francis Drake with a sword as he kneels on a red carpet aboard the Golden Hind, surrounded by onlookers and ships. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I wearing a richly embroidered gown with puffed sleeves, pearl jewelry, and a lace ruff, holding a fan, against a dark background. Queen Elizabeth of England
Explore the great men from Elizabeth I's reign such as Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, and William Shakespeare
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Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in elaborate, jeweled clothing with a large lace collar, holding a rainbow, known as the Rainbow Portrait, Hatfield House, circa 1600-1602.
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Elizabeth I
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles to the crowd from Buckingham Palace (London, England) balcony at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. The curtain comes down on four days of momentous nationwide celebrations to honor Queen Elizabeth II's historic Platinum Jubilee with a day-long pageant lauding the 96 year old monarch's record seven decades on the throne. (British royalty)
Fit for a King (or Queen): the British Royalty Quiz
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm speaking and thanking delegates at the Democratic National Convention (third session), Miami Beach, Florida, July 12, 1972.
Women’s History: Leaders Quiz
Mary I of England painted by Anthonis Mor, 1554; in the collection of the Prado, Madrid.
Queens in England Quiz
Queen Anne of Cleves (1515-1557), fourth wife of Henry VIII. Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1539.
Tudor Period Quiz
Cleopatra hieroglyphic carving the Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Wall of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.
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Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I, oil on panel attributed to George Gower, about 1588.

Elizabeth I

queen of England
Also known as: Good Queen Bess, The Virgin Queen
Written by
Stephen J. Greenblatt
John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University. Author of Will in the World, The Swerve, and others; general editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature,...
Stephen J. GreenblattAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Elizabeth I (born September 7, 1533, Greenwich, near London, England—died March 24, 1603, Richmond, Surrey) was the queen of England (1558–1603) during a period, often called the Elizabethan Age, when England asserted itself vigorously as a major European power in politics, commerce, and the arts. Although her small kingdom was threatened by grave internal divisions, Elizabeth’s blend of shrewdness, courage, and majestic self-display inspired ardent expressions of loyalty and helped unify the nation against foreign...

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