Queen Elizabeth I was born on 1533 as the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. She was twenty-five when she came to the throne following Mary's death in 1558 and was described as wise and a very good Queen. She loved reading, going to the theatre, and even dancing. (Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays in her time, some of which were about Elizabeth). She was also described as small, and had red hair. She had black teeth from eating too many sweets.

After Mary’s unpopular Catholic rule, Elizabeth made England Protestant again. However, she tried to avoid the religious extremes of Edward and Mary's reigns by finding a 'middle way' where there was more religious tolerance.

Elizabeth's reign became known as a golden age, and she herself was called 'Good Queen Bess' and 'Gloriana' by her subjects.

But Elizabeth's reign was not without problems. In 1586, she found and decoded an encrypted letter which contained plans for overthrowing her and making Mary Queen of the Scots Queen of England. Elizabeth imprisoned her, and eventually she reluctantly signed her death warrant.

In 1578, Sir Francis Drake became the first Englishman to sail around the Earth. He had begun as a pirate, raiding ships carrying treasure! Queen Elizabeth made him an admiral to defend against a sea invasion from Spain, the most powerful country at that time. It happened in 1588. A ship came into Plymouth, saying that one hundred and thirty Spanish ships were heading for England. Elizabeth gave a speech to her soldiers:
“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a King, and a King of England too.”
She even said that she would fight the Spanish herself if necessary. Lord Howard of Effingham and Sir Francis Drake led the English navy. When Drake heard the news of the Spanish Armada, he was busy playing bowls. He ordered his ships to prepare for battle, and then calmly finished his game! The English navy had a good plan. They set fire to some of their ships and sent them straight at the enemy. These were called fire ships. The Spanish fleet lost 30 ships, one by one, and retreated. The threat of a Spanish invasion was over.

Elizabeth never married and died in 1603 without any children. The Tudor age was over, and the Stuart age had began.