Queen Elizabeth I Photos

Ruled England 17 November 1558 - 24 March 1603. Elizabeth I was crowned Queen after the death of her childless half-sister Mary I. As a Protestant, she reversed Mary I's attempt to return England to Roman Catholicism. The defeat of the Spanish Armada by Sir Francis Drake cemented her position as one of Europe's strongest monarchs. The Elizabethan Voyages of Discovery are so named because Elizabeth encouraged exploration and the extension of England's possessions in the Americas. Elizabeth championed literature and theatre, including that of Shakespeare & other still familiar authors. Elizabeth did not marry and had no children. On her deathbed, she assented to James VI of Scotland being her successor.