Queen Elizabeth I

Henry VIII's daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, was the final ruler of the Tudor era. She had a fantastic classical education. She was fluent in French and Italian and could read Latin and Greek. After the death of Mary, Elizabeth's older sister, in 1558, the people celebrated her accession to the throne. Elizabeth was an astute, brave, and tenacious woman. She was often referred to as Good Queen Bess.

Elizabeth's reign saw England develop into a major maritime power. In the Atlantic Ocean, English sailors, most notably Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, engaged the Spanish. They conducted daring attacks against the Spanish colonies in America and captured Spanish ships that were transporting wealth to Spain from the New World.

Elizabeth assisted the Protestants in Holland. At the time, King Philip II of Spain was attempting to put down the Protestant uprising in the Netherlands, which was a part of the Spanish Empire. His troops was dispatched to the Netherlands. Elizabeth followed suit. Philip had to battle England as a result. He constructed a sizable fleet of vessels that came to be known as the Invincible Armada. England was at risk. Elizabeth addressed the crews of the ships that will engage the Armada in combat. The Armada was defeated on August 9, 1588, after six days of combat between the two fleets. Only half of the Armada's ships made it back to Spain. It was a significant win for England.

One of the greatest periods in English literature was the Elizabethan Period. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Edmund Spenser were only a few of the numerous authors that produced their outstanding works at that time. Musicians, poets, scholars, and painters from England found a home at Elizabeth's court. The English were incredibly proud of their monarchy and nation.