(1533-1603) Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ruled as queen of England from 1558 to 1603. When she succeeded her Catholic half-sister Mary I, her first act was to establish herself as head of the English Church. Her defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 established England as a major European power. She also encouraged colonization of the New World. 

Elizabeth never married because she did not want her power threatened by sharing the monarchy with a husband. Her claim to the throne was threatened by her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom Elizabeth reluctantly had executed.  Elizabeth was succeeded by Mary’s son, James.