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“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.”

HBICs of history » E l i z a b e t h   T u d o r

Elizabeth, known also as the Virgin Queen, was queen regent of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death. She was the only child of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. One of Elizabeth’s first moves as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor.  It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir so as to continue the Tudor line. She never did, however, despite numerous courtships. As she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity, and a cult grew up around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day. Elizabeth’s reign is known as the Elizabethan era, famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake.