Elizabeth I

HOW DID SHE RISE TO PROMINENCE?

Elizabeth was King Henry VIII’s only surviving child by Anne Boleyn. Her mother was executed before her third birthday, and as a result Elizabeth spent much of her childhood in disgrace. Her accession to the throne in 1558 (following the death of her half-sister, Mary I) marked a turning point in her life: from now on, she was in control of her own destiny.

WHO WERE HER LOVE INTERESTS?

Elizabeth famously never married, despite considering, and ultimately refusing, offers from numerous foreign suitors. She formed a close and enduring bond with Robert Dudley – one that, despite her protestations that nothing untoward had occurred between the two, was the source of scandalous gossip in the English court.

WHEN DID SHE DIE?

On 24 March 1603 at Richmond Palace.