Elizabeth I Tudor
Elizabeth I the Great (1533-1603) - Queen of England and Ireland from the Tudor dynasty, known as the Virgin Queen. Daughter of Henry VIII and Anna Boleyn. Marginalized by her father, who considered her an illegitimate child, and by her older half-sister Maria, who briefly imprisoned her in the Tower of London. She assumed power after Bloody Mary's death in 1558. It strengthened the position of the Anglican Church, supported the expansion of the fleet and the development of trade. During her time, England rose to the rank of one of the European powers.