Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Wales from 1558 to 1603. It was a very exciting period of discovery. Francis Drake sailed around the world and Walter Raleigh went to America – he found tobacco and potatoes there and introduced them to Europe. It was also a “Golden Age” in English history for painting, music, architecture and literature. Shakespeare wrote great plays in this period.

When Elizabeth was born, her father, Henry VIII, was angry because his new child was a daughter – he wanted a son. He executed Elizabeth’s mother and married again. He sent Elisabeth away from him. Elizabeth was unhappy but she was good at school. She spoke French, Latin, Greek and Italian. She also loved the theatre, but in the 15th century there were no actresses – men played all the parts!

Elizabeth’s half-sister, Mary, became queen in 15553. She was a Catholic. She put Elizabeth in prison. When Mary died, Elizabeth became the first protestant queen. People wanted her to marry and have children. They thought she needed a man to help her. She was secretly in love with a man called Robert Dudley, but she never became his wife.

Elizabeth was a great queen. She organised her government and England became rich and strong. There were wars – Spain tried to invade England – but there was also a long period of peace. Elizabeth was a successful woman in a man’s world. She died in 1603.