How Much Do You Know About Queen Elizabeth I?

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Her lengthy reign is often regarded as a time of relative peace and prosperity.

Elizabeth I never took a husband. She was "The Virgin Queen," renowned for her virtue.

Elizabeth was born to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of the tempermental Henry VIII. Henry had Anne executed during his chaotic reign.

Mary I took the throne and had Elizabeth thrown in prison. Why? Mary was Roman Catholic ... and suspected Elizabeth of supporting Protestant dissidents.

Elizabeth was 25 years old when she rose to the throne. She leaned on her advisors for many of her earliest decisions.

Elizabeth will always be noted for her links to Protestanism. She almost immediately established the English Protestant Church.

Elizabeth a was a deliberate monarch, one who took her time with important decisions. And she was far more conservative than her half-crazed father, Henry VIII.

After losing her mother to beheading as a toddler, Elizabeth was a reserved child. At a young age she was noted for her seriousness ... and her precocious nature.

In 1588, Spain, a frequent rival of the English, sent a huge fleet of ships to defeat Elizabeth. The English won out against all odds ... and Elizabeth was deemed a hero.

In spite of her "Virgin" label, Elizabeth did flirt with numerous relationships during her lifetime. But those courtships never culminated in marriage.

Elizabeth had private tutors in her formative years. She was fluent in at least four languages and understood at least four more.

Elizabeth’s leadership pushed England to a starring role on the stage of European politics. The Elizabethean Age was a good one, indeed.

No one really knows why the queen never married. But it’s very like that political considerations played into her decision making.

Thomas Seymour was the creepy old guy who showered young Elizabeth with far too much affection. Other leaders supected him of plotting to take the throne for himself ... and so had him beheaded.

Henry had a temper and could treat his opponents with extreme cruelty. But with all of his children he was seemingly a relatively nice and affectionate father.

Elizabeth approached foreign affairs with the same kind of caution she exhibited throughout her reign. She was especially careful with regard to Spain and France.

Many monarchs of the age were simply figureheads. Not Elizabeth. Not only was she a dazzling spectacle of royal splendor, she really was a shrewd and active politician.

Thoughtful and calculated, Elizabeth lived her life by certain principles, such as "video et taceo." That means, "I see but say nothing."

After the oppressively Catholic leadership of Mary I, the English were thrilled at Elizabeth — an ally of the Reformation — taking the throne.

When Elizabeth took the throne, the country’s military was small and weak. That fact meant that the queen had to be an exceptionally wise diplomat.

In 1562, the queen came down with smallpox and nearly died. She had no husband or heir ... facts that caused political strife following her recovery.

Many queens (and kings) of the era didn’t really have power to make big decisions. Not so with Elizabeth — she listened to her advisors, but ultimately she called the shots.

Elizabeth’s courtships caused a tizzy throughout the country because of their implications for the succession of power. The queen leveraged these bouts of national excitement to play her political rivals against one another.

In a time when other monarchs were deposed across the lands, Elizabeth held on to her crown. She was queen for an amazing 44 years.

She was Henry VIII’s daughter, all right. One moment she’d be engaging and funny, the next, cool and unmoved. Elizabeth was a master manipulator.

Elizabeth had full command of public situations. She was a fabulous public speaker and even spoke directly to troops heading into combat, all the better to whip them up for a fight.

In a time when royal marriages were part of political manueuvering, Elizabeth was famous for her virginity. That aspect of her life became exalted as virtue and inspired a cult-like devotion from some followers.

Elizabeth was fiscally conservative. But she did grow the size of her navy fleet to better protect against enemy ships.

In 1603, Elizabeth’s long reign finally came to an end. Her successor? James IV of Scotland, a man whose mother died at Elizabeth’s command.

Like other English royalty, Elizabeth had a major funeral procession. She was interred at Westminster Abbey.