"Elisabetta I and "The Golden Age"

Elisabetta I:

Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 in the Greenwich Palace - 24 March 1603) was queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She was twenty-five and had a strong personality,a lively intelligence and a passionate character. She had received an excellent education and could speak French,Latin and Italian with ease, but above all she was a political genius of the first order.

She was called the "Virgin Queen", "Gloriana" or "Good queen bess". Elizabeth I was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anna Boleyn who was executed for betrayal two years after Elizabeth's birth. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.

During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year in the Tower of London on suspicion of supporting protestant rebels,but  she fervenly protested her innocence.

One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English protestant Church. She became the Supreme Governor.

In 1588, the defeat of the Spanish Armada associated her with one of the greatest military victories in English history.

Marriage question are not clear. Historians have speculated that Thomas Seymor had put her off sexsual relationship. She was in love with her childhood friend Robert Dudley. The Queen was extremely jealous of his affections. She died in 1603.

"The Golden Age"

Elizabeth's reign is know as the "Golden Age" (1558-1625). The period is famous for the flourishing of English Drama with William Shakespeare and his poems like Romeo and Giulietta or Hamlet. Literature and theater are very important for the queen. She loved culture.In fact she build theaters outside the city not to interfere in politics.
Her successor will be James I