Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533. When she inherited the throne, it was a tattered realm: dissension between Catholics and Protestants tore at the very foundation of society. Furthermore, the royal treasury had been bled dry by her older sister, Mary. Many people doubted Elizabeth's ability and claim to the monarchy. However, Elizabeth proved most calm and calculating (even though she had a horrendous temper) in her political insight. She employed capable and distinguished men to carry out her aims for the country. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power while still maintaining the devotion of the whole of English society.

Good Queen Bess, as she came to be called, maintained a regal air until the day she died; a quote from a letter by Paul Hentzen reveals the aging queen's regal nature:

"Next came the Queen in the sixty-fifth year of her age, as we were told, very majestic; her face oblong, fair, but wrinkled; her eyes small yet black and pleasant; her nose a little hooked; her lips narrow...she had in her ear two pearls, with very rich drops...her air was stately; her manner of speaking mild and obliging."

This noble figure surely had her faults, but she excelled at rising to challenges and emerging victorious.

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