Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.
Elizabeth, as the daughter of Henry VIII, was born into the royal succession; however, her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after Elizabeth's birth, and Anne's marriage to Henry VIII was annulled. Elizabeth was hence declared illegitimate. Her half-brother, Edward VI, ruled as king until his death in 1553. He bequeathed the crown to Lady Jane Grey, cutting his two half-sisters, Elizabeth and the Roman Catholic Mary, out of the succession, in spite of statute law to the contrary. However, Edward's will was set aside and Mary became queen, deposing Lady Jane Grey. During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.