Day 1 - Elizabeth I of England

This month's theme is Girl Power and I will feature a story of a woman of influence or power each day.

Today we have Elizabeth I of England.



She was the child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was a true product of her parents with her mother's intelligence and her father's passion, she was Good Queen Bess to the people of England for 45 years. Her Royal Navy defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 in what is considered the one of the greatest battles in English history.

Elizabeth was renowned for being 'the virgin queen' since she never married but was married instead to her country. Her court was full intrigue and many men and women lost their heads but she was still more tolerant than her father. She was protestant and undid many of the things her Catholic half-sister Mary I did during her bloody reign.

She is my personal favorite of all the powerful women in history as she led the British empire at the height of its glory. Her power was near absolute though she was often manipulated by the men around her and though she never married, she was always surrounded by men who sought to marry her for her power and perhaps a few even for love.

Here are a few books:
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Wier (non-fiction)
The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age by Christopher Hibbert (non-fiction)
The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (fiction)
The lady Elizabeth by Alison Wier (fiction).

Cate Blanchett played her in two excellent movies:
Elizabeth and
Elizabeth: The Golden Age.