Biography

* Elizabeth I was the sixth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty in England and daughter of King Henry VIII

* She was imprisoned for nearly a year in the Tower of London during the reign of her sister Mary I for suspicion of supporting the Protestant rebels the fervent determination of Mary to crush the Protestant faith

* Elizabeth was once declared an illegitimate heir to the throne by her brother Edward VI who did away with the Third Succession Act but his heir lost all support within two weeks leading Mary and Elizabeth back to power

* She turned down the marriage proposal of Philip II of Spain in 1959 worsening relations between the two countries

Accomplishments

* Her consistently defense foreign policy in Britain successfully managed to deter the Spanish threat of invasion that persisted throughout her rule

* England defeated the Spanish armada in 1588 which deterred any imminent threats of Spanish invasion and shattered Spain's naval power, empowering the British people and the British name and British strength while maintaining the Balance of Power in Europe

* She became the Supreme Governor of her newly established Protestant Church of England with the new Act of Supremacy Law in 1559 which required the Book of Common Prayer for worship but that was very tolerant of numerous religious views

Impact

The great reign of Elizabeth had an immeasurable amount of impact on the future. Had any other ruler reigned during her time, Spain likely would have invaded and taken over the nation of Britain. This would have destroyed the balance of power in the continent and would have undoubtedly led to a Spanish speaking America unimaginably different than today. Our America would simply be known as a small colony of Spain, with economic and commercial dominance unfathomable. Had any other ruler reigned during her time, the relative toleration of religion that existed in Britain would have never been known.

Millions of scholars and professionals would have been forced from the nation, and it would not have been nearly as industrially and commercially dominant in future centuries, leaving America without a template for global domination. Simply put had any other ruler reigned during her time, our free nation, our English language, our wealth, our technology, and us as we know it would not exist.