Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

One of the most admirable female politicians in history, whose reign ushered in a golden era for England. A lot like Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt if you ask me....

Piled up a lot of bodies when she wasn't stealing other's property. Good Queen Bess was actually Bloody Queen Bess.

One of several high water marks among English Monarchs. Judging her personality or politics by the standards of today is a zero-sum exercise.

Ran an effective police state. . .for better or worse, ran a nation that wouldn't kiss the Vatican's ass- score points for her. . .England grew as a force in Europe under her reign. . .certainly a charismatic, complex, and effective ruler. . .

Presided over one of the most spectacular explosions of artistic, musical and literary creativity in history. Definitely something was right here, even if she wasn't exactly nice all of the time.  (Her persecution of Catholics was particularly vicious.)

She was a bald nasty piece of work.

The original Iron maiden, killed her cousin Mary Queen of Scots for no good reason. The last actual English monarch.

England's best monarch ever. She is someone I really wish I could meet. She triumphed over incredible adversity, and she was ruled by her head, and not her heart. UPDATE: She did not really want to execute Mary Queen of Scots;she agonized over it. But while Mary Queen of Scots is an intriguing and romantic figure, she was also plotting against Elizabeth I, so in fact Elizabeth had no real choice.

She was a political genius in a time when women were second class citizens.

Ah, Liz. They say a good compromise is one that leaves everyone unhappy. Well, she made everyone compromise to a bible version that really nobody liked as a gesture of good faith, then simply didn't change it the rest of her reign. Some think this set up the future religious wars. Others say she was able to hold it off.

Elizabeth was one of the best monarchs GB ever had. If only she had produced an heir.

She in my opinion is the greatest English Monarch there is or was. She was put in prison by Mary Tudor. Left for almost dead. She changed England from a Catholic Nation to a Protestant nation. And she also ruled with parliament.

This pasty faced monarch truly presided over a golden age in English history, Will Shakespeare was busily scribbling plays, Walter Raleigh was introducing the potato to Europe and Sir Francis Drake was intrepidly circumventing the world (and nicking some Spanish gold, naturally). Good Queen Bess also presided over the defeat of the largest naval force ever created (The Spanish Armada) and was known to remark beforehand Though I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, I have the heart of a King, a King of England at that. However Elizabeth was a strong and independent woman, hence she never married, giving the reason that she was married to her country, a greater spouse than any man. I must say that England has not had such a happy marriage since.

Her paternal grandfather was Henry VII, founder of the Tudor Royal Dynasty, final victor of the Wars of the Roses, known for ruthlessness and cold calculation but also as one of the most capable financial administrators to rule England for centuries. Unpopular yet effective. Her father was Henry VIII, the epitome of the Renaissance Monarch, confident in his ability to rule yet suspicious of the people surrounding him, well educated and civilised yet temperamental and capable of great brutality, priding on his piety and yet cynical enough to change religious policies based on the circumstances of the moment. Determined to face the Monarchs of France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire as an equal and at the same time conserned with the matter of his own succession to the point of obsession. Her siblings were Edward VI and Mary I. Both considered gifted orators, both pious and genuly determined to lead their subjects to the path of the True Faith. Supporting different versions of Christi... Read more

I have always held Elizabeth I in the highest regard for her sheer brilliance as a leader. Under Elizabeth, England took a much more active role in exploration of the Americas, eventually leading to the establishment of colonies in North America. Furthermore, her reversal of Mary's policies on religion and enactment of more balanced policies towards both Catholics and Protestants was essential in preserving the domestic tranquility of England. Elizabeth's greatest genius, however, was her policies toward rival nations France and Spain, both of which were attempting to create powerful empires in the New World that could eventually pose a threat to English security. Careful to avoid war, Elizabeth forged alliances with the weaker of the two nations, and engaged in a form of double diplomacy that can only be concieved as diplomatic genius. She led ably in times of war, crushing the Spanish Armada. Overall, Elizabeth was truly one of the most effective and certainly the most brilliant Engl... Read more