Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I (b. 1533 - d. 1603)
Elizabeth I was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She ascended to the throne in 1558 following her half-sister's death. Within the first few months of her coronation, she appointed a council of advisors who would help determine the course of her reign. One of her first objectives was reestablishing Protestantism in England. Guiding her country through the second Reformation led to conflicts with the Catholic Church and its predominantly Catholic nations such as Spain.

England's tense relationship with Spain increased when Elizabeth sent Sir Francis Drake on a voyage in 1577 to circumnavigate the globe, which included exploring and mapping parts of the New World. Along the way, he plundered Spanish ships in the Caribbean and Central America, delivering the treasure to Elizabeth when he returned. She would rely on Drake again during the attack of the Spanish Armada, an important naval battle between Spain and England.

Another favorite of Elizabeth's, Sir Walter Raleigh, became an integral player in England's increasingly dominant role in the New World. His first expedition explored modern-day North Carolina, which was included in an area the English referred to as "Virginia." He then sent a group of colonists to this area. They faced difficulties with the natives and food shortages. Drake actually sailed a fleet of supply ships to the colony and ended up returning to England with most of the colonists. Raleigh sent a second expedition of colonists to replace the original group. Much like the first group, they faced conflict with the natives and had difficulties adjusting to their new environment. Worse still, Elizabeth ordered all ships to remain in England for defense against the Spanish Armada. When English ships finally arrived in the colony in 1591, the colony had disappeared with few traces. It is still known as the "Lost Colony."

Elizabeth's reign signaled the rise of England's power in Europe. Explorers such as Drake helped undermine Spanish control of the Americas, which significantly helped Elizabeth gain power. Her patronage of New World exploration also set the stage for future permanent colonization along the Atlantic Coast. Although she died in 1603 before seeing any sustained English settlement in the New World, her efforts to support explorers such as Drake and Raleigh jumpstarted the English presence in the Americas.