Elizabeth I

1533 – 1603 · died at about 70^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Elizabeth I

• Elizabeth I received a marriage proposal from Tsar Ivan the Terrible, with whom she often exchanged friendly letters.^[1]
• Smallpox in 1562 scarred Elizabeth's skin and left her half bald, so she relied on wigs and cosmetics. Her later portraits made her look much younger than she was.^[1]
• Elizabeth's love of sweets and fear of dentists rotted her teeth so badly that foreign ambassadors had trouble understanding her speech.^[1]
• Before becoming queen, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1554 and questioned over her role in Wyatt's rebellion.^[1]
• Virginia was perhaps named in honor of Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen", when Walter Raleigh claimed the territory.^[1]
• Elizabeth shares a tomb in Westminster Abbey with her half-sister Mary I: her coffin was placed on top of Mary's under a shared Latin inscription.^[1]
• Elizabeth I was alive at the same time as Diego Velázquez — their lives overlapped for 4 years (1599–1603).^[1][2][3][4]
• Elizabeth I and Jules Verne died on the same day of the year, March 24.^[1][2][5][6]

Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history and culture, gave name to the Elizabethan era.^[1]

Contemporaries

Akbar the Great

61 yr overlap

Tokugawa Ieyasu

60 yr overlap

Sir Francis Drake

56 yr overlap

Miguel de Cervantes

56 yr overlap

Tycho Brahe

55 yr overlap

Francis Bacon

42 yr overlap

Galileo Galilei

39 yr overlap

William Shakespeare

39 yr overlap

Suleiman the Magnificent

33 yr overlap

Caravaggio

32 yr overlap

Johannes Kepler

32 yr overlap

Michelangelo

31 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Elizabeth I

When was Elizabeth I born?

Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, and died on March 24, 1603.

How old was Elizabeth I at death?

Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533, and died on March 24, 1603, at age 69.

What was Elizabeth I known for?

Elizabeth I was known for: Queen of England, the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history and culture, gave name to the Elizabethan era.

Who was alive at the same time as Elizabeth I?

Elizabeth I's closest contemporary was Akbar the Great. Their lives overlapped for 61 years.