Elizabeth I - Introduction by Helen Mirren

[Spoken: Helen Mirren]
Elizabeth, the virgin queen, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, came to the throne in 1558, eleven years after her father
She inherited a throne in turmoil
Threats of foreign invasions, trade wars, and an empty exchequer were coupled with numerous assassination attempts
She had much to contend with, including the trial, sentencing, and beheading of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringhay Castle
Thе defining moment of her rеign came with Philip II of Spain's enterprise of England
Set against the overwhelming authority of Spain were the whippersnapper admirals, Raleigh, Drake, and Hawkins
The oak that produced the future Royal Navy
Famous for sanctioned piratical behavior, balls, exploration, cape-throwing, and ultimately, the defeat of the Spanish armada
At Tilbury, the queen rallied her subjects by declaring, "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king"
Her epitaph was summed up by Pope Sixtus: "She's only a woman, only mistress of half an island, and yet she makes herself feared by Spain, by France, by the Empire, by all"
Elizabeth I, the golden age