Queen Elizabeth: The Legacy of a King

aka The Virgin Queen / The Faerie Queen

whose mother died when she was three
though heir to the throne, was considered illegitimate
considered the most educated woman of her generation
sent away by her family at the age of 13, accused of having affairs with a 40 man
imprisoned under house arrest for a year by her sister, accused of being a rebel and her threat to Mary's throne
rose and earned her right as queen at the age of 25 when Mary fell

"... and yet, considering I am God's creature, ordained to obey His appointment, I will thereto yield, desiring from the bottom of my heart that I may have assistance of His grace to be the minister of His heavenly will in this office now committed to me."

Intelligent, wise, eloquent, prudent, discreet in speech
Bold, self-assured, confident
Focused, driven, powerful
Thrives on the love for her people and on the love of her people
Aware of the supernatural and her mortality/limitations
Trusts deeply in God
Known as the Queen of the Golden Age where England prospered
Of which her reign birthed forth the era of literary greats like Shakespeare

"There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith. All else is a dispute over trifles."
(Elizabeth's response to the Catholic/Protestant divide)

"I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England."
(Elizabeth to Parliament)

"If I were turned out of my realm in my petticoat, I would prosper anywhere in Christendom."
 

"I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."
(Tilbury speech, 1588. See section on The Spanish Armada)
 

"He that will forget God, will also forget his benefactors."
(Elizabeth to William Lambarde, 1601)

Look, what a mere woman can do . One who leans on God.