​"Better beggar woman and single than queen and married."

• QUEEN OF ENGLAND
• Daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn
  
• Rebuilt England from a poor and war-weary kingdom into a global powerhouse
• Supported the arts and religious freedom
• Her reign is known as the Elizabethan era, known for its flourishing artistic output
• BANNED the execution of women without any meaningful evidence, putting a stop to the scourge of witch trials
• REFUSED to marry so she could retain power for herself
• Ruled for 45 mostly peaceful years, one of England's LONGEST-REIGNING monarchs

The "Darnley Portrait". [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Not So Awesome

Those who insulted or conspired against her were met with brutal fates, including having their hands chopped off, and even being executed.

Bibliography: Doyle, Caitlin. Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2016. Print.
Drimmer, Stephanie W. National Geographic Kids: The Book of Heroines: Tales of History's Gutsiest Gals. Washington DC: National Geographic Partners, LLC, 2016. Print.
Krull, Kathleen. Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought). Orlando: Harcort, Inc., 2000. Print.

Books by this Awesome Woman

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

(picture book)

Research

Historical Fiction

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