Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death on 24 March 1603. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife, who was executed two-and-a-half years after Elizabeth's birth. Anne's marriage to Henry VIII was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her half-brother, Edward VI, ruled until his death in 1553, bequeathing the crown to
Plimpton Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I the royal coat of arms on the right. The sieve represents her self-identification as the "Virgin Queen" by association with Tuccia, the Roman Vestal Virgin who proved her virginity by carrying water in a sieve. The painting has three areas of text in yellow uppercase letters: There are at least two other versions of Gower's "Sieve Portrait". One is known only through an 18th-century description by George Vertue. The other measures 34 x 24 inches and is now in a private collection in Florida. Plimpton Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I The Plimpton "Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I" is