It is one of a number of operas by Donizetti which deal with the Tudor period in English history and include "Anna Bolena" (named for Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn), "Maria Stuarda" (named for Mary, Queen of Scots) and "Il castello di Kenilworth". The lead female characters of the operas "Anna Bolena", "Maria Stuarda", and "Elisabetta" are often referred to as the "Three Donizetti Queens." They earned fame in the 1970s, when the American soprano Beverly Sills promoted them as a series at New York City Opera.