Elizabeth I was born in 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn—and from the beginning, her life was defined by danger. Her mother was executed when Elizabeth was two. She was declared illegitimate, restored, watched, and educated to survive rather than to rule. When she became queen in 1558, England was fragile. Religious violence had scarred the country. The treasury was strained. Powerful Catholic rivals questioned her legitimacy. Many expected her reign to be short. Elizabeth ruled