(1533-1603) Queen of England, daughter of [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Henry VIII]] and Anne Boleyn. When King [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Philip II]] of Spain proposed marriage (he had been married to her half-sister, Queen Mary), Elizabeth refused. She issued letters of marque to [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Notes to Fill/Privateer|Privateers]] to attack Spanish shipping. Some of her favorites were Sir [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Walter Raleigh]] and Sir [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Francis Drake]]. In 1588 Drake and Sir [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/John Hawkins]] helped lead the Royal Navy in its defeat of the [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Spanish Armada]]. She granted a royal charter to the [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/East India Company]] in 1600 and awarded it a monopoly on all trade from the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) to the Straits of Magellan (South America). The "Armada Portrait" below celebrates the victory.