Daughter of Henry VIII (1491-1547) and Anne Boleyn (c. 1507-1536). Queen of England for forty-five years, from 1558 to 1603, a period that became known as the Elizabethan Age. Promoted England's transformation into a maritime and colonial power. Her reign was marked by greater absolutism and a cultural blossoming. Elizabeth's minister and favorite was the Earl of Leicester, father of Robert Dudley (1573-1649).