Elizabeth I: Improving England's International PositionElizabeth Tudor was born in 1533 to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her life began amid controversy and continued to be troubled until her death in 1603. In reality, Elizabeth should never have ruled Britain since she had several siblings vying for the throne before She. After being crowned queen at the age of 25, she ruled successfully for 45 years. Elizabeth increased England's power and influence around the world, handled sensitive issues like religion with grace and diplomacy, and gained and retained the respect of her subjects and other political figures. The fact that she accomplished all of this as a woman in a male-dominated society is nothing short of miraculous. The defeat of the "Invincible Spanish Armada" in 1588 cemented Queen Elizabeth's place in history as one of the most important and greatest rulers in English history. When Elizabeth was 3 years old, she was declared illegitimate and lost the title of princess after her father's arrest and arrest. executed his mother for treason, incest and witchcraft. King Henry quickly remarried and his third wife, Jane Seymour, gave birth to a son, Prince Edward, who became the official heir to the throne. During her young life, Elizabeth learned six languages, including Latin, Greek, French and Italian. She was often considered very intelligent and serious as a child. Her tutor, Ascham, remarked that Elizabeth's intellect and memory set her apart from others, both men and women..