To avoid sharing her power with a husband, Elizabeth had decided early on not to marry. And yet, to secure peace for England, she played her numerous suitors from other dynasties off against each other for decades. She presented herself as queen for all her subjects, Protestant and Catholic, and so saved her country from the Wars of Religion. Her victory over the Spanish Armada rendered England unassailable and strengthened her compatriot’s sense of national identity. Elizabeth was highly educated, had a sharp tongue, tactical wisdom and great foresight. She put everyone in their place; her advisors, favourites, parliament – and her greatest rival, Maria Stuart. Kielinger’s brilliant biography shows how Elizabeth I., in her forty-four years on the throne shaped England up to the present day.