Elizabeth was born in London, England to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.  Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife, and Elizabeth was his second daughter.  Her older sister was Mary I of England, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife.  Elizabeth also had a brother, Edward VI, who was the son of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife. After Henry VIII had Anne Boleyn executed, Elizabeth's legitimacy was questioned.  That, along with the fact she had both a brother and an older sister, made the likelihood that Elizabeth would ever rule England very slim.

After the death of Henry the VIII, Edward VI was crowned king.  He was only nine years old at the time.  His reign was marked by economic problems and social unrest. Edward VI was only king for six years before his death at the age sixteen.  Elizabeth's older sister, Mary I, was then crowned queen. Mary's reign was a time of religious unrest as she tried to restore the Catholic faith in England.  She had almost three hundred Protestants burned at the stake, earning her the nickname, Bloody Mary.  She was queen of England for only three years before her death in 1558.  During her reign, Mary had placed Elizabeth in prison because she was suspected of supporting Protestant rebels.  On November 17th, 1558, Elizabeth was crowned queen of England.

Elizabeth was determined to rule by good counsel.  One of her first acts of queen was to establish the English Protestant Church. Elizabeth was so devoted to her role of queen that she refused to marry.  Her reign has been coined as the Elizabethan Era, famous for flourishing arts and exploration.  This is where Elizabeth becomes important to the story of the Roanoke Colony.

Sir Walter Raleigh approached Queen Elizabeth and asked her to allow him to establish a colony in North America.  Elizabeth agreed and allowed Raleigh six years to explore, settle, and claim lands not already discovered.  Both Elizabeth and Raleigh desired fame and fortune and knew that a successful claim in the New World would benefit both them and England.  Thus began the Roanoke Voyages.

Elizabeth was very pleased with Raleigh after his men returned from their first voyage to Roanoke Island.  After another voyage, Raleigh and White were ready to establish their permanent colony.  Unfortunately, after the colonists departure,  Elizabeth became worried that Spain was becoming too strong because of the riches they were receiving from their New World colonies.  When John White returned in need of ships and supplies, Elizabeth deterred his demands.  England was at war with Spain and needed the use of all their ships.  This lead to the disappearance and demise of the Roanoke colony.