Queen Elizabeth I

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…to the advice of those around her, and would change a policy if it was unpopular. In appearance she was extravagant, in behavior sometimes frivolous and playful, but her approach to politics was serious, conservative, and cautious. When she ascended the throne in 1558, England was and impoverished country torn apart by religious squabbles. When she died at Richmond Palace on March 24th, 1603, England was one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.