Briton

Brittan is a small country. But it is very powerful. It is a well known country.

Elizabeth-I

a) Elizabeth I (1533to 1603) was born one of the England’s greatest rulers. The time of her reign is called the Elizabethan Age or England’s Golden age.

b) Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded when Elizabeth was there.

c) Elizabeth was a brilliant scholar. She learnt many languages by the time she was 12. Elizabeth became queen in 1558, when her sister queen `Bloody’ Marry died.

d) At once she strengthened the protestant Church of England by the act of Supremacy in 1059. Elizabeth was expected to marry, and she encouraged foreign suitors when it helped diplomacy. But she remained single, earning her the nickname ``The Virgin queen’.

e) Under the leader ship of Elizabeth, England repulsed the mighty Spanish Armada in 1588. Thus, Elizabeth proved herself an inspiring leader.

f) Elizabeth’s reign is famed for the poetry and plays of men like Spenser, Marlowe and Shakespeare.

Victoria

Victoria became the queen of England when she was 18 years old. She reigned for 63 years until 1901- the longest reign in British history. Victoria’s reign is called the Victorian age.

In the Victoria age, Britain became the world’s largest industrial and trading power and the British Empire reached its peak. Many factories and towns were set up and railways were built throughout the country.

In 1861, Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died and she went into mourning and wore black dress fox the rest of her life.

The two great prime ministers of the Victoria age were the flamboyant Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81) and the dour William Gladston (1809-98).

During the Victoria age, London’s great Exhibition was organized in 1851. More than six million people visited this exhibition.