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| | "Gloriana! The Golden Legend of Elizabeth I" |
 | | In Elizabeth's forty-four-year reign (1558-1603), England grew from a small weak nation on the north-west edge of Europe, reeling from three decades of political and religious strife, to a stable world power, challenging Spain's monopoly in the New World and founding a maritime empire of her own. |
 | | Elizabeth ended the religious persecutions of her Catholic sister Mary, established the Anglican Church of England, defeated the "invincible" Spanish Armada, kept her nation at peace in a belligerent age, presided over a glittering court, and inspired a Golden Age of Renaissance culture. |
 | | Elizabeth's particular genius was knowing how to blend a sacred aura of majesty with the common touch, and a stream of inexpensive books, pamphlets, and engravings from the popular press described and spread her legend to a wider audience through the effective use of the new technology of print. |
| www.huntington.org /ArtDiv/queen.html (699 words) |
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