Final answer:
Elizabeth I was born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Her father initiated the English Reformation, and her mother was executed when Elizabeth was young. Elizabeth's 44-year reign is known as the Elizabethan era.
Step-by-step explanation:
Elizabeth I, one of the most famous monarchs in English history, was born to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her father, King Henry VIII, was known for his six marriages and for initiating the English Reformation, which led to the Church of England breaking away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, was a lady-in-waiting to Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and later became the queen consort after Henry's controversial divorce from Catherine. Unfortunately, Anne's marriage to Henry was short-lived; she was executed on charges of treason, adultery, and incest when Elizabeth was just two and a half years old.
Elizabeth I ascended to the throne in 1558, following the death of her half-sister, Mary I. She reigned for 44 years, a period known as the Elizabethan era, which was marked by the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare, and the beginning of English exploration of the New World.