National geographic

FROM THE EDITOR
When studying history, historians look to the
facts. Knowing names, dates, and places helps explain past events, but there
is often another factor whose influence remains intangible: luck.
Fate’s role in major events cannot be denied, and perhaps no ruler
understood that more than Queen Elizabeth I. Chance decreed that
Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, would not give birth to a son, which
soured her young daughter’s luck. Elizabeth’s mother was executed, her
half brother declared her a bastard, and her half sister threw her in prison.
Elizabeth survived this series of unfortunate events to become queen, and
England entered a golden age, one that included the defeat of the Spanish
Armada, a victory often credited to Elizabeth’s good luck rather than her
good strategy.
Despite her successes, it seems that Elizabeth I never forgot how one’s luck
could turn. Tradition says that the queen always wore a locket ring (above)
until her death in 1603. On the outside was the letter E in diamonds. On
the inside were two portraits—one of Elizabeth herself and the other of her
mother, whose visage she kept close to her, perhaps to remind her of the
broad consequences of a simple twist of fate.
Amy Briggs, Executive Editor
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 1