also known as Mary Queen of Scots, was
a Catholic. Elizabeth kept her in prison
for many years and then had her killed
in 1587.
During the first 30 years of Elizabeth’s
reign, England built up its sea power.
English ships sailed across the Atlantic
Ocean to theWest Indies and chal-
Elizabeth I lenged Spain for control over trade.
Elizabeth’s
family name
was Tudor.
She was
sometimes
called Good
Queen Bess.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Elizabeth I 125
English sea captains raided Spanish
ships, and Elizabeth took a share of the
treasure they seized.
King Philip II of Spain struck back in
1588. He sent a great fleet called the
Armada to attack England. The queen’s
ships defeated the Armada. That victory
was a high point of Elizabeth’s reign.
During the 1590s Elizabeth began to
suffer from ill health. She died on
March 24, 1603. Mary Stuart’s son,
James VI of Scotland, became king of
England.
#More to explore
Armada, Spanish • Henry VIII
Elizabeth II
At the age of just 25, Elizabeth II
became queen of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
She came to the throne after the death
of her father, King George VI, in 1952.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in
London, England, on April 21, 1926.
Her father was the second son of King
George V, who died in 1936. George
V’s oldest son reigned as King Edward
VIII for only a short time. Then he
surprised the world by giving up the
throne. Elizabeth’s father took over as
King George VI. As a result, the
10-year-old Elizabeth became next in
line for the throne. The young princess
began training for her future duties. She
also studied history, languages, and
music at home. In 1940 she gave her
first radio address.
Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten
in 1947. Before the marriage he gained
several special titles, including the duke
of Edinburgh. Their first child, Prince
Charles, was born in 1948. Their
younger children are Princess Anne,
born in 1950; Prince Andrew, born in
1960; and Prince Edward, born in 1964.
Their family name isWindsor.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI
died. Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth
II. Her coronation, or crowning ceremony,
took place on June 2, 1953.
As queen, Elizabeth does not control the
British government. Instead, she serves
as a symbol of her country at ceremonies
and public events in Britain and around
the world.
#More to explore
Elizabeth II United Kingdom
126 Elizabeth II BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Elk
The term elk refers to different animals
in different parts of the world. In
Europe it is used for the mammal
known in North America as the moose.
The name is also used for several large
deer, notably the animal sometimes
called the American elk in North
America. The American elk is more
properly named the wapiti.
#More to explore
Deer • Moose •Wapiti
Ellis Island
Ellis Island was once the first place that
many people saw when they moved to
the United States from other countries.
People who go to a new country to live
are called immigrants. Throughout its
history the United States has welcomed
many immigrants. Many of them
arrived by boat at Ellis Island. The island
is located in the bay near New York City.
Before 1890 the states handled immigration.
Then the U.S. government took
over. It built the immigration center on
Ellis Island at a time when many people
wanted to live in the United States.
More than 12 million people passed
through the center from 1892 to 1924.
The busiest year was 1907, when 1.25
million people passed through.
On Ellis Island, doctors and inspectors
examined the immigrants. They checked
for disease and wrote down information
about each person. Then they decided
who could stay in the United States.
Most people passed the tests and went
on to New York City after a few hours.
Others failed their examinations. Some
had serious diseases. Others were seen as
troublemakers. These people waited on
the island for a ship to take them back
home.
In 1924 Congress passed a law that
made it harder to immigrate to the
United States. Those who did come
passed through other places. Ellis Island
mainly held people who were having
Ellis Island covers only about 27 acres (11
hectares), but it used to be even smaller. It
was built up with boatloads of rocks and dirt.
A male American elk, or wapiti, lifts his
head to sound a call.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Ellis Island 127
immigration problems. In 1954 the center
on Ellis Island closed. In 1976 the
island became a tourist center, and in
1990 the immigration center reopened
as a museum. Today many people visit
Ellis Island on their way to the nearby
island that has the Statue of Liberty.
#More to explore
Liberty, Statue of • United States
Elm
Several species, or types, of tree belong
to a family of plants called the elm family.
Large numbers of elms used to grow
in cities. During the 1900s, however, a
disease killed many elms.
Elms grow mainly in the Northern
Hemisphere. North American elms
include the American elm; the slippery,
or red, elm; the rock, or cork, elm; the
winged, or wahoo, elm; and the cedar
elm. The English elm and the Wych elm
are European species. Asian elms include
