Queens That Changed the World

In 1558, Elizabeth took the throne of a deeply divided England after her siblings Edward and Mary died. The Protestant queen allowed Catholics to continue with their faith as long as they were discrete and loyal. Peace and prosperity followed; English culture flourished. Under Elizabeth, the seeds of Empire were sewn but despite her successes the Virgin Queen had to guard against numerous plots.

Coming to the throne in 1702, Anne modelled herself on Elizabeth I. She was the last monarch of the Stuart dynasty and one of the hardest working rulers that Britain had ever seen. Though less well-known today, she was the first queen of Great Britain, bringing Scotland and England together under one ruler and reigned through a period where Britain became a major player on the world stage.

When her son tried to ascend to her dead husband's throne, Queen Hatshepsut did the unthinkable and declared herself king. As this illuminating history documentary reveals, she overturned Egyptian tradition and became one of the most powerful and successful pharaohs in history. But then ancient and modern prejudices conspired to withhold the credit due to this unstoppable ruler.

Crowned queen shortly after her 18th birthday, Victoria presided over an extraordinary period of British history which saw huge industrial, social and territorial expansion. As this revealing history documentary shows, over her long reign she also managed to shift the public perception of the royal family and became a celebrated public figure, influencing popular culture.

Eleanor of Aquitaine already possessed huge wealth when she married Louis, son of the French king. She became Queen of France when only a teenager. But, as this history documentary reveals, that wasn't the end of the story. After that marriage was annulled, she married English heir Henry and then became Queen of England. But she was no quiet Queen, having a strong influence on both Kings' reigns.

After being betrayed and humiliated by Britain's Roman overlords once her chieftain husband died, Queen Boudica turned on her masters. She set about planning her revenge, building an army and uniting warring tribes by focusing on a common enemy. She razed cities and defeated Roman legions, but her resistance finally came to an end at the Battle of Watling Street, where 200,000 Britons died.