Was Virgin Queen a Conservative or a Rebel?

In a recent survey of 2000 individuals, Elizabeth I was named Britain's greatest female rebel. Her father, Henry VIII, was named the greatest male rebel, a dubbing that has puzzled more than a few, and which has garnered far more discussion. Pundits can easily discern why the public might view him as such: he did break off from the Roman Catholic Church to establish the Church of England, and he went through quite a few wives, after all. As many historians have pointed out, however, Henry's religion was of a more conservative, Catholic (with a big C) flavor than the average grade-school class or internet “news” story gives him credit for.