The Elizabethan era was a time associated with Queen Elizabeth I's reign 1558-1603) and is often considered to be the golden age in English history. It
was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English
poetry, music and literature. This was also the time during which Elizabethan
theatre flourished, and William Shakespeare and many others composed plays that
broke free of England's past style of plays and theatre. It was an age of
exploration and expansion abroad, while back at home, the Protestant
Reformation became more acceptable to the people, most certainly after the
Spanish Armada was repulsed. It was also the end of the period when England was
a separate realm before its royal union with Scotland.
About Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth, the last Tudor monarch, was born in Greenwich on 7 September 1533. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was just two years old, her mother was beheaded for adultery on the orders of her father and she was exiled from court.
Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The arts flourished during Elizabeth's reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived - the Queen attended the first performance of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The image of Elizabeth's reign is one of triumph and success. The Queen herself was often called 'Gloriana', 'Good Queen Bess' and 'The Virgin Queen'. |