The Elizabethans Overview: Queen Elizabeth I

Dear Students,
This week we will start to learn about the The Elizabethan Era background in English History,
The Renaissaince, , sonnets, William Shakespeare as a poet and a playwright. Then we will
study sonnets of his and a play.
The Elizabethans Overview

The Elizabethan era in the 16th century was one of adventure, intrigue, personalities, plots
and power struggles. At the centre was Elizabeth who ruled England between 1558-1603.
The 16th century witnessed more religious change than ever
before and Elizabeth’s main priority was to settle the nation and
ensure England’s national security. She was a clever politician with
a cautious approach, and was sometimes willing to compromise
for the sake of her people. She never married, deciding to put the
security of England before herself.
Government, religion and economy in the Elizabethan era
Queen Elizabeth I was sovereign of England, meaning she had the

upmost authority and rule, and all agents of government were
Queen Elizabeth I answerable to her. She surrounded herself with a loyal group of
advisers (called the Privy Council) to guide her.
Elizabeth tightly controlled Parliament and set the agenda of what it was allowed to discuss
and pass laws about. However, during her reign Parliament did become more influential and
was in conflict with Elizabeth over issues such as religion, marriage and her monopoly licences.
Religion
In the 16th century England was divided by religion. The

country had been a Catholic country for nearly a thousand
years until Henry VIII’s reign, then, over a 20 year period, the
country’s religion had changed three times, causing tension
and divisions.
When Elizabeth ascended to the throne she changed the

official religion to Protestantism, but also outlined a religious
settlement that allowed some Catholic traditions to be
practised. Parliament helped by passing the Act of
Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity.
Elizabeth’s tolerant ‘middle-way’ had broad support, but she

King Henry VIII did face threats and plots from Catholics and Puritans, with
Mary Queen of Scots becoming a figure head for Catholic plots,
such as the Babington Plot in 1586.
Economy and society
The Elizabethans believed that God had set out an order for everything, known as the Great
Chain of Being. This also included the order of society and your place in it. The queen was at
the top and controlled wealth and life chances, and inequalities further down the chain were
accepted.
Poverty was mostly considered to be the individual’s fault in Elizabethan times. However,
during Elizabeth’s reign the Poor Laws were introduced as measures to support the poor and
unemployed, because of growing poverty and a fear of social unrest. They were the first form
of welfare.
Elizabeth’s reign was seen as a ‘golden age’ of culture, with theatre becoming popular across
all of society. This is also when Shakespeare wrote many of his plays.
Law and order
Elizabeth faced challenges throughout her long reign.

Many were from Catholic plotters wanting Mary, Queen
of Scots to replace Elizabeth. She secured England’s
security by thwarting plots such as the Northern Earls’
Rebellion, the Throckmorton Plot and the Babington Plot.
Foreign affairs
Elizabeth faced challenges from France and Spain during

her reign. These countries were more powerful,
wealthier, and Catholic.
France began as the biggest threat due to their strong

links with Mary, Queen of Scots - but civil war in France
and Elizabeth’s sensible diplomacy minimised this risk.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Spain turned out to be the bigger threat. During
Elizabeth’s reign, tensions built between the two countries, culminating in the Spanish
Armada in 1588 – Spain’s failed attempt to invade England and overthrow Elizabeth. England’s
victory over Spain was a highpoint for Elizabeth and she seized on the propaganda opportunity
to further boost her image and international status.
Life in Elizabethan England

Elizabeth’s reign was seen as a ‘golden age’ of culture and exploration, but society was
characterised by extremes of rich and poor. An increasing population and rising poverty
became a big problem.
The poor and attitudes to poverty
The Elizabethan era is associated with the wealth and luxury of the queen and her courtiers
but life for ordinary people was often hard and the number of poor people increased during
Elizabeth’s reign. Unlike now, there was no welfare system or support for anyone who fell on
hard times. Poverty was mostly considered to be your own fault in Elizabethan times - the
belief that you had a ‘divinely appointed’ position in society was reinforced every week at
church and this attitude was widely held.
Reason Explanation
Rising population The population rose by a million during the Elizabethan period.
More people meant there was more demand for goods, and so
prices rose.
Inflation Prices for goods rose, but wages fell as there were more people
around to do the work.
Cloth trade collapse Woollen cloth was the England’s main export. There was a
decline in demand and this led to unemployment.
Wars Taxes were increased to compensate for the price of waging war.
Bad harvests Harvests were particularly bad in the 1590s leading to even
higher demand and more rising prices.
Changes in farming Many landlords decided to enclose their fields and keep sheep
instead of growing crops which led to high unemployment.
Did Elizabeth successfully look after the welfare of the people?
The first 30 years of Elizabeth’s reign saw stability and prosperity but a rising population led
to an increase in poverty and growing social problems, especially in towns. By the end of
Elizabeth’s reign wide-ranging laws were passed to support the poor, which remained in place
for the next 200 years. The Poor Laws can be seen as a major shift in English history, for the
first time the government was responsible for the welfare of the weakest people in society
however most of the relief still came from private individuals.
Leisure, the theatre and pastimes
The Renaissance that had started in Europe as early as the

14th century had led to a new flourishing of arts and culture all
over Europe. England began to see a growth of the arts in Tudor
times, and Elizabeth encouraged this through her patronage of
the theatre, music and art. Before Elizabeth’s reign, drama
mainly focused on religious plays that were performed in
public, and Greek and Roman dramas performed in Oxford and
Cambridge universities. During the 1570s permanent groups of
actors were set up under the patronage of wealthy nobles and
there was even a group called Queen Elizabeth’s Men set up in
1583.
Shakespeare began writing his plays during Elizabeth’s reign, and a number of them had
themes connected to English history. His plays always supported the monarch and the Tudor
dynasty, such as his drama about Richard III who had been defeated by Elizabeth’s grandfather
Henry VII and was shown as an evil deformed murderer in the play.
Purpose-built theatres were encouraged and had tiered seating with prices accessible for
people from all ranks of society. Many nobles protected groups of actors and became
their patrons.
The queen went on tours of the country every summer, when she would stay at the homes of
her wealthy nobles. These ‘royal progresses’ encouraged these nobles to build grand stately
homes and organise lavish entertainments for the queen.
The Queen hawking

Opposition to the theatre
Not everyone approved of theatres. There was some

opposition from:
 The Puritans - they believed theatres were the work of

the devil, spreading rude and lewd ideas encouraging poor
moral behaviour. They also associated the theatre with the
Romans, who had persecuted Christians.
 The authorities - an extract from a law passed in 1572
stated that: “All common players…who wander about and
have not a license shall be taken, adjudged and deemed
rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars.”
William Shakespeare
Pastimes
By Elizabeth’s time the upper classes saw their culture as superior. Huge inequalities existed
within Tudor society and whilst the theatre was universally popular there were two cultures:
 Higher society - the invention of the printing press and spread of education meant that
gentlemen were part of an elitist culture involved in intellectual pursuits, such as reading
the classics, studying music, hunting and hawking.
Dancing nobles
 Lower society - the vast majority were involved in popular cultural pursuits, which gave
them a brief escape from their harsh living conditions. Inns and taverns were an important
part of every social ritual. Drinking, gambling on bear-baiting, cockfighting, cards, dice and
racing were popular. Tobacco smoking was new and expensive but it was growing in
popularity by the end of Elizabeth’s reign. Ordinary people also took part in wrestling,
running races and football.
Bull and bear baiting

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Dear Students,

The Elizabethans Overview

Government, religion and economy in the Elizabethan era

Queen Elizabeth I was sovereign of England, meaning she had the

In the 16th century England was divided by religion. The

When Elizabeth ascended to the throne she changed the

Elizabeth’s tolerant ‘middle-way’ had broad support, but she

Law and order

Elizabeth faced challenges throughout her long reign.

Elizabeth faced challenges from France and Spain during

France began as the biggest threat due to their strong

Life in Elizabethan England

The poor and attitudes to poverty

Did Elizabeth successfully look after the welfare of the people?

Leisure, the theatre and pastimes

The Renaissance that had started in Europe as early as the

The Queen hawking

Not everyone approved of theatres. There was some

 The Puritans - they believed theatres were the work of

Bull and bear baiting

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