National College Mihail Kogalniceanu

The Elizabethan Age

Name:Ion Gabriela
Teacher:Dragan Aurora

2017
I have chosen this subject because during this period, often called often called the Elizabethan
Age, England asserted itself vigorously as a major European power in politics, commerce, and
the arts. Although her small kingdom was threatened by grave internal divisions, Elizabeths
blend of shrewdness, courage, and majestic self-display inspired ardent expressions of loyalty
and helped unify the nation against foreign enemies.Therefore, these years of glory have
defined the status of England, demonstrating again it worldwide importnace.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1...............................................................................................................................3
QUEEN ELIZABETH PROFILE...............................................................................................3
1.1 QUEEN SIGNATURE.....................................................................................................4
1.2 QUEEN APPEARANCE......................................................................................................5
1.2.1 CONTEMPORARY DESCRIPTIONS OF ELIZABETH I..............................................6
1.3 ELIZABETH I COAST OF ARMS......................................................................................7
CHAPTER II...............................................................................................................................9
BIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................9
2.1 EARLY YEARS..................................................................................................................10
2.2 BIRTH OF A PRINCESS....................................................................................................11
2.2.1 A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD.........................................................................................12
2.2.2 THE TROUBLE TEENS.................................................................................................13
2.2.3 HEIR TO THE THRONE................................................................................................14
CHAPTER III...........................................................................................................................16
ADMINISTRATIVE & POLITICAL LIFE..............................................................................16
3.1 POWER AND GOVERNMENT........................................................................................16
3.2.1 THE ELIZABETHAN RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT....................................................18
3.3 COURT LIFE......................................................................................................................20
3.3.1 ELIZABETHAN WOMEN.............................................................................................23
CHAPTER IV...........................................................................................................................24
INFLUENCE IN PUBLIC & POLITICAL LIFE.....................................................................24
4.1ELIZABETHAN ARCHITECTURE...................................................................................24
Buildings in Elizabethan Era:................................................................................................24
Homes and Houses in Elizabethan Era:................................................................................24
4.1.1 THEATRES......................................................................................................................26
4.1.1.1SHAKESPEARE FOR ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND.................................................27
4.2 ELIZABETHAN FOOD.....................................................................................................28
4.3 QUEEN ELIZABETHS SPEECH AT TILBURY.............................................................29
CHAPTER V.............................................................................................................................30
DEATH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I.......................................................................................30
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................31
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................31
FULL NAME: Elizabeth Tudor

BORN: Greenwich Palace Sunday (around 3pm) 7 September 1533

PARENTS: Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (Executed 19 May 1536)

BECAME QUEEN: Thursday, 17 November 1558, aged 25

CROWNED: Westminster Abbey, Sunday, 15 January 1559

HEIGHT: Estimated between 5ft 3in - 5ft 5in

EYES: Brown

HAIR: A curly golden red

NATIONALITY: English

RELIGION: Protestant

MARITAL STATUS: Never married or had children

DIED: Richmond Palace, Thursday, 24 March 1603, aged 69

REIGNED: 44 years, 4 months

BURIED: Westminster Abbey, London

REMEMBERED AS: The Virgin Queen, Good Queen Bess, Gloriana

CHAPTER 1

QUEEN ELIZABETH PROFILE

 1.1 QUEEN SIGNATURE

Lady Elizabeth's signature

Queen Elizabeth's signature The R stands for Regina, which is the Latin for queen.
 1.2 QUEEN APPEARANCE
What did Queen Elizabeth I really look
like? The portraits give us some idea of her
physical appearance, but from them alone it is not
easy to visualise what she really looked like.
While the pale faced woman with reddish-gold
hair is common to all of them, it seems that every
painter has captured a slightly different image of
her. Contemporary accounts of her appearance do
not help to clarify the matter either as they are
even more varied than the surviving visual
images. However, with some careful shifting
through the evidence, it is possible to gauge a
visual impression of the great Queen.

It is easy to see, for example, how the

young Lady Elizabeth grew into the handsome
woman in the Sieve Portrait, and then into the
triumphant Queen in the Ditchley painting, and
therefore we can put faith in the visual record left
to us by these painters. We can be almost
completely certain that her hair was a golden red,
her eyes dark brown, her nose ridged or hooked in the middle, her lips rather thin, and her
cheek bones pronounced. Her hair was also probably naturally curly or at least wavy. She may
well have had freckles on her pale skin, but like all Elizabethan ladies she would have taken
care to avoid getting the sun on her face, and the make up she wore for most of her
monarchical life would have protected her delicate skin from a suntan. White skin was
fashionable in Tudor times as it was what distinguished the rich from the poor. If a person had
white skin, it showed that he or she did not have to work for a living. Elizabeth also had
exceptionally long fingers, possibly made even more striking by long finger nails.

The gloves on display at Hatfield House show quite

clearly that Elizabeth was rightly proud of what she perhaps considered her most handsome
feature. Her height again is different to determine absolutely, but modern estimates put it
between 5ft 3in and 5ft 5in. Much has been written about the Queen's vanity, but in all
likelihood, the extent of it has been exaggerated. The Tudor period was an extravagant period,
and vanity was perhaps a prime ingredient. Court life was flamboyant and people dressed to
impress. As monarch, it was Elizabeth's duty to dress better than everyone else.
 1.2.1 CONTEMPORARY DESCRIPTIONS OF ELIZABETH I

From the below contemporary descriptions of the Queen, it is again possible to see
that different people, at different periods of the Queen's life, saw the Queen differently. It is
very much a case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and how we see someone
physically depends to a large extent on our feelings for that person, such as whether we
admire then, fear them, or dislike them. To those who worshipped Elizabeth as Gloriana, such
as Thomas Platter, she does indeed appear eternally youthful, whereas foreigners to the realm
were more objective, indifferent perhaps, and merely described what they saw.

"Her face is comely rather than handsome, but she is tall and well-
formed, with good skin, though swarthy; she has fine eyes."
Venetian Ambassador, Giovanni Michiele, 1557.

Sir James Melville in his Memoirs described the young Queen's hair
as "more reddish than yellow, and curled in appearance naturally."

"Short, and ruddy in complexion; very strongly built."

Francesco Gradenigo, 1596

"...her face oblong, fair, but wrinkled, her eyes small, yet black and
pleasant; her nose a little hooked, her lips narrow and her teeth black;
her hair was of an auburn colour, but false; upon her head she had a
small crown. Her bosom was uncovered, as all the English ladies have
it till they marry. Her hands were slender, her fingers rather long, and
her stature neither tall nor low; her air was stately, and her manner of
speaking mild and obliging."
Paul Hentzner, German visitor to Greenwich Palace, 1598.

Sir Francis Bacon described her as "tall of stature".

"Very youthful still in appearance, seeming no more than twenty years

of age."
Thomas Platter, 1599.
 1.3 ELIZABETH I COAST OF ARMS
The Royal Arms have changed and evolved over the nine centuries since they were first used
by Richard I (The Lionheart). Richard I's Coat of Arms was simply the three lions, referred to
as 'Gules three lions passant guardant or'. This remained the Royal Arms of England until
King Edward III quartered the arms with the fleur-de-lis, the arms of the french kings, to
symbolize his claim to the French throne. This remained the Royal Arms until the reign of
James I, and thus are shown above in the Royal Arms of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth was officially
titled Queen of France, but the title was a hollow one. Calais, England's last French territory,
was lost in the reign of Mary I. James I quartered the arms further, adding the Scottish arms
and the harp of Ireland. The Royal Arms was altered again by subsequent monarchs, but the
simplified version adopted by Queen Victoria remains the official Royal Arms today.

The Supporters to the arms (lions, unicorns, dragons etc) have also changed considerably over
the centuries. Queen Elizabeth chose as her supporters the English Royal Lion (on the left)
and the Welsh Dragon (on the right), symbolizing she was Queen of England and Wales.

The crown is the obvious symbol of monarchy.

The motto on the coat of arms "Semper Eadem" is the latin for "always the same" and was the
personal motto of Elizabeth I. Sometimes the Queen's Royal Arms are depicted with the more
standard royal motto "Dieu et mon Droi" (God and my right).
 1.4 ELIZABETHS FAMILY

Henry VII Elizabeth of York Sir Thomas Boleyn

1447-1509 1466-1503 1477-1539
(Grandfather) (Grandmother) (Grandfather)

Henry VIII Anne Boleyn

1491-1547 c.1504-1536
(Father) (Mother)
 CHAPTER II

BIOGRAPHY

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I is often referred to as The Golden Age of English
history. Elizabeth was an immensely popular Queen, and her popularity has waned little with
the passing of four hundred years. She is still one of the best loved monarchs, and one of the
most admired rulers of all time. She became a legend in her own lifetime, famed for her
remarkable abilities and achievements. Yet, about Elizabeth the woman, we know very little.
She is an enigma, and was an enigma to her own people.

Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She
was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace. Her birth was possibly the greatest
disappointment of her father's life. He had wanted a son and heir to succeed him as he already
had a daughter, Mary, by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. He had not divorced Katherine,
and changed the religion of the country in the process, to have only another daughter.
Elizabeth's early life was consequently troubled. Her mother failed to provide the King with a
son and was executed on false charges of incest and adultery on 19 May 1536. Anne's
marriage to the King was declared null and void, and Elizabeth, like her half-sister, Mary, was
declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the line of succession.
 Henry VIII
and Anne Boleyn

2.1 EARLY YEARS

As a child, Elizabeth was given a very

impressive education. It had become popular
amongst the nobility to educate daughters as well
as sons and Elizabeth excelled at her studies. She
was taught by famous scholars such as William
Grindal and Roger Ascham, and from an early age
it was clear that she was remarkably gifted. She
had an especial flare for languages, and by
adulthood, she could reputedly speak five
languages fluently.

Elizabeth's adolescence was no easier than

her childhood. While the King lived, she was safe
from political opportunists, but when he died in the
January of 1547, and his young son became King
Edward VI, she was vulnerable to those who saw
her as a political pawn.

QUEEN ELIZABETH
By Levina Teerlinc
 Despite being officially illegitimate, Henry had reinstated his daughters in the line of
succession. Mary was to follow Edward, and Elizabeth was to follow Mary. This meant that
Elizabeth was now second in line to the throne. Edward was too young to rule himself as he
was only nine years old, so his uncle, Edward Seymour, became Protector of England. His
younger brother, Thomas Seymour, was jealous of his position and attempted to overthrow
him. His scheme, which involved an attempted kidnapping of the Boy King, cost him his life.
He had made no secret of his desire to marry Elizabeth (in Tudor times a girl was considered
of marriageable age at twelve) so she was implicated in his plot. It was treason for an heir to
the throne to marry without the consent of the King and his Council, and at only fifteen years
of age, Elizabeth had to persuade her interrogators that she knew nothing of the plot and had
not consented to marry the King's uncle. She succeeded in defending her innocence, but
rumours of an illicit affair with Seymour, all the more scandalous because he had been
married to her last step-mother, Katherine Parr, (before she died in childbirth), plagued her
long afterwards.

2.2 BIRTH OF A PRINCESS

Although there was no law in Tudor England preventing the accession of a woman to
the throne as there was in France, the rule of a woman was considered undesirable. It was
believed by many, including King Henry VIII, that a woman could not rule very well. Henry
was thus desperate to father a son to succeed him, but while he had many children
with Catherine of Aragon, only one survived infancy: a daughter, Princess Mary. It was clear
to Henry that he would never have a son by Catherine (as her childbearing days were coming
to an end) and this troubled Henry considerably. To complicate matters he had fallen deeply in
love with the young and dazzling Anne Boleyn and wanted to make her his bride. To marry
Anne, however, he had to have his marriage to Catherine annulled, and annulling a marriage
was never a simple process. For Henry, it proved colossal. The power to annul marriages lay
with the Pope, and unfortunately for Henry, Catherine had very powerful family connections.
She was the aunt of the great Emperor, Charles V, and the Pope could not afford to offend
Charles by granting Henry his annulment. The Pope insisted on a trial to determine the
validity of the King's marriage, but as time progressed, and the Pope had still not made a
decision, it became clear to Henry that if he wanted to marry again, he would have to find a
way of obtaining an annulment without the Pope's assistance.

When Henry was the Supreme Head of the

Church in England, he could get his annulment. In the
January of 1533 he married Anne Boleyn, who was
already expecting his child. In the July of that year,
although heavily pregnant, Anne was given a magnificent
 coronation. She and Catherine of Aragon were the only
ones of Henry's wives to be formally crowned Queen of
England. Both Henry and Anne believed with their whole
heart that the child she was expecting was a boy, and had
every reason to as the philosophers and astronomers
assured the jubilant king that this time he would have a
son.

But the baby born on the 7th of September 1533

proved to be a girl. This was disastrous, and no one felt
the disaster more than Henry. He had moved mountains to
marry Anne, had overridden the Pope, the Emperor, lost
friends, lost the Church that he had once been a proud
defender of, torn down the abbeys and monasteries, and
put men to death whose only crime was their faith; all for
what he already had, a daughter. He felt the humiliation
deeply, and felt once again that he had not been blessed by
God. There was little celebration at baby Elizabeth's birth.
Bonfires were lit through out the land but with little
enthusiasm. Anne Boleyn was unpopular. Many blamed
her for the religious changes in the land and for the king's rejection of Catherine, who they
had loved. However, Elizabeth was given a magnificent Christening at Greenwich when she
was only three days old.

2.2.1 A

DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD
 Lady Elizabeth with her family

After the disgrace and execution of her mother, Elizabeth's life was never to be quite
the same again. She was probably far too young to be greatly effected by her mother's sudden
extinction, but her lifestyle changed considerably. The marriage of her father to her mother
was annulled, and she was made a royal bastard. Later, she was stripped of her title of
Princess, as her sister had previously been, to become simply, the Lady Elizabeth. Elizabeth
was a very bright child, and this change in her name did not escape her. She exclaimed "how
haps it governor, yesterday my Lady Princess, today but my Lady Elizabeth?" Within days of
Anne's death, Henry had married again, this time to Jane Seymour, a young woman who had
been a maid of honour to Anne, just as Anne had been a maid of honour to Catherine.
Although Elizabeth still had her own household, her governess found that the young child's
needs were being neglected, and she felt obliged to write to the king asking him to ensure that
Elizabeth was provided with all the clothes she needed, as the ones she had were too small.

Jane Seymour died a few days after giving birth to Henry's longed for son, Prince
Edward. The King was devastated at her loss and gave her a royal burial at the Chapel of St.
George in Windsor Castle. Like Elizabeth, Edward too had to grow up motherless, and from
an early age, the two children formed a close bond. Although Elizabeth was getting along well
with her half sister, Mary, the sisters were never close. They were of different religions,
Elizabeth a Protestant, Mary a Catholic; of very different ages, Mary being seventeen years
older; of different family connections, and they had very different personalities. Edward and
Elizabeth, however, were closer in age, of the same religion, and both shared a passion for
learning. They were both given a very impressive education.

Elizabeth was with her brother, Edward, at the royal Palace of Enfield (London) when
they were told of their father's death. She and her brother cried bitterly, holding each other
close. Both children knew their lives were about to change considerably, and their tears may
well have been from fear for the future, as well as grief for the death of their magnificent, if at
times, tyrannical father. Both were now orphans. Elizabeth was thirteen years of age, and
Edward was King of England at the age of only nine.

2.2.2 THE TROUBLE TEENS

The Queen dowager married indecently soon after the king's death, her old suitor, the
Lord Admiral, Thomas Seymour, brother of Edward Seymour, the King's Uncle and Lord
Protector of England. Elizabeth, with her servants, went to live with the Queen and her new
husband, and a new era of trouble began for her. Thomas Seymour, a dashing man in his late
thirties, took an unhealthy interest in his new step-daughter, who had now just turned
fourteen. He was charismatic and charming, and it is possible that Elizabeth developed a
teenage crush on him. But whatever her adolescent feelings for him may have been, Seymour
took advantage of them, and began to visit Elizabeth's bedchamber early in the mornings to
romp in the bed with her. Sometimes the Queen herself accompanied him, and they would
both tickle her. Another time, they teased Elizabeth in the garden, the Queen holding her
while Seymour cut up her mourning gown for her father.

The Queen dowager married indecently soon after the king's death, her old suitor, the
Lord Admiral, Thomas Seymour, brother of Edward Seymour, the King's Uncle and Lord
Protector of England. Elizabeth, with her servants, went to live with the Queen and her new
husband, and a new era of trouble began for her. Thomas Seymour, a dashing man in his late
thirties, took an unhealthy interest in his new step-daughter, who had now just turned
fourteen. He was charismatic and charming, and it is possible that Elizabeth developed a
teenage crush on him. But whatever her adolescent feelings for him may have been, Seymour
took advantage of them, and began to visit Elizabeth's bedchamber early in the mornings to
romp in the bed with her. Sometimes the Queen herself accompanied him, and they would
both tickle her. Another time, they teased Elizabeth in the garden, the Queen holding her
while Seymour cut up her mourning gown for her father.

Elizabeth was only fifteen years old, but one careless word from her could have sealed
the fate of all those who were dear to her, and possibly have cost her her own life as well
(although it is doubtful that Elizabeth's death was the object of the government, their main
concern being to condemn the Admiral). In such extremely difficult,
and what must have been very frightening, circumstances, and with
virtually no assistance, Elizabeth managed to uphold her innocence.
The Admiral, however, was found guilty of high treason and
condemned to death. The affect of all this on Elizabeth must have
been immense. Certainly it took its toll emotionally and physically,
and Elizabeth was unwell for some months after. However, as well as
affecting her health, it also effected her reputation and this was a
great concern to Elizabeth as well. She was always very sensitive
about what people thought of her, and she wanted the rumour that
she was pregnant by the Admiral suppressed. She wrote to the
Protector asking for a proclamation to be made saying these things
were untrue. But while this was considered, it was not implemented.
During the investigation, Elizabeth had been painfully parted from
her governess, and it was sometime before they were reunited.

2.2.3 HEIR TO THE THRONE

After successfully defeating Northumberland's attempt to prevent her from succeeding

to the throne, Mary triumphantly made her way to London. Elizabeth was given the privilege
of riding with the new queen, and the two daughters of the much revered, if much feared,
Henry VIII were welcomed by cheering crowds.

Mary's accession had thus begun well for Elizabeth. However, the irreconcilable
differences between the two women, primarily their differing faiths, soon caused problems.
Mary was suspicious of her younger half-sister, and was reluctant to acknowledge her as heir
to the throne. Indeed, it was not until her final illness that she did accept Elizabeth as the heir.
Now that she was Queen, Mary set about restoring the Catholic faith in England. She also
negotiated to marry Prince Philip, the son of the Emperor Charles, who she did eventually
marry at Winchester in 1554. The marriage was immensely unpopular in England. Spain was
the greatest power in Europe, and it was feared that England too would fall under it's
dominance.

In opposition to the planned marriage, Thomas Wyatt, a gentleman from Kent, raised a
rebellion against it. Beyond the intention of getting the Queen to renounce the marriage, the
plans of the conspirators remain vague. When they were captured for questioning, it emerged
that one of their plans was to have Elizabeth marry Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, to
ensure a native born succession to the throne. Thus, Elizabeth again found herself
implemented in a dangerous political plot, that some considered had the far more sinister
intention of placing her on the throne, rather than

just securing her marriage. Given Elizabeth's dislike of marriage, and her distaste for
rebellion, it is extremely unlikely that she was a party to their schemes, or if she knew of their
plans, approved of them, but the very use of her name by the conspirators, and the existence
of circumstantial evidence that suggested that Elizabeth may well have had knowledge of the
intended revolt, were enough to put her under suspicion. Elizabeth denied any knowledge of
Wyatt's plans, but the Queen's close advisor, Simon Renard, was hostile to the Protestant heir
to the throne, and pushed Mary and her Councillors to bring her to trial.

Elizabeth was not put on trial, but she was taken as a prisoner to the Tower of London.
The thought of going to the place from where so many had never returned, including her own
mother, terrified her, and she desperately declared her innocence in the hope of not going. But
to no avail. On Sunday, 18 of March 1554, she was taken by boat to the Royal Fortress. At
first, Elizabeth refused to enter, declaring emphatically that she was innocent, and a loyal
subject of the Queen, but she did eventually go in. She was imprisoned in the Bell Tower.
Some of her familiar servants were imprisoned with her, including Kat Ashley.

Elizabeth stood in great danger. Her very existence was considered a threat to the
Queen, and to the Spanish marriage, and the Queen's advisors urged her execution. Mary was
reluctant to shed blood, but she had succumb to pressure to execute the Lady Jane Grey
against her will, and powerful persuasion could have led her to sign her sister's death warrant.
But the lack of evidence against Elizabeth, Wyatt's declaration of her innocence as he went to
his death on the block, and Elizabeth's increasing popularity in the country, worked in her
favour, and she was soon released from the Tower. She was not given her freedom, however,
 and was taken as a prisoner to the manor of Woodstock,
near Oxfordshire. On her way there, the crowds greeted
her with warm cheers and gifts, demonstrations of their
support in this difficult time.

Elizabeth was kept a virtual prisoner at

Woodstock for a year. The manor itself was dilapidated,
and so Elizabeth had to be lodged in the Gatehouse.
There was little room for her servants, and Thomas
Parry, who was responsible for her financial accounts,
had to lodge in the nearby town. Elizabeth was guarded
by Sir Henry Bedingfield's hundred men, and watched
closely. She was prevented from seeing Kat Ashley, everyone who visited her had to be
accounted for, and she was not allowed to communicate with anyone without supervision.
Bedingfield was perhaps overly strict with his young charge, but his vigilance was as much
for Elizabeth's benefit as for the Queen's. Elizabeth's life was sort by ardent supporters of the
Queen, and hidden away in obscurity, Elizabeth may well have been the successful victim of
an assassin. Although Bedingfield's constraints irritated her, Elizabeth certainly appears to
have appreciated his efforts, affectionately calling him her "gaoler", and when she became
Queen bore him no ill will, and teased him that if she should need to keep someone closely
confined, she would summon him.

At her husband's bequest, Mary reluctantly accepted Elizabeth as heir to the throne.
After Elizabeth, and passing over the Suffolk line, the most powerful claimant to the throne
was Mary, Queen of Scots, granddaughter of Henry VIII's eldest sister, Margaret. Mary had
not long married the French heir to the throne, Francois, and the French and Spanish were
enemies. Thus, even though Elizabeth was a Protestant, it was in Philip's best interest to
secure her accession to the throne to avoid the French obtaining it.

Elizabeth was at her childhood home of Hatfield when Mary died on the 17 of
November, 1558. She was reputedly eating an apple underneath an Oak tree in the great park
when the news of her accession to the throne reached her. Elizabeth was now just twenty five
years old, and Queen of England. For the first time in her life, her destiny lay in her own
hands, and Elizabeth knelt on the ground and whispered in Latin what she truly must have
felt: "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes".
 CHAPTER III

ADMINISTRATIVE & POLITICAL LIFE

3.1 POWER AND GOVERNMENT

The England of Elizabeth I was a very structured place, and had a rather complicated
system of government. First there were the national bodies of government such as the Privy
Council and Parliament, then the regional bodies such as the Council of the Marches and the
North, and then county and community bodies.

National, or rather Central, government, consisted of: Monarch, Privy Council and
Parliament.

These three bodies would work together to rule the country, make laws, raise money,
and decide upon matters of religion and national defense. The Privy Council was largely an
administrative body, but it could not oversee the administration and government of all
England and Wales, and so the Council of the North and the Council of the Marches helped.
The Council of the North, residing in York, was responsible for the North of England, and the
Council of the Marches was responsible for Wales and some of the English border counties.
During Elizabeth's reign, it became settled in Ludlow, which made it effectively the capital of
Wales, although it was in England. The Council of the North and the Council of the Marches
were also part of a more localized method of government, and in Tudor England, local
government was very important. To ensure that the Queen's commands and the laws of the
land were being obeyed, there were royal representatives in every county in the country. The
most important of these were the Justices of the Peace, the Sheriffs, and later the Lord
Lieutenants. Cities and towns even had their own hierarchy of government, and various
officials to oversee certain matters, the principal official being the mayor.

Court of Star Chamber

 Also of great influence in Tudor and Elizabethan times were the nobility and gentry.
Land was power in the early modern period. Those who possessed it were wealthy, and
masters of the tenants on the land as well as those who worked for them. The Nobility and
Gentry were considered to be in a position of responsibility, and were meant to aid the
monarch in governing the lands over which they presided. People could take their grievances
to their lord, or to the lord of the manor. Some members of the nobility took their duties
seriously and were involved in establishing institutions of religion or education. The Earl of
Leicester, for example, established a hospital in Warwick. Tenants owed loyalty to their lord,
and if called upon, were expected to go to war for their master or mistress. One of the reasons
the Tudor monarchs feared the rebellion of one of their greatest noblemen, was because that
nobleman was likely to command the loyalty of a significant proportion of the people over
who he presided. Indeed, the political or religious views of an aristocrat was very important as
it could and did influence the views of his tenants and subjects.

Also important to the government of the country were the courts of the land. The most
important courts were probably the Great Session (or Assizes), held twice a year in each
county, and the Quarter Sessions Court, held four times a year. Between them, these courts
dealt with most crimes, such as theft, witchcraft, recusancy, murder, and assault. The Assizes
in particular had the power to inflict harsh punishments. For not so important crimes, there
were other courts such as the Petty Sessions, Manor courts, or even town courts. For civil
cases, there were various courts to choose from, but choice was probably limited by a person's
wealth. For the wealthy, there was Star Chamber, one on the highest profile courts as it largely
consisted of Privy Councilors; there was the Court of Chancery, a court that could also judge
criminal cases; there was the Exchequer of Pleas, especially expedient in dealing with
financial suits, and for those lacking wealth, there was the Court of Requests, popularly
known for this reason as "The court of poor man's causes". The Church Courts were important
in dealing with religious or moral affairs. There were also other courts with particular
functions such as the court of Admiralty for naval matters.

High Treason was usually dealt with by the Queen and her ministers and carried a
death sentence. For other serious crimes, such as murder, a person was also put to death.
Lesser crimes were punished by imprisonment or the stocks, or sometimes both.
 3.2.1 THE ELIZABETHAN RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT
Like her father, Elizabeth was a Protestant. When she first became Queen, one of the
first things it was necessary for her to do was restore the Protestant Church of England.
Events that led to the restoration of the Church of England is known as "The Elizabeth
Religious Settlement". It was comprised of two Acts:

1. THE ACT OF SUPREMACY

2. THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY

THE ACT OF SUPREMACY

It was this act that gave Elizabeth ultimate control of the Church of England. In the
reign of her father and brother, the monarch had been "Head of the Church in England", but
under Elizabeth, this was modified to "Supreme Governor of the Church in England". The
change may have been made to appease Catholics who could not accept the monarch as
"Head of the Church", seeing the church as the Pope's domain, or it may have been made
because Elizabeth was a woman. In the sixteenth century, women were regarded as inferior to
men in spiritual matters, and many were uncomfortable with the idea of a woman being in
charge. This act also included an oath of loyalty to the Queen that the clergy were expected to
take. If they did not take it, then they would lose their office. A High Commission was
established to ensure that the oath was taken. The oath was as follows:
I A. B. do utterly testify and declare in my conscience, That the Queen's Highness is the
only Supream Governor of this Realm, and of all other her Highness Dominions and
Countries, as well in all Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Things or Causes, as Temporal; and
that no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate State or Potentate, hath or ought to have any
Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Preheminence, or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual,
within this Realm; and therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all foreign
Jurisdictions, Powers, Superiorities and Authorities, and do promote, that from
henceforth I shall bear faith and true Allegiance to the Queen's Highness, her Heirs and
lawful Successors, and to my Power shall assist and defend all Jurisdictions,
Preheminences, Privileges and Authorities granted or belonging to the Queen's
Highness, her Heirs and Successors, or united and annexed to the Imperial Crown of
this Realm. So help me God, and by the Contents of this Book.
 THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY

This was the crux of the Elizabethan Church, establishing a set form of worship. The Prayer
books of Edward VI were fused into one, and were to be used in every church in the land.
Church attendance on Sundays and holy days was made compulsory, with a twelve pence fine
to be collected if people did not attend, the money to be given to the poor. The wording of the
Communion was to be vague so that Protestants and Catholics could both participate, and the
ornaments and vestments of the Church were to be retained as they had been before the
reforms in the second year of Edward's reign. Although the passage of the Act of Supremacy
through Parliament had been relatively easy, passing the Act of Uniformity was much more
difficult. A large number of the Parliament, who were still Catholic, opposed the bill, and it
was eventually only passed by three votes: 21 to 18.

The religious settlement began to be implemented in the summer of 1559. Despite the
problems that sometimes arose, it proved to be a remarkable success.

Elizabeth I and Bishops

 3.3 COURT LIFE

NONSUCH PALACE
Queen Elizabeth arrives at her favourite palace

Court was wherever the Queen happened to be and was made up of all those who
surrounded the Queen from servants to the courtiers themselves. Once a year the Queen
would go on a progress to the southern counties, but most of the time she resided in one of her
great royal palaces: Whitehall, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Richmond, St James, Windsor
Castle, and towards the end of her reign, Nonsuch. All these palaces were, in their different
ways, magnificent to behold with high fanciful towers and a sea of spiralling chimneys.
Whitehall was reputedly the largest palace in Europe, spanning an incredible 23 acres, and it
was in this palace Elizabeth lived more than any other.

Over a thousand people generally attended court. Therefore, the larger the palace, the
easier it was to accommodate this number of people. But no matter which palace the Queen
stayed in, it was still not possible to house everyone and many courtiers, ambassadors, or
other people who wished to attend court had to lodge nearby. All these palaces were in or near
London so finding suitable lodgings was not difficult. London was one of the biggest cities in
Europe, having a population of 200,000 and growing, and offered everything that a visitor
could want from travelling inns to shops to entertainment. However, being lodged at court
was an honour and the Spanish Ambassador, Count de Feria, was not at all pleased that he had
to lodge in city dwellings rather than at court as he had done in Mary I's reign.
 Supper at Court was served at between five and six in the evening and afterwards
entertainment would be provided in the Presence Chamber, such as a play, a masque, a ball, or
a musical concert. Sometimes the Queen would attend or she would stay in her privy rooms
and continue reading and signing state papers. Most of the palaces had a hunting park where
the Queen and her courtiers could hunt deer. This was one of the Queen's favourite pastimes.
Bear baits and dog baits were also held at court, together with less violent sports such as
hawking. Tennis was another courtly pastime, as was jousting, and major jousting
tournaments were held. This was a dangerous sport that resulted in the death of Henry II of
France, but the danger was part of the thrill and the romance.

There was a lot of ceremony surrounding the Queen. For example, as she moved
around the palace, guards would line her route and a fanfare would announce her arrival. The
Queen's head was always theoretically meant to be higher than everyone elses, although in
practice this may have been hard to observe without all the tall men of her court permanently
kneeling. No one was supposed to turn their back on the monarch, which often meant walking
backwards if leaving the Queen's presence. All courtiers were also expected to present the
Queen with a New Year's gift, and in return the Queen would present them with a gilt plate to
the value of their status. Later, it became customary to present her with a gift on her birthday
and accession day also.

Courtly Entertainment

As well as ambitious courtiers, politicians, bishops and servants, Elizabeth's court also
housed its share of spies. These spies belonged to various foreign powers who planted them in
the Royal household to find out secrets and to generally provide them with information. The
Queen had her own spies in royal residences in other countries.
 3.3.1 ELIZABETHAN WOMEN
Even though there was an unmarried woman on the throne in Elizabethan England, the
roles of women in society were very limited. The Elizabethans had very clear expectations of
men and women, and in general men were expected to be the breadwinners and women to be
housewives and mothers. On average, a woman gave birth to a child every two years, but as a
lot of babies and children died from sickness, families were not always large. Childbearing
was considered a great honour to women, as children were seen as blessings from God, and
Tudor women took great pride in being mothers.

Elizabethan society was patriarchal, meaning that men were considered to be the
leaders and women their inferiors. Women were regarded as "the weaker sex", not just in
terms of physical strength, but emotionally too. It was believed that women always needed
someone to look after them. If they were married, their husband was expected to look after
them. If they were single, then their father, brother or another male relative was expected to
take care of them.

Many women in this period were highly educated, like the Queen herself; Mildred
Cecil, Lady Burghley (wife of William Cecil); Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney, and her daughter
Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. Women were not allowed to go to school or to
university, but they could be educated at home by private tutors. Elizabeth was tutored by the
famous Elizabethan scholar Roger Ascham.

Women were not allowed to enter the professions i.e law, medicine, politics, but they
could work in domestic service as cooks, maids etc, and a female painter, Levina Teerlinc,
was employed by Henry VIII and later by Mary and Elizabeth respectively. Women were also
allowed to write works of literature, providing the subject was suitable for women: mainly
translations or religious works. Women were not allowed to act on the public stage or write
for the public stage. Acting was considered dishonourable for women and women did not
appear on the stage in England until the seventeenth century. In Shakespeare's plays, the roles
of women were often played by young boys.

Women who perhaps suffered most in this period were, ironically, those like the Queen
who did not wish to marry. Tudor society did not have many avenues open to single women
and, following the Reformation, those avenues were even less. Before, women were able to
become nuns and look forward to a rewarding life in convents, perhaps be a Mother Superior
one day. But with the Reformation, the convents were closed. Wealthy single women
(heiresses of property) could look forward to being mistress of their estates and wield the
power in the community this would bring, but for poor women, the only long-term "career"
really open to them was domestic service. It was not surprising, therefore, that most women
married. Marriage was seen as the desirable state for both men and women, and single women
were sometimes looked upon with suspicion. It was mainly single women who were accused
of being witches by their neighbours.
 CHAPTER IV

INFLUENCE IN PUBLIC & POLITICAL LIFE

4.1ELIZABETHAN ARCHITECTURE

Elizabethan architecture is the term used to describe the unique appearance of the
architecture that was dominant throughout England during Queen Elizabeth I's reign.

Generally, there are a few key features that you will note as being Elizabethan form of
architecture. A lot of the style was taken from the Dutch and Italian Renaissance. Below are
the few key notes of architecture during this time period.

Buildings in Elizabethan Era:

First, you will notice that there was a prominent architecture for very symmetrical
layouts. In other words, often if you looked at the left side of a building, it frequently mirrored
the right side if you were looking at it directly from the front. You would frequently find
chimney's on both sides, gables that matched, and a centered entryway into the large homes.
The gables were frequently curved and had lots of detail on them.

Homes and Houses in Elizabethan Era:

Many of the homes built during the Elizabethan period featured a very long gallery.
You would find the kitchen on one side, with the living area on the right. Between them
would typically be a long gallery featuring very nice artwork of some of the most famous
artists of this time period. This was a common theme among wealthy people's homes.
 Also among the homes that wealthy people built in this time era you would find
formal gardens. Generally, with the layout of the home there would be space designated for
these gardens. They would feature beautiful flowers during spring with seating areas that
would be considered high class even today.

Within the layouts, you would frequently see what many people refer to as the E plan.
If you were looking at the Elizabethan architecture from above, you would notice a wide
home which often had three gables extending out to the front.

These gables would typically consist of a kitchen area, an entryway, and a living area.
Between them would be a hallway from the entry to the kitchen, probably the least used place
of the home. The long gallery would extend from the entryway to the living area.

Often you would see walls adorned with gothic type artwork to give detail and much
more contemporary feel to it. The architecture is still considered to be one of the most
prominent of its day and lasted for several eras after the Elizabethan period.
 4.1.1 THEATRES

In spite of its popularity, the Elizabethan theater attracted criticism, censorship, and
scorn from some sectors of English society. The plays were often coarse and boisterous, and
playwrights and actors belonged to a bohemian class. Puritan leaders and officers of the
Church of England considered actors to be of questionable character, and they criticized
playwrights for using the stage to disseminate their irreverent opinions. They also feared the
overcrowded theater spaces might lead to the spread of disease. At times throughout the
sixteenth century, Parliament censored plays for profanity, heresy, or politics. But Queen
Elizabeth and later King James offered protections that ultimately allowed the theater to
survive. To appease Puritan concerns, the Queen established rules prohibiting the construction
of theaters and theatrical performances within the London city limits. The rules were loosely
enforced, however, and playhouses such as the Curtain, the Globe, the Rose, and the Swan
were constructed just outside of London, within easy reach of the theater-going public. These
public playhouses paved the way for the eventual emergence of professional companies as
stable business organizations.

Among the actors who performed in the Elizabethan theater, Richard Burbage is
perhaps the best known. Burbage was the leading actor in Shakespeare's company, the Lord
Chamberlain's Men, and he is credited with portraying a range of dramatic leads including
Richard III, Hamlet, Lear, and Othello. An actor himself, Shakespeare played roles in his own
plays, usually as older male characters. Acting was not considered an appropriate profession
for women in the Elizabethan era, and even into the seventeenth century acting companies
consisted of men with young boys playing the female roles. Instead of clothing reflecting the
station of their characters, Elizabethan actors wore lavish costumes consistent with upperclass
dress. In contrast, stage scenery was minimal, perhaps consisting solely of painted panels
placed upstage.

Elizabethan theaters were makeshift, dirty, and loud, but nevertheless they attracted
audiences as large as 3,000 from all social classes. Performances were usually given in the
afternoons, lasting two to three hours. As in both ancient and contemporary theaters, each
section of the theater bore a different price of admission, with the lowest prices in the pit
below stage level where patrons stood to watch the play. Most performance spaces were
arranged in-the-round, giving spectators the opportunity to watch both the play and the
behavior of other spectators. Etiquette did not prohibit the audiences from freely expressing
their distaste or satisfaction for the action on stage.

The rich theatrical flowering begun by Shakespeare and his contemporaries continued
into the seventeenth century, well beyond the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In 1642, however,
with the country on the verge of a civil war, the Puritan Parliament closed the theaters and
forbade stage plays in an edict that argued that theater distracted the fragmented nation from
its efforts to appease and avert the wrath of God. When King Charles II took the English
throne in 1660, the theaters were reopened, and the arts were again celebrated. His reign
became known as the Restoration, but the greatest period of England theater had already run
its course.

4.1.1.1SHAKESPEARE FOR ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

The works of William Shakespeare epitomize arts of the Elizabethan Epoch.
No where else do we find such a concentrated view of the ideas of the time as we do in
the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare and other playwrights. Of all the forms of
Elizabethan literature, none express the energy and intellectual versatility of the era
better than drama., and Shakespeare was the master of drama in his time (Western
Civilization, 523). Through his use of prose, conventions, and scholarship
Shakespeare wrote stories that not only appealed to the people of Elizabethan England,
but are also timeless and provide a reference for life in his time for us to view today.
During the Renaissance in Europe there was a great return to science and
learning, with a particular interest in the Classics (Western Civilization, 416). The
Church had lost some of the great power it had once held over Europe, and people
were again free to look back upon the pagan scholars and writers of Greece and Rome.
Plays by playwrights such as Euripides, Plautus, and Seneca which were once banned
by the Church were once again being read and performed (Living Theatre, 174).
Likewise, the cultural stories of the people were once again being told in public, and
playwrights, including Shakespeare, made good use of them. A Midsummer Nights
Dream is a good example of this. Shakespeare used ancient Celtic and Greek
mythological figures such as Puck, Oberon, Theseus, and Hermione and placed them
in a different time and place than their original stories, but with their ancient
characteristics. Other plays, such as Romeo and Juliet make references to popular
mythological figures like Queen Mab to make the story fit better into their world.
Since people of all classes attended plays, playwrights needed to use stories,
characters and words that would appeal to everybody. The best way to do this was to
use mythology and folklore that was sometimes, but not always, of Christian origin
(Western Civilization, 523).
England in the time before the reign of Elizabeth I was in a state of religious
turmoil. When Elizabeth I ascended to the throne she banned the performances all
religious plays and stories (except in Church) to help stop the violence over religion.
Medieval cycle and mystery plays, which were quite popular, could not longer be
performed, and playwrights were now free to concentrate on secular stories (Living
Theatre, 171). They still contained some elements of religion, as did everyday life in
Elizabethan England, but it was not the primary focus, nor did it play a particularly
important part other than perhaps to serve as plot device or a place for the story to
advance.

Shakespeares works are the greatest representation of art from Elizabethan

England. The encompass the economic, social, and educational aspects of life in a
nice, neat package. No other art form, including painting, could provide so much
information about life in Elizabethan England. Not only can we see and observe what
goes on, but we can view the ideas, language, and thoughts as well through words and
actions. The works of William Shakespeare are not the only view of life in Elizabethan
England that still exist today, but they are the most complete and inclusive.
 4.2 ELIZABETHAN FOOD

The Elizabethans, like us, had three

main meals a day: breakfast, dinner,
and supper. Breakfast was eaten early,
usually between 6-7am, dinner at
midday, and supper between 5-8pm.
The kinds of food eaten depended very
much on wealth and status. Poor
people, in general, had humble and
unvaried diets, whereas the rich of
Elizabethan England ate well. They
enjoyed all kinds of meat, including
beef, pork, lamb, mutton, bacon, veal, and deer, and fancy fowl such as peacock, swan, and
goose. Their diet also included freshwater and sea fish, such as salmon, trout, eel, pike, and
sturgeon, and shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, oysters, cockels and mussels. For the poor,
bread was the staple food and it would be eaten with butter, cheese, eggs, and pottage (a
vegetable soup thickened with oats). Poor people could not afford much red meat, like beef or
pork, so tended to eat white meat, like chicken, rabbit or hare, and birds they could catch like
blackbirds or pigeons. As Queen Elizabeth made a law in 1563 that compelled everyone to eat
fish on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the poor also regularly ate fish. This law was
made to support the fishing industry. Disobeying the law could mean up to three months in
jail!

The Elizabethans also ate fruit and vegetables. Some of the vegetables available to them were:
turnips, parsnips, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, leeks, spinach, radishes, garlic,
and skirret (a popular root vegetable of the time). Some of the fruits eaten were: apples, pears,
plums, cherries, lemons, raspberries, blackberries, melons, and strawberries. Expensive fruits,
like peaches, oranges and pomegranates, were eaten only by the rich. Fruits were regarded
with some suspicion in Tudor times, however, and were rarely eaten raw. They were mostly
baked in tarts or pies or boiled to make jams. Indeed, pies were very popular in Tudor times
and were eaten by rich and poor alike! The Tudors also did not appreciate the nutritional value
of vegetables and rich people, who had a vast amount of choice in food, didn't eat enough of
them. It is thus one of history's ironies that the lower classes, who ate a lot of vegetables as
they could not afford meat, actually had a healthier diet!
4.3 QUEEN

ELIZABETHS SPEECH AT TILBURY

My loving people, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take
heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes for fear of treachery. Let tyrants fear. I
have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chief strength and
safeguard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects.

And therefore I am come amongst you all, as you see at this time, not for my recreation and
disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all;
to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood,
even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and
stomach of a king, and a king of England too! And think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or
any Prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm!

CHAPTER V

DEATH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I

"It is not my desire to live or to reign longer than

my life and my reign shall be for your good."
Elizabeth I to her Parliament 1601
 By the late winter of 1602/3 Elizabeth was feeling
unwell. She had caught a chill after walking out in the
cold winter air, and complained of a sore throat as
well as aches and pains. She lay resignedly on her
cushions in her private apartments, and could not be
persuaded to leave them for the comfort of her bed. "I
am not well" she declared, but refused the
administrations of her doctors. It was the opinion of
her contemporaries that she would have recovered
from this illness if she had fought against it, but she
was did not want to. She was old, she was tired, and
she was lonely. She was ready to slip into the world
where all those she had loved had gone before her. As
her condition deteriorated, Archbishop Whitgift (her
favourite of all her Archbishops of Canterbury) was
called to her side, and the Queen clung tight to his
hand. When he spoke to her of getting better, she
made no response, but when he spoke to her of the joys of Heaven, she squeezed his hand
contentedly. By this time she was beyond speech and could only communicate with gestures.
It was clear to all of those around that the great Queen was dying.
On the 28th of April 1603, the Queen was given a magnificent funeral. Her coffin, covered in
purple velvet, was drawn by four horses draped in black. An effigy of the great Queen,
dressed in the robes of state with a crown on her head and a sceptre in her hands, lay on the
coffin beneath a mighty canopy held by six knights. Behind the Queen came her palfrey, led
by her Master of Horse. The chief mourner, the Marchioness of Northampton, led the
peeresses of the realm all dressed in black, and behind them came all the important men of the
realm, as well as over two hundred poor folks. The streets were full of people, all come to pay
their last respects to the Queen who had ruled them so wisely and for so long as she made her
way to her final resting place at Westminster Abbey.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I have learned how Social Classes affects a persons individual rights and
quality of life. School, work, and employment were affected by which class you were during
the Elizabethan Era. Women did not have the same rights as men even though the most
powerful person in the Elizabethan Era was Queen Elizabeth a woman. If you were poor you
would most likely not be able to afford attending school. Social classes were important to the
Elizabethan Era because it told you how to live your life and if you were rich or had a lot of
land then you would live a very good life. This is important today because we still have social
classes but not to the extent that they used to be. We still have poor people struggling and
 people starving due to lack of income. Compared to how the Elizabethan Era social classes
were we can see how we have changed and become a more equality worldwide nation.

REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed., Vol IX.
2. Plowden, Alison, The Young Elizabeth (1972, 2011)
3. Bush, Catherine, Elizabeth I (1985)
4. Adams, Simon, Leicester and the Court : Essays on Elizabethan
Politics (1995)
5. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Wester Civilization Since 1200 (3r
Edition). West Publishing Company : New York, 1997.
6. Www. elizabethi.org
7. Www.elizabethanenglandlife.com
8. Www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org