Elizabethan England

Who was Elizabeth I?

- Leader of England during "Elizabethan age"

- Also known as the Golden Age

- Was one of the best monarchs

- Ruled England for 45 years

- Born 9/7/1533 ~ Died 3/24/1603

- Father: Henry VIII

- Mother: Anne Boleyn

--> Birth was "illegitimate" when the act of Parliament declared marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn invalid

Who was Elizabeth I?

- Also known as the Virgin Queen

- Did not marry or have children

- Suffered harsh childhood

- Mother (Anne) only gave birth to girls/dead babies

- Father (Henry VIII) wanted sons

- Declared illegitimate and mother executed

- Although she is known as one of the best monarchs, she was never meant to be queen

- Laws of succession favored boys at the time

- Had an elder sister

- Brother died due to tuberculosis

- Elder sister's reign ended in 5 years

Who was Elizabeth I?

- Was very intelligent

- Gifted talent to speak different languages

- Fluently spoke 5 different languages

- Believed in Protestantism

- Her sister Mary believe in Catholicism

- Imprisoned Elizabeth I in the Tower of London during her rule

Religion in Elizabethan England

• Traditionally, England was ruled politically by the king, and religiously by the Roman Catholic Church
• King Henry VIII created the Church of England (which he was the head of)
• He wanted to divorce his current wife (Catherine of Aragon) because he wanted a male heir
• Introduced Protestantism to England (split off from the Roman Catholic Church)
• Edward VI -> Mary I -> Elizabeth I
• Queen Mary I was a devout Roman Catholic
• Tried to reinforce the Roman Catholic Church's power
• Burned 300 Protestant heretics
• Married the King of Spain in hopes of having an heir that would complete the conversion back into Roman Catholicism
• Didn't have any children

Religion in Elizabethan England

• Queen Elizabeth I
• Was more Protestant than Roman-Catholic
• Allowed Catholics to practice their religion, but punished heretics
• Catholics were not allowed to worship openly
• Some fought back against this, and became a threat to her rule
• Had specific laws that kept the Church of England in place

• During Shakespeare's time, there was a lot of religious conflict and arguments within the country that influenced his work

Clothing and Fashion

Class system depends on what style, clothing, and color they can wear

Peasants

Rusty brown

Combination of brown, red, and grays.

Made of simple materials such as English cotton, wool and leather.

They owned only one so or two set of clothing.

Women

Wore scarf or veil around their head

Stockings

Apron to cover their dress for style

Clothing of the dress were made out of rough material

(itchy and caused inspirations

Clothing and Fashion

The upper class of Elizabethan England

- Elegant and luxurious clothing that were made of expensive velvet, exotic silk and satin.

-Only the members of the Royal Family were allowed to own robes which were trimmed with ermine.

-Less noble folk wore clothing trimmed with either fox or otter

The brightest colors demanded a higher price tag

-only available to the upper class.

The brightness of the color and its richness are the determining factors as to how expensive it would be.

The working class or peasants wore clothes dyed in yellow, orange, green, pale blue, pink and russet.

Jobs

Women

- they were seen as a weak gender

- were not allowed to do any jobs that are related to laws, medicines or politics

- they were allowed to write their own piece of literature

- but were not allowed to write for the public stage

- Noblewomen stayed and took care of the household (they were educated and learned a lot about fine arts)

Men

Men

- They were able to do any job they wanted

- Poor people didn't get payed a lot

- If they were rich, then they would do a highly skilled job that pay them a lot of money

- farmers, tradesmen and craftsmen (middle class)

- workmen, journeymen, or hired servants would make £4-8 but most workers made from £4-10

Children

Children

- Young boys would be pages

- They would wait tables, assist the Lord when they are getting dressed

- Young girls did not have any jobs, they just went to school and helped out around the house

Art in the Elizabethan England

• The Golden Age in English history, and when the English Renaissance began.
• Artists drew from English Renaissance ideals
• Many influences on their style were Elizabeth herself
• Often invoked in painting and literature
• Addition of Music, dancing, pageantry (dramatic presentation, such as plays) raised them to a higher level of artistry
• All English artists were expected to fulfill their patriotic duty by glorifying the queen
• Portrayed elegance, power, and health

Art in Elizabethan England

• Religious artworks were famous
• Artworks that depict parts of the Bible
• Study of Roman and Greek texts became the new study
• England experienced its highest level of literacy, the ability to read and write. This was in part due to the great rise in education.
• William Shakespeare becomes famous
• Plays and arts to Shakespeare's poems were performed
• Theaters became popular to the English people
• Plays from Shakespeare, Historical plays, and the field of “ acting” became famous