Could England have been merrier than during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I? Shakespeare’s sceptered isle was in its golden age. Her explorers were off to find New World treasure; the Protestant-Catholic strife had calmed; government seemed to be working better, and her naval power was growing. Best of all, England was experiencing a brilliant cultural florescence.
But there were also failed harvests, increases in crime and poverty, and signs of renewed trouble at home and abroad.
Join scholar Carol Ann Lloyd Stanger on a fascinating exploration of Queen Elizabeth I’s England.
10 to 11 a.m. The Golden Age I (1558–1603)
Elizabeth I’s reign was a time of relative peace and prosperity. A moderate religious policy, frugal spending, and support for the royal navy meant stability and wealth for many. But economic disparity and lasting religious divisions still simmered below the surface.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Queen and Her Court
Elizabeth was fawned over by men who swore undying loyalty, such as William Cecil, William Hatton, Henry Lee, and Robert Dudley. The ladies of the court orbited her, too, from longtime loyal servants like Blanche Parry and Kate Ashley to younger beauties-in-waiting. The seductive atmosphere at court could be dangerous, as the dashing Walter Raleigh, a favorite of the Queen, would find out.
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants provide their own)
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Religion, Law, and Disorder
Elizabeth was determined to take a moderate course on religion. But the peace following the Religious Settlement (1559) was rocked as the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth and released her Catholic subjects from allegiance to the queen. Foreign leaders supported rebellion by English Catholics. Mary Queen of Scots brought things to a head. In response, the queen’s advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham, created a network of secret agents who carried out clandestine work with the help of hidden compartments in beer barrels, secret messengers, and ciphers and codes.
2:45 to 4 p.m. Social Life, Culture, and the English Renaissance
As towns and cities grew, people with time and means enjoyed art, music, and especially poetry and plays. In London, James Burbage opened the first permanent theater. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson, and others established an English theatre that became one of the most lasting legacies of the Elizabethan age.
Lloyd Stanger is a Tudor and Renaissance scholar and manager of visitor education at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
