Elizabethans
The Elizabethan age (1558–1603) is named after the reign of England’s last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. The period is often referred to as a ‘Golden Age’ of history: England became a major European power in politics, exploration, trade and the arts, while Elizabeth I’s long rule created stability after the shorter, tumultuous rules of her siblings, Edward VI and Mary I. But was Elizabethan England really a ‘Golden Age’? Read everything you need to know about the Elizabethan era…
Elizabethan England’s relationship with the Islamic world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
What did Queen Elizabeth I really look like at 60?
The dark side of Elizabethan England
The spies of Queen Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
A Tudor love triangle: Elizabeth I, Lettice Knollys and Robert Dudley
5 facts about Shakespeare’s Globe theatre
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Life in Elizabethan England
What was life like in Elizabethan England – how did people live and die? How did Elizabethans dress? How did people speak in Elizabethan England? What did they eat, what was the social hierarchy, what dangers did they face?
The LibraryThe Elizabethan big society. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
"Damn your blood": Swearing in early modern English
Hold your noses: the smells, sounds and sights of Elizabethan England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The other Elizabethan England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
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Religion in Elizabethan England
Henry VIII’s break with Rome in the early 16th century ushered in an era of religious division in the British Isles. Though Henry’s daughter Mary I was a Catholic and was determined to re-impose Catholicism during her short rule (1552–58), following Mary I’s death in 1558 Elizabeth I pursued Henry VIII’s policy of rejecting the authority of the papacy, aiming to return England to the Protestant faith. As a result, England's Elizabethan Catholics were persecuted; their Masses were banned and their priests were executed. What was life like for Catholics in a hostile Protestant state? Read more about religion in Elizabethan England below…
MembershipaudioCatholics in Elizabethan England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
History explorer: Catholic resistance to Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The LibraryElizabeth I’s war with England’s Catholics
There are 427 castles in Wales – and this one is my favourite. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
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Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (1533–1603) is one of the most iconic figures in western history. The daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, she was England’s ‘Gloriana’ – a virgin queen who saw herself as wedded to her country, and who brought almost half a century of stability after the turmoil of her siblings’ short reigns. Here’s everything you need to know about the last Tudor monarch…
Elizabeth I: a guide to her life and rule, plus 7 facts you might not know
Elizabeth I: the great unifier. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The LibraryHugh O'Neill: Elizabeth I’s Irish nemesis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
MembershipaudioInside the mind of Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Princely pleasures at Kenilworth: Robert Dudley's three-week marriage proposal to Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Did Thomas Seymour sexually abuse the teenage Princess Elizabeth?
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–87) was the only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. She was married three times: to Francis, King of France (1558–60); Lord Darnley (1565–67) and the Earl of Bothwell (1567–78). Mary had one child with Lord Darnley in 1566, who went on to become James VI and I of Scotland and England. She is remembered for her involvement in an assassination plot against her cousin, Elizabeth I, in an attempt to kill England’s queen and take the throne for herself. Mary, Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587 at the age of 44
Deadly rivals: Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The downfall of Mary, Queen of Scots. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Mary, Queen of Scots: what happened to her ladies-in-waiting?
Why Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots never met
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) lived through one of the most turbulent yet thrilling eras of English history – a period of plague, riots and political and religious tensions – and went on to become one of history's most famous playwrights. His most famous works include Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. He published 154 sonnets and was a shareholder in the group of players called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, who built their own theatre called the Globe in London. So, how was William Shakespeare shaped and influenced by Elizabethan England? And why was Elizabethan drama so popular?
The Globe theatre fire of 1613: when Shakespeare’s playhouse burned down
Shakespeare: the historians’ view. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
What happened to Shakespeare's daughters? A guide to the playwright's family life and descendants
How Shakespeare rewrote history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Shakespeare: 7 burning questions about his life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Daily Quiz25 October. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
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The Spanish Armada
We bring you everything you need to know about England's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The victory over the fleet of Spanish ships, which was led by Medina Sidonia with the purpose of overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I, is considered one of England’s greatest military achievements
The Spanish Armada: all at sea. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Spanish Armada
Elizabeth I: the great unifier. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The Spanish Armada: England's lucky escape. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
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Elizabethan exploration
The 'golden age' of exploration began in the 15th century and lasted more than 200 years, due to advancements in the practical skills of navigation that allowed explorers from Sir Francis Drake to Sir Walter Ralegh to thrive…
