Elizabethan period (jan 1, 1558 – jan 1, 1603)
Description:
Queen Elizabeth I:
Henry VIII: s daughters, takes over the throne in 1558 and rules for nearly half a century.
England under Elizabeth's rule:
“the Golden Age”
Country unified; stability
England becomes a superpower
Naval power; defeating the Spanish Armada
Trade and commerce flourish
Exploration, colonialism
London largest city in Europe, population 200,000 in 1559, doubles in 50 years
Together with Anne Boylen, Henry´s second wife, he got his first and only daughter Elizabeth. Two and a half years after Elizabeth's birth her mother, Anne Boylen, was executed. Elizabeth´s half-brother Edward VI ruled until his death in 1553. Mary Elizabeth's half-sister took over the throne and threw Elizabeth in prison for suspicions of supporting Protestant rebels. Queen Mary was Catholic. In 1558 upon Mary's death, Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to rule for nearly 50 years.
Elizabeth had a big personality and came from a protestant background taking England back to being protestant after the reign of the half-sister who was Catholic. As a self-ruling Queen Elizabeth had much pressure on her to be strick and harch, she had many persecutors and many males who wanted to marry her and take her powers as queen. Queen Elizabeth, was a national symbol of a strong and decisive leader because of her strong will and determination of keeping the power. Because of all the men that wanted to marry her and take over the power from her, she decided to never get married. That is where the name "Virgin Queen" comes from. Beyond good leader and strong will Elizabeth was also a role model and fashion icon, that loved fine clothing and jewellery.
Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, manoeuvering between the major powers of France and Spain. By the mid-1580s, England could no longer avoid war with Spain. England's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 associated Elizabeth with one of the greatest military victories in English history. The Spanish Armada at the time was the biggest and most fierce navy in the world. Under her reign, many new steps were taken upon the English name. As now England had won over the Spanish Armada they were now the rulers of the sea. With this came new possibilities. Colonialization of new places taking their resources and exploring the world was one of the major things which made and saw ground of the English empire. There was a Golde age in England with a sense of unity and stability in both economy and politics. They became a so-called superpower, Londo had grown double in size from the beginning of the era.
Added to timeline:
Robin Maximurads timeline
Date:
Images:
![]()
![]()
