Watching plays became a popular form of entertainment for people at different levels of society. Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays, which are still performed today. Comedies and tragedies, particularly revenge tragedies, became very popular. Playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, Thomas Dekker and William Shakespeare supplied theatres with new and exciting plays. The Red Lion was built in 1567, the Theatre in 1576, the Curtain in 1577, the Rose in 1587, the Swan in 1597 and the Globe in 1599.Ī community of actors and writers began to grow. Instead, people mostly watched plays based on religious stories, which were performed by travelling actors.įrom the 1560s, dedicated theatres were built in London. At the start of Elizabeth’s reign, there were no theatres in England. Theatres in England flourished in the Elizabethan period. The English Navy defeated the Spanish Armada and more than a third of the Spanish ships failed to return home.Įlizabeth often gets credit for the victory, but in reality it was a mixture of skilled English Commanders like Sir Francis Drake and their more modern, lighter boats, inexperienced Spanish Commanders and bad weather that prevented the Spanish invasion.Įlizabeth's reign was undoubtedly a time of great prosperity, influence and success for some, but there were many problems regarding religion, foreign relations and the poverty of working people that raises questions about whether her reign was a golden age for everyone. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588: Catholic Spain, with the support of the Pope, planned to overthrow Elizabeth to stop the spread of Protestantism in England. And Elizabeth persecuted Catholic priests and nobles who crossed her. But in reality, Catholics were unhappy that the state religion was now Protestant, and Protestants were unhappy about the compromises allowed to Catholics. Religious tolerance: Elizabeth enacted the Middle Way, a religious settlement that allowed different types of Christianity to practise their faith privately, as long as they recognised her role as Head of the Church. It wasn't until the end of her reign that Elizabeth introduced laws to help tackle these problems. At the same time, tax was increased to pay for Elizabeth's war with Spain and to defeat the many rebellions she faced.Īll of this meant poverty levels rose and social problems such as crime and homelessness increased.
So the cost of living rose and wages fell as there were more people available to do the work. A growing population meant there was more demand for food and goods. But her refusal to marry raised the question of who would reign next, leading to many troublesome plots from others who had claims to the throne.Īnd for many people, life during her reign was not that golden. This view is supported by her refusal to marry the men her adviser suggested, her tight control over nobles and Parliament and the lavish lifestyle she led at court. By looking at three aspects of her reign, we can investigate how golden it actually was.Įlizabeth's leadership: Elizabeth is often viewed as a strong, powerful female ruler in a world run by men. Her reign is commonly referred to as a golden age.
Elizabeth I reigned from 1558 until 1603.