Elizabeth I and the Golden Age

Bài nghiên cứu của 2 sinh viên ngành sư phạm tiếng Anh, được chấm 8.5 điểm bởi 2 thạc sĩ ngôn ngữ có tiếng của trường Đại học Đồng Nai. Outline: I. The early age 1. Background (Childhood) 2. Education II. The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and her Legacy 1. Religious Divides and Religious Settlement 2. The Virgin Queen and her Marriage Life 3. Foreign Policies 4. Art III. References

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC ĐỒNG NAI KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ −−−−−−−−−−−−−− THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE MÔN: ĐẤT NƯỚC HỌC ANH Họ tên sinh viên 1: Nguyễn Quang Huynh MSSV: 1181120031 Họ tên sinh viên 2: Trương Thị Hoài Trâm MSSV: 1181120079 Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Bùi Hồng Hà ĐỒNG NAI, 2021 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE The Virgin Queen and the Golden Age Four hundred and fifty-two years ago, British Queen Elizabeth I rose to the throne at the age of twenty-five while the country was among antagonists The world was never the same, from politics to art and religion Under the reign of the Tudor Queen, Britain has conquered the Spanish and established itself as the most powerful empire in Europe The hand of Elizabeth restored the Protestant Church and developed the moderate Anglicanism that currently remains in England Not only that, plays, poetry, and music flourished during the Elizabethan Golden Age as well as her reign has exerted influence on regions far beyond Britain This research will muster considerable elements that brought about the success of this Virgin Queen in the Golden Age of Britain The early age - Background Initially, like every child, what Queen Elizabeth I experienced during her childhood affected her chances of success in the future, and how much she grew up affected how successful she would be in her life and reign The way she was born firstly affected her position on the throne According to Somerset (2010), King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn had only one child, Elizabeth Tudor Between the winter of 1532 and the end of January 1533, the two secretly married Elizabeth was named after her grandmother, Elizabeth of York, and was born on September 7, 1533, at Placentia Castle, Greenwich Although Henry VIII had a daughter, Mary Tudor, Elizabeth got the right to the throne upon her birth Princess Mary was not regarded as the legal heir by her father since the king had annulled her marriage to her mother, Catherine of Aragon, who had been Queen of Spain at the time Greenblatt and Morrill (2021) showed that when the third wife of Henry, Jane Seymour, gave birth to a baby boy, Edward, in 1537, Elizabeth fell even further into obscurity Despite his horrible THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE violence, Henry VIII treated his kids with what he saw as a fondness; Elizabeth was presented on ceremonial occasions and designated the third place of the throne She spent much of her time with her half-brother Edward and, at the beginning of her tenth year, benefited from the loving attention of her stepmother, Catherine Parr, the king's sixth and last wife The early age - Education Like any other royal kid, Elizabeth has grown up with good nurturance She has also been tutored and has excelled in languages According to Loads (2003), her first governess was Margaret Bryan Nevertheless, with the birth of Elizabeth's half-brother, Lady Bryan was removed from Elizabeth to serve the newborn Prince, Edward Consequently, Katherine Champernowne, also known as Katherine Ashley or Kat, became Elizabeth's regular caregiver in 1537 She was also considered a priceless companion and caregiver of Elizabeth Tudor As her primary governess, Kat became Elizabeth's mother much more than any woman she ever knew during her life Armitage (2019) also showed that Kat would have spent hours teaching Elizabeth a multitude of subjects that a lady and a Princess should know as part of the traditional curriculum for royal children Languages, grammar, religion, history, rhetoric, logic, philosophy, arithmetic, literature, music, and geometry were among the subjects she learned In addition, Her education also covered non-academic topics useful to a woman of her position and standing, such as needlework, dance, archery, riding, and hunting, etc Thanks to this instructor, by the age of 11, Elizabeth had learned well in Latin, Greek, French, and Italian (Hollihan, 2011, p.16) As a result, Loades (2003, p 41) quoted Elizabeth as later stating that Kat took "great labour and pain in bringing me up in learning and honesty" Not only that, Harper (2011, p 284) narrated that in her later life, Elizabeth would say, "Anne Boleyn gave me life, but Kat Ashley gave me love." THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE Moreover, Elizabeth also had several other tutors who had much influence on her life One of them was a talented scholar, Wiliam Grindal Dunn (2010, p 175) considered him as Elizabeth’s “inspirational tutor” who provided her a solid foundation in “Greek, Latin and foreign languages.” Not long after that, Jones (2010, p 538) claimed that she was “fluent in Latin, Greek, Italian, French, and in Spanish.” Due to her brilliance in these languages that Roger Ascham, mentor of Wiliam Grindal and then Elizabeth’s tutor, admitted that he did not know “whether to admire more the wit of her who learned, or the diligence of him who taught” Dunn (2010, p.175) After the death of Grindal in January 1548, on the report of Somerset (2010), Elizabeth was educated by the tutor of Prince Edward, Roger Ascham, a compassionate instructor with the thought that studying should be enjoyable Loades (2003) showed that language was central to the study program of Elizabeth, and Asham was teaching it via the contemporary double translation approach With his routine that Elizabeth followed between 1548 and 1550, according to Whitelock (2013), she became a qualified linguist and translator, proficient in French and Italian, and acquired interests in science, philosophy, and history Her wonderful intellect made Ascham also commented afterward “her mind has no womanly weakness, her perseverance is equal to that of a man, and her memory long keeps what it quickly picks up.” (Plowden, 2013, p 120) With the abilities she had acquired, Queen Elizabeth was able to wield power via her words throughout her lengthy reign That capability allowed her to present herself as a powerful and stable ruler, which is why Queen Elizabeth Tudor's reign is known as the Elizabethan Golden Age 4 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and her Legacy Mary died on November 17, and Elizabeth became Queen of England The country's transfer to Elizabeth was remarkably effortless in 1558 But, while there was a flood of release at Mary's death and the end of the flames at Smithfield that had roasted heretics, there was also great concern about whether a 25-year-old woman's rule would be any more fruitful (Levin, 2002, p.14) Throughout Elizabeth I's lengthy reign (1558–1603), England evolved as an international power and also known as the empire “on which the sun never sets” (Collinson, 2010) and according to a recent survey on Britannica, her presence served to unite the kingdom against foreign adversaries Her rule is defined by her excellent diplomacy, religious actions, and victory over the Spanish Armada During her reign, the arts also flourished In addition, Elizabeth's reign period is considered a golden age for other factors Hundreds of shipping, trade, industry, monetary improvements, roadways, poverty relief, and agriculture legislation were significant These rules affected England's policies for about two centuries following the end of Elisabeth's reign The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and Legacy - Religious Divides and Religious Settlement Collinson, M & Collinson, D.( 2010) noted that throughout Elizabeth I’ reign, the main concern was religious divisions It is found in a recent survey on Britannica that Elizabeth reintroduced Protestantism to England Moreover, the Supremacy Act, enacted in the Parliament and ratified in 1559, restored Henry VIII's anti-papal legislation and proclaimed the queen the church's supreme ruler, and the Act of Uniformity updated the second Edwardian prayer book as the official order of the religious liturgy These structural and liturgical modifications from the law books on to local parishes were passed cautiously but continuously by Elizabeth's government However, Collinson found that the intellectuals have been much discussing Elizabeth's own religious views She was a Protestant, but she retained Catholic symbols (such as the cross) and THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE minimized the significance of preaching, which was contrary to a major Protestant principle (2007) In addition, Levin (2002) noted that Elizabeth was confronted by a kingdom not only divided by Catholics and Protestants but also by Protestants with various ideas about the Church's actual essence The disdain of Elizabeth for extravagant religious fervor led her Catholic citizens to expect her to rejoin their fold and avoided a Catholic rebellion or expulsion from the pope almost for a decade of her reign Unfortunately, over the course of a short time, so many changes were the reasons for not just bewilderment but also hostility Because Mary had taken advantage of her reign to offer sufficient support to reinstate Roman Catholicism, to make abolishing it even more difficult for her heir Besides, some conservatives have opposed the changes of Elizabeth However, The administration of Elizabeth finally persuaded people to give up their old faiths in triumph and make the kingdom a true Protestantism via preaching and educating In 1559, in a sequence of legislation that started with Supremacy and Uniformity Acts, the Parliament codified England's formal religious affiliation with the State Again, the Catholic mass was suppressed The Uniformity Act brought England back to a protestant Edwardian religious structure The 1552 Book of Common Prayer was the shape of the new service defined by the Act of Uniformity Instead of the Latin rule of Mary, the liturgy was once again in English The clergy conference established in 1563 the Thirty-Nine Articles formed a theoretical framework for the Elizabethan churches In 1571, the Parliament confirmed them Not only did the parliament in 1559 approve the Uniformity Act, which established the Church of England's official theology, it also formally approved the Supremacy Act, which gave Elizabeth the name of England's Supreme Governor Nevertheless, there was lots of turmoil that Elizabeth should be named the "Head" or the "Governor" Elizabeth opted not to become the Head of the Church, but to be the Governor, not THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE because being a woman was improper, just because she took the role of Christ Elizabeth did not give up her authority on the Church, though she was against the handle, and she also believed that she deserved to own that power John Guy is cited by Levin (2002, p 24) as stating that “despite the purposeful ambiguity of the settlement of 1559,” The status of Elizabeth did not change substantially from that of Henry VIII Elizabeth especially took her extremely seriously as Governor of the Church The queen was politically cautious She required her Bishops to struggle for the form of a national Church instead of addressing the Church's hierarchy directly It also accepted the Supreme Governor's power by The Act of religious Divides and the Religious Settlement Supremacy, in particular ecclesial affairs, to transfer its jurisdiction to the commissioners and created a Court of High Commission, commonly known as the Ecclesiastical Commission They were authorized to castigate religious law offenses, solve canonical conflicts and maintain religious conformity Elizabeth as Queen rejected that all pictures were idolatrous And she wanted the Catholics to believe she was not so distinct from them so that they would accept her and not launch a holy crucifix on England, and she hoped to see the Lutheran Princes in Germany would back her The Catholic Ritual was comparable to several features of the England Church including garments, crosses, and candelabra To convince both Luthers and Catholics, Elisabeth sought to ensure England was not a Calvinist country The application of the Latin Prayer Book at the universities and the colleges of Winchester and Eton was approved by Elizabeth in 1560 Moreover, she effectively persuaded the usage of the silver crucifix and candlelight in the royal church with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other religious authorities She requested the monks that numerous traditional rites had to be maintained In promoting patriotism, the church had a vital role Prayer against disobedience was read repeatedly in it on Sunday Throughout the 1560s, Elizabeth chose to persuade her Catholic subjects rather than to force them Elizabeth I and THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE her government typically adopted only strong measures if individuals publicly protested the law The 1563 statute that prescribed the life sentence to anybody who twice rejected the Supremacy Oath, was bypassed by Elizabeth Over the first decade of her rule, it also did not urge Catholics to revolt because the decision was made not to oppress them On the other hand, after the Queen's forced renunciation, Mary Stuart fled to England, and the fact that the relations of her kingdom with Spain were increasingly worse, aroused much concern in her citizens Over the next few years, there were a series of local and international political crises with strong religious undertones The complot to murder Elizabeth I in 1571, and put Mary Stuart on the throne, became much more severe Furthermore, Acts of violence on Protestants in the region further heightened worries of what Catholics could to Protestants in England if the Catholics reclaimed authority, namely, the slaughter across the Channel or the St Bartholomew's Day carnage Fortunately, by the mid-1590s, the Catholic menace was seen as far less threatening Elizabeth I's reign was even harsher on the Puritans Since Elizabethan Church Settlement lacked a cohesive doctrine Levin (2002, p 30) quoted that in 1585 Elizabeth said to the House of Commons, "Resolutely, she will receive no motion of innovation, nor alter or change any law whereby the religion or Church of England stands established at this day." Elizabeth stressed that the clergy would observe the existing Act of Uniformity and the Articles of Thirty-Nine A handful of devoted Protestants were also angered by his efforts to improve Catholics politically at an early stage (Levin, 2002) Levin noted that although the fight against religion was to reoccur in the 17th century, Elizabeth won the battle for the maintenance of the Settlement in 1559 What was enacted in the early year of her rule was not basically changed until her reign came to an end, and England became a Protestant nation in 1603 ( 2002, p 37) 8 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and Legacy - The Virgin Queen and her Marriage Life It has been recently claimed (Borman, 2010) that Elizabeth was widely regarded as a man's lady With the numerous ambitious young men attending her court, she preferred to dally with Her romantic relationship with Robert Dudley, her enthusiasm for the Earl of Essex - Robert Dudley's stepson, and her ties to trustworthy counselors Lord Burghley, are widely recorded But that just reveals part of the reality Intentionally, Elizabeth presented these relationships to make her own place in the world of men The picture was rather dissimilar from her personal sphere The women there took control of the men Queen Elizabeth I (quoted by Borman, 2010, p 235) states “And, in the end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin”- these comments were said to the first Parliament in February 1559 Few of her citizens believed her They presumably claimed that her words were either the product of humility and statehood, in order to raise her worth There were many unpleasant presumptions about her marriage made by her subjects Besides, her private council was sure that only if their royal lady generated a successor could maintain the novelty regime Philip II persuaded Elizabeth, right after her ascension, to marry him to rescue her from works suitable for the men In day-to-day social customs, marriage was the ideal condition not just for the queens but for all women Those who stayed unmarried were ridiculed Elizabeth (quoted by Borman, p 236) also acknowledged: “There is a strong idea in the world that a woman cannot live unless she is married, or at all events that if she refrains from marriage she does so for some bad reason.” Without regard to the reluctance of their queen to marry, many appropriate candidates were proceeded for casting The Archduke Charles of Austria, Philip II's cousin, was among the first to be put forward Even though Elizabeth had explicitly THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE prohibited her ladies from interfering in politics, she soon recognized the usefulness of the numerous marriage processes following her accession It was mediators with the emissaries of the Archduke, the Count de Feria, and Bishop de Quadra, respectively embassies for the Republic of Spain Soon, the queen informed de Quadra that she did not wish to get married to him (the Archduke) or anybody else It is claimed, by the queen, to be improper for her and a virgin to invite anybody to tie the knot with her for her enjoyment (Borman, 2010) Kat served as the Queen's companion on both personal and general affairs, and the fact that she was the person with whom Elizabeth spent the most of her time earned her unmatched status at court Kat's position provided her with a unique perspective on Elizabeth's growing personal connection with Robert Dudley The Queen had known him from infancy, and their connections had become closer during Mary Tudor's years because Robert was the one bold enough to swear his loyalty In reality, the couple behaved just like lovers, as they held intimate discussions and spent many hours together hunting, dancing, and partaking in other court activities Elizabeth employed her people to help her favorite meetings, which frequently required a considerable degree of deception, such as in November 1561, when she camouflaged herself as Katherine Howard's maid to gain the hidden pleasure of seeing Dudley shot in Windsor Robert Dudley was a married man, but the Queen was still jeopardizing her image by lavishing such favors on him, which was particularly problematic as her marriage was now one of the most vital state affairs She might protect her position by striking an advantageous match, ideally with a powerful foreign ally However, the more she lingered with this married favorite, the less appealing a bride became to other candidates Not just in England but also in courts around Europe, Elizabeth and Dudley had been scandalous Elizabeth was one of history's most renowned flirts Her conduct toward some of her male servants was so wildly provocative that many assumed she was having 10 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE relationships with them Once, the ceremony to make Robert Dudley an earl, she tickled his neck She also intimately made her interactions with her advisers by assigning them pet names: Cecil was "Sir Spirit," Dudley was "Eyes," and Hatton was "Lids" (p.250) Kat did what nobody else would have dared to to save her lady's reputation and prevent her from putting away what they had battled so much But Elizabeth answered to her subjects' astonishment, praising her ancient ruler for Kat's words She continued to convince Kat that she intended to marry to dissipate rumors and facilitate her subjects' minds, however, adding that marriage was a big affair and she did not desire to change her status Elizabeth had clearly shown that she was not attracted to the notion of marriage, but Kat remained in persuading her to something different Therefore she enthusiastically encouraged the varied followers of Elizabeth's hand in marriage Particularly, the new King of Sweden - Eric XIV, who in the early 1560s became one of the strongest competitors In the spring of 1561, his chancellor Nils Gyllenstierna came to Londres to prepare the foundation for a king's arrival Although she was kind enough to welcome Gyllenstierna, she wouldn't marry his lord and finally, following a year of nice words and broken promises, the chancellor went back home dissatisfied Kat's over interference was eventually revealed Even the Queen's favorite attendant now faced jail and dismissals again The violation is so great that could hardly be disregarded She was discharged after a month and reinstated her previous post, by the surprise of contemporaneous people in the court and abroad (Borman, 2010) Borman stated that since a series of the Queen's rejection, some rumored that her hesitation to marry was more than a matter of politics Her procreative health status had been an issue from her infancy As a child, the French diplomats were shown "unclothed" by Elizabeth to show that there were no obstacles to Francis I's third son, Charles, Duke of Angoulême, to prevent her from becoming engaged The question of her ability to reproduce got more diplomatic interest 11 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE when she was a queen, as her whole regime's safety depended on her capacity to birth her successors Following the succession of Elizabeth, a proposal from the Duke of Casimir, the son of the Palatine electoral officer, was sought by the Scottish Ambassador, Sir James Melville However, he refused the request due to the fact that the queen might not be getting married because of her inability to have children In June 1559 Elizabeth was bled, which was seen as evidence that her physical functions were incorrect The assumption was that the Queen lost her blood to remedy her body imbalance formed by the absence of periods in her body For much of her life, Elizabeth struggled from unpredictable or nonexistent periods, which had become a matter of global issues Elizabeth contributed to inflame the stories by suggesting to her women that she was infertile and detested the concept of marriage Nonetheless, she knew it was crucial to encourage her numerous beaus, so she sometimes exhibited her passion on the topic For more than two decades, this retained her status as one of Europe's top longed-for brides Even in 1579, when Elizabeth was in her forties, the topic of her fertility was still being debated Elizabeth confidently stated he was in the body without any impairment Medical tests performed indicated that she was completely healthy and capable of bearing children Despite she eventually successfully made a virtue of her virginity, Elizabeth was heavily chastised for marry denying In point of fact, Elizabeth was hesitant to take a spouse for political grounds Marriage in the sixteenth century for most women meant full submission for their man's wishes But Elizabeth was considerably more self-sufficient than anybody else With her tremendous knowledge and tenacious soul, she would have found it impossible to submit to the rule of any man Elizabeth's resolve to stay unmarried went beyond political considerations When speaking with an ambassador from Scotland in 1561, Elizabeth acknowledged that some of her childhood incidents had scared her of being married (2010) 12 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE She portrayed herself as the "wife" of England and the "mother" of all her subjects Her statements had been riddled with references to this symbolic condition from the commencement of her rule In response to the House of Commons' request to marry, she told them that she had no children and all the English were her children Elizabeth wanted her women to be wedded to her service, just as she was devoted to her nation She routinely educated her maids and other single women about marriage, and she would strongly encourage all her women to stay in virginity states Elizabeth had set her court a stringent standard of morality The Queen's fury was always tremendous once her inferior's secret was exposed She would rip off her girls because of disobeying her commands and impose severe penalties on them Specifically, several people were sent into the Tower or Fleet Prison, while others were expelled Even though she may have valid reasons for punishing her women for marriage, it's hard to abstain Elizabeth from fury with love (Borman, 2010) Though, at that time, a single Queen was regarded as abnormal The unmarried status was converted into a strength by Queen Elizabeth The remaining single policy of Elizabeth left the succession dilemma A great leader such as Queen Elizabeth's demise left England a huge gap (Collinson, 2010) The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and her Legacy - Foreign Policies In 1558, when Elizabeth became the Queen, according to Levin (2002), she was responsible for religion as well as the balance of a religious settlement and ensuring that England was secure and independent Although Elizabeth's foreign policy tended to be defensive, her control over it was even more crucial The Queen did not just drift in and react to external circumstances, that she had a consistent foreign policy, which she set herself 13 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE However, Elizabeth never reigns her country alone; she chose a few trustworthy advisers, a small group of 18 men known as the Privy Council They counseled Elizabeth on domestic and international matters but did not have authority over her (Levin 2002, p 16) William Cecil, whom Elizabeth appointed as Secretary of State in 1558 and eventually elevated to the title of Lord Burghley, was one of her counselors For 40 years, he was her most important minister, advising her intelligently (Levin, 2002) Another one was Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's most trusted counsel until his death, and received the title Earl of Leicester He and Elizabeth had such a tight relationship that there were suspicions that they were lovers (Levin, 2002, p 17) One of her three prime advisers was Sir Francis Walsingham, who managed Elizabeth's secret service and provided foreign policy advice These men and the Privy Council assisted Elizabeth and partly contributed to the success of the Tudor Queen in her reign, especially the foreign issues Elizabeth’s foreign policies were more apparent when considered via her behaviors towards several countries around, especially the Netherlands Levin (2002, p.39) mentioned that the Queen had pursued many objectives since 1567 She expelled the Netherlands from the Spanish military, stopping the Francs from obtaining control in the Netherlands, seeing the Netherlands return to its old freedoms and home rule under Charles V There were some reasons why Elizabeth helped the Netherlands, which she found crucial for the country According to Levin (2002, pp.4344), Spain governed the Netherlands, but the English considered the Netherlands to be the essential site for commerce Besides, Levin (2002) also indicated that by 1572, in the Netherlands, Protestant thought flourished, and the Protestant Dutch rebels started an independence fight from Catholic Spain, which led to the Netherlands Revolt King Philip dispatched an army from Spain to subdue the rebels Elizabeth was approached to become Queen of the Dutch following the death of the Dutch leader of the rebels, William of Orange (Levin, 2002, pp.60-61) But she just 14 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE dispatched an army to combat Spain alongside the Dutch During the 1590s, the Netherlands gained many triumphs over the Spanish While she succeeded in developing diplomatic relationships with several of the major current empires and backed Protestant movements throughout Europe, Catholic Spain and its Armada were the biggest foreign policy issue she confronted and finally won over with England According to Levin (2002), in the 1560s, Philip II of Spain was confronted with growing religious unrest as Protestantism gained traction in his Low Countries realms Relations with the government of England Elizabeth I deteriorated again after their reinstatement of royal control over the English Church Besides, the English sailors' actions, which Sir John Hawkins initiated in 1562, earned Elizabeth's tacit backing, despite the Spanish Government complaining that Hawkins' trading with their colonies was contraband (Levin, 2002, pp 120-122) Moreover, in August 1585, England and the Netherlands responded by signing the Treaty of Nonsuch, following which Elizabeth pledged military support to the Netherlands (Haigh, 1984, p.159) This treaty marked the explosion of the Anglo-Spanish War, which lasted until 1604 - when the Treaty of London was signed (Fritze, 1996, p 310) The victory over the Spanish marked a significant event in the reign of the Tudor Queen Before the problems above, Philippe had a plan to attack England with an armada of 130 ships However, an English attack on Cadiz port in 1587, in which Drake stole gold and damaged many Spanish ships, delayed the Armada (MacCaffrey, 1992, pp 81-82) In 1588, Philip's Armada set sail for the Mediterranean According to Levin (2002, p 69), while Spain's Armada was moored at Calais, the English employed fireships to disperse the Spanish fleet before attacking it at Gravelines in July 1588 Consequently, the Armada was destroyed by a combination of 15 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE miscalculation, misfortune, and an attack by English fire ships near Gravelines on July 29, which dispersed the Spanish ships to the northeast (Loades 2003, pp 250-251) The English victory over the Spaniards established Elizabeth as a more capable leader and solidified her position as Queen For Elizabeth, it was a sign of the Protestant victory over the Catholic Church Moreover, the English triumph demonstrated the English as Europe's most powerful country, inspiring other nations to fight against more strong opponents, also like the resumption of Dutch rebellions against the Spanish The Virgin Queen‘s Governance and her Legacy - Art During her reign, the arts, namely, poetry, prose work, or drama also experienced a brilliantly flourishing trend Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were built, the miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived - the Queen attended the first performance of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Elizabeth's court and the Royal Chapel, St James' Palace, were where some renowned artists, particularly William Byrd and Thomas Tallis worked (Ciara.Berry., 2018) Moreover, with her palace serving as a central hubby for composers, and intellectuals and William Shakespeare (1564–1616) and Francis Bacon (1561– 1626), as well as adventurers such as Francis Drake (c 1540–1596) and Walter Raleigh (c 1554– 1618), stand as perfect examples (Collinson, 2010) It is found in the Britannica encyclopedia that in her honor, Edmund Spenser composed The Faerie Queene, widely regarded as his masterpiece William Shakespeare performed in front of the Queen (despite most of his greatest tragedies had not yet been written at the time of Elizabeth passing away in 1603) Sir Philip Sidney, Roger Ascham, Richard Hooker, and Christopher Marlowe were the other outstanding writers of that time Elizabeth was a big fan of and supporter of the arts 16 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE Additionally, according to a trustworthy survey on UKessays, a considerable number of the theatres testified the performances by the illustrious William Shakespeare that emerged all over London reflected how Elizabeth inspired the arts The thriving theatres attracted inhabitants in London and enabled them to experience a lifetime of plays and specially enhanced the country's economy Theatres extended from one half of the city to the other The Globe, Theatre, The Butts, The Curtain Elizabethan Theater, Swan Theater, The Fortune Elizabethan Theatre, The Boars Head, The Bear Garden, The Bull Ring, and the Hope Elizabethan Theatre were and remain a series of theatres James Burbage would be the first person to bring the theatre and also the Globe Theater to London The Elizabethan Age, sometimes called the Renaissance, introduced new views of art Grand works of art mounted on the walls were produced by renowned artists throughout the Renaissance, namely, Rose Building and other artworks Many artists such as George Gower came to be famous artists His masterpieces were exhibited around London, where the arts and items contributed beauty to the kingdom Music was another element that gained more popularity and accessibility to the people of London Stringed, wind, percussion, keyboard, singing, dance, authors, and Masques were all popular instruments at the period Elizabethan music evolved into a variety of complex styles The Elizabethan era's theatre was improved by the introduction and accompaniment of music There were several forms of Elizabethan music, including Church, Court, Street, Town, and Theater music Those who had never heard of music would immediately fall in love and desire to experience more Music did successfully spread everywhere In conclusion, Collinson, M & Collinson, D (2010) claimed that Elizabeth was a wonderful lady recognized and adored not only in her homeland but in other countries Her legacy is still acknowledged as one of the wealthiest monarchs in English history over four hundred years after her death The stable situation of England under the reign of Elizabeth led to the development 17 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE of English culture, especially art People in North America named Virginia after the virgin queen Elizabeth Her reign is well-known for conquering the Spanish Armada and establishing itself as a powerful naval force Elizabeth contributed to the establishment of a democratic parliament, a moderate church, and a generally rich, peaceful, and stable country The Elizabethan epoch has been considered the Golden Age by numerous intellectuals and her rule brought the great British Empire to stand out 18 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE References: Armitage, J (2019) Four Queens and a Countess Stroud, Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing Borman, T (2010) Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen New York: Bantam Books Ciara.Berry (2018, August 03) Elizabeth I (r.1558-1603) Retrieved August 01, 2021, from https://www.royal.uk/elizabeth-i Collinson, D L (2010) Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 892896 Collinson, P (2007) Elizabeth I Oxford: Oxford University Press Dunn, J (2010) Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens New York: Alfred A Knopf Elizabeth I (n.d.) Britannica Retrieved August 01, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/ biography/Elizabeth-I Elizabeth I and the golden Age history essay (n.d.) UKessays Retrieved August 01, 2021, from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/elizabeth-i-and-the-golden-age-historyessay.php?vref=1 Fritze, R H., Robison, W B., Robison, W., & Robison, W B (1996) Historical Dictionary of Stuart England, 1603-1689 Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group Haigh, C (1984) The Reign of Elizabeth I London: Macmillan Education UK Harper, K (2011) The Queen's Governess Broadway, Manhattan: Random House Jones, P (2010) Elizabeth: Virgin Queen? London: New Holland Levin, C (2002) The Reign of Elizabeth I London: Palgrave Macmillan Loades, D (2003) Elizabeth I London: Bloomsbury Academic 19 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE MacCaffrey, W T (1992) Elizabeth I: War and Politics, 1588-1603 Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press Plowden, A (2013) Tudor Women New York: History Press (Perseus) Somerset, A (2010) Elizabeth I New York: Anchor Whitelock, A ( 2013) Elizabeth's Bedfellows: An Intimate History of the Queen's Court London: A&C Black  ...1 THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE The Virgin Queen and the Golden Age Four hundred and fifty-two years ago, British Queen Elizabeth I rose to the throne at the age of twenty-five while the. .. Austria, Philip II's cousin, was among the first to be put forward Even though Elizabeth had explicitly THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE prohibited her ladies from interfering in politics,... Edward, in 1537, Elizabeth fell even further into obscurity Despite his horrible THE VIRGIN QUEEN AND THE GOLDEN AGE violence, Henry VIII treated his kids with what he saw as a fondness; Elizabeth