On this day 450 years ago in 1558, Elizabeth I ascended to the throne of England and Ireland when her half-sister, Queen "Bloody" Mary, died. Queen Elizabeth I was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. She was the daughter of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn who was beheaded when Elizabeth was only three years old. Elizabeth's ascension to throne would mark what would be called the Golden Age of English history and is the height of the Renaissance in England. Apart from conflict with Spain, her reign is also remarkable for the internal peace that reigned, particularly between Protestant and Catholic.
The Elizabethan Era was a time of exploration and expansion. Though the beginning of the era was dominated by Spanish and Portuguese exploration, this Golden Age saw the emergence of some famous English explorers such as Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Martin Frobisher. In 1607, after Elizabeth's death, the Virginia Colony was named after the virgin queen.
The era was also marked by the flowering of English literature and poetry. The Elizabethan theater flourished with the plays of Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.
England's expansion in exploration and her growing power led to conflict and skirmishes in Europe and the New World with Spain. This conflict would ultimately lead to the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585 to 1604. Despite the great naval victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588, the tide of the war turned against the English in 1589 with the unsuccessful Drake-Norris Expedition. The war with Spain eventually depleted England's coffers, which had been so carefully restored during Elizabeth's reign, and limited future commercial and territorial expansion until the Treaty of London was signed one year after Elizabeth I's death.
The Elizabethan Era, as well as the Tudor Dynasty, came to an end on 24 March 1603 when Good Queen Bess died leaving no heir to the English throne. James VI of Scotland was proclaimed James I of England and Ireland.
VOCABULARY
| ascend | monter |
| beheaded | décapité |
| height | point culminant |
| flowering | épanouissement |
| flourish | fleurir, prospérer |
| skirmish | échauffourée |
| tide | cours des événements |
| deplete | épuiser |
| coffer | coffre |
| heir | héritier |
EXPLORE MORE ON THE NET:
Wikipedia - Elizabethan Literature
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