Home » Elizabethan England history, Contribution and Legacy, Government, Golden Age

Elizabethan England history, Contribution and Legacy, Government, Golden Age

The era called the Elizabethan England was a time of many developments and was considered as the Golden Age in English history. This era was led by Queen Elizabeth I, the sixth and the last ruler of Tudor.

The great developments and advancements that happened during this time can be partly attributed to the leadership of the Queen. For many, Queen Elizabeth I was England’s best monarch. Many considered the Queen as a wise and just Queen and chose the right advisers and never let herself get dominated by these advisers. She ruled the era for 45 fruitful years.

Elizabethan Era - Contribution and Legacy

The Elizabethan era which Queen Elizabeth I ruled and led for 45 years was the height of the English Renaissance and the time of the development of English poetry and literature.

Elizabethan Era Contribution to Literature

Contents

Shakespeare took the lead in advancing the country’s literature and wrote a number of great works during this time. The fine arts also took great strides. When Queen Elizabeth I was the Queen, Nicholas Hilliard was considered as the most widely recognized figure in the field of fine arts.

Also George Gower also started to make making his mark in fine arts. The 1580s of the Elizabethan era also saw the emergence of the writings of the University Wits composed of Marlowe, Greene, Lyly, Kyd and Peele.

Elizabethan Era Contribution to Literature

Their work defined the London Theater during the Elizabethan era. Their collective work was based and grounded on medieval and Jacobean roots, but that didn’t stopped and the group eventually produced new dramas and comedies and made use of Marlowe’s blank verses. The group’s work was commendable, but Shakespeare provided the best form of art and combined Elizabethan drama with classical sources.

Legacy of exploration

The era was also marked by exploration , expansion and the advancement of science and technology. The era saw the significant contributions of astronomers Thomas Digges and Thomas Harriot. A seminal work on magnetism was also published by William Gilbert titled ‘De Magnete’. This was also the time of exploration.

And much of the advancement in exploration can be traced to Sir Francis Drake, the person that circumnavigated the globe from 1577 to 1581. The era saw Martin Frobisher explored the Arctic, and this era was also the time when the first attempt for an English settlement in America was tried, the colony of Roanoke Island.

Elizabethan Era Technology Legacy

The era also made marks in technological innovation. This was the era when the first spring-suspension coach was crafted and used and replaced the litters and the carts. The coaches then became fashionable and became the sports car of the next century.

Elizabethan England’s history saw a number of developments in terms of the creation of peace. The era was generally called peaceful as the battles between the Protestants and the Catholics and that between the Parliament and the Monarchy have subsided.

Elizabethan Era Achivements in Government and Governence

The government of Elizabethan England was stable as well. The government was centralized, well-organized and very efficient. The era was also the time of great economic development. One improvement was the establishment of the first stock exchange by Sir Thomas Gresham, the Royal Exchange in 1565. The stock exchange was the first in England and one of the first institutions in Europe.

Elizabethan Era Golden Age

The relative peace and prosperity encouraged a number of observers to point the Elizabethan era as the ‘Golden Age’. It made a significant contribution to the history of England and indeed to that of the world. Its legacy in terms of the arts and literature still carries on.

Found info useful?