Home » Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras Similiarities and Differences

Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras Similiarities and Differences

Comparison of Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras

The Elizabethan and Jacobean eras had several similarities but are probably considered to be very different when you take the broad scope of the Elizabethan era. The Elizabethan era was generally a very prosperous age, but ended with a war and serious debt incurred for the Jacobean era that succeeded the Elizabethan Era.

Comparison of Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras

The Jacobean Era

The Jacobean era ranges from 1603 to 1623. The name derives from the monarch, King James I. Jacob is the Hebrew version of the name, James. Unfortunately for King James I he inherited a bad situation. He inherited a debt for England of £350,000. The debt was increasing by £140,000 annually. By 1608, England was in a debt of roughly £1,400,000.

The treasurer of this time, Robert Cecil made some changes and lowered this debt back down to £46,000 by 1610. However, the damage had already been done. By the time 1620 rolled around and the bubonic plague had hit England severely, there was a terrible economic crisis. England suffered a terrible depression from 1620 to 1626. One of the many bright spots that continued throughout the Jacobean period which started in the Elizabethan period was Literature.

Comparison of Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras

The Elizabethan Era

Shakespeare wrote several of his best works during the Jacobean period, including Macbeth. We also found that the King James Bible also derives from this time period which is still one of the most prominent works in terms of literature in history.

The unfortunate part is that the artistic side of England had somewhat been overshadowed. Unlike the Elizabethan period where England was at its prime from an artistic perspective, throughout the Jacobean period many of the English artists were overlooked.

Comparison of Elizabethan and Jacobean Eras

This era however did produce some of the greater artists later on down the road such as Robert Peake the Elder and William Larkin. Still, other artists received more notoriety.

King James I, the Jacobean era, was a relatively dark time in England’s history and ended on a terrible note with a serious depression. However, it is generally accepted that King James I inherited a terrible situation that was likely doomed from the beginning.

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