Queen Elizabeth Era

Elizabeth I was 25 years old when she became Queen of England in 1558. Her 45 years reign, which ended with her death in 1603, saw England's emergence as a nation of tremendous political power and unparalleled cultural achievement. Because so much oh this English renaissance is directly attributable to Elizabeth's personal character and influence, it is appropriate that the last half oh the sixteenth century in England is identified as the Elizabethan Period.
In both intellect and temperament, Elizabeth was well-suited for the role of monarch.
She was exceptionally well-educated, having been turtored at her father's court by Roger Ascham, one of the most outstanding scholars and thinkers, the age. Her intellectual interests were broad, ranging from history and science to art, literature, and philosophy and she was a remarkably astute political strategist.
Not only did she return the country to internal political and religious stability in the wake of "Bloody Mary's" reign, she directed England's course as it became a powerful force among European nations.
Both Spain and France felt the effects of England's growing strength and audacity under Elizabeth's rule. Furthermore, Elizabeth shrewdly perceived that great political advantage could be gained from her status as as unmarried monarch, and throughout her reign various political alliances via marriage were hinted at but never finalized. Elizabeth was an enormously popular monarch one of western civilization's first true cult figures.
The following oh "the virgin queen", or "gloriana", as she was called. was extensive, according to many historians, every public appearance became an occasion for grand spectacle, great pageantry and huge crowds.
The queen's tastes in fashion set the satantard for the aristocracy and the rest of society, her love of music, drama, and poetry fostered an atmosphere, in which many of england's greatest writers found encuragement and financial patronage.
Elizabeth's court was a magnet which attracted the most talented individuals of the era, and, the queen's direction, Oxford and Cambridge, universities were reorganized and chartered as centers for learning and scholarly endeavor.
In an era in which the lives of varied social classes rarely intersected, the theatre was a true common denominator. Everyone, regardless of social class, enjoyed the spectacle or the Elizabethan theatre, and playwrights found themselves writing for highly diverse audiences which reflected the ever-changing makeup and energy of society. The last year of elizabeth's reign were not always politically smoth in fact, by the 1590's there was at least one serious threat of rebellion as well as a series of bitter parliamentary conflicts.
But Elizabeth was steadfast as a monarch and held things firmly in control until her death in 1603.
She was succeeded by her cousin, king james VI of Scotland who united the two nations as king james I.
England during the reign of Elizabeth I was a country of tremendous ambition, achievement, promise, and gusto. The accomplishments and spirit of the age are traceable to many sociological and cultural factors, but foremost among these is the leardship of the forceful, resourceful and shrewd queen Elizabeth I.
Her death marked not only the end of the tudor line, but of a glorious era in English history.