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Shakespeare had seven siblings

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William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564. Shakespeare's wife's name was Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare had three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare worked as actor with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later called the King's Men.

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His death occurred near his birthday he fell ill

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His death occurred near his birthday he fell ill

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She was actually never meant to be queen

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Shakespeare is believed to have died on his birthday, he was born in April 1564 so it as beleived his birthday was on the 23rd of April. He also died on the 23rd of April 52 years after

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She was nearly executed by her half-sister

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She was nearly executed by her half-sister

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Shakespeare had three children

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Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and around 40 plays.

Works written: sonnets, Henry V, The First Folio, ...

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Many people believe William Shakespeare is the best British writer of all time. His many works are about life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery.

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Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to a poor family.

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William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April (see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616.

Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre (sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period). Shakespeare's plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare's poems also remain popular to this day.

Shakespeare's Family Life

Records survive relating to William Shakespeare's family that offer an understanding of the context of Shakespeare's early life and the lives of his family members. John Shakespeare married Mary Arden, and together they had eight children. John and Mary lost two daughters as infants, so William became their eldest child. John Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he was even more likely to have sent his children, including William, to the local grammar school.

William Shakespeare would have lived with his family in their house on Henley Street until he turned eighteen. When he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six. It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Together they had three children. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding and was later followed by twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was just 11 years old.

Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare's career jump-started in London, but when did he go there? We know Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585, and that by 1592 his reputation was established in London, but the intervening years are considered a mystery. Scholars generally refer to these years as ' The Lost Years '.

During his time in London, Shakespeare's first printed works were published. They were two long poems, 'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and 'The Rape of Lucrece' (1594). He also became a founding member of The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a company of actors. Shakespeare was the company's regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year, for almost twenty years.

He remained with the company for the rest of his career, during which time it evolved into The King's Men under the patronage of King James I (from 1603). During his time in the company Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous tragedies, such as and , as well as great romances, like The Winter's Tale and The Tempest.

Shakespeare's Works

Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.

Shakespeare's legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language.

New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place,the largest house in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon. Although his professional career was spent in London, he maintained close links with his native town.

Recent archaeological evidence discovered on the site of Shakespeare's New Place shows that Shakespeare was only ever an intermittent lodger in London. This suggests he divided his time between Stratford and London (a two or three-day commute). In his later years, he may have spent more time in Stratford-upon-Avon than scholars previously thought.

Watch our video for more about Shakespeare as a literary commuter:

On his father's death in 1601, William Shakespeare inherited the old family home in Henley Street part of which was then leased to tenants. Further property investments in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602.

Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52. He is buried in the sanctuary of the parish church, Holy Trinity.

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William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April (see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616.

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She inspired her men to defeat one of the greatest naval powers of the time

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She inspired her men to defeat one of the greatest naval powers of the time

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Elizabeth was born on 7 September 1533. ...

Elizabeth had a half-sister, Mary, and a half-brother, Edward. ...

Elizabeth I was the last Tudor monarch – she never married.

Elizabeth I is famous for having red hair, like her father Henry VIII.

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Shakespeare was an actor, as well as a writer. He did Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet

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What was Shakespeare's family like?

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Why is Shakespeare still important today?

William Shakespeare, Shakespeare also spelled Shakspere, byname Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon, (baptized April 26, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England-died April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon), English poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time.

Shakespeare occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers, but no writer's living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read more often and in more countries than ever before. The prophecy of his great contemporary, the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson, that Shakespeare "was not of an age, but for all time," has been fulfilled.

It may be audacious even to attempt a definition of his greatness, but it is not so difficult to describe the gifts that enabled him to create imaginative visions of pathos and mirth that, whether read or witnessed in the theatre, fill the mind and linger there. He is a writer of great intellectual rapidity, perceptiveness, and poetic power. Other writers have had these qualities, but with Shakespeare the keenness of mind was applied not to abstruse or remote subjects but to human beings and their complete range of emotions and conflicts. Other writers have applied their keenness of mind in this way, but Shakespeare is astonishingly clever with words and images, so that his mental energy, when applied to intelligible human situations, finds full and memorable expression, convincing and imaginatively stimulating. As if this were not enough, the art form into which his creative energies went was not remote and bookish but involved the vivid stage impersonation of human beings, commanding sympathy and inviting vicarious participation. Thus, Shakespeare's merits can survive translation into other languages and into cultures remote from that of Elizabethan England.

Shakespeare the man

Life

Although the amount of factual knowledge available about Shakespeare is surprisingly large for one of his station in life, many find it a little disappointing, for it is mostly gleaned from documents of an official character. Dates of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; wills, conveyances, legal processes, and payments by the court-these are the dusty details. There are, however, many contemporary allusions to him as a writer, and these add a reasonable amount of flesh and blood to the biographical skeleton.

Animals in Shakespeare Quiz

Early life in Stratford

The parish register of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, shows that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564; his birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a burgess of the borough, who in 1565 was chosen an alderman and in 1568 bailiff (the position corresponding to mayor, before the grant of a further charter to Stratford in 1664). He was engaged in various kinds of trade and appears to have suffered some fluctuations in prosperity. His wife, Mary Arden, of Wilmcote, Warwickshire, came from an ancient family and was the heiress to some land. (Given the somewhat rigid social distinctions of the 16th century, this marriage must have been a step up the social scale for John Shakespeare.)

Stratford enjoyed a grammar school of good quality, and the education there was free, the schoolmaster's salary being paid by the borough. No lists of the pupils who were at the school in the 16th century have survived, but it would be absurd to suppose the bailiff of the town did not send his son there. The boy's education would consist mostly of Latin studies-learning to read, write, and speak the language fairly well and studying some of the Classical historians, moralists, and poets. Shakespeare did not go on to the university, and indeed it is unlikely that the scholarly round of logic, rhetoric, and other studies then followed there would have interested him.

Instead, at age 18 he married. Where and exactly when are not known, but the episcopal registry at Worcester preserves a bond dated November 28, 1582, and executed by two yeomen of Stratford, named Sandells and Richardson, as a security to the bishop for the issue of a license for the marriage of William Shakespeare and " Anne Hathaway of Stratford," upon the consent of her friends and upon once asking of the banns. (Anne died in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare. There is good evidence to associate her with a family of Hathaways who inhabited a beautiful farmhouse, now much visited, 2 miles [3.2 km] from Stratford.) The next date of interest is found in the records of the Stratford church, where a daughter, named Susanna, born to William Shakespeare, was baptized on May 26, 1583. On February 2, 1585, twins were baptized, Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet, Shakespeare's only son, died 11 years later.)

How Shakespeare spent the next eight years or so, until his name begins to appear in London theatre records, is not known. There are stories-given currency long after his death-of stealing deer and getting into trouble with a local magnate, Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, near Stratford; of earning his living as a schoolmaster in the country; of going to London and gaining entry to the world of theatre by minding the horses of theatregoers. It has also been conjectured that Shakespeare spent some time as a member of a great household and that he was a soldier, perhaps in the Low Countries. In lieu of external evidence, such extrapolations about Shakespeare's life have often been made from the internal "evidence" of his writings. But this method is unsatisfactory: one cannot conclude, for example, from his allusions to the law that Shakespeare was a lawyer, for he was clearly a writer who without difficulty could get whatever knowledge he needed for the composition of his plays.

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William Shakespeare | Plays, Poems, Biography, Quotes, & Facts

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William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet, crafted timeless works that continue to entertain audiences worldwide with their profound insights into human nature and enduring literary brilliance.

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 She defied parliament and never married

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 She defied parliament and never married

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Young, female and powerful: Was Elizabeth I a feminist?

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Over 450 years ago, Elizabeth I became queen of England. She reigned over a Golden Age, withstood moral criticism and became adept at image management and power dressing. Women in power today relate to her experiences. But can we claim a 16th century monarch as a feminist?

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Shakespeare married an older woman who was three months pregnant at the time.

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Shakespeare married an older woman who was three months pregnant at the time.

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Shakespeare used to go to a school in southampton called
King Edward VI School, the school is still open

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Life in the Elizabethan England. In the Elizabethan England many people turned to crime like picking pockets and were begging in the streets just so they can feed themselves and not starve to death.

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Nobody knows what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592.

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Nobody knows what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592.

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The poor and attitudes to poverty - Life in Elizabethan England - Eduqas - GCSE History Revision - Eduqas - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about and revise what life was like in Elizabethan England with this BBC Bitesize History (Eduqas) study guide.

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Shakespeare wrote an average of 1.5 plays a year since he first started writing in 1589.

Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and a number of poems

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Shakespeare had many type of names by different pronunciation "We probably don’t spell Shakespeare’s name correctly—but, then again, neither did he.Sources from William Shakespeare’s lifetime spell his last name in more than 80 different ways, ranging from “Shappere” to “Shaxberd.” In the handful of signatures that have survived, the Bard never spelled his own name “William Shakespeare,” using variations or abbreviations such as “Willm Shakp,” “Willm Shakspere” and “William Shakspeare” instead. However it’s spelled, Shakespeare is thought to derive from the Old English words “schakken” (“to brandish”) and “speer” (“spear”), and probably referred to a confrontational or argumentative person."

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Shakespeare had many type of names by different pronunciation "We probably don’t spell Shakespeare’s name correctly—but, then again, neither did he.Sources from William Shakespeare’s lifetime spell his last name in more than 80 different ways, ranging from “Shappere” to “Shaxberd.” In the handful of signatures that have survived, the Bard never spelled his own name “William Shakespeare,” using variations or abbreviations such as “Willm Shakp,” “Willm Shakspere” and “William Shakspeare” instead. However it’s spelled, Shakespeare is thought to derive from the Old English words “schakken” (“to brandish”) and “speer” (“spear”), and probably referred to a confrontational or argumentative person."

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Shakespeare Timeline

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She is the only unmarried English Queen.

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Theatre, Shakespeare and the arts - Popular culture in Elizabethan England - OCR B - GCSE History Revision - OCR B - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about and revise what popular culture was like in the Elizabethan era with this BBC Bitesize History (OCR B) study guide.

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Queen Elizabeth 1st became queen at the age of 25 in 1558

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Here is a summary timeline of key events for students taking Early Elizabethan England (1558-88).

1558

Elizabeth I is crowned Queen

She replaced her Catholic half-sister Mary, who died childless. Mary was married to Philip II of Spain.

Elizabeth and the religious settlement

This included: 1) the Act of Supremacy - which stated that Elizabeth was Head of the Church, 2) the Act of Uniformity - which set out expectations for church appearances and church services and 3) Royal Injunctions - a set of instructions reinforcing the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity.

1559

Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis

This peace treaty between England and France ended the war inherited by Elizabeth from her half-sister Mary I, who went to war alongside her Spanish husband Philip II in 1557. Humiliatingly, Elizabeth had to confirm the loss of Calais, which had been an English possession since 1347.

1560

Treaty of Edinburgh

This established a new Anglo-Scottish peace and also reconfirmed the agreement at Cateau-Cambresis. Elizabeth was eager to nullify the threat of the Auld Alliance (Scotland and France), which had been further reinforced by the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and French King Francis II. The treaty also stated that Mary would give up her claim to the English throne, although this was not formally agreed by Mary.

1563

Statute of Artificers

This aimed to ensure poor relief was collected. Anyone refusing to pay poor rates could be imprisoned and officials failing to organise poor relief could be fined.

1566

Dutch Revolt

The Netherlands had been part of the Spanish empire since the 1550s. However, the Dutch had always governed themselves. Philip II's decision to reorganise the Dutch government and church angered both the Dutch Catholics and the Protestants. They began to revolt against the Spanish.

1568

Genoese Loan

Italian bankers from Genoa had lent Philip II money to fund his campaign in the Netherlands (which was trying to put down the Dutch Revolt). Crucially, when the Spanish ships docked in English ports, the gold was seized by Elizabeth. This increased tension between England and Spain.

Mary, Queen of Scots, flees from Scotland to England

Mary was forced to flee following her unsuccessful attempt to win back her Scottish throne. She raised an army following her escape from prison but was defeated at Langside (Glasgow). The imprisonment owed to her likely involvement in the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley. Her first husband, Francis II, had died in December 1560.

1569

Revolt of the Northern Earls

Two influential Catholic families - the Percys and the Nevilles - plotted alongside the Duke of Norfolk to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic, Mary, Queen of Scots (who now resided in England). Norfolk was also expected to marry Mary. Elizabeth sent an army of 14,000 men to crush the revolt, which lasted around a month (November to December).

1570

Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth from the Catholic Church

This Papal Bull meant that the loyalty of English Catholics towards Elizabeth was now always in doubt and placed a wedge between the English Catholics' monarch and their faith.

1571

The Ridolfi Plot

Roberto Ridolfi was a spy of the Pope. He plotted a Spanish invasion of England, which would involve the killing of Elizabeth and the placing of Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. As with the 1569 plot, she would marry the Duke of Norfolk. The plot was uncovered whilst Ridolfi was abroad (he never returned). Norfolk was killed in 1572. Mary was spared.

1572

Vagabonds Act

To counter homelessness and the begging/criminal activity that sometimes accompanied this, a law was passed that stated that, if found, vagrants were: 1) to be whipped and have a hole drilled through each ear 2) if found a second time would be imprisoned 3) would be killed if found a third time. However, the Act also established a national poor rate, made JPs (Justices of the Peace) keep registers of the poor and gave towns and cities the responsibility to find work for the able-bodied poor.

1574

Catholic priests are first smuggled into England

With the Pope's blessing, foreign Catholic priests were smuggled into England with the sole purpose of continuing recusancy amongst the English Catholics and undermining the influence of Protestantism.

1576

Poor Relief Act

This focused on dividing the poor into the able-bodied and the impotent. JPs provided the able-bodied with raw materials (like wool) to make items to sell. Those who refused this were sent to prison.

1576

The Spanish Fury

Spain's forces in the Netherlands mutinied (as they hadn't been paid by the now bankrupt Spanish government). This led to a rampage of Spanish soldiers and the sacking of Antwerp.

Pacification of Ghent

The Spanish Fury united both the Dutch Catholics and Protestants, who demanded in response to the violence: 1) the expulsion of all Spanish troops from the Netherlands 2) political freedom and 3) an end to religious hostility via the Spanish Inquisition.

1577-80

Francis Drake circumnavigates the world

Drake was the first English person to achieve this (and the second person in history at the time). It was estimated that Drake returned with approximately £400,000 of Spanish treasure from regular raids of Spanish ports in South America.

1580

Francis Drake is knighted on the Golden Hind

This was an important symbolic gesture, which angered Philip II. He saw Drake as a pirate and therefore deemed Elizabeth's act as deliberately provocative.

1583

The Throckmorton Plot

Mary, Queen of Scot's cousin (the French Duke of Guise) intended to invade England, free Mary, overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholicism. English Catholic Francis Throckmorton was the link of communication within this plan. Spymaster and Secretary of State from 1573 Francis Walsingham uncovered the plot. Throckmorton was tortured and although he confessed, was then killed. Thereafter, up to 11,000 English Catholics were either arrested or placed under surveillance.

1584

Treaty of Joinville

The French Catholic League signed this treaty with Philip II of Spain. The aim was to rid France of heresy (Protestantism). This meant two of the most powerful European nations were now united against Protestantism, placing Elizabeth in a precarious position.

1585

Treaty of Nonsuch

This significantly committed Elizabeth to support the Dutch rebels directly against the Spanish. She pledged to finance an army of 7,400 English troops and placed Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in charge of them. Essentially, this meant England and Spain were now at war.

All Catholic priests are ordered to leave the country

With the seemingly imminent war between Spain only a matter of time, Elizabeth was determined to rid England of the 'enemy within'. Catholic priests were ordered to leave so as not to influence the English Catholics with divided loyalties.

First English colony in Virginia established

This was viewed as significant because it was seen as a means to increase trade, to expand Protestantism and to use the area as a base for attacks on Spanish colonies in the New World. In this sense, the colonisation of Virginia should be understood in relation to the wider conflict with Spain.

1586

Treaty of Berwick

Elizabeth and James VI agreed to maintain Protestantism as their respective countries' religion. James also pledged to help Elizabeth if invaded. The treaty essentially allowed Elizabeth to focus on developing events in the Netherlands and not worry about protecting her northern border.

Surviving colonists abandon Virginia and return to England

The failure of the colonisation was due to: the resistance of the Native Americans; conflict amongst the English settlers (who collectively had the wrong mix of skills to make the settlement a real success); the loss of supplies via the damage incurred on The Tiger and the fact that the voyage set off too late for crops to be planted (causing dependence on the rightfully suspicious Native Americans).
Babington Plot
Philip II and the Pope supported the plot that would involve the invasion of England by the Duke of Guise. The invasion would include the murder of Elizabeth and the placing of Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. Anthony Babington, an English Catholic, wrote to Mary about the plot. The plot was uncovered by Sir Francis Walsingham, who intercepted and read Babington's letters to Mary.

1587

Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed

Mary's clear awareness and support of the Babington plot led to her being sentenced to death in October 1586. Elizabeth, however, did not sign the death warrant until February 1587.

Babington and other known plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered.

Colony is established at Roanoke

Despite the failure of 1585, another attempt to colonise Virginia took place. Many colonists this time were poverty-stricken Londoners (it was felt they would be used to hard work and would therefore be happy to work for a new life in the New World). Working for the British, Native American Manteo was placed in charge of the expedition by Sir Walter Raleigh. Native American hostility occurred from the start, however. John White (another leading colonist) sailed back to England to report on the problems being experienced.

The 'singeing of the King's beard'

Francis Drake led an attack at Cadiz on the Spanish fleet, who were preparing for an invasion of the English. The attack was a success. 30 ships were destroyed, as well as lots of supplies. This delayed the Spanish attack and gave the English more time to prepare (hence the attempted invasion of the Armada one year later in 1588).

1588

Philip II of Spain launches the Armada

The plan was that 130 ships (equipped with 2431 guns) would sail along the Channel to the Netherlands, where they would pick up 27,000 troops, led by the Duke of Parma. The invasion failed, however.

1588

Failure of the Armada

July 31 st: Battle of Plymouth - two Spanish ships were captured.

August 3 rd - 4 th: Spanish ships were outgunned and forced to move to Calais in France.

August 8 th: Battle of Gravelines - fireships caused the Spanish fleet to scatter. They never met with the Duke of Parma and were forced to sail around the British Isles. Most of the fleet was then destroyed by storms.

1590

English sailors land at Roanoke to find it abandoned

John White led another group to Roanoke, 3 years after the attempt to colonise it. However, the settlement was abandoned and no trace of the colonists was ever found.

1603
Death of Elizabeth I

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GCSE: Early Elizabethan England (1558-88) - Timeline of Key Events

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Here is a summary timeline of key events for students taking Early Elizabethan England (1558-88).

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Queen Elizabeth was a patron of the artsA major factor in Elizabeth I’s reign becoming known as England’s “Golden Age” were the major artistic works being produced at that time. Elizabeth enjoyed music and theatre and in 1583 created Queen Elizabeth’s Men – a royal troupe that went on to entertain her court frequently.Meanwhile, playwrights William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe and composers Thomas Tallis and William Byrd were all entertaining audiences during Elizabeth’s reign.

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Queen Elizabeth was a patron of the artsA major factor in Elizabeth I’s reign becoming known as England’s “Golden Age” were the major artistic works being produced at that time. Elizabeth enjoyed music and theatre and in 1583 created Queen Elizabeth’s Men – a royal troupe that went on to entertain her court frequently.Meanwhile, playwrights William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe and composers Thomas Tallis and William Byrd were all entertaining audiences during Elizabeth’s reign.

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Let's know more about Elizabethan Era!

The Elizabethan era is known as a golden age in the history of England. It is a period marked by the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Her reign had been marked by the controversy of her celibacy. Her mother was killed when she was only three years old. She was the second in the list of succession.

Who is Elizabeth I?

Elizabeth was the child of Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was the heir presumptive to the throne of England, as her older half-sister, Mary, had forfeited her position when Henry had his marriage to Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, annulled.

Marked by the marital difficulties of her father, she decided to do without a husband. And then, to which man to swear obedience
when one is Queen of England?

For a long time, Elizabeth I's obstinate celibacy intrigued her contemporaries.

The Queen of England took the risk of not giving an heir to the lineage of the Tudors, even though her father, Henry VIII, had done everything to obtain one.

The keys to this political enigma are to be found in the tortuous path that led Princess Elizabeth to her coronation at the age of 25.

She had so many enemies and they nicknamed her "the bastard heretic".

She was only three years old in 1536 when her mother Anne Boleyn was decapitated. The legal necessity for Henry VIII to invalidate this marriage to consort with his third wife had the consequence of depriving Elizabeth of all her titles - even that of a legitimate child.

After remarrying Jane Seymour, who finally gave him a male heir - the future Edward VI - the capricious king took little interest in a child whose birth had been ill-received. On the list of succession, Elizabeth was now figured behind Edward VI but also after Marie Tudor, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of the king.

Wedged between a legitimate son and the granddaughter of Catholic kings, what was the girl whose mother had been found guilty of high treason? A cannonball.

His house train was reduced to a minimum. It was nevertheless up to the compassion of the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr, to be a little considerate. Catherine Parr took care of them indeed, having raised the three heirs of the Crown by giving them the humanist education promoted by the writings of Thomas More ("Utopia", 1516) and Baldassare Castiglione ("The Book of the Courtier", 1528).

After the death of the king, thirteen-year-old Elizabeth was at the heart of the intrigues led by the Seymour family.

Catherine Parr had soon remarried Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour, the uncle of the sickly young king.

Edward Seymour, elder brother of Thomas and lord-protector of England, dominated him, the Council of Regency.

After the untimely death of Catherine in September 1548, Thomas wanted to marry Elizabeth this time.

He made a habit of appearing lightly in the teenager's room. Rumours circulated, stating Elizabeth was pregnant. Elizabeth had to submit her virginity to a humiliating examination to counter the rumours. The admiral braggart, who was trading with British privateers and diverting beautiful shares of loot, finally lost his head in 1549.

Mary Tudor: Predecessor of Elizabeth I

Elizabeth succeeded Mary Tudor, who was nicknamed "the Bloody Mary" - a nickname given to her by Protestant opponents.

In 1553, Edward VI died of pneumonia at the age of 15 years. It is thus Mary Tudor who girded the crown of England and Ireland as the second in the line of succession.

She too had hardly been considered by her father. A fervent Catholic, she had not been allowed to join her mother, Catherine of Aragon, in agony. Emotional exile and humiliation had marked her youth, Henry and Anne Boleyn making her pay the price of the interminable lawsuit for annulment of the first marriage of the king.

Upon the accession to the throne of Mary I, the country was plagued by religious quarrels and plunged into dark hours. The queen sealed the reconciliation of the English crown with the papacy and married the son of Charles V, the future Philip II of Spain.

The pyres for the heretics were rekindled, which earned the sovereign the sinister nickname "Bloody Mary". Then, at the end of a nervous pregnancy, which turned out to be the first sign of ovarian cancer, she went into agony on November 15, 1558.

In 1558, the Duke of Norfolk attempted to behead her.

At that moment, Elizabeth's fate was suspended by a royal signature. Under the reign of Mary, the bastard and Protestant Elizabeth had become a symbol of the fight against the papist reaction.

Suspecting at least two plots, the queen had her imprisoned in the Tower of London. It had
to be eliminated in order to restore the old
order and definitely bring the rebel England
back into the bosom of Catholicism.

The Duke of Norfolk attempted to snatch from the dying queen the initials authorizing the decapitation of Elizabeth. But Mary refused to commit this sin against a half-sister.

Female Royalty

On January 15, 1559, Anne Boleyn's daughter was crowned in Westminster Abbey; a monstrosity for many subjects. Bernard Cottret, author of an illuminating analysis of this "female royalty" (Fayard, 2009), underlines the scandal that then represented the reigns of women: "For the time, it is an anomaly in a natural order dominated by the males".

It was necessary to prevent the kingdom from falling down, in the words of the sixteenth-century lawyer Etienne Pasquier.

In France, jurists had avoided this risk by promulgating the Salic law, which only homologated the succession from father to son, or even to a more distant relative, provided he was a male.

The reason for this "sexual discrimination" was a dilemma: the sovereign must perpetuate the lineage. But with who? The Queen in obedience to her husband, if she were to marry a foreign prince, what would happen if it was a Habsburg or a Valois, these false friends of England, a small kingdom caught between Spain and France?

Mary Tudor was well aware of this risk when she married Philip II. She had specified that the territorial rights of the sovereign would be extinguished with the death of the queen.

A Cultural Explosion

Like her father before her, Elizabeth had received a high-quality
She spoke, besides English, Latin, Greek, Italian and
French. The practice of ancient languages was then virtuosity.

Elizabeth transcribed, from French to English, "The Mirror of the Sinful Soul" of Marguerite de Navarre, the sister of Francis I, as a gift to her stepmother Catherine Parr in 1545. Recluse under the reign of Mary Tudor, she read the "Psalms of David" and Cicero in the text.

She also wrote poetry. In this, Elizabeth was the worthy representative of her kingdom. Upset during her reign by an unprecedented cultural explosion, which first passed by the affirmation of a language, she declaimed at the theatre and sung at mass.

The Anglican reform caused a rise of religious music through the psalms sung in "Book of Common Prayer", the official book for the daily worship of all.

William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Robert White, and Thomas Tallis were thus the glorious composers of Elizabeth's reign. At the same time, the art of the sonnet, coming from Italy, found new masters in the form of John Lily, Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser and, of course, William Shakespeare.

But, the most striking manifestation of the "Elizabethan Golden Age" was undoubtedly the birth of modern theatre. How to explain the emergence in a generation of genius playwrights such as Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe (the author in 1588 of "The Tragic History of Dr. Faust") and Shakespeare?
By an extraordinary demographic and economic convergence.

The population of London had increased from 50,000 in 1520 to 200,000 in 1600. Focusing on the country's commercial activity, the capital of the kingdom drained the forces of the countryside. Half of the urban population was under 20 years old.

And though life expectancy remained low, ambitions were raised, especially in a merchant class that began to challenge the privileges of the old nobility.

As a tool of social climbing, education became increased in value. In certain colleges, around the sons of the gentry, there was now a considerable proportion of offspring of lawyers and merchants, but also of labourers and other lower classes.

The Boom in the Printing Industry

The boom in printing was obviously paramount. Some 5,000 titles had been published in the eighty-seven years preceding Elizabeth's accession. Around 7,130 titles were printed during the forty-five years of Elizabeth's reign (1558-1603).

Private libraries were growing. Latin, Greek, and French remained essential subjects of instruction. Many scholarly works were also translated into the national language.

The new culture was primarily English. It was at the theatre, which then took its modern form, that it was crowned. This sentence of Elizabeth is related: "We, the princes, are installed on a stage at the sight of the world" - echo the famous "the world is a scene" ("the world is a stage") of Shakespeare.

Scientific Progress

There had been significant progress in the sciences during the Scientific Era, particularly with navigation, cartography, and surveying.

Sir Francis Drake, an English explorer, circumnavigated the globe in a single expedition between 1577 and 1581

Sir Martin Frobisher explored the Arctic and went on three voyages to the New World in search for the North-west Passage.

John Dee, who was the court astronomer for Elizabeth I, advocated for the establishment of colonies in the New World.

Notable astronomers who advanced navigation and cartography were Thomas Harriot and Thomas Digges.

Social History

There were no famines during the Elizabethan era. England's food supply was abundant throughout. One's diet in England during the Elizabethan era depended on their social class. The rich consumed white bread, while the poor ate dark bread. Meat, fruits, and vegetables could only be afforded by the rich. People drank beer because water was impure to drink more often than not.

A variety of sports and entertainment were enjoyed during the Elizabethan era. Only the rich could go hunting with their trained hounds and dogs. The upper classes engaged in jousting and fencing.

Animal sports, such as cock fighting, dog fighting, and bull baiting, were also popular.

Children began their education at home, starting with basic etiquette. Boys were required to study in grammar schools. Girls were mostly not sent to school, and if ever were only allowed to attend petty schools. The rich often opted for private tutors for their children.

Important festivals held during the Elizabethan era included:

Plough Monday, which is the first Monday after Twelfth Night of January, celebrated returning to work after the Christmas festivities.

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.

May Day, observed on the first day of May, celebrated the first day of summer.

Accession Day, also known as Queen's Day, was observed on November 17 and celebrated the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne.

Image sources:

1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Darnley_stage_3.jpg

2. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_I_in_coronation_robes.jpg

3. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imaginary_view_of_an_Elizabethan_stage.jpg

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Elizabethan Era Facts, Worksheets, Life, Education & Cultural Development

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The Elizabethan era is known as a golden age in the history of England. It is a period marked by the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Click for more.

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Shakespeare had 3 children
Hamnet Shakespeare
Judith Quiney
Susanna Hall

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Shakespeares play in art

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Shakespeare's works | Folger Shakespeare Library

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Read, search, and download the complete works of William Shakespeare for free. Learn about plot, characters, and language in Shakespeare plays and poems.

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The Elizabethan Era history is depicted in The Lost Colony drama. The term, “Elizabethan Era” refers to the English history of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603).

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Major events of queen Elizabeth’s life 1

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Major events of queen Elizabeth’s life 1

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13 January 1559 - Elizabeth crowned Queen of England

William Shakespeare was born (April 23 1564)

The Flight to England - The Catholic Mary Queen of Scots is imprisoned by Elizabeth I at Fotheringay Castle.

Execution of Mary Queen of Scots 8 February 1587

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Born in 1556, Anne Hathaway is thought to have grown up on a 90-acre farm in Shottery in Warwickshire, a short distance from her husband's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. The oldest daughter in a large family, it is thought that Anne's mother died when she was around 10. When Anne's father died in 1581, he left a small sum of money to her in his will, which he dictated she should use to marry.

When and why did they get married?

William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway married in 1582, when Anne was already several months pregnant with their first child. The marriage was considered unusual at the time, as William was just eighteen years old and so had to obtain his father's permission to marry Anne, who was 26. To avoid the scandal of having a child out of wedlock, the couple obtained permission from the Bishop's Court in Worcester to speed up proceedings and so married outside of their home parish. Subsequently, no records exist of where the wedding actually took place.

How many children did William and Anne Shakespeare have?

William and Anne's first daughter, Susanna, was born six months after her parents married and was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon on 26th May 1583. The following year, Anne became pregnant with twins and Judith and Hamnet Shakespeare were born in 1585. Soon after the twins were born, Shakespeare left the family home, travelling to London to pursue a career as an actor and playwright. Much has been made of the nature of William and Anne's relationship in these intervening years; they had no more children together and lived apart until Shakespeare returned to Stratford sometime after 1611.

Were William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway related?

Although they grew up just miles away from each other in Warwickshire and both had large extended families in the region, there is no evidence that Anne Hathaway and William Shakespeare's families were related.

What did Shakespeare leave Anne Hathaway in his will?

Much of the speculation surrounding the nature of Anne and William's relationship and marriage stems from the contents of William's will, famously examined by Carol Ann Duffy in her 1999 poem, 'Anne Hathaway', from her collection The World's Wife. When he died on 23rd April 1616 (which was also his 52nd birthday), the only item that William Shakespeare left to his wife was his 'second best bed...'.

'"Item I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture"'
Will of William Shakespeare

Although this could be seen as a mark of disdain, scholars of the period have pointed out that as the first bed was often reserved for guests, the Bard is referring to the marital bed and so the gesture instead shows Shakespeare's affection for his wife. Anne outlived her husband and remained in their house until her death on 6th August 1623. William and Anne are both buried in the graveyard at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Visit Anne Hathaway's cottage

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust now owns the cottage in which Anne Hathaway grew up (shown in photo above), running it as a museum dedicated to her and William's legacy. Visitors to the 500-year old house and gardens can learn about Anne's early years and her life with William, visit the tearooms, and follow the garden's sculpture trail, which features depictions of famous Shakespearean characters. Find out more about visiting Anne Hathaway's cottage here.
Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as the Bard, and Judi Dench as Anne Hathaway, All Is True is out in the UK cinemas now.
ALL IS TRUE Official Trailer (2019) Kenneth Branagh, Shakespeare Movie HD

Discover more Shakespeare

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Who was Anne Hathaway? Six things you need to know about William Shakespeare's wife

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Born in 1556, Anne Hathaway is thought to have grown up on a 90-acre farm in Shottery in Warwickshire, a short distance from her husband's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. The oldest daughter in a large family, it is thought that Anne's mother died when she was around 10.

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What was life like for the poor in the towns of Elizabethan England? | History - Elizabethan England

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Shakespeare started writing at the age of 29.
He retired 20 years later at the age of 49

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During Queen Elizabeth's ruling she was pressurised into marriage so that there would be an heir to the throne.

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A video of William Shakespeares biography

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A video of William Shakespeares biography

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Creepy Things That Were Normal in Elizabethan England

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Why was London the centre of the Elizabethan world? | History - Elizabethan England

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Queen Elizabeth never married because she doesn't want any foreign influence in her country which marrying a foreign prince would have brought.

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Queen Elizabeth's forces defeated the Spanish Armada and saved England from invasion

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Elizabeth nearly married Thomas Seymour - FACT

Thomas Seymour, the husband of her father Henry VIII's final wife, Catherine Parr, and the uncle of her younger half-brother, Edward VI, was executed for attempting to get the young Elizabeth to marry him.

Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, c. 1509-49 (BHC3021)

While to this day we only have partial accounts of what took place between them, this episode has been much-discussed in both historical and fictional accounts of the Queen's reign.

Elizabeth was a natural redhead - FACT

Portraits of Elizabeth typically depict the queen with flaming red hair and an extremely white complexion. Earlier depictions of Elizabeth suggest that her red hair was natural; her ultra-white face was created through lead-based make-up that may have led to health issues in her later life.

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes

Elizabeth was a murder suspect - FACT

Elizabeth came under suspicion when the wife of her favourite, Robert Dudley, died under mysterious circumstances. This story has become a favourite for writers of mysteries and thrillers to explore in their novels.

Elizabeth was a bit Catholic - FACT

Despite ruling as a Protestant monarch, Elizabeth adhered to her sister's Catholicism during Mary's reign.

Elizabeth I was a man - MYTH

Many misogynists and conspiracy theorists have argued that, due to her extraordinary leadership qualities, noted academic brilliance, and financial acumen, Elizabeth must have been a man. An overwhelming amount of evidence declares this notion to be false and discriminatory.

Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley portrait'), Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, National Portrait Gallery, London

Elizabeth nearly married her sister's husband - FACT

Mary's husband, Philip II of Spain, proposed to Elizabeth after Mary's death. Mary and Philip were cousins, and Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had divorced Mary's mother in part because he became convinced it was wrong for a man to marry his brother's wife. Philip apparently had less compunction about creating a parallel situation with Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned Philip down and eventually fought a war against him, the Spanish Armada.
Find out more about the Spanish Armada

Launch of fireships against the Spanish Armada, 7 August 1588

Elizabeth wrote Shakespeare's plays - MYTH

Conspiracy theorists have proposed that Elizabeth, a gifted wit and writer herself, might have written some or all of Shakespeare's plays. This argument often has classist origins - many scholars have been reluctant to ascribe some of the greatest works of literature of all time to the son of a glover from Stratford - and is almost certainly false.

Elizabeth was a survivor - FACT

Queen Elizabeth survived smallpox as a young woman, though none of the portraits of her show the scars she probably had from the disease.

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Did Elizabeth I have red hair? Was she really a virgin? Sift the facts from the fiction surrounding Elizabeth I