Research Project
Topic 2: Research British History 1550-1650. What was going on in Britain during the time just before, during and just after Shakespeare lived? Who were the rulers? What was the political atmosphere? What were the people concerned about? How did the people live? Answer these kinds of questions in your report.Britain Before the Birth Of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was "supposedly" born in 1564 .Thirty years before Shakespeare was born, King Henry VII communalized the succession of the Roman Catholic Church and established the Protestant Church of England. In 1558,six years before Shakespeare’s birth, Elizabeth I attained the British throne.Rulers Of Britain
- Queen Elizabeth 1st
- King James I
- King James IV
- Charles I
During Shakespeare
- It was a period following a time of major religious upheaval in England.
- Queen Elizabeth established the Church of England.
- During Queen Elizabeth's reign, there was great expansion of trade and exploration England became more important as a world power
- In 1588 the English won a big battle against Spain with the defeat of the Spanish Armada later in Shakespears life was lived during the reign of King James I
- In 1607 a group of Catholics plotted to blow up parliament with the king and his family but failed.
- During James I reign, the colony of Jamestown was established in America King Scotland, and later England and Ireland
- His mother was Mary, Queen of Scots, and is father, Darnley, was murdered.
- Mary was forced to abdicate the throne in 1567.
- James didn’t take power until 1581 because he was too young.
- Became king of England in 1603, after death the of Elizabeth I King James create another version of the bible.
- The gunpowder plot took place under his rule, which was an attempt to blow up both James and parliament, and involved the iconic Guy Fawkes Ended a war with Spain that had dragged on for quite some time.
- People where concerned about short life spans, The Spanish Armada ,riots and lack of medicine.
- Bubonic Plague
After Shakespeare
- In 1625 after Shakespeare's life, Charles I reigned over England and the English Civil War between King and Parliament occurred .
- Daughter of infamous Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Her mother was beheaded while she was an infant.
- Mary, Elizabeth’s half-sister, succeeded the throne and imprisoned her because of their difference in religion. Mary was Catholic, and Elizabeth was protestant.
- Mary dies and Elizabeth takes the throne in 1558
- Established Protestant Christianity over Catholicism
- Her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, was exiled to England, and became a threat to the throne. Elizabeth imprisoned Mary for nearly 20 years until evidence of her involvement in a plot to take the throne surfaced, and she was executed
- Defeated Spanish Armada after they tried to attack England and restore Catholicism
She never married, and eventually died in 1603, to be succeeded by James I.
How Did The People Live
Before
- Church was a powerful political entity
- Church of England (Henry)
- Work was mostly rural
- Instead of large urban centers there were lots of small communities
During
- Catholicism regained strength
- Monarchy suffered legitimacy issues
- Overpopulated Cities
- Sanitary Issues
After:
- Urban Growth caused bigger higiene problems, and created subpar living conditions
- Gin Moonshining
- New Diseases caused the Medical Scene to improve
Works Cited:
-Lee, C. H. "Atlas Of British Social And Economic History Since C. 1700 (Book)." Economic History Review 43.1 (1990): 142-143.Business Source Elite. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
-Trim, David J.B. "The Context Of War And Violence In Sixteenth-Century English Society." Journal Of Early Modern History 3.3 (1999): 233. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
