1485-1660
THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
THE MONARCHY AND THE CHURCH

The Tudors:
 1485-
Henry Tudor (Henry VII) took the throne
 Shrewd
leader
 Involved in commerce
 Arranged for his son, Arthur, to marry a Spanish Princess.
Her name was Catherine of Aragon.
 When Arthur died, Henry VII arranged for his second son
(whose name is also Henry) to marry Catherine.
 When Henry VII died, his son Henry VIII took over the
throne of England.
THE MONARCHY AND THE CHURCH

The Tudors
 Henry
VIII
 Wanted
a son to carry on the family name
 Catherine (his first wife) gave him a daughter so he
divorced her.
 He then married Catherine’s court attendant Anne
Boleyn. She also gave him a daughter. Henry VIII had
Anne Boleyn beheaded.
 All in all he had 6 wives. Divorced – beheaded – died –
repeat.
THE MONARCHY AND THE CHURCH

Henry VIII
Only had one son (Edward VI). Edward was frail and
sickly. He took over the throne when Henry VIII died but
his health only allowed him to rule for six years.
 When Edward died, his half sister Mary (daughter of
Henry’s first wife) took over. She was a cruel ruler and
was given the name of Bloody Mary.
 When Mary died in 1558, her half sister (daughter of
Henry and Anne Boleyn) took over the throne. Her
Name was Elizabeth and she was known as one of the
best monarchs in England’s history.

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

1517 – Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses
(arguments) to the church door.
 Wanted

church reform
Eventually led to reformed Protestant churches
THE ELIZABETHAN ERA

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Elizabeth I was the unwanted daughter of Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn.
Able monarch
Consummate politician
Sensitive to public opinion but respectful of parliament
Ended Spanish alliance
Ordered her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, to be
beheaded.


Spain’s Philip II sent an Armada to retaliate against
Elizabeth.
A huge storm came and decimated the Spanish Armada
before it reached the coast of England
THE RISE OF THE STUARTS
When Elizabeth died in 1603, the Tudor
dynasty came to an end.
 Her cousin, James I (son of Mary Stuart) took
over the throne of England.
 Charles I (son of James I) took over after his
father died and made a mess out of things.

 Dismissed
parliament
 Took strong measures against his enemies
 Eventually plunged his country into a civil war
DEFEAT OF THE MONARCHY
Charles I and the Royalists were eventually
defeated by General Oliver Cromwell.
 Parliament establish a commonwealth with
Cromwell at the head.
 When Cromwell died in 1658 his son interested
the title but not his father’s ability to rule.
 In 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to return
from exile and rule as king.

 His
reign ushered in The Restoration
THE RENAISSANCE
Literally means rebirth
 Surge of creative energy
 Delighted in arts and literature, beauty of nature,
exploration
 Time of Shakespeare, Galileo, and Columbus
 Gutenberg’s printing press
 James I commissioned the first English translation
of the Bible (The King James version)

PASTORAL POEMS AND SONNETS
Pastorals portray shepherds and rustic life,
usually in an idealized manner.
 Elizabethans admired intricacy and artifice
 The sonnet is a 14 line verse poem, often
published in sequences

SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA

Elizabethan drama came from three sources:
1.
2.
3.
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Medieval plays
16th century interludes
Greek and Latin classics
Plays focused on human complexities rather than
religious themes
The Globe was the most successful of many English
theaters
Shakespeare contributed more than 37 plays
Marlowe and Jonson were popular playwrights
After 1649, Puritans closed the theaters.
THE RISE OF HUMANISM
Humanists were so called because they studied
the humanities (art, literature, philosophy, and
history).
 Christian humanists criticized society.
 A reverence for the classics and pride in the
English language led to distinguished
translations.
 Humanists disagreed on religious issues.

SPIRITUAL WRITINGS
Early efforts to translate the Bible were
censured by the church
 The King James Bible was created by a
committee of scholars; it became the most
influential English translation.
 Milton’s Paradise Lost is based on a biblical
allegory of the journeyed to the afterlife.

METAPHYSICAL AND CAVALIER POETS

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Ben Jonson, a boisterous man and an accomplished
poet, inspired later poets, called “sons of Ben.”
These poets were known as Cavaliers because they took
the side of Charles I and his Royalist cavaliers.
Cavalier poetry was charming and witty, dealing with
themes of love, war, and carpe diem.
John Donne wrote metaphysical poetry – poems
characterized by themes of love, death, and religious
devotion.
Metaphysical poets used elaborate metaphors to
explore life’s complexities.