Life in Elizabeth 1 and
James the 1 Court
LeeAnn Smith
Courtney Tomlinson
Elizabeth’s Reign
Daughter of King Henry VIII
and Anne Boleyn- claimed as
a bastard child once Anne
Boleyn was beheaded
Bond of Association (1584). In
this the Queen's loyal subjects
vowed to take revenge on
anyone who killed her
Ruled England, Wales and
Ireland
Poor Law Act (1601)
Reigned from 1558-1603
Known as “The Virgin Queen”
Religious Settlement (1559)
Elizabeth excommunicated
from the Roman Catholic
Church by Pope Pius V
(1570)
Elizabeth’s Palaces
Hatfield Place
Richmond Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Windsor Castle
Greenwich Palace- Her
place of birth
Nonsuch Palace
Palace of Westminister
Whitehall Palace
Palace of St. James
Greenwich
Palace
Whitehall
Palace
Court Life
Over 1,000 people
usually attended court
Everyone had access
to the Presence
Chamber
- where Elizabeth had
audiences
-also where most of the
socializing took place
Court was held
wherever the Queen
was.
Queen had two private
rooms
-her bed chamber
- Privy Chamber
Dinner/ Supper
Dinner was usually
served at noon
-usually served in the
Presence Chamber
-Courtiers usually ate their
food here
-Elizabeth ate in her Privy
Chamber usually
Supper was served
between 5-6 in the
evening
- plays, musical
performances, masques
and balls were usually
performed afterward in
the Presence Chamber
* Shakespeare presented
many of his plays after
dinner in the Presence
Chamber for the Queen
Pastimes
Hunting
Bear baits
Dog baits
Hawking
Jousting
Courtiers
Archbishops
Political Advisors
Spies from different
countries
-degree of sobriety
Traditional Courtiers
- dressed mainly in all
black
-certain flamboyance of
dress and manner
-flattery, gifts, expected to
be courted by music, by
dancing, and by words of
love and devotion.

Servants
Sir Robert Dudley,
Elizabeth’s favorite
Courtier
James 1st Reign
Son of Mary Queen of
Scots and Lord Henry
Darnley- born 1566
Started rule of England
1603
Ruled over England,
Scotland, Ireland
Gunpowder Plot of
1605
Ruled for 29 years in
Scotland
Ended England’s war
with Spain- first act as
king
James 1st’s Palaces
Edinburgh CastleScotland
Whitehall palace
Greenwich Place
Palace of St. James
Richmond place
Edinburgh
Castle
Windsor Palace
Nonsuch Place
James’ Pastimes
Liked to hunt, even
though he had weak
legs
As You Like It- the
Duke who was exiled
to the country loved to
hunt the stag
Was obsessed with
witch hunting
*Rumored to have a
homosexual relationship
Shakespeare in James
1st’s Court
Became known as the King’s
Players
Players took pride of place so
they usually opened the
festivities on December 26.
The company would have at
most 2 new Shakespearean
plays each year.
The rest of its court
performances would be of
new plays by other
playwrights and older
Shakespeare plays
Hamlet revenge plot mirrored
the Stuart family revenge
story.
His Stuart plays took up the
most sensitive issues of the
day, unlike in Elizabeth’s court
where they were less
controversial.
Shakespeare Continued
1613-14 Season- was
November 4-through
March 8. 14 plays with no
title
Bibliography
The Kings PlaywrightAlvin Kearnan
http://www.elizabethi.org/
uk/homework/print.html
http://www.elizabethi.org/
uk/court/
http://www.springfield.k12
.il.us/schools/springfield/e
liz/introelizperiod.html
http://www.luminarium.or
g/sevenlit/james/jamesbio
.htm
http://www.britannia.com/
history/monarchs/mon46.
html