The English Renaissance, 1485 – 1625

pp. 226 - 236

1485 – King Henry VII becomes the first Tudor king.

1534 – King Henry VIII establishes the Church of England

1564 – Shakespeare is born!

1599 – The Globe Theater opens.

1611 – King James Bible is published.

1625 – King James I dies.

Historical Background

  • A period of “re-birth” and interest in the Greek and Roman classics.
  • Age of naval exploration due to the development of the compass.
  • Catholic Church came under scrutiny; many felt members of the church were corrupt.
  • Martin Luther published his dissenting beliefs, the Protestant Reformation begins; new Christian denomination, Lutheranism
  • Tudor monarchs – Henry VII, then his son Henry VIII who dissolves the Catholic Church in England in order to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon (Spain) so that he can marry Anne Boleyn.
  • Henry and Catherine had a daughter, nicknamed Bloody Mary for her persecution of the Protestants.
  • Henry and Anne had a daughter who became Queen Elizabeth I.
  • Elizabeth’s greatest contribution was establishing a policy of religious compromise.
  • Elizabeth was the last Tudor king; King James I of Scotland (and a member of the Stuart family) is her successor.
  • James I was a patron of the arts. His reign is known as the Jacobean Era. Jamestown, Virginia, was founded and named after him.
  • James’s belief in the divine right of kings offended the Puritans, leading to their migration to Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Literature of the Period

  • Elizabethan poetry: lyric poems were most popular, replacing the narrative poems of the Middle Ages (like Canterbury Tales).
  • Sonnets: 14-line poems in iambic pentameter, about love, Italian: abbaabba cdecde, English abab cdcd efef gg
  • Pastoral poetry: rustic simplicity of rural life; typically idealized the life of the shepherds without acknowledging the hardships of such agrarian-based lifestyles.
  • Elizabethan drama: modeled in the classic Greek and Roman tragedies.
  • Comedies: Stories of family conflict and some violence; end with a wedding
  • Tragedy: downfall of a tragic hero; ends with death(s)
  • History: Plays about the English kings
  • Prose: Not as popular as poetry. But some authors were writing about science, philosophy and literature. The King James Bible.