91�ȱ�

Popular culture

Elizabeth’s reign was seen as a ‘golden age’ of culture, with theatre becoming popular across all of society, and it's also when Shakespeare wrote a lot of his plays. Despite the success of Elizabethan theatres there were also those who were opposed to them. The authorities were worried about large crowds gathering outside the cities and the Puritans opposed them on the grounds that they were associated with the Ancient Romans who had crucified Christ. More recently historians have disputed the extent to which the Elizabethan age was truly a ‘golden age’.

The wider world

Elizabeth faced challenges from France and Spain during her reign. They were more powerful, wealthier and they also had overseas empires. By the end of Elizabeth’s reign England had become the greatest sea power in the world and it was this, among other things, that prompted English sailors to seek new lands.

During this period many English seamen undertook voyages across the globe and established new trading areas. The reason for this attempt to travel the wider world was to expand trading routes following the collapse of the cloth trade in Europe. As merchants needed to find new markets in which to sell their goods, more people became interested in voyages overseas. By the latter part of Elizabeth’s reign there had been attempts to set up colonies in North America, such as Roanoake in Virginia, but these early attempts proved unsuccessful. Perhaps more successful were attempts to establish trading links with India. James Lancaster’s voyages to India and the East Indies led to the setting up of the East India Company and the establishment of trading links with India.