1. The Sixteenth Century or Renaissance 1485-1603 The 16 th century is the age of the Tudors; three generations of Tudors ruled from 1485- 1603. 1485: Accession of Henry VII inaugurates age of the Tudor Kings/Queens. Henry VII was a strong leader who unified and strengthened England. (cities grew, colonization, merchants…)

2. King Henry VIII… In 1509 King Henry VIII took the throne of a prospering England. Humanism flourished (Sir Thomas More) The Reformation began Made himself head of the church Married six times Had three childern

3. The Six Wives Catherine of Aragon (Spanish Princess, Catholic) EXILED Anne Boleyn BEHEADED Jane Seymour DIED IN CHILDBIRTH Anne of Cleves EXILED Kathryn Howard BEHEADED Katherine Parr SURVIVED HIM http://tudorhistory.org/wives/

4. His Three Heirs Queen Mary (Bloody Mary) Queen Elizabeth I King Edward VI

5. England Under Queen Elizabeth I She takes the throne in 1558 and rules until 1603. The most remarkable political genius England ever produced Eliminated controversial preaching She was expected to produce an heir but she remained unmarried By the time it was too late for her to marry and bear children England was strong and united In 1603 Elizabeth, the last of the Tudors, died; she left a strong and united England Her reign is often called The Golden Age.

6. Literature Under Eliza Much of the literature of the period glorified the Queen or spoke of social matters Nature influenced the subject of poetry; specifically the improvement of nature by man (English gardens) Literature emphasized ideal imitation, moral teaching, and decorum (rules) The Dramatic Arts flourished

7. Popular genres….. Elizabethan genres included the epic, tragedy, sonnet, elegy, and satires The epic was at the top of the genre system EPIC: A long narrative poem, told in a formal, elevated style, that focuses on a serious subject and chronicles heroic deeds and events important to a culture or nation. Milton’s Paradise Lost, which attempts to "justify the ways of God to man," is an epic. See also narrative poem. Literary Conventions are patterns that have become habitual and arouse certain expectations in the reader. Literary conventions were important to the Elizabethans. The pastoral mode (about rural nature) was prevalent (a simple world inhabited by shepherd).

8. Authors of the Age Spenser Marlowe Shakespeare More Milton