Renaissance: England
Last Updated   12/23/2007     12/17/2007

War for the Roses
1455, the York and Lancaster families begin a fight for the throne.
The white rose was the symbol for the Yorks.
The red rose was the symbol for the Lancasters.



Tudors
The House of Tudor was an English royal dynasty that lasted 118 years.
1485, the Tudors took the throne of England.
The Tudors had fought with the Lancasters.
Henry VII was the first Tudor king.
He made the monarchy stronger.
He built up trade which made England peaceful and rich.

Henry VIII
1509, Henry become king.
He encouraged art, literature, hunting, and parties.
He played tennis.
He built up the English navy.
Convinced parliament to make him head of the Church of England.
This split England with the Roman Catholic Church.
He played musical instruments and wrote his own music.
English nobles looked to Italy for guidance in politics, diplomacy, and behavior.

Elizabeth I
She was the daughter of Henry VIII.
1558, Elizabeth becomes queen at age 25.
She was well-educated, had a sharp tongue, and an iron will.
Elizabeth traveled around England so people could se her.
Nobles provided lodging, banquets, parades, and dances.
Poetry,music, and the theater became a part of daily life.
Nobles wrote poetry.
People of all classes enjoyed singing, ballads, and folk songs.
They played violins, guitars. and lutes.

Plays
They were fond of plays.
1580, first theaters were built.
Plays were performed in the afternoon.
Large crowds went to see the plays.
If the audience did not like they play the threw ripe fruit at the actors.

         
William Shakespeare
He wrote tragedies and comedies about the history of England.
The Globe Theater was the home of Shakespeare.
He used Italian scenes for his plays.
He wrote Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in the English language.


Bibliography
"English Renaissance." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 21 Dec. 2007.   23 Dec. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance.

Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

"Theater." Shakespeare and the Internet. 23 Nov. 2007. 23 Dec. 2007  http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/theatre.htm.

"Tudor Dynasty." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 17 Dec. 2007.  23 Dec. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_Dynasty.