Elizabethan England - SAT Subject Test in World History

Sir Walter Raleigh was a British explorer (as well as many other things) in the Elizabethan era. He is most famous in England for introducing tobacco to the English people; however, his most notable achievement was the exploration of Virginia, which led to English colonization of the territory shortly after.

Only one of these answer choices, the earliest one, falls within the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, so if you know enough about the Elizabethan Era you can easily determine the correct answer from that alone. 1588 was the year that the infamous Spanish Armada sailed for England to try and defeat the English navy and establish a landing base that Spain could use to conquer the British Isles. A combination of terrible weather, poor tactics, and brilliant English defensive strategy led to the complete annihilation of the Spanish Armada, an event often considered the high water mark of the Elizabethan era.

Although Queen Elizabeth I is often warmly regarded by historians as someone who extended rights and powers to Parliament, to call her autocratic monarchy "democratic" would be stretching the word to its very limits; however, it is impossible to dispute that her kingdom was a Protestant one. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII, a devout Protestant, and head of the Church of England.

As Queen of England Elizabeth I was also head of the Church of England. The Church of England was founded by King Henry VIII during the English Reformation when Henry broke away from the Catholic Church, essentially, because the church would not let Henry marry who he wanted.

The Elizabethan era is often considered a golden era of English history. It was a time of relative economic prosperity and political stability, particularly when compared to the time periods surrounding it. It was also a time where the arts flourished, most notably through the writings of Shakespeare. And, finally, it was a time when England achieved one of its most celebrated victories: the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It was not a period of religious toleration; following shortly after the English Reformation, the Anglican Church was the state church and the Queen was head of the church of England. Catholics were not universally persecuted, but they were hardly tolerated.

The Globe Theatre was built in 1559, the second year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was the site of many of Shakespeare's plays and was frequented often by the Queen, as well as the common people of London. Plays were a major social and cultural event in the Elizabethan Era.

Queen Elizabeth I never married because she feared that her marriage would transfer power to a man; by not marrying, Elizabeth ensured the end of the Tudor Dynasty, which led to the emergence of the Stuarts. James I was the first Stuart monarch to sit on the throne. James I was also James VI of Scotland. Scotland and England remained separate kingdoms during his reign, but were under the personal control of one man. James was an advocate for unifying the two parliaments.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the biggest empire in the world was Spanish, and the most powerful country in Europe was Spain under the rule of King Philip II. Spain was a Catholic kingdom, and Philip was determined to convert the Kingdom of England to Catholicism. He first tried marrying the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I, who refused, knowing it would mean the loss of her power and the end of the Tudor Dynasty. So, Philip II launched an attack with the Spanish Armada. The Armada was repulsed by the English navy; this is often seen as a turning point in English and world history. Philip also despised Elizabeth because she supported the Dutch Revolt against Spanish dominion and because she allowed privateers and pirates to pillage and rob Spanish ships headed home from the New World.

In the battle between the Spanish Armada and the English navy, the English navy was somewhat helplessly outnumbered, but they had the advantage of defending and favorable weather. They also had fireboats. The English employed fireboats to devastating effect. They would fill an unmanned ship with gunpowder and other explosives, light it, and ensure it raced towards Spanish ships. The effect of this was mass carnage, with no net loss for the English.

The Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity were both passed in 1558 by the parliament of Queen Elizabeth I. They were the two primary legal features of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. The Act of Supremacy established Elizabeth as the supreme and absolute ruler of the Church of England. The Act of Uniformity established the guidelines for Christian worship in Elizabethan England. Collectively they mark the Elizabethan Religious Settlement which could be seen as an end to the worst conflicts of the Anglican Reformation.

The Anglo-Spanish War was waged between the Elizabethan kingdom of England and the Spanish kingdom of Phillip II in the years 1585-1604. The most famous incident of the war was the failed invasion of England by the Spanish Armada in 1588. However, it would be incorrect to say that England won the war - nobody really won. Throughout the war Phillip II provided supplies for rebels against the crown, most notably in Ireland.