1.+Shakespeare's++time.+The+Renaissance

Team 1:

=** 1. Shakespeare's times **= = = = Introduction = = = = = The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. England consolidated its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and Elizabeth firmly established the Church of England begun by her father, King Henry VIII. = =

[[image:http://www.bardweb.net/images/london.jpg align="right" caption="Elizabethan London"]]
= = ====At this time, London was the heart of England, reflecting all the vibrant qualities of the Elizabethan Age. This atmosphere made London a leading center of culture as well as commerce. Its dramatists and poets were among the leading literary artists of the day. In this heady environment, Shakespeare lived and wrote.==== = =

London in the 16th century underwent a transformation. Its population grew 400% during the 1500s. = = (Ingrid Serrano) = = **Wars** There were several wars in Elizabethan era. One of the most important, was the one against the spanish armada. The war started beacuse Philip II, the king of Spain, considered he had to force England back under the power of the Roman Catholic Church, by invasion or battle if necessary.

Other important wars were the ones against Ireland. The first one was the Irish war, also known as The Desmond Rebelions, that were a series of rebelions to control the provinces of Munster. The second one was theTyrone Rebellion, also known as The Nine Years War, where the Catholic Irish Earl of Tyrone fought against protestrant england thah had the control of a part of Ireland. (Noelia Ramirez Ramos)

Fun and Entertainment
The entertainment was very important at Elizabethan Times, because the lives of the peple were difficult and the rate of mortality high was ver high, so people needed to have fun.

Many people went to Inns and Taverns, while others watched rooster-fighting, executions,... A popular sport of the time was tennis, but they hit the ball with their hands as they hadn't rackets at that ages. Other sports that were played are bowls, badminton, archery, uning, wrestling,... Also, a lot of people went to the theatre to watch the plays.(Noleia Ramirez Ramos)

**Money** In Shakespeare’s time. England had tree types of Money. There were pence, shillings and pounds. 12 pence made a shilling and 20 shillings made a pound. In England could be bought for a very cheap price. For example 7 shillings would buy you a gloves and one or two pence would get you a drink. The English pound originated from a measure of weight, which was used to represent a sum of money. Today in England use the pound.

The Age of Exploration The great Elizabethan Age of Exploration was at first dominated by the Portuguese and the Spanish. The Golden Age of Exploration also saw the emergence of English explorers

The Age of exploration including scientific curiosity, bred of the Renaissance spirit of free inquiry, the crusading spirit in which Europeans thrilled at the thought of spreading Christianity among heathen peoples. New discoveries could bring untold riches in terms of gold and silver and spices - the Elizabethan explorers were searching for adventure, glory and wealth. The Greatest English Explorers of the Age of Exploration were Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Martin Frobisher.

Sir Francis Drake, charted the Spanish colonies, and amassed great wealth to undermine Spanish power, defeating the so-called Armada in 1588. In his honour was established in a colony in North America: Virginia. (Nora Muixí)