Author Description

Norman Jones' ambitious and imaginative account charts both the daily experiences and the large historical events that shaped life in the 1560s. When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, her subjects expected more of the political and religious confusion that had dominated the preceding decade. The 1550s had been a time of severe religious, economic, political and demographic crises and there was little hope that the 1560s would be much better. By 1570, however, England was firmly set on the course that would make the Elizabethan age one of the pivotal periods in English history. Focusing on the personal and national concerns of the Elizabethans rather than tracing long historical themes, The Birth of the Elizabethan Age combines a concern with lifecycle events and the long rhythms of culture with unique events like the succession crisis and the revolt of the Northern Earls. The Elizabethan settlement of religion is given an important place, but as a human event affecting the lives of individuals as well as a political and theological formulation. Similarly, the concern over Elizabeth's failure to marry set in the context of contemporary expectations of women. - Jacket flap.