Creating Elizabeth I: Ancient Inspiration for a Renaissance Queen (1558-1603)

Module overview

Elizabeth I is regarded by many as the most influential of the Tudor monarchs but how did she and those around her, including her parents, tutors, and courtiers, fashion her into the queen we know as Gloriana? While presenting her as a pious, just and legitimate ruler were essential, Elizaeth and her court also drew upon many facets of the Ancient World to help bolster her position as a queen regnant. They also took inspiration from late 14th century reception of the ancient world in the form of lists of the Nine Worthy Women which consisted of three classical queens and leaders, alongside three Jewish and three Christian inspiring women. Elizabeth received a very good humanist education to help shape her as a female prince. She studied classical texts and learnt Greek and Latin, and once queen she made use of Roman oratory in her writing and speeches. During this module we will explore how Elizabeth and those around her drew up classical mythology, female role models from the Bible, powerful women such as Cleopatra and Arthurian legends from the 5th century CE to create many of the most famous portraits, plays and poems that celebrated Elizabeth I as queen.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The life of Elizabeth I, from childhood to her reign as a very successful queen regnant
The ways in which she and her courtiers engaged with the ancient world in terms of languages and culture, mythology, ideas about female political power, mythology and religious leadership
The different ways Elizabeth’s engagement with the ancient world was displayed to the court, and the people

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Utilise and develop your time-management skills
Locate and use effectively textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line
Research and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written reports

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Analyse a variety of primary sources relating to Elizabeth I to explore how ancient history and Renaissance ideas were used to create her image as Gloriana
Actively engage with the secondary literature on Elizabth I, the English Renaissance, and Tudor engagement with the ancient world
Critically evaluate the different ways in which Elizabeth’s queenship was presented to her people

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods: lectures and seminars Learning methods: source analysis, reading

Study time
Type	Hours
Wider reading or practice	26
Completion of assessment task	50
Seminar	12
Lecture	12
Preparation for scheduled sessions	50
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Leah S. Marcus, Janel Mueller and Mary Beth Rose (2000). Elizabeth I: Collected Works. Chicago University Press.

Judith Richards (2011). Elizabeth I. Taylor and Francis.

Judith R. Baskin (2011). The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture. Cambridge University Press.

Susan Frye (1996). Elizabeth I: The Competition for Representation. Oxford University Press.

Elizabeth D. Carney (2020). The Routledge Companion to Woman and Monarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean World. Routledge.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External