Elizabethan

Swan Theatre, Bankside, London, interior from drawing by Johannes de Witt. The Shakespearian theatre, erected c1593 on Bankside – could hold 3,000 spectators – typical of the time. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

At the playhouse: watching Shakespeare’s plays in Elizabethan England

Elizabeth I of England

Personal politics in Elizabeth I’s court

Mary, Queen of Scots is executed © Getty

Horrible Histories author reveals 10 ways to die in Elizabethan England

Portrait of William Shakespeare from the title page of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays; copper engraving by Martin Droeshout, 1623. One of the earliest portraits of Shakespeare. (Photo by GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)

Shakespeare: the historians’ view

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

How Shakespeare rewrote history

An illustration of Edmund Spenser’s poetic work ‘The Shepheardes Calender’. (Photo by Culture Club/Contributor/Getty Images)

The dark side of Elizabethan England

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Muslims and Jews in the 16th century . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Chess, gambling and cards: Tudor games and indoor pastimes

Photo of a couple holding up a fan

Q&A What signals were used in fan language?

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In pictures: John Dee, the ‘Elizabethan 007’

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A history of red hair and amazing animals . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Shakespeare in 1606 and Olympic swimmers . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Francis Drake

Life of the Week: Sir Francis Drake

Lady Margaret Douglas, a close relative of Henry VIII. Her romantic liaisons landed her in the Tower of London on more than one occasion. (Photo by Florilegius/SSPL/Getty Images)

Margaret Douglas: The forgotten Tudor princess

Tixall Gatehouse, Staffordshire. (Photo by The Landmark Trust)

10 of Britain’s most amazing landmark buildings