New
New
Year 8
Popular depictions of Elizabeth I
I can explain how popular depictions of Elizabeth I have changed over time.
New
New
Year 8
Popular depictions of Elizabeth I
I can explain how popular depictions of Elizabeth I have changed over time.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Elizabeth used symbols within paintings to present different ideas about herself.
- Elizabeth used speeches to persuade and rally support.
- Elizabeth tightly controlled how she was depicted during her own lifetime.
- Popular interpretations of Elizabeth I have changed over time.
Keywords
Depiction - a depiction is a representation of someone or something in words or pictures
Symbolism - symbolism is the use of objects or pictures to represent ideas or qualities
Interpretation - an interpretation is a historian’s opinion about past events
Common misconception
Historians all agree about what happened in the past.
Historians are constantly arguing and changing their minds about events in the past as new evidence comes to light.
Encourage students to consider what counter-arguments to their opinions there might be, and how they could argue back against these. Variety of supporting evidence is key to this: the more they have, the stronger their initial interpretation will be.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
What is meant by the term 'golden age'?
a time when lots of gold statues were made
a time when gold was very common
a time when there were more old people than young people
a time when the country achieved many of its goals
Q2.
What building material did Elizabethans use to show off their wealth in 'prodigy houses'?
wood
clay
pearls
Q3.
Which decade saw a period of particularly bad harvests which led to famine in England?
1550s
1570s
1610s
Q4.
Parliament was furious with Elizabeth in 1601 about her use of which one of the following:
bad harvests
privateers
royal progresses
Q5.
Before Elizabeth's reign, what religious establishments had helped to provide food for the poor?
colonies
prodigy houses
theatres
Q6.
Who led the two factions in Elizabeth's court at the end of her reign? Choose two answers.
Robert Dudley
William Cecil
William Parry
Exit quiz
Download exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
What belief about a person's physical appearance was common during Elizabeth's reign?
people thought a queen's appearance was not important
people thought a queen's clothing choices reflected her intelligence
people thought the younger a person looked, the wiser they must be
Q2.
How did Elizabeth use speeches, such as the 'Golden Speech', to maintain her rule?
by gently telling off members of Parliament for their criticism
by encouraging Parliament to tell her what they wanted from her
by shouting and scaring critics into silence
Q3.
What were royal progresses?
technological advancements in transportation that Elizabeth had invested in
religious reforms to promote unity among all of Elizabeth's subjects
military campaigns against foreign powers
Q4.
Complete this sentence: John Stubbs was punished for criticising Elizabeth by having his _________________ cut off.
Q5.
How did some critics of Elizabeth, like John Foxe and Edmund Spenser, criticise Elizabeth and get away with it?
they went into hiding and avoided the public
they ran away to foreign countries to avoid Elizabeth's anger
they wrote their criticism in a foreign language
Q6.
Who did the historian James Froude think was the real power behind the throne during Elizabeth's reign?
Additional material
Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.