The Age of Shakespeare

Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603, and the Tudor line died with her.

She left behind a country transformed. The frightened, broke kingdom she inherited had become confident and outward-looking, with a burst of writing and theater led by Shakespeare and Marlowe. English ships were probing new trade routes, and a Protestant national identity had taken root that would last for centuries.

The quiet girl who survived a dangerous youth had become the era's defining figure.