Queen Elizabeth I Was Truly

Queen Elizabeth I was truly a Renaissance ruler, in all the "energy, action, display" she showed in everything she set out to do during her reign, including political, religious or economic actions, as well as culture and cultural manifestations. Many of the cultural products coming out of her era, as well as scientific discoveries or other contributions, bear the same characteristics.

In terms of economic contributions, commerce was the basis of her political successes, as well as a way of ensuring an increased prosperity for all classes in England and assured a social peace that allowed for successes in Elizabeth's external policies. As a Renaissance ruler, she was involved in the centralized control of the state's industries that replaced the traditional guilds in practice until then.

Legislation was provided to authorize commercial transactions, to ensure penalties for different potential economic crimes and acts that remained unchanged well into the 19th century, providing important measures of increasing public security as well.

Geographical exploration went hand in hand with the increase in commerce and trade. It was during this period of time that England developed as a commercial world power and this could only be achieved by developing international trade links and strengthening the navy. Sir Francis Drake made the second trip around the world in history and Sir Walter Raleigh or Humphrey Gilbert made trips to other continents, notably the Americas, starting the age of colonization, discovering new peoples and cultures and developing the international trade network that the British Empire would be based on during the subsequent centuries.

Significant contributions in science and scientific discoveries were also made during her times. William Gilbert worked in physics and published important contributions on magnetism, while Francis Bacon completed his Advancement of Learning. Places like Oxford and Cambridge, as well as London, were centers where scholars could meet and where the intellectual scientific emulation could produce important contributions.

On the other hand, contributions in music were extremely important, some judging that, during this period, "in music, Elizabethan England led the world." Starting by first adapting the Italian madrigals, the English music discovery continued with its own madrigals, as well as a continued tradition in church music. Instrumental music was also greatly encouraged, as was the composing genius of the likes of William Byrd or Thomas Tallis.