Jacobean era
Jacobean era | |||
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1603–1625 | |||
Monarch(s) | James VI and I | ||
Chronology
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Periods in English history |
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Timeline |
The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI of Scotland who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I.[1] The Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabethan era and precedes the Caroline era. The term "Jacobean" is often used for the distinctive styles of Jacobean architecture, visual arts, decorative arts, and literature which characterized that period.
The word "Jacobean" is derived from
James as King of England
The practical if not formal
A notable event of James' reign occurred on 5 November 1605. On that date, a group of English Catholics (including
Historians have long debated the curious characteristics of the king's ruling style. Croft says:
- The pragmatism of 'little by little' was coming to characterise his style of governance. At the same time, the curious combination of ability and complacency, idleness and shrewd judgement, warm emotions and lack of discretion so well described by Fontenay remained typical of James throughout his life.[4]
Royal finances
Political events and developments of the Jacobean era cannot be understood separately from the economic and financial situation. James was deeply in debt in Scotland,
The Jacobean era ended with a severe economic depression in 1620–1626, complicated by a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in London in 1625.
Foreign policy
King James I was sincerely devoted to peace, not just for his three kingdoms but for Europe as a whole. He called himself "Rex Pacificus" ("King of Peace").
Frederick and Elizabeth's election as King and Queen of Bohemia in 1619, and the conflict that resulted, marked the beginning of the disastrous Thirty Years' War. King James' determination to avoid involvement in the continental conflict, even during the "war fever" of 1623, appears in retrospect as one of the most significant, and most positive, aspects of his reign.[11]
High culture
Literature
In literature, some of
In 1617
Jonson was also an important innovator in the specialised literary subgenre of the
Science
Arts and architecture
The fine arts were dominated by foreign talent in the Jacobean era, as was true of the Tudor and Stuart periods in general.
The decorative arts – furniture, for example – became increasingly rich in color, detail, and design. Materials from other parts of the world, like mother-of-pearl, were now available by worldwide trade and were used as decoration.
Architecture in the Jacobean era was a continuation of the Elizabethan style with increasing emphasis on classical elements like columns and obelisks. Architectural detail and decorative strapwork patterns derived from continental engravings, especially the prints of Hans Vredeman de Vries, were employed on buildings and furniture. European influences include France, Flanders, and Italy.[15] Inigo Jones may be the most famous English architect of this period, with lasting contributions to classical public building style; his works include the Banqueting House in the Palace of Whitehall and the portico of Old St Paul's Cathedral (destroyed in the Great Fire of London). Significant Jacobean buildings include Hatfield House, Bolsover Castle, Aston Hall, and Charlton House. Many churches contain fine monuments in Jacobean style, with characteristic motifs including strapwork, and polychromy. The mason and sculptor Nicholas Stone produced many effigies for tombs as well as architectural stonework.
In popular culture
In the domain of customs, manners, and everyday life, the Jacobean era saw a distinctly religious tone.
See also
Notes
- James. See "Jacobean". Archived from the originalon 24 July 2012. in Oxford Living Dictionaries.
- Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the originalon 10 September 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ISSN 0094-0178.
- ^ Pauline Croft, King James (2003) p. 20.
- ^ Julian Goodare, "The debts of James VI of Scotland." Economic History Review 62.4 (2009): 926–952.
- ^ Melissa D. Aaron, Global Economics, Newark, DE, University of Delaware Press, 2020; pp. 83–4.
- ^ Malcolm Smuts, 'The making of Rex Pacificus: James VI and I and the Problem of Peace in an Age of Religious War',Daniel Fischlin & Mark Fortier, eds., Royal Subjects: Essays on the Writings of James VI and I (2002) pp. 371–87.
- ^ W. B. Patterson, 'King James I and the Protestant cause in the crisis of 1618–22', Studies in Church History 18 (1982), pp. 319–334.
- ^ Jonathan Scott, England's Troubles: 17th-century English Political Instability in European Context (Cambridge UP, 2000), pp. 98–101.
- ^ Godfrey Davies, The Early Stuarts: 1603–1660 (1959), pp. 47–67.
- ^ G.M.D. Howat, Stuart and Cromwellian Foreign Policy (1974) pp. 17–42.
- ^ Eliis Waterhouse, Painting in Britain (1530 to 1790), fourth edition, New York, Viking Penguin, 1978; pp. 42–66.
- ^ a b "Learn About Style: Jacobean". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Daniel Packer, 'Jewels of 'Blacknesse' at the Jacobean Court', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, vol. 75 (2012), pp. 201-222.
- ^ Cibelli, Dr. Deborah H. "Jacobean Architecture, 1603–25". The Arts and Architecture of the British Renaissance. Nicolls State University. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Patrick Collinson, "Elizabethan and Jacobean puritanism as forms of popular religious culture", in Christopher Durston and Jacqueline Eales, eds. The Culture of English Puritanism, 1560–1700 (Macmillan Education UK, 1996) pp 32–57.
- ISBN 0-304-35792-8.
Sources
- Anderson, Roberta. "'Well Disposed to the Affairs of Spain?’ James VI & I and the Propagandists: 1618–1624." British Catholic History 25.4 (2001): 613–635.
- Burgess, Glenn, Rowland Wymer, and Jason Lawrence, eds. The Accession of James I: historical and cultural consequences (Springer, 2016).
- Coward, Barry. The Stuart Age: England, 1603–1714 (4th ed. 2014) excerpt
- Croft, Pauline King James (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003)
- Davies, Godfrey The Early Stuarts: 1603–1660 (2nd ed 1959), pp 1–80.
- Fincham, Kenneth, and Peter Lake. "The ecclesiastical policy of King James I." Journal of British Studies 24.2 (1985): 169–207.
- Fischlin, Daniel and Mark Fortier, eds. Royal Subjects: Essays on the Writings of James VI and I (2002)
- Fraser, Antonia. The gunpowder plot: Terror and faith in 1605 (Hachette UK, 2010).
- Gardiner, S.R. "Britain under James I" in The Cambridge Modern History (1907) v 3 ch 17 online
- Houlbrooke, Ralph Anthony, ed. James VI and I: Ideas, Authority, and Government (Ashgate, 2006).
- Howat, G.M.D. Stuart and Cromwellian Foreign Policy (1974)
- Houston, S. J. James I (Routledge, 2014).
- Lee, Maurice. Great Britain's Solomon: James VI and I in his three kingdoms (U of Illinois Press, 1990).
- Lindquist, Eric N. "The Last Years of the First Earl of Salisbury, 1610–1612." Albion 18.1 (1986): 23–41.
- Lockyer, Roger. James VI and I (1998).
- Lockyer, Roger. Tudor and Stuart Britain: 1485–1714 (3rd ed. 2004), 576 pp excerpt
- Perry, Curtis. The Making of Jacobean Culture: James I and the Renegotiation of Elizabethan Literary Practice (Cambridge UP, 1997).
- Stilma, Astrid. A King Translated: The Writings of King James VI & I and their Interpretation in the Low Countries, 1593–1603 (Routledge, 2016).
- Waurechen, Sarah. "Imagined Polities, Failed Dreams, and the Beginnings of an Unacknowledged Britain: English Responses to James VI and I's Vision of Perfect Union." Journal of British Studies 52.3 (2013): 575–596.
- Wormald, Jenny. "James VI and I (1566–1625)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14592
Historiography
- Coward, Barry ed., A Companion to Stuart Britain
- Lee, Maurice. "James I and the Historians: Not a Bad King After All?." Albion 16.2 (1984): 151–163.
- Schwarz, Marc L. "James I and the Historians: Toward a Reconsideration." Journal of British Studies 13.2 (1974): 114–134. in JSTOR
- Underdown, David. "New ways and old in early Stuart history," in Richard Schlatter, ed., Recent views on British history: essays on historical writing since 1966 (Rutgers UP, 1984), pp 99–140.
- Wormald, Jenny. "James VI and I: Two Kings or One?" History 68#223 (1983), 187–209.
- Young, Michael B. "James VI and I: Time for a Reconsideration?" Journal of British Studies 51.3 (2012): 540–567.
Primary sources
- Akrigg, G. P. V., ed. Letters of King James VI & I (U of California Press, 1984).
- Coward, Barry and Peter Gaunt, eds. English Historical Documents, 1603–1660 (2011).
- Rhodes, Neil; Richards, Jennifer; Marshall, Joseph, eds. King James VI and I: Selected Writings (Ashgate, 2003).
External links
- Jacobean Science.
- Science and Patronage in Early Modern England.
- "Jacobean Style Guide". British Galleries. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 16 July 2007.