Elizabeth and the Elizabethans ~ Thursday 25th September 2025

The Centre for the Study of the Renaissance is delighted to invite you to our fourth community study day, where we will explore the world of Queen Elizabeth I and the Elizabethans. Talks by our expert speakers will introduce you to new perspectives on this intriguing queen’s reign, considering religion, art, cultural and diplomatic exchanges and encounters. Peter Marshall’s session will critically examine various myths around religious change, querying the longstanding myths of ‘religious stability’ and a moderate ‘middle way' ushered in by Elizabeth’s reign. In a shared session, Daria Akhapkina will focus on the diplomatic exchanges between Russia and England during Elizabeth’s reign. Elizabeth Goldring will introduce you to Nicholas Hilliard's life and his art, exploring the ways in which his images have shaped perceptions of Elizabeth I and her court. The day will end with a session led by Aidan Norrie, who will focus on the progresses Elizabeth undertook during her reign, exploring the pageantry staged for Elizabeth in various places she visited.

This study day is a public event, open to Warwick staff and non-staff alike. LAST FEW PLACES REMAINING. Registration form HERE.

Any queries can be addressed to the event convenor, Dr Aysu Dincer, on: a.dincer@warwick.ac.uk .

Schedule

10-10.50am: Session one:

Professor Peter Marshall. Draft paper title, 'Religion in Elizabeth I's England'. This session will focus aspects of the Church and religious life in Elizabethan England. Several longstanding myths will be examined and found wanting, such as that Elizabeth's reign ushered in a period of religious stability after the ferment of the mid-Tudor decades, or that the Elizabethan Church represented a moderate 'middle way' between extremes of Protestant and Catholic conviction.

11-12 noon: Session two:

Dr Aidan Norrie. Draft paper title, 'Elizabeth I on Tour: Progresses and Pageantry for the Virgin Queen'. This session will focus on the progresses Elizabeth undertook every year of her reign. A 'progress' is a formal term for the periods when the Queen travelled around her kingdom, visiting various towns and aristocrats. For many places, a progress might be the only time the Queen visited them, and so they sought to capitalise on her presence by lavishly entertaining their now-present sovereign. The iconography of the 'Virgin Queen' was first appeared in a civic entertainment, which is a reminder that they are essential to understanding the politics and culture of Elizabethan England. As part of this session, attendees will be able to engage with the published accounts of some of these progresses and the pageantry staged for Elizabeth.

12-1pm: Lunch break (provided)

1-1.50pm: Session three:

Dr Elizabeth Goldring. Draft paper title, 'The 'Queens Limner': Nicholas Hilliard and Elizabeth I'. Nicholas Hilliard's fame derives chiefly from his miniatures (or 'limnings'): exceptionally detailed portraits executed in watercolours on vellum, many no larger than a modern watch face. Come learn about Hilliard's life and his art, including the ways in which his images have decisively shaped perceptions of Elizabeth I and her court.

2-3pm: Session four, (consisting of two speakers):

Daria Akhapkina. Draft paper title, 'Diplomatic relations between Russia and England'. This paper will explore the nature of diplomatic relations between Russia and England during the Elizabethan period, examining some interesting encounters between individuals that came to Russia from England, and vice versa.

Kristi Flake, Draft paper title, "Preaching the Elizabethan Settlement: The Books of Homilies as a Religious, Political, and Social Texts". This talk considers an important but often overlooked element of the Elizabethan religious settlement: the required reading of the two Books of Homilies. These collections of state-sanctioned sermons provided theological guidance for clergy, religious education for parishioners, and stark warnings against political dissent for all subjects. This paper examines how the Homilies were used at the national and parish levels, and what they reveal about the concerns and priorities of the Elizabethan religious establishment and the construction of Protestant culture in Elizabeth I's England.

3-3.30pm: conclusions and discussion