Renaissance Dances and Queen Elizabeth I

The dance and music were undoubtedly among the major aspects of the renaissance age, which are popular in the recent times. Today also, you can see a number of men and women in ren-fests wearing renaissance dresses and performing the dances, which flourished around 500-600 years ago.
We can take the examples of two dance forms that developed in the renaissance age. One of them was Volta, which gained a huge fame when Queen Elizabeth I of England performed it with her friend Robert Dudley. This dance has been depicted in some movies as well. First, it was shown in the popular film named Elizabeth between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Then, it could be witnessed in its sequel film Elizabeth: The Golden Age between Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton and Sir Walter Raleigh.
Another dance of the renaissance age, which is also widely admired by the people today, is Galliard. According to the records, it was performed by Queen Elizabeth I as an exercise in her mid fifties.

Some Ideas for Perfect Renaissance Fair Clothing

The season of festivals remains the center of special attraction for a large number of people. A number of men and women start doing the arrangement in advance with great enthusiasm about what to wear in the fest. The renaissance festivals take place in various parts of the western world, and a lot of enthusiasm among the people can be seen in these fests as well.
The arrangement of renaissance fair clothing began weeks ago from the festivals. There are some special costumes, which are worn in these festivals. These costumes belong to distinct eras and communities. Some of the renaissance fair clothing that are popular in these fests include:
Renaissance-style clothing: The renaissance festivals are especially meant for providing the glimpse of the renaissance age – the golden era of Europe. So, the renaissance-style clothing remains the special allure in these fests. In the renaissance era, people started adding some special effects of the medieval costumes. So, the renaissance-style clothing incarnated, which comprised of a lot of showiness. Puffs and many other designs were added to the costumes.
Queen Elizabeth I’s outfits: In a large number of the fests, the scenario is set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A plenty of women like to wear the costumes in the styles of queen. Wonderful gowns and dresses in her styles provide an entirely distinct style to the men and women. Such extravagant costumes remain the first choice of a large number of ladies and can be worn as the wedding gowns also.
Medieval-style clothing: The renaissance age started just after the medieval era. In the renaissance festivals also, a number of entertainment activities belong to the medieval era. So, a large number of individuals like to wear the medieval costumes in these festivals. The medieval era was divided into the diverse sections according to the social statuses of the people. So, you can find the medieval-style clothing in distinct patterns. The clothing of the medieval royals, nobles, commoners, farmers and peasant remain the special allures in these fests.
Pirate-style costumes: The pirates were the sea robbers, who would plunder the ships of the sea merchants. Some of the pirates also used to loot the coastal areas. These sea rovers were active in the medieval and renaissance eras, and their clothing styles are popular in the renaissance festivals. The outfits of distinct groups of swashbucklers are worn by the people. In the medieval era, there was the panic of the swashbucklers known as Vikings in various nations. In the renaissance age, there were the freebooters like buccaneers and Caribbean pirates in the renaissance age, the dresses of both of which are widely popular nowadays in the fests. Moreover, privateers who were the authorized raiders of governments and were assigned the task of looting the treasure ships of the enemy nations, also provide the stuff to the fashion world of today. The dresses of a number of such groups can be witnessed being worn by the men and women in the renaissance festivals. Moreover, the outfits of the fictional pirates of the movies are also worn by a large number of individuals. Although, these outfits remain popular throughout the festival; but some special pirate weekends are celebrated in some of the fests, in which they can be especially seen.
Steampunk costumes: Steampunk belongs to the Victorian era science fiction novels and films in which the futuristic technologies have been fictionalized, and all the technologies are run through the steam power. The costumes belonging to this trend are known as steampunk costumes. Some of the renaissance festivals celebrate the steampunk weekends where these costumes are widely popular.
Gothic costumes: The gothic trend belongs to the 18th and 19th century horror fiction. This trend symbolizes the dark traits of humanity. The outfits of Gothicism seem identical to the pirate-style dresses. Moreover, they are closely associated with steampunk outfits. So, a number of people wearing the gothic clothing can also be witnessed in the renaissance festivals.

Julius Caesar: Shakespeare’s Play That Made the Roman General Famous for Ages

The renaissance age was the period, when the revival could be witnessed in a number of aspects of society. The renaissance costumes, paintings, sculptures, literature and a lot of other aspects have gained widespread popularity in the recent times.

Like many other facets, the literature of the renaissance age also has a great significance in the present scenario. William Shakespeare is one of the great names of the renaissance-age authors in this regard. He played a major role in enriching the renaissance literature. The plays written by him are acted as well as read by a large number of individuals even in the recent times.

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
Shakespeare wrote on a number of themes like humor, tragedy, history and more. His play “Julius Caesar”, has gained huge popularity these days. This is a drama on the historical theme and is based on the story of the famous Roman General of ancient time – Julius Caesar. The play tells about the conspiracy against Caesar and finally the end of the conspirators.

Summary of the Play
Caesar’s friend Cassius makes a conspiracy against Caesar. He also convinces the other friend of Caesar named Brutus to help him in his assassination. He tells Brutus that Caesar wants to change the Roman Republic to monarchy. He also writes letters to Brutus in different handwriting in order to convince him. Finally, Brutus agrees to take part in the conspiracy.

Caesar is killed by his friends, which comes in the Act 3 of the play. He is killed by the conspirators in the senate. The conspirators try to convince the public that they have accomplished this act for the sake of Rome. But, Caesar’s other friend Mark Antony starts his speech after getting the trust of the conspirators as well as public. He succeeds in turning the public opinion in Caesar’s favor and finally the conspirators had to run away from Rome. One of the companions of Brutus and Cassius, Lucius Cinna is murdered by the mob.
In the last act Cassius and Brutus prepare for war against Mark Antony and the adopted son of Caesar – Octavius. Finally, Brutus and Cassius were killed in the battle. In the end, Antony gives tribute to Brutus because he was the only person who did everything for the good of Rome.
Popular Scenes

There are some scenes in this drama, which are famous among the masses. The sorrowful scene of assassination of Caesar is one of the most famous among the audience. Besides, the speech of Mark Antony is the other one, in which he dramatically changes the opinion of the public.

Play Gave Fame to Julius Caesar
The play has gained a huge fame all over the world, and it will not be wrong to say that it has played a prominent role in giving the popularity to Roman General Julius Caesar.

Era of Tudors - Golden Era with Both Negative and Positive Sides

The era of Tudors – there is no doubt that it is accepted as one of the golden ages of England. The Tudor dynasty ruled the nation for the long duration of 118 years.

When we pay heed towards the era of Tudors, we find the mixed traits, which were both positive and negative. The most positive thing during that era was the beginning of the renaissance age in England. It was the era when a great flourish in the cultural activities was witnessed not only in England, but in the entire Europe. Science and arts flourished, which paved the way for the modern era. The prominent thing that put the influence on the modern times is the renaissance clothing. This was the new age clothing, in which a lot of flamboyance was added.

In addition, some new style dances and music styles also came in the limelight as a result of the artistic development. Volta and galliard were two famous renaissance dances. Samples of the Volta dances have been given in the two such films – “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.

In addition, paintings and architectures were also flourished up to some extent, and the role of Tudor monarchs can also not be denied in this regard. King Henry VIII’s interest in architecture is well-known. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth I had her own collection of paintings.

But, there is no doubt that the era of Tudors had some negative sides also. The most negative side was witnessed at the time of Queen Mary I. Queen Mary was a devout catholic and was desperate about reestablishing the catholic faith in England. She not only showed the strictness, but also burnt the innocent Protestants in stakes. It made the queen highly unpopular and gave a bad name to the Tudor dynasty. Mary was dubbed as “Bloody Mary” for this act.

With the end of the era of Queen Mary, the dark era of Tudor dynasty ended and Queen Elizabeth gave the equal respect to both the faiths during her reign. Moreover, she encouraged the art and culture and was also a great fond of fashion. The flamboyant renaissance costumes worn by her were widely popular. Her dresses were beaded by the ornaments. The dresses of the Queen Elizabeth are popular today also and are worn by the brides as the wedding gowns. These costumes are also put on by a lot of people in the themed events.

The era of Tudors will definitely be popular up to the coming scenario.

Anne Boleyn - Tudor Queen Who Ruled the Hearts of Modern People

English history is full of mysteries, and there are a number of facts, which are still the subject of research. Anne Boleyn, the queen consort of King Henry VIII of England, is one of the famous names that we can take as an example in this regard. She was the second wife of the king and was recognized as a key figure of English Reformation after her marriage and subsequent execution. The era of English Reformation was the time, when England progressed in various fields, such as art, culture, medieval costumes and more.

But, the word ‘reformation’ refers to the religious reformation against the dogmatism of Roman Catholic Church during that period. First, the king broke with Church of Rome in order to marry her and declared himself the head of Church of England. In this way, Anne indirectly contributed in reformation. Moreover, she was an open minded lady, which can be estimated with the fact that she argued to distribute the revenues to the charitable and educational institutions instead of giving them to church. She made this argument to Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex. It is claimed that Thomas conspired against Anne because of his dispute with her.

Anne Boleyn born in the year 1501, and was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard. She got the education in Netherlands and France, and returned to England in the year 1522 for marrying her Irish cousin, James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond. But, the plans of her marriage with James failed, and she found the place as maid of Honor to Henry VIII’s first queen consort, Catherine of Aragon. In the year 1523, there was a secret betrothal between her and Henry Percy, son of the fifth Earl of Northumberland. But, the betrothal was broken in 1524, and she was sent back home to Hever Castle. King Henry tried to seduce her, which was one of the absorbing factors for his desire to marry her.
King annulled his marriage his first queen for marrying Anne. Roman Catholic Church declared it as illegal, but the king broke his relations with the church and declared himself the head of Church of England. There is no doubt that it seems that the relation was broken because of the selfish motive of the king. Still, it put some great impacts on the nation. He married Anne on 25th January 1933. She gave birth to Elizabeth on 7th September and could not give birth to son.

The relation of the two could not be continued for the long. She was found guilty for high treason in April 1536. Moreover, she was also accused of adultery and incest. There were no sufficient evidence found against her, but still she was beheaded on 19th May, 1536.

Despite the small time span of her existence as a queen, she became widely popular in England. Her renaissance clothing styles are copied by women in today’s scenario also. Moreover, some films have also been made on her biography. Interestingly, some researchers of occultism claim the existence of the ghost of Anne today also.

Communities of the Renaissance Age and Their Lifestyles

The renaissance age in Europe is undoubtedly an unforgettable era for the people of the western world. It was the era, when a great cultural and artistic rebirth was witnessed in the society. A stunning evolution took place in various fields, such as paintings, sculptures, renaissance costumes and so on. Besides, the lifestyles of that era became the source of inspiration of the modern times also.

An interesting thing about that era was that it was full of diverse cultures. A number of cultures were present during that period, which had their unique lifestyles. The commoners of that era used to constitute the mainstream society. Besides, the communities of serfs, royals/nobles/aristocrats and pirates were some other communities, which were making the societies.

Commoners:  They were the modest people of the society. They gained the huge interest in art and culture, which was reflected in his clothing styles also. The styles of these people were very much inspired with gothic and Germanic traditions. In the renaissance age, the massive clothes became prominent during the renaissance age. The popular women’s costumes of that era include linen chemises adorned with lace edges, lengthened breaches and heavy gowns etc. On the other hand, puffed trunk hose, padded doublet and balloon sleeves were the outfits of the men during that period. On the other hand, they had the healthy eating styles. Some of the eatables they would consume included roasts, soups, pastas, pastries and cheeses etc.

Serfs: Serfs, otherwise known as peasants, were the labor-class people of that era. They would work on the lands of the lords. Most of them would work on the lands of the lords, and they had to do hard labor in order to pay the dues. Sometimes, they also had to pay the rent in the form of money to the lords, apart from the labor. The clothing styles of these people were simple. They would wear a blouse that would be fastened with leather belt round the waist, and an overcoat or mental which was made up of thick woolen material.

Royals/Nobles/Aristocrats: These were the upper class communities of that era. They would wear the dresses beaded with the jewels. Moreover, their outfits were extravagant, many of which are fashion-statements for today’s people also. The dresses of Queen Elizabeth I were the best examples in this regard. Besides, they would eat the luxurious foods.

Pirates: Mainstream pirates were not part of lawful communities. They would wear the disorganized styles of outfits, which they would loot from the ships. The pirate clothing developed during that era is also the fashion statement of the people of today’s scenario. Their lifestyles were very much like the sailors. They would eat fresh veggies, eggs, meats and cheeses. Moreover, dice, cards, dance and singing were the leisure activities of these raiders, which they would use for fun. There was another class of pirates also, which belonged to the lawful raiders authorized by the government. Such raiders were known as privateers, and their work was to loot the treasure ships of the enemy nations. The privateers would live the lifestyles like nobles as they had the full support of the kingdom.

Contributions of Medici Family in Renaissance Movement

There is no doubt that a lot of political, economical, cultural and artistic activities took place in the renaissance age. A number of renaissance men and women gave their contributions in the flourish of different fields of art and science. Sculpture, painting, renaissance clothing and there were many other aspects, in which the society progressed. On the other hand, a huge growth had also been witnessed during that period.

Medici was unquestionably one of the big names during that period, whose contribution in the renaissance era can never be overlooked. It was a banking family, a political dynasty and later on became a royal family. Prominent contribution of this family is recognized in the economic growth of the society; however, it has some other contributions also. For instance, four popes of Roman Catholic Church were produced by this family. The popes from Medici family included Pope Leo X from 1513 to 1521, Pope Clement VII from 1523 to 1534, Pope Pius IV from 1559 to 1565, and Pope Leo XI  in 1605. So, this family had a great role in papacy also. Moreover, Catherine de' Medici (1547–1559) and Marie de' Medici (1600–1610) were two regent queens of France, who were from Medici Dynasty. The family also became hereditary Dukes of Florence in 1531 A.D.

Besides, the Medici family gained prominence in the wool trade in 14th century. It will be significant to mention that wool was used in manufacturing the medieval clothing as well as some renaissance costumes. France and Spain were two major centers of the wool trade. Besides, the family also rose to power through its social network with elite families by means of partnership, employment and the marriage of convenience. Some of the big families of that period included Salviati, Bardi, Cavalcanti and the Tornabuoni. The foundation of this family is thought to be done by Averardo de' Medici. His son Giovanni di Bicci created the Medici Bank and became the one of the richest men in Florence. Besides, he gained the good support for introduction of proportional taxing system. His son Cosimo the Elder, Pater Patriae, became the unofficial head of states of the Florentine Republic in 1434. Florence was ruled by three successive generations of Medici in a big part of 15th Century. They altogether abolished representative government, still they clearly dominated it.

Medici is supposed to be one of the contributors in the commencement of proper banking system. Today also, many of the facets of the renaissance age influence the modern age including the banking system. This is the reason why renaissance period is supposed to be the era, which showed the path to the modern times.