Читать книгу Harvey Wallbangers and Tam O'Shanters - Martin Hannan - Страница 27

This eponym usually relates to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the 16th-century Virgin Queen who reigned from 1558 to 1603. It was a vital time in British history, coming just after the Reformation and ending in the union of the crowns when James VI of Scotland succeeded the childless Queen. Elizabeth consolidated the Protestant faith in England, saw off the Spanish Armada and rebellious nobles, encouraged theatre and global exploration, and generally ran England in a firm style which saw the country prosper greatly. In many people’s opinion, ‘Elizabethan’ and ‘Golden’ are interchangeable.

It is yet to be truly appreciated that our own dear Queen Elizabeth has made these last 60 years a second Elizabethan age. She has become a symbol of Christian dutifulness at a time when that concept has been constantly eroded. She has also shown all the Elizabethan qualities – loyalty, courage and vast political nous – to remain the unimpeachable head of state at a time when the world has been utterly transformed.

Perhaps, in time, historians will look back and christen this era, too, as Elizabethan.