Royal Entertainment at Elvetham 1591

The Royal Entertainment at Elvetham was an elaborate four-day event in honour of Queen Elizabeth I's visit in 1591. It was organised and planned by Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford (cf. The British Library).

Background

In 1591, Queen Elizabeth, in an attempt to promote and spread her royal image, decided to journey through certain regions of England (cf. Breight 21). Although her regime would be approved of in areas northwest of London, southern regions like West Sussex and East Hampshire did not appear too fond of her regime (cf. ibid). By personally travelling, she intended to improve relationships and mend "potential disaffection and perhaps even revolt" (ibid) that seemed so prevalent amongst her subjects. These travels are part of the so called "royal progress – a journey through the country during which a monarch could be seen by his or her subjects and would meet with important local people. The in-person presence of the monarch encouraged loyalty and asserted his or her royal authority" (The British Library).

The Earl of Hertford, Edward Seymour, seeked to thoroughly entertain the Queen during her stay in East Hampshirean Elvetham, having constructed a scenery consisting of an artificial pond serving as the stage for multiple musical, theatrical and poetic performances to ensure the Queen's amusement and delight (cf. Breight 23; The British Library).

Sequence of Events

Date	Events
20 September 1591	TBA
21 September 1591	TBA
22 September 1591	TBA
23 September 1591	TBA

Works cited

• An Entertainment for Elizabeth I at Elvetham, 1591. The British Library. URL: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/an-entertainment-for-elizabeth-i-at-elvetham-1591. Accessed 4 July 2022.
• Breight, Curt. “Realpolitik and Elizabethan Ceremony: The Earl of Hertford’s Entertainment of Elizabeth at Elvetham, 1591.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 1, 1992, pp. 20–48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2862830. Accessed 4 July 2022.