The Elizabethan Age The reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603) was considered one of the greatest epochs in English history. The Elizabethan Age was most famous for it's literature. It's prose, poetry, and drama were the defining factors of this era. In order to understand the Elizabethan world, we must understand that the places in which they performed the acts played a crucial part. They had 7 main playhouses or theatres. These playhouses were built on the outskirts of the cities between 1576 and 1600. They were built there because of the conflict between the players and the church. The first of