english renaissance drama is sometimes called elizabethan drama, since its most important developments started when elizabeth i was queen of england from 1558 to 1603. but this name is not very accurate; the drama continued after elizabeth's death, into the reigns of king james i (1603–1625) and his son king charles i (1625–1649). shakespeare, for example, started writing plays in the later years of elizabeth's reign, but continued into the reign of james. when writing about plays from james's reign, scholars and critics sometimes use the term jacobean drama; plays from charles i's reign are called caroline drama. (these names come from the latin forms of the two kings' names, "jacobus" for james and "carolus" for charles.) but for the subject as a whole, terms like english renaissance drama or theatre are more accurate.