Y10 - Early Elizabethan England

Problem of legitimacy

• Elizabeth was deemed illegitimate as Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Catholics didn’t acknowledge divorce

Problem of Gender/Marriage

• Women were seen as unfit to rule a country

• If Elizabeth married an english noble, other nobles could become jealous

• If Elizabeth married a foreign noble, England may be dominated by another country

Character of Elizabeth

• Elizabeth was intelligent - she spoke latin, Greek, French and Italian

• Confident and charismatic

• fierce temper

• Could be indecisive at times - frustrated privy council

Who were nobles?

Richest landowners who advised the Queen and kept law and order

Who were the Gentry?

People who owned some land and helped to keep the government locally by judges and sheriffs

Who were Yeomen?

Farmers who owned some land and made money by selling farm produce

Professionals

People who worked in specialised jobs in towns and cities e.g merchants, lawyers and doctors

Tenant farmers

People who rented land to grow crops to sell

Landless farmers

People who worked on land for someone else for money

Labourers

People who worked trades like textile

Skilled Craftsmen

People who held positions like blacksmiths, carpenters and tailors in towns

Vagrants

People who live in severe poverty

What was the role of the monarch?

• to represent the country they ruled

Who were Court?

A group of people who lived or spent a lot of time with the monarch

Who were courtiers?

People from the court who competed for power by trying to win influence and patronage from monarch

Who were the Privy Council?

A group of advisers chosen by the monarch to help make decisions and run country

Who were Parliament?

• Group of politicians that approve laws and raise new taxes

What two groups is Parliament made up of?

The House of Commons and the House of lords

Who were the Lords lieutenants?

• Important people chosen by monarch to help run the country at a local level

• Made sure law was obeyed

Justices for the peace

• Local officials chosen by the monarch to help run the country at a very local level

• Make sure the law was obeyed and to settle disputes

Financial weakness

• Since Henry VIII had been king, England had spent a large sum on fighting wars in France

• In 1558, the crown was 300,000 in debt and the annual income was £285,000

French threat

• French, a larger and wealthier country, was England’s traditional enemy

• Scotland and France were bound by the Auld alliance

• Mary, Queen of Scots, was Queen of France when her husband, Francis, became king in 1559

What area did England control since 1347?

Calais

In 1550s, Who did England side with against France

Spain

In 1559, what was England forced to return?

Calais

What treaty did France and Spain sign to bring peace?

The treaty of Cateau-Cambresis

Religious Causes for Reformation

• Protestants wanted church services and the bible to be English to give Christianity new meaning

• Protestants complained that the catholic church was too rich and corrupt

• Many priests and monks were greedy and sinful- People forced to pay money to go to heaven

• Many features in the Catholic church, such as the power of bishops and the elaborate decoration of church buildings were not in the bible

Political causes of reformation

• By the 1530s, Henry’s wife Catherine was in her late 40s and Henry believed she could no longer produce a son

• Monasteries owned huge areas of land as well beautiful treasures such as gold and silver- Henry needed money to fight wars in France

• The pope refused Henry permission to divorce Catherine and remarry Anne Boleyn, meaning he had to break away from the Catholic Church

Catholic ideas

• The Pope was the head of the church

• Priests communicate with God and discover God’s will - They can forgive sins and should live differently to other people

• Churches should be decorated

• The Bible should be in Latin

• During mass, a miracle occurs when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ

Protestant ideas

• Monarch was the head of the church

• Bread and wine in mass used to represent the body and blood of Christ

• People have their own direct relationship with God through prayer and studying the bible

• Priests can be married and should not wear special clothing

• Bible can be translated into your own language

• Churches = plain-looking

Who were Protestants?

Radical Protestants who wanted to purify Catholic religion

When was the Elizabeth’s Religious settlement created?

1559

Features of the Act of Supremacy

• All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath to Elizabeth as head of the church

• An Ecclesiastical High commission was established to maintain discipline within the Church and enforcing religious settlement

• - Members of clergy who opposed were punished

Features of the Act of Uniformity

• established appearance of churches and the form of services

• Introduced a set form of church services in the Book of common prayer to be used in all services

• Wording of services were deliberately made unclear so that Catholics and Protestants would interpret it in different ways

• Made it compulsory to go to church on Sunday or any other holy day - resistant would be fined one shilling

What were the Royal Injunctions?

• A set of instructions issued by William Cecil on behalf of the Queen to the clergy

What the royal injunctions do?

• All clergy had to teach that monarch was the head of the Church

• Clergy had to report recusants

• Bible would be in English

• To preach, you needed a license

• Pilgrimages, monuments and ‘fake’ miracles viewed as superstition by Protestants was banned

• Clergy could wear special vestments and churches were allowed to be decorated

Responses to the religious settlement

• 8000 of 10000 priests agreed to the settlement

• 1 of the 28 bishops agreed to the settlement

What were visitations?

Inspections of the church and clergy organised by the bishops to ensure the religious settlement was followed

What happened in the first set of visitations?

400 clergy were dismissed

What were Puritan beliefs?

• Bishops should not run the church

• Churches should look plain

• Clergy should wear plain vestments

Crucifix Controversy

• Puritans believed that Crucifixes were idols and distraction from God

• Elizabeth demanded that crucifixes remain in Churches but when Puritan bishops threatened to resign, she was force to back down

Vestment Controversy

• Puritans believed that priests should wear plain clothes

• However, the royal injunctions stated that the clergy must wear special clothing

What did the Archbishop of Canterbury do in 1566 and what was the outcome?

• held an exhibition and Issued the Book of Advertisements with guidelines on what priests should wear

• 37/110 invited refused to go

What broke out in France in 1562

A civil war between the French Catholics and Huguenots

What treaty did Elizabeth sign in 1562 and what did it do?

• Treaty of Troyes

• Forced her to confirm Calais belonged to France

What material did Spain ban the importation of to the Netherlands

English Cloth

What had Spain brought to the Netherlands?

Spanish Inquisition - group which tortured or executed any non-Catholics

In 1560, what happened in Scotland?

Mary of Guise faced rebellion from the Scottish Protestant nobles, which was secretly supported by Elizabeth

What did Mary sign and what did it do?

She signed the Treaty of Edinburgh which forced her to give up her claim to the English throne

What was Mary accused of doing in 1567?

• Killing her second husband, Lord Darnley, in a conspiracy

• This caused a rebellion in Scotland by the nobles, forcing Mary to abdicate and give her position to her son, James

Evidence of success of the religious settlement

• 8000 out of the 10000 priests accepted the settlement

• Pope Pius did little to oppose the settlement

• Visitations allowed Elizabeth to closely monitor the church

Evidence of failure of the religious settlement

• 27 out of 28 bishops refused to accept the settlement and were dismissed

• During the visitations of 1559, 400 clergy members were dismissed

• 1/3 of nobility and gentry were recusants

• Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland tried to organise revolt against elizabeth

Political causes of the Northern revolt

• The North was governed by Council of the North, rather than nobility

• Earls had a plan for Mary, QoS, to marry the Duke of Norfolk and make her Elizabeth successor

• Elizabeth gave more power to people she trusted, rather than families of Northumberland and Westmorland

Religious causes of the Revolt

• Rebels wanted re-establish Catholicism as the country’s religion

Economic causes of Northern revolt

• Elizabeth took land from the northern nobles - Northumberland lost copper mines

September 1569

• Elizabeth is informed by Robert Dudley of the rebellion and the plot for Mary, QoS, to marry the Duke of Norfolk

• Plan involves armed rebellion overthrowing Elizabeth, with Spanish support

November 1569

• Duke of Norfolk is arrested, confesses his involvement and reveals details about the rebellion

• Mary is moved Coventry where rebels can’t free her

• Rebels gather a force and march to Durham, where they take control of the cathredal and hold a Catholic mass

• Rebels destroy all evidence of protestantism

• Some rebels wait for Spanish support at Hartlepool, but it never arrives

December 1569

• Elizabeth’s army of 14,000 reach the River Tees in North Yorkshire

• All 5,500 flee North

• Northumberland and Westmorland flee north to Scotland

Aftermath of Northern revolt

• Elizabeth orders the execution of 450 rebels throughout northern England

• Westmorland escapes

• Northumberland is captured and then executed in 1572

• Duke of Norfolk released and Mary remains captive

Consequences of the Northern Revolt

• 1570 - The pope issued a papal bull, excommunicating Elizabeth

• April 1571 - It became treasonable to claim that Elizabeth was a heretic

• More plots against Elizabeth

• Ended the powers and influence of Northumberland and Westmorland family

What was the Aim of the Ridolfi plot?

• Duke of Norfolk would marry Mary, QoS and lead a rebellion- rebels would be supported by 10,000 Spanish soldiers and would murder Elizabeth and make Mary queen

What were the consequences of the Ridolfi plot?

• Parliament passed two laws in 1581 = recusants would be charged £20 and attempting to convert people to Catholicism was treason

• Foreign priests were smuggled into England and kept them hidden in priest holes in people’s houses

What happened in the Ridolfi plot?

• William Cecil found encoded letters from Norfolk

• Norfolk arrested and executed for treason in 1572

What was the aim of the Throckmorton plots?

• The French Duke of Guise (Mary’s cousin) would invade England, free Mary and overthrow Elizabeth

What happened in the Throckmorton plot?

• Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s secretary, uncovered papers at Throckmorton’s house, revealing the plot

• Throckmorton was arrested, tortured, confessed and was executed

What were the consequences of the Throckmorton plot?

• Papers, included a list of catholics in England who supported the plot

• Up to 11,000 were imprisoned or kept under surveillance

• 1585 - law was passed, making it punishable by death

What was the aim of the Babington plot?

• The Duke of Guise would invade England with 60,000. Elizabeth would be murdered and Elizabeth made Queen

What happened in the babington plot?

• Walsingham intercepted Mary’s letters

• Babington and his accomplices were arrested

What were the consequences of the Babington plot?

• mass arrest - over 300 in North London alone