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Why was illegitimacy a problem for Elizabeth?
Henry had divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon prior to marrying Anne Boleyn, who was Elizabeth's mother. The Catholic Church didn't believe in divorce, so many people thought that his 2nd marriage wasn't valid, so Elizabeth was illegitimate. This called into question Elizabeth's claim to th throne.
What were some strengths of England when Elizabeth came to the throne?
- more peaceful after the war of the roses
- King Henry VIII made himself head of the Church, giving the monarch more power than the pope
- the printing press meant more people could read
- Edward VI had become King at 9, and made all Churches strictly protestant
What were some weaknesses of England when Elizabeth came to the throne?
- big divisions between Catholics and Protestants
- the population was increasing, and most people lived in the countryside so there was rapidly growing poverty
- harvests were failing, increasing the problem of poverty
What was a foreign strength of England when Elizabeth came to the throne?
the Netherlands were protestant, so were friends with England
What were some foreign weaknesses of England when Elizabeth came to the throne?
- Scotland was a traditional enemy of England, and was also allies with France, which was extremely Catholic
- England sold cloth to the Netherlands, which was controlled by Spain
- Spain was growing in power, and was Catholic
- France was Britain's traditional enemy. Mary 1 went to war with France, and lost in Calláis in 1558
What were some personal strengths of Elizabeth's background when she came to the throne?
- taught by Kat Ashley, and recieved an amazing education
- Catherine Parr took care of Elizabeth, and influenced her to be protestant
- When Mary I was declared queen, she and Elizabeth rode to London together as a sign of unity
- In 1544, she was restored as an heir to the throne
What were some personal weaknesses of Elizabeth's background when she came to the throne?
- her mother was executed by Henry VIII, so she was classed as illegitimate
- In a political scandal in 1549, she and Thomas Seymour were accused of having a relationship
- Seymour was executed after being accused of plotting against Edward VI with Elizabeth
- Elizabeth was treated as a suspect during Mary's reign. After the Wyatt Rebellion, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the tower of London.
What was the Privy Council?
A group of trusted ministers who helped Elizabeth govern England
What did the Privy Council do?
Co-ordinated financial departments, law courts and regional bodies. They also managed relations between Parliament and ELizabeth. They acted as Royal Spokesmen, and helped to steer debates in favour of royal policies.
How many people were there in the Privy Council?
There were originally 20 men, but she later narrowed this number down to 12. She removed the nobility members, as they were less controllable through patronage.
Who was William Cecil?
- He was Elizabeth's closest advisors, and she made him Principal Secretary when she came to the throne.
- In 1571, she gave him the title Lord Burghley. In the next year, she made him Lord High Treasurer, giving him greater control over Royal Finances
- He was a moderate protestant
What were the 3 main jobs of parliament?
- to advise local councils
- to control taxes (the queen needed parliament's permission to raise taxes)
- legislation: the queen needed parliament's permission to pass new laws. However she could bypass this by issuing Royal Proclamations instead
In what year did Elizabeth become queen?
1558
What were some problems with parliament during ELizabeth's reign?
- Elizabeth was pressured a lot to choose an heir to throne. She later banned this discussion from parliament
- Some puritan MPs also challenged the religious settlement, and wanted England to be more protestant.
- MPs were worried about Mary Queen of Scots and Catholic Plots surrounding her.
- Elizabeth only called 13 sessions of parliament throughout her entire 44-year reign.
How many people were in the court?
1000
What was the role of Elizabeth's Court?
- impress foreign visitors
- entertainment
- personal monarchy (closer to Liz = more power)
- travel with Elizabeth on progressions
What was patronage?
Elizabeth gave titles ( with power and wealth) to some nobility to ensure that others would be loyal to try and gain the same rewards
What was divide and rule?
Chose people with differing opinions and beliefs to be in her court and her council so that they wouldn't team up and rebel against her
Who was Christopher Hatton?
- moderate protestant who disliked puritans
- well educated member of the gentry
- was Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard, and became Lord Chancellor in 1587
- he was loyal and helped ELizabeth organise progressions
- was allies with Cecil
Who was Francis Walsingham?
- well educated member of the gentry, skill with languages allowed him to be French Ambassador in the 1560s
- puritan, exiled in Mary's reign
- member of privy council in 1573, knighted in 1577
- was very loyal, and acted as spy master
Who was Robert Dudley?
- childhood friends with Elizabeth, even rumours of romance
- questionable background, with a disgraced father, so many questioned his authority
- privy councillor in 1562, and became Earl of Leicester in 1564
- clashed with Cecil, allies with Walsignham
Who was Robert Devereaux?
- stepson of Dudley
- well educated at Cambridge
- popular and ambitious, but was arrogant and argumentative
- joined council in 1593, but was resentful of the Cecils' influence
- led a rebellion to capture the queen, but it lasted only 12 hours.
How did religious changes lead to more poverty?
- after the dissolution of the monasteries, there was a lack of support for poor, ill and disabled people
When and what was the dissolution of the monasteries?
1536 - 1541, Henry VIII closed down all monasteries and sold off their land
How did population growth lead to an increase in poverty?
- population of England grew from 3 million to 4 million, but food production didn't keep up, leading to shortages and increased prices
- wages didn't increase, so standard of life fell for workers.
- there was increased competition for land, so rent increased
How did agricultural changes lead to increases in poverty?
- enclosed fields to form large farms instead of traditionally divided fields required fewer labourers, so farmers who had previously rented strips of land were evicted. they became unemployed and homeless
- these people were forced to move to towns or cities looking for work, and the government thought these people were "vagabonds" and feared they would cause riots.
- exporting wool = more profit than grain, so farmers stopped producing grain, which led to more food shortages.
Who were the helpless poor?
- those who couldn't support themselves; young orphans and the elderly, sick or disabled
Who were the deserving poor?
People who wanted to work, but weren't able to find a job in their home town or village
Who were the undeserving poor?
The vagabonds who were fit to work, but refused to find a job
Describe the poor laws
- in the 1960s, the poor rate was introduced
- more laws in 1597 and 1601 made them poor rate a national system of compulsory taxation
- the undeserving poor were publicly whipped and then forced to return to their home parish. Repeat offenders could be sent to prison.
What was the poor rate?
A locally enforced (by an officer called the overseer of the poor) tax used to provide hospitals and houses for the elderly, sick and disabled.
Poor children were given apprenticeships, and local authorities were also expected to provide financial support and work for the deserving poor.
Who were the gentry?
wealthy landowners
Why did the gentry grow in size?
- dissolution of the monasteries meant more land was available to buy
- merchants became wealthy and used their money to buy land
- Tudors had marginalised the nobility, giving them very few titles, and leaving a gap to be filled by the gentry, allowing them to grow a lot in political power.
Describe new houses in the Elizabethan age
- many members of the gentry improved or built new homes. this was called the Great Rebuilding
- this allowed the elite to show off wealth using large windows or landscaped gardens
- improved living standards due to better chimneys and fireplaces
Describe art in Elizabethan England
- portraits were very popular, and included a lot of symbolism
- gentry paid for elaborate decorations for their homes, including tapestries and carvings
Describe literature in Elizabethan England
- elite support for playwrights grew and acting companies helped the flourishing of Elizabethan theatre
- poetry became very popular
Describe education in Elizabethan England
- more people could afford education
- some noble families had private tutors, so more students from the gentry and nobility went to grammar schools or university.
Describe theatre in Elizabethan England
- first theatres were built in the 1570s, including "the theatre" and "the curtain"
- was considered a Golden Age for playwrights
- women weren't allowed to perform on stage
- companies included "the lord chamberlain men" and "the admirals' men"
- appealed to all, with tickets starting at 1p. Rich and poor sat separately
Describe the problem of the succession
- people worried Elizabeth couldn't rule alone, and expected her to find a husband
- people were considered about a lack of an heir. If she died without one, there would be multiple groups competing for the throne
- the privy council and parliament asked her to name an heir multiple times, but in 1566, she banned them from ever discussing it again.
What would be the problem with marrying a foreigner?
- it would give another country too much influence over England
- for example, Mary I married Phillip of Spain, which caused England to become involved in an expensive war with France
What would be the problem with marrying a member of the British nobility?
other members would get too jealous
What would be the problem with marrying a Catholic?
growing anti-Catholicism after the settlement would cause them to be very unpopular
Describe Phillip of Spain as a Suitor
- wanted to regain his title of King of England
- Liz instantly rejected him, knowing how badly he had treated Mary I
- Mary's marriage to him had also been unpopular and caused rebellion, and had caused England to lose Calais, England's last French land
- if she had married him, she would have gained more international power.
Describe Robert Dudley as a suitor
- most people believed that he And Liz were in love, but he was already married
- his wife had mysteriously died, with her body being found at the bottom of some stairs
- their marriage would seem scandalous, and cause the wife's death to seem purposeful
- Dudley's father had also been exiled, so he had a bad reputation.
Describe Francis, Duke of Alençon (anjou) as a suitor
- they were genuinely fond of each other
- he was a catholic, so would be very unpopular
- after St Bartholomew's day, when 1000 protestants were murdered in France, the French were very unpopular in England
When was the Essex rebellion?
1601
Describe the Essex Rebellion
- in 1599, Liz sent Essex to Ireland with an army to defeat a rebellion. He abandoned his post and returned t England without permission.
- Liz put him on house arrest and took away the monopoly which was his main source of income
- He revolted in retaliation, aiming to seize the queen and replace her advisors.
- he failed as ordinary londoners didn't support him, and he was arrested and executed
Who were the two groups competing in Liz's court?
1) William and RObert Cecil v Robert Deveraux (Earl of Essex)
Hw did conflict in the court in the 1590s affect Elizabeth?
- undermined her authority
- couldn't use patronage as effectively
Describe John Hawkins and his work
- first english privateer to take part in the slave trade
- took 3 slave-trading voyages to the Carribean. He sold slaves to Spanish colonies in america
- helped design new ships which improved the british navy
- first 2 voyages = very profitable, but 3rd was confronted by spanish ships, most of the fleet was destroyed
Why was exploration difficult?
- sailors had no way of finding longitude
- no detailed maps or charts
- bad weather could blow ships off course
- many sailors died of disease
Describe the work of Francis Drake
- first to circumnavigate the earth in 1580
- raided many spanish settlements on the south american coastline
- raided and captured 2 very valuable Spanish treasure ships
- was knighted by Liz when he returned
- inspired many other explorers
Describe the work of Raleigh
- Liz gave him permission to explore new territries (1581)
- sent 108 settlers to colonies Roanoke island, but they ran ut f supplies and abandoned the colony
- sent more in 1587, supplie sent in '88 but when they arrived in 1590, the settlers had dissappeared
- raleigh was responsible in part for this failure as it was badly planned and his funds were limited
What happened to Raleigh?
he was disgraced after he married one of Liz's ladies-in-waiting without permission, he was sent from court and briefly imprisoned
however he became and MP and was heavily involved with the royal navy
Describe the positive impacts of exploration
- brought wealth to merchants in trading and Liz/ members of the gentry who sponsored voyages
- new land and wealth helped build up England's power and reputation
- new trade routes and monopolies, like the East India Company's monopoly on Spices, silks and porcelain
- development of navy to compare with Spain and Portugal
- extended international links
Describe negative impacts of exploration
- first steps toward the slave trade
- increased hostility between Spain and England due to actions of English Privateers
When was the religious settlement?
1559
What was the Act of Supremacy?
- Elzabeth named herself "supreme govenor of the english church"
- this pleased cathlics who didn't think a king or queen should be 'head'
- it also pleased people who didn't think a woman could be 'head'
What did the Act of Uniformity and the Royal Injunctions (1559) do? (reformations)
- going to church was complulsory, with fines for missing a service
- all churches had t have an english copy of the bible
- new book of common prayer (setting out how services should be run)
What did the Act of Uniformity and the Royal Injunctions (1559) do? (concessions)
- wording of communion was deliberately vague so that transubstatiation (Catholic belief that the bread and wine during communion becomes body / blood of Jesus) wasn't banned
- churches had to keep some deocrations, like candles, and priests still wore vestements
- both of these things pleased catholics, who had heavily decorated churches
Why were the Northen Nobles unhappy?
- Liz confiscated lots of land from the Earl of Northumberland and given it to a Southern Protestant, removing profits he gained from copper mines on the lands
- they blamed Liz's advisors for these changes, wanted her to remove privy councillors (especially william cecil)
When was the Northern Rebellion?
November 1569
Describe the Northern Rebellion
- Duke of Norfolk planned to marry mary and make her queen in a rebellion
- plan was discovered and so failed, northern nobility was angry
- held an illegal Catholic mass, and began marching south with the armies of Northumberland and Westmoorland
- Royal army sent, and the northern one gave up
- Northumberland executed
- Westmoorland fled to france, where he died in poverty
Why did the Northern Rebellion threaten Liz?
- showed danger of Mary being a figurehead for Catholics
- news of the rebellion spread to protestants and added to anti-catholic feelings
- little support from rest of country meant this was the last catholic rebellion to try and remove Liz by force.
When was the Ridolfi plot?
1571
Describe the Ridolfi plot
- italian banker ridolfi wanted another northern rebellion, but believed they needed foreign support
- planned for netherlands to invade england at same time as another northern rebellion, liz would be murdered and replaced by mary, who would then marry Norfolk
- plan was discovered by Liz's spies, Ridolfi was executed in 1572
When was the Throckmorton Plot?
1583
Describe the Throckmorton Plot
- plan was for a french catholic forced (backed by spanish and papal money) to invade england and free MQS
- Throckmorton aided communications between the Spanish Ambassador and MQS, but Walsingham discovered the letters and he was executed
- spanish ambassador was expelled, and was the last one to live in england
Describe the Babington Plot
In July 1586, a rich young Catholic, Anthony Babington, met a Jesuit priest called John Ballard. Ballard persuaded Babington to join a plot to kill Elizabeth and put on the throne. Babington found a way which he thought was secretive to communicate with Mary, placing coded letters inside waterproof tubes and hiding them in beer barrels in the house where Mary was being held. One of Walsingham's spies Thomas Phelippes, intercepted the letters and broke the codes. In August 1586, Babington and Ballard were arrested and under torture they confirmed that Mary had agreed to the plan. In September they were executed.
What did the puritans want?
- all priests to be well educated to be allowed to preach
- education of ordinary people so they could read and understand the bible
- some wanted to remove the church of england, and start over, they were called separists
What were prophesyings?
well organised gatherings of clergymen where young/unlicensed preachers could practise their art and be taught how to preach
What happened with the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1576?
- Edmund Grindal, the archbishop, refused to stop puritans so he was fired and put on house arrest by Liz
What actions did Puritans take?
- from 1559-1563, they pushed to remove Catholic holy days and organ music
- printed pamphlets with coarse language. this turned people against the movement
- as many were illiterate, the movement was not widespread
What were the strengths of the puritan movement?
- high profile members of the court
- continental support
- supprt from unis
- strong regional power base
what were the weaknesses of the puritan movement?
- not a united movement (different versions)
- new in england
- not widespread
When did Whitgift become Archbishop of Canterbury?
1583
What actions were taken against puritans?
- archbishop witgift said all priests had to follow CofE or be suspended, so he suspended 200-300 priests
- Liz shut down parliament before MPs could discuss banning Catholic Vestments
- government introduced censorship to prevent puritans spreading ideas, led to several puritan leaders being arrested in 1590
When was Liz Exocommunicated?
1570 - the pope used a papal bull to exocommunicate her, meaning catholics followed the pope instead of liz and became less loyal to her.
What action was taken against Catholics?
- less tolerant of recusancy
- treasons act in 1571 meant anyone who claimed Liz wasn't the head of the Church faced execution
~ 2 more anti-catholic acts in 1581:
- increased recusancy fines so they were too expensive for ordinary people
- fines/ prison sentences for people who went to catholic mass
- made converting to catholosism treason
- prison sentences and/ or death penalty for people who encuraged rebellion
Who was Edmund Campion?
A Jesuit priest who came to England but was arested after holding catholic mass in homes of important cathlic families
What were missionary priests?
priests who trained abroad and came to england to convert people to catholisism
What political tension was there with Spain?
- phillip ruled spain, the netherlands, and parts of italy and portugal
- he also had a large empire in the americas
- england wanted to build its own empire, leading to rivalry between them
what religious tension was there with spain?
phillip was a strong catholic and didn't like the settlement
he became involved in plots against Liz in 1570s/80s which damaged their relationship
what economic tension was there with spain?
- liz encouraged privateers to illegally trade with spanish countries and spanish ships carrying treasure
- John Hawkins illegally traded with spanish colonies
Why did Elizabeth sign the Treaty of Nonsuch?
- wanted to protect Dutch Protestantism
- English exports to Europe were vital, and many passed through Dutch ports so she wanted to ensure English merchants would have access
- if the rebels were defeated, Philip might have used the Netherlands as a base of invasion for England
What part did the Netherlads play in the beginning of the Armada?
- in 1581, Protestant rebels in the Netherlands declared independence from Spain. In 1584 the rebel leader (William the Silent) was assasinated, weakening the rebellion
- In 1585 Liz signed the Treaty of Nonsuch, which promised military assistance to the rebels
- Philip saw the Treaty of Nonsuch as a declaration of war on Spain. In response, he began building an Armada to invade England.
When was the Treaty of Nonsuch signed?
1585
Who did Elizabeth send to disrupt spanish preparations for the Armada?
Francis Drake
Which port in Spain did Drake attack? When? What did he do?
The port of Cadiz in 1587. He destry 30 ships and seized many supplies
How did Drake's attack on Cadiz help England?
- delayed the Armada by more than a year. It was expensive for Spain to source new supplies.
- Drake captured planks made form seasoned wood that were needed to make barrels to hold food and water
- so Spain had to make barrels from unseasoned wood, which didn't preserve food welll, causing supply issues for the Armada and affecting the morale of the Spanish soldiers
What was Philip's Enterprise of England?
His plan to remove Elizabeth from the throne.
Describe the Armada
130 ships, 8000 sailors, 18,000 soldiers
Who did Philip choose to lead to Armada?
He appointed the Duke of Medina SIdonia, because he obeyed instructions and had a high social status.
The Duke had little military experience, so unsuccessfully tried to turn down the command.
What was Phillip's plan?
- he had thousands more soldiers stationed in the Netherlands under the Duke of Parma.
- he thought that his armada would meet the Duke's army at Dunkirk
- the combined forces would then sail across the channel to england under the protection of the Armada's warships
When did the Armada reach the English channel?
July 1588
Describe the Armada's journey to England
- set out in May 1588, was delayed due to bad weather, but reached the channel in July
- It was sighted off the Cornish coast, and beacons were lit along the South Coast to send the news to London. English ships sailed from Plymouth to meet the Armada.
- The Armada sailed in a crescent formation, and it was a defensive strategy which used the larger armed ships to protect the weaker supply and troop ships.
- The Navy carried out a few minor raids, but didn't inflict much damage. Only 2 Spanish ships were lost, and this was by accident
Describe how the English attacked the Spanish ships at Calais
- The Duke anchored at Calais to wait for Parma's trooops, but Parma's ships were being blockaded by Dutch ships and couldn't reach the coast in time
- The English sent 8 fireships among the anchored Spanish ships (in the middle of night). This caused panic amongst the spanish sailors, so they cut their anchor lines, broke their defensive formation and headed towards the open sea.
Describe how the English attacked the Spanish ships at Gravelines
- after the attack at Callais, the spanish ships regrouped at Gravelines but the weather made it impossible for them to reform their defensive positions.
- the english moved in and the battle lasted many hours. 5 spanish ships were sunk, and the rest of the fleet retreated away from the French coast to the North sea
- An English fleet followed as far as Scotland to ensure the Spanish didn't regroup and join Parma's ships.
Describe the Armada's journey back to Spain
- the Duke of Medina Sidonia decided to call off the attack on England and return to Spain by sailing roud Scotland and Ireland. The Spanish sailors were unfamiliar with this very dangerous route, and they encountered powerful atlantic storms
- Many ships were sank or wrecked on the Irish and Scottish coasts, and local inhabitants showed the survivors little mercy
- The ships that completed the journey ran low on supplies, and many men died of starvation and disease
- Less than half the fleet, and 10,000 men made it back to england
How did English Strengths help to defeat the Armada?
- they improved their ships, amking them longer and slimmer so they were faster and easier to handle. Their cannons could also be reloaded more quickly than the Spanish ones
- their tactics were effective. Spanish ships aimed to come alongside their opponents, board their ships and engage in hadn-to-hand fighting. The English used their greater mobility to stay out of range. Instead of boarding the spanish ships, the english fired broadsides which sank them
