Elizabethan England

Approximate number of nobles at court.

500.

The Royal Court.

The hub of Elizabeth's rule, a symbol of her power, where feasts, banquets, jousts and plays were held, and where the Privy Council met.

Progress.

A monarch's tour around the country, where they stay in the homes of various nobles free of charge.

Years of Elizabeth I's rule.

1558-1603.

Patronage.

Granting titles, power, etc, in exchange for loyalty.

Number of Privy Council members.

19.

Sir William Cecil.

1520-1598. Secretary of State (1558) and Lord Treasurer (1572). Elizabeth's Chief Minister and a moderate Protestant.

Sir Francis Walsingham.

1532-1590. Ambassador to Paris (early 1570s). Elizabeth's 'spymaster', in charge of her secret service and had a controlled network of spies both in England and abroad.

Robert Dudley.

1533-1588. Elizabeth's favourite. Rumours of romance between him and Elizabeth lasted until his death.

Types of people in the House of Commons.

Lawyers and merchants, educated gentry.

Types of people in the House of Lords.

Nobility and bishops.

Main functions of Elizabethan Parliament.

To approve or decline bills, to check and challenge the government's proposed bills, to debate and reach conclusions.

An 'inconvenient necessity'.

Elizabeth's opinion of Parliament.

2 main complaints made by MPs over the course of Elizabeth I's reign.

Issue of marriage and religion.

Royal veto.

The monarch can reject any chosen act of Parliament. Their say is final.

Number of acts passed over Elizabeth's reign.

434.

The Succession Crisis.

Elizabeth had no surviving siblings or children to pass her throne to upon her death. Who would rule next?

Weak, foolish, unintelligent.

Tudor attitude towards women.

King Phillip II of Spain.

1527-1598. Spanish monarch, Elizabeth's contemporary. Previously married to Mary I. Fervent Catholic. Proposed marriage to Elizabeth but was quickly refused.

Eric of Sweden.

1533-1577. King of Sweden. Proposed marriage to Elizabeth, negotiations lasted for years but ended in nothing. Insane and was deposed. Protestant.

Duke of Alençon.

1555-1584. French noble. Catholic. Negotiations ended following Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Nicknamed 'frog' by Elizabeth, whom was flattered by his attention.

Earl of Essex.

1565-1601. Former favourite of the Queen, attempted rebellion in 1601. Good-looking, charming and skilled solider but arrogant and disobedient. Executed for treason 25th February 1601.

1598, Earl of Essex.

Sent to fight a rebellion in Ireland lead by the Earl of Tyrone. Went against Queen's orders and made peace with Tyrone, wasted time and funds in pointless confrontations.

28th September 1599.

Essex forces his way into Elizabeth's bedchamber, seeing her without makeup or a wig. Elizabeth is furious.

Gloriana.

The goddess-like alter-ego which Elizabeth portrayed to her subjects.

Katherine Grey.

1540-1568. Sister of Jane Grey. Potential heir to Elizabeth I before angering her by marrying without permission. Died in prison by age 27.

Mary, Queen of Scots.

1542-1587. Briefly Queen of France as wife of Francis II. Returned to Scotland and ruled until 1567 before being forced to abdicate. Remained in England under house arrest until 1587 and was executed for supposed involvement in the Babington Plot.

Mary Grey.

1545-1578. Sister of Jane Grey. Potential heir to Elizabeth I before angering her by marrying without permission, just as her sister, Katherine, had done. Died under house arrest.

James VI and I.

1566-1625. Became king of Scotland aged 1 year. Mary QoS's only child. Never actually named Elizabeth's successor by her but became King of England in 1603 after prolonged secret correspondence with Sir William Cecil.

Gentry.

A new social class at the time of Elizabeth I, well-born families with acquired wealth, merchants and lawyers, but without titles- they were not nobility.

Lead, makeup.

Used as a thick white face paint. Fashionable and used by Elizabeth I following an experience with smallpox.

Ruff.

A lace collar around a wire frame. Fashionable and very popular during the Elizabethan era.

Doublet.

A silk or satin fitted jacket very popular with men from the 14-17th centuries.

Farthingale.

A rigid hoop underskirt worn by women to hold the pronounced shape of their gowns.

Blackened teeth.

A status symbol for rich Elizabethans. Sugar was very expensive and thus only available to the wealthiest nobles.

William Shakespeare.

1564-1616. English poet and playwright. Author of 37+ plays. Built the Globe Theatre in partnership with the Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Christopher Marlowe.

1564-1593. English poet and playwright. Friends with Shakespeare. Rumoured to be a government spy. Died under mysterious circumstances, 1593, during a brawl- suspected stabbing.

Puritan.

An extreme Protestant who believed that lack of pleasure in life lead to a better afterlife.

1572 Vagabonds Act.

Parliament pass a law instructing authority figures to treat actors as vagabonds.

1576, The Theatre.

The Theatre is opened in London during this year.

1577, The Curtain.

The Curtain is opened in London during this year.

1587, The Rose.

The Rose is opened in London during this year.

1596, The Swan.

The Swan is opened in London during this year.

1599, The Globe.

The Globe is opened in London during this year.

Where were theatres always built?

Outside the city walls. Authorities such as the Church strongly opposed theatre, so in attempt to placate them, theatre builders were ordered to move outside the inner city.

The 'pit'.

A large yard directly in front of the stage in Elizabethan theatres. The cheapest tickets, cost 1 penny. 'Groundlings' were those who stood in the pit. This area often got muddy and offered no protection when it rained.

Classic shape of an Elizabethan theatre.

Octagon.

Number of tiered levels in a typical Elizabethan theatre.

3. The higher up you sat, the wealthier you were.

Musician's Gallery.

A gallery directly above the main stage. Not visible to the audience. Musicians would play music in order to give a play ambience.

Propaganda.

Information and ideas which are purposefully biased in order to create a specific, usually good, impression.

The Phoenix Portrait.

The Sieve Portrait.

The Pelican Portrait.

The Rainbow Portrait.

Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, shares in The Globe Theatre.

25% each.

Shakespeare, Heminges, Phillips and Pope, shares in The Globe Theatre.

12.5% each.

The Globe, location.

South bank of River Thames.

Approximate capacity of a typical Elizabethan Theatre.

3000.

The 'fourth sort'.

The labouring poor, roughly half of all families in England. No education, no land owned, no disposable income.

Poorest region of Elizabethan England.

North-west.

Approximate percentage population growth, 1550-1600.

43%.

Inflation.

A general and progressive increase in prices.

The 'impotent poor'.

Not able to work or provide for themselves due to illness or age.

The 'idle poor'.

Idle beggars and vagabonds. Homeless, seen as dishonest and immoral. The government was unsympathetic towards this group. Often committed petty crimes.

Child mortality rate, Elizabethan era.

2/3 of children died before reaching 1 year.

1597 Act for the Relief of the Poor.

Established 'overseers of the poor', people responsible for distributing money, food and clothing.

Recoinage.

Effort to stabilise the currency of a country. Old coins are melted down and new coins are issued. Combats inflation.

Debasement of coinage.

Reducing the amount of precious metal in coins in attempt to slow inflation, failed. Used by Henry VIII.

1563 Statute of Artificers.

Places a wage limit upon skilled workers- artisans- in attempt to slow inflation.

1598 Act on Husbandry and Tillage.

Attempts to slow trend of enclosure and protect rural jobs.

Alms.

Charity given to the poor. Often money.

Enclosure.

Division and distribution of land into separate fields closed off by hedges. Each individual received a small artificial field.

Dearth.

Severe scarcity of food, precursor to famine.

Monopoly.

A royal license granting a company to right to sell.

Workhouse.

A house aiming to provide work for the able-bodied poor. Poor received accommodation in return for manual labour, ex, factory-type work, making rope.

'Poor rate'.

English tax. All people had to pay into it. Distributed by parish officials to poor people.

Goods frequently traded with the East at the start of the 15th century.

Spices, incense, silks, cotton and perfumes.

Time taken to transport luxury goods from the East to
England.

2-3 years.

North-West Passage.

An alternative route by sea, around the north of Canada, by which to reach the East. Made impassable by sea ice.

Privateer.

The commander of a privately owned 'privateer' ship, which would have been outfitted with weapons and was licensed by a monarch to attack and raid enemy ships carrying valuable cargo.

Francis Drake.

1540-1596. English explorer, privateer. Captain of the 'Golden Hind'. Knighted 1581. Hero to the English, but nicknamed 'El Draque' by the Spanish.

Walter Raleigh.

1552-1618. Writer, poet, soldier, explorer. Favourite of Elizabeth I and knighted 1585. 'Instrumental' in England's colonisation of America and credited with the introduction of tobacco to England. Executed by beheading 1618.

John Hawkins.

1532-1595. English naval commander, merchant, privateer, slave trader. Not well educated. Known as 'Juan Aquines' by the Spanish, who liked him- he had done some services for Spain in his youth and referred to Phillip II as 'my old master'. Undertook 3 major naval voyages.

'The Golden Age'.

The reign of Elizabeth I. A period of revival of the arts, prosperity and national strength. When Elizabeth inherited the throne, England was in a bad shape and in much debt as a result of Henry VIII. By 1603, the country much strengthened.

1559 Act of Supremacy.

Reaffirmed break with Rome, confirmed independent Church of England. Elizabeth is 'Supreme Governor' of the CoE rather than 'Supreme Head' in attempt to minimise controversy created by Catholics.

Area of England with majority Protestant.

The south-east.

Area of England with majority Catholic.

The north-west.

The 'middle way'.

The way by which Elizabeth hoped to heal divisions between Protestants and Catholics. Some concessions would be made to Protestants and some to Catholics, in order to prevent anger from either party.

1559 Act of Uniformity.

The English Book of Common Prayer would be used in church services. Every subject must go to church once per week or be fined 12p.

1559 Royal Injunctions.

57 rules to be followed by all clergy.

1570, excommunication.

Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth I. No English Catholic should obey their Queen as she was now deemed a 'heretic' by the Roman Catholic Church.

1571 Treason Act.

Result of increasing Catholic plots and assassination attempts on Elizabeth. Denying the Queen's supremacy or bringing the Pope's excommunicative bull into England were punishable by death.

Recusancy.

Refusal to attend church services. During Elizabeth's reign many Catholics did this.

Fine for recusancy, amount.

£20.

1585 Act Against Jesuits and Seminary Priests.

Becoming a Catholic priest was treason. All Catholic priests given 40 days to leave England or face death.

1593, Catholics.

Large gatherings of Catholics now illegal. Catholics not allowed to travel more than 5 miles from their homes.

The Northern Rebellion, date.

1569.

Earl of Northumberland.

1528-1572. Catholic sympathiser and co-leader of Northern Rebellion. Planned to marry Mary and install her as heir to Elizabeth, hoping to increase his influence. Executed for treason following rebellion, 1572.

Earl of Westmoreland.

1542-1601. Co-leader of Nothern Rebellion. A Catholic and opposed Elizabeth I's Protestant policies. Escaped to live on the Continent and lived in exile on a small pension from Phillip II, dying penniless in 1601.

Number of rebels, ordinary people, whom participated in the Northern Rebellion.

5000.