1558
Elizabeth crowned queen
Portraits
portraits always painted to create her image as strong, powerful and young
propoganda
weren’t accurate (hid that she had chickenpox or an signs of age)
helped share her image and people kept a portrait of her to show loyalty
1559, religious problems
fear of excommunication
fear that Mary QoS may want claim to the thrown
King Phillip 2nd of Spain
The religious settlement
Act of supremacy
Act of uniformity
Royal injunctions
1559 Act of supremacy
Made Elizabeth head of church (supreme governor) and above the pope
All important officials had to swear an oath to Elizabeth as head of church or they would be imprisoned (refuse 3 times = execution)
High commissioner ensure changes put in place
1559 Act of uniformity
Protestant book of common prayer to be used in all churches
Bible in English
Decorations allowed in church
Clergy had to wear vestments and allowed to marry
Recusants had to pay 1 shilling fine for every absence
Recusants
People who refused to go to church (compulsory Sunday church)
Puritan view on via media (middle way)
Puritans weren’t happy as they believed churches should be simple; no decorations
Also didn’t believe in hierarchy in church
1559 royal injunctions
Clergy had to teach royal supremacy and reject pope’s authority
Also had to identify Recusants and ensure local JPs fined them
The act of exchange 1559
Allowed Elizabeth to take buildings and land from the church and force bishops to lend her land - made the gentry and nobility loyal to her as she would reward them with favourable leases on these lands
The Episcopacy
Elizabeth appointed protestant bishops in churches to replace catholic bishops that refused to take the Oath of Supremacy
1563, 39 articles of faith
Laid down the beliefs of the Church of England
1568 Mary queen of Scot’s arrives in England
Mary forced to leave France after death of king Francis 2nd her first husband
Had to flee Scotland after unsuccessful attempt to reclaim Scottish throne as well as the death of her second husband lord Darnley
scotland also protestant
1569 revolt of the northern earls
2 influential Catholic earls (Charles Neville and Thomas Percy) planned to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with Mary QoS who would marry the Duke of Norfolk (Elizabeth’s cousin)
Elizabeth sent an army to crush the revolt and the rebels fled to Scotland
1570 pope excommunicates Elizabeth in the papal bull
called upon catholics to remove Elizabeth from throne
Gave catholics permission to plot against her
1571, ridolfi plot
Roberto Ridolfi led a plot that indirectly included Mary QOS, the Duke of Norfolk, Phillip 2nd and the pope
Spanish army invasion and would kill Elizabeth; then Mary QOS would marry Duke of Norfolk and become queen
Discovered by William Cecil and spy master Sir Francis Walsingham
1583, throckmorton plot
Jesuit priest, Francis Throckmorton, was a messenger between Mary QOS and the Spanish Ambassador
French forces, funded by Spanish and Papal money, invade England
Discovered by Elizabeth’s secret service
1584, Bond of Association
If the queen were murdered, parliament would punish the murderers
1585, Spain
Spain declared war and began to build a naval fleet
1586, Babington plot
Anthony Babington planned to overthrow Elizabeth with help of Spanish and replace her with Mary
Discovered by Walsingham who found letters written in code between Mary and Babington about progress of the plot
Mary directly involved
February 1587
Mary Queen of Scots executed
Privy Council
Sir William Cecil - Secretary of State and closest advisor to Elizabeth
Robert Dudley - Earl of Leicester (rumoured to have affairs with queen)
Sir Christopher Hatton - lord chancellor
Sir Francis Walsingham - in charge of the secret service and uncovered most plots against Elizabeth
Cecil and Dudley were rival as Elizabeth’s most trusted advisor
lord lieutenant
nobility/wealthy landowners
reported to the privy council about their area and supervised JPs
Justices of peace
gentry
administrated poor relief and the job gave them power and status (not paid but felt it was their duty)
Parish constable
farmers/tradesmen who were appointed several duties and were unpaid for a year
Parliament
parliament only met when when queen called it (parliament only met 13 times during Elizabeth’s reign and asked for money in all of them)
queen only called parliament for: pass acts, get advise or support or when she needed money
Freedom of speech
MPs had freedom of speech but weren’t allowed to discuss her personal life, religion, foreign policy
Housing: Nobility
they had the latest features: walls covered in tapestries and paintings, remodelled houses from medieval designs for Queen’s progresses, great hall made to eat in, sleep in, and entertain in
Housing: Gentry
they copied nobels and also renovated their homes with glass windows, stairs and upper floors
now had separate quarters for servants
Housing: Poor
floor made of earth and timber walls with a thatched roof and basic furnishing
Fashion: Nobility
men: outfits made of expensive materials such as silk, linen and velvet
women: expensive jewellery which advertised their wealth
Fashion: Gentry
fashion used as a demonstration of power, status and social standing
adopted fashion sense from nobility
their outfits were the same as nobility but without the expensive jewellery and threads
Fashion: Poor
had simple clothing and normally had limited amount of clothes
impotent poor
people unable to work due to age or some other restriction (in need of poor relief)
able-bodied poor
those capable of working and unwilling to find a job
poor relief
a series of acts to help regulate the relief of poor (was kept unchanged for 200 years)
1598, Act for the relief of the poor
work found for able-bodied poor
poor children taught trade/craft
compulsory poor rate
1601, Act for the relief of the poor
made 1598, poor law permanent
government realisation that they had responsibility to help poor
causes of poverty
rising population (2.7 million in 1540s, 4.1 million in 1601)
inflation
bad harvests (especially in 1596-7 which increased inflation)
Popular entertainment: Rich
Hunting
Archery
Dancing
Music
Popular entertainment: Poor
Hawking
Dancing
Bowls and football
Playing cards
Cruel sport
bullbaiting
cockfighting
Development of Theatres
Strolling players would tour the country and perform plays in front of townsfolk
wealthy landowners often had private showings (indicates popularity)
authorities feared spread of disease and criminal activity
1572, law passed banning strolling players to perform without a license
1576, actor James Burbage built 1st theatre called ‘the theatre’ and was successful so more theatres built
1572 strolling players
a law passed banning strolling players from performing without a license
Actors in theatre
all male actors so had to be multi-functional
had to sing, dance and play intruments
Playwrites
‘golden age’ of English drama
Christopher Marlowe - wrote a famous play that taught audience not to sin or mingle wit devil
William shakespeare - wrote a variety of genres unlike other playwriters
Queen was passionate lover of theatre and became a patron
Support for theatre
cheap so attracted all classes
queen passionate lover and became patron
Nobels frequently went and new plays became a part of the social calendar
opposition of theatre
authorities concerned about maintaining law, order and spread of disease
puritans found theatre the work of the devil as it distracted from prayer and encouraged sinful behaviour
Reasons for the armada
Dutch revolution in Netherland
English attacks in Spanish Main (1577, Francis Drake stole £140,000 worth treasure in Spanish Main)
Mary QoS’s execution (last hope of a catholic monarch in England gone)
1566, war in Netherlands
Dutch Protestants in the Netherlands rose in rebellion against Catholic rule from Spain
1567, Philip of Spain sent 10,000 troops to Netherlands (burnt over 1,000 Protestants to death)
Elizabeth’s reaction
before 1585: gave unofficial support (supplied them with weapons and money)
after assassination of William the silent 1584: singed a treaty with Dutch protestants to protect and help them (Treaty of Nonsuch)
The Spanish Armada: plan
planned to sail to calais and pick up Parma’s troops from Netherlands
cross to Kent in barges
march to London along with British catholics
Elizabeth surrenders and Catholicism restored
April 1587
Drake attacked Spanish fleet at Cadiz which delayed armada by a year
February 1588
Admiral in charge of armada died and replaced with Duke of Medina
The Spanish Armada: reality
Spainish set sail to Calais in a crescent formation but Parma’s army delayed and vulnerable
7th august, English set alight to 8 old ships and drifted them to where Spanish had anchored which forced them to break crescent formation
8th august, The battle of Gravelines: 3 Spanish ships lost, 1000 Spaniards killed and no English ships lost, only 50 English killed (turning point)
9th august, wind changed direction and Spanish sailed into North Sea around Scotland and Ireland and lost fleet in storms
only 67 ships returned to Spain
results of the armada
war with Spain continued for a decade
English continued to support Dutch protestants against Spain
English sailors continued to attack Spanish Main and steal treasure
Vestments controversy, 1566
Archbishop of Canterbury issued rules on how to conduct services and the wearing of vestments
many puritan priests refused as believed to be similar to catholic outfits (threatened Elizabeth’s position as Supreme Governor)
Puritan priests that refused rules were removed from their position (37 puritan priests lost their jobs for refusing vestments)
1579, John Stubbs Pamphlet
Puritan Stubbs wrote a pamphlet which criticised the queen for marriage talks with Duke of Anjou (Catholic, French king’s brother)
He was imprisoned for 18 months and had his hand cut off
1571, Walter Strickland proposed a bill
Puritan MP Strickland proposed a bill asking to ban vestments, a new common prayer book and more
Elizabeth closed parliament before Strickland could have his ideas discussed and the bill was not heard of again
1576, Peter Wentworth complained MPs not given Freedom of Speech
Puritan MP Wentworth complained MPs not allowed to discuss what they wanted in parliament and accused queen of abusing her power
He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a month and Elizabeth closed parliament down
Elizabeth issued instructions that Parliament not allowed to discuss religious matters without her permission