Early Elizabethan England

What year did Elizabeth I become queen?

1558.

How long did Elizabeth I reign for?

45 years - 1558-1603.

Who was queen before Elizabeth I?

Mary I.

Who was Elizabeth I’s father and mother?

King Henry VIII + Anne Boelyn.

Who was Elizabeth I’s brother and sister?

Edward VI and Mary I.

Was Elizabeth Protestant or Catholic?

Protestant.

Was Edward VI, Elizabeth’s brother, Protestant or Catholic?

Protestant.

Was Mary I, Elizabeth’s sister, Protestant or Catholic?

Catholic.

What else was Mary I known as?

Bloody Mary.

What percentage of Elizabethan society lived in towns?

10%.

What percentage of Elizabethan society lived in the countryside?

90%.

How was social hierarchy decided in the countryside?

How much land you owned.

How was social hierarchy decided in towns?

Wealth and occupation.

Who was at the top of the hierarchy in the countryside?

Nobility.

Who was at the bottom of the hierarchy in the countryside?

Vagrants/Homeless.

Name the order of hierarchy in the countryside: Top to Bottom

• Nobility - Major landowners: often lords, dukes and earls.

• Gentry - Owned smaller estates and were very rich.

• Yeomen - Owned small amount of land/estate.

• Tenant famers - Rented land from yeoman farmers and gentry.

• Landless/Labouring poor - People who did not own or rent land; had to work or labour to provide for themselves and their families.

• Vagrants/Homeless - Moved from place to place looking for work.

Who was at the top of the hierarchy in the towns?

Merchants.

Who was at the bottom of the hierarchy in the countryside?

Unskilled labourers and unemployed.

Name the order of hierarchy in the countryside: Top to Bottom

• Merchants - Traders who were wealthy and owned property.

• Professionals - Lawyers, doctors and clergymen.

• Business owners - Often highly skilled craftsmen such as carpenters and tailors.

• Craftsmen - Skilled employees such as apprentices.

• Unskilled labourers and unemployed - People who had no regular work, unable to provide for themselves or their families.

What was Extraordinary Taxation?

Occasional, additional taxation to pay for unexpected expenses such as war.

What was the Divine Right?

The belief that monarch’s were chosen by God.

Who was the head of the government?

Queen Elizabeth I.

Who had the most power and authority in Elizabethan Government?

Queen Elizabeth I.

Who was Elizabeth’s secretary of state?

Sir William Cecil.

Which role in Elizabethan government was voluntary and unpaid?

Justice of Peace’s.

What was the role of the Justice Of Peace’s?

Ensure government policies were carried out and to keep law and order.

How many members were in the Privy Council?

19 men.

What was the role of the Privy Council?

Advise the monarch on government policy, carry out Elizabeth’s decisions and check out what JPs were doing.

How often did the Privy Council meet?

3 times a week.

Who made up the court?

Courtiers (Members of the nobility).

What was the role of the Court?

To unofficially entertain and advise the monarch.

Which 2 houses made up Parliament?

House of Lords and House of Commons.

What was the role of Parliament?

• To grant extraordinary taxation if the monarch needed more money and pass laws.

• Pass laws but only on matters the monarch agreed to.

• Advise the Queen.

Was Elizabeth obliged to listen to parliament?

No.

What could only the monarch talk about?

• Elizabeth’s marriage.

• Foreign policy: How one country decides to behave towards another country.

• The succession: Deciding who will rule after Elizabeth’s death.

What did Elizabeth have to ask Parliament permission for?

• Extra expenses to pay for.

• New laws passed.

• Extraordinary taxation.

What was patronage?

Elizabeth gave and bestowed positions, titled and land in exchange for loyalty.

Why was Elizabeth well respected when she first became queen?

• Very intelligent and well educated; she spoke 5 languages fluently such as Latin and French.

• Had an excellent grasp on politics.

• Confident, charismatic and excellent at speeches which allowed her to win over her subjects and gain support from parliament.

What problems did Elizabeth face when she first became queen?

Religion, Threat of Invasion, Marriage, Gender, Debt, Legitimacy.

Explain why debt was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

The crown was in debt by £300,000. This meant that she could not afford war, invasion or rebellions.

How much in debt was the crown?

£300 000.

What was the crowns annual income?

£286 667.

Why was crown debt only a short term problem?

The crown’s annul income was £286 667, so she would be able to pay off the £300 000 debt.

Explain why legitimacy was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

• Many Catholics believe that Elizabeth was illegitimate and that an illegitimate queen could not effectively rule England.

• This is because Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, as she wouldn’t provide a male heir for him. Henry hoped to marry Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn. However, the pope refused the divorce which in Catholics eyes meant that God refused the marriage.

• Henry created his own church called the Church of England with him as the head so he could divorce Catherine and go on to marry Anne Boleyn. Therefore, committed Catholics believed that Elizabeth’s mother was never legally married to his wife as the Pope hadn’t permitted the marriage and his divorce. This meant that Elizabeth would have been born to unmarried parents, making her illegitimate.

Why did many catholics believe that Elizabeth was illegitimate?

• Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, as she wouldn’t provide a male heir for him.

• Henry hoped to marry Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn. However, the pope refused the divorce which in Catholics eyes meant that God refused the marriage.

• Henry created his own church called the Church of England with him as the head so he could divorce Catherine and go on to marry Anne Boleyn.

• Therefore, committed Catholics believed that Elizabeth’s mother was never legally married to his wife as the Pope hadn’t permitted the marriage and his divorce. This meant that Elizabeth would have been born to unmarried parents, making her illegitimate.

• Also, Henry had Parliament pass the Second Act of Succession (1536), which declared Elizabeth illegitimate and removed her from the line of succession. Despite it being reversed, there was still lots of question about her legitimacy.

What is another word for illegitimate?

Bastard.

Who had declared Elizabeth as illegitimate in 1536? Under which act?

Henry had Parliament pass the Second Act of Succession (1536), which

• Declared Elizabeth illegitimate.

• Removed her from the line of succession.

Explain why gender was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

• The church taught that women should be under the authority of men as women were weak, vulnerable and too emotional - they were not supposed to have an authority or power so many people believed that Elizabeth was not capable of ruling.

• Mary I was the first independent queen of England and her mistakes has made women look like weak, incapable rulers and reliant on men.

• She lost the war with France, lost Calais, allowed her husband Phillip II of Spain to take over her duties, England was in debt and this lead to lots of poverty.

Why did people believe a queen couldn’t rule England?

The church taught that women should be under the authority of men as women were weak, vulnerable and too emotional. They were not supposed to have an authority or power.

How did Mary I not help the view that women cannot rule by themselves?

• She lost the war with France + lost Calais which made female leaders seem weak and incapable of leading their team to victory.

• Mary allowed her husband Phillip II of Spain to take over her duties which again made women seem weak, lazy and overall reliant on men.

• England was in debt and this lead to lots of poverty which highlighted again that women are weak and incapable of ruling a country.

Who was Mary I’s husband?

Philip II of Spain.

What were the positives of Elizabeth’s refusal to marry?

• Gained her respect and power as a queen because she was being transgressive and going against societal norms. Unlike Mary, she wasn’t handing over her duties to a man but was instead facing them herself.

• The only man of suitable rank for Elizabeth to marry would be a foreign prince. He would put England secondary to his own country and likely take control of the monarchy, leaving Elizabeth sidelined. Elizabeth turned down many European eligible princes such as Philip II of Spain.

• Elizabeth could marry a Catholic or Protestant prince, which would anger either Catholics and Protestants, causing more religious division.

Who did Elizabeth turn down marriage to?

Philip II of Spain.

What were the negatives of Elizabeth’s refusal to marry?

• Increased the chance of invasions/rebellions because other rulers will see England as weak without a male ruler.

• Elizabeth couldn’t have a heir which left England very vulnerable. After Elizabeth’s death, this would leave the throne vacant which could cause future arguments over who rightfully deserves the throne and perhaps a civil war.

Which 3 Catholic countries posed as a threat to England when Elizabeth I first became queen?

Spain, Scotland and France.

Which 2 countries were traditional enemies of England?

Scotland + France.

What was the alliance between France and Scotland called?

Auld Alliance.

Which country had Mary I been at war with before Elizabeth became queen?

France.

Which overseas territory had Mary I lost to France?

Calais.

What did Elizabeth do that showed she suspected a French invasion was likely and viewed it as a serious problem?

• Spent £100 000 on weapons and took out a huge loan in case of French invasion.

• Within 3 months, she made peace with France with the Treaty of Cateau - Camberesis to avoid conflict escalating.

What treaty did England and France sign to avoid conflict in 1559?

Treaty of Cateau - Camberesis.

When did England and France sign the Treaty of Cateau - Camberesis?

1559.

Why did Philip and Elizabeth have a good relationship when she first became queen?

Philip has been married to Elizabeth’s half-sister, Mary I.

Who could convince Spain to attack England despite their friendly terms and why?

Philip II was a devout Catholic so if the Pope asked, he would come together with France and attack England.

Why was a Scottish invasion likely?

Mary of Guise would want to invade as she hated England and she wanted her daughter, MQS, to become queen of England. This would be possible if she other threw Elizabeth by invading England.

Why was a French - Scottish alliance likely?

• Both were Catholic countries and hated Protestants.

• Common enemy’s of England.

• Strong alliance together called the Auld Alliance.

• MQS was already married to the French heir. This cemented their friendship and made it more likely that they would invade together.

• French soldiers were already on Scotland so they could easily invade together.

Why was a French - Scottish - Spanish alliance likely?

All were Catholic countries and if the Pope asked them to, they would all unite against Protestant England.

Explain why threat of invasion from France was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

• France was a traditional enemy of England.

• France was a powerful and rich country meaning that war with France would be expensive for Elizabeth, especially since the crown was already in debt.

• Elizabeth signed the Treaty of Cateau - Camberesis in 1959, within 3 months of becoming queen, as she knew how much of a threat France was and she wanted to avoid conflict.

Explain why threat of invasion from Scotland was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

• Mary of Guise would want to invade as she hated England and she wanted her daughter, MQS, to become queen of England. This would be possible if she other threw Elizabeth by invading England which Elizabeth couldn’t afford as the crown was already in debt.

• Many Catholics also agreed that MQS was the rightful heir because she as legitimate, unlike Elizabeth, and therefore Scottish and English Catholics could encourage a rebellion and invasion to get her on the throne.

Explain why threat of invasion from France and Scotland was a problem for Elizabeth when she first became queen in 1558.

• Auld Alliance between France and Scotland and both traditional enemies of England.

• French soldiers were stationed in Scotland at the English border, making it easy for them to invade.

• She couldn’t afford two powerful countries invading England as the crown was already in debt.

Who began Protestantism?

Martin Luther.

Why did people question the Catholic Church?

• Churches were greedy and corrupt, e.g. people could buy away their sins and churches were highly decorated.

• Priests were viewed as more important than everyone else.

• Bible was written in Latin so people couldn’t understand it.

What were puritans?

Extreme Protestants who wanted to purify the Christian religion. They were very anti - Catholic and vocal about their beliefs.

Which religion was a minority in England?

Puritan.

Which 3 religions were in England?

Catholic, Protestant and Puritan.

Where were the majority of Catholics located?

North + West of England.

Where were the majority of Protestants located?

South East England e.g. London and Kent.

Where were the majority of Puritans located?

London and East Anglia.

Who was the head of the Catholic church?

Pope.

Who was the head of the Protestant church?

Monarch.

Who was the head of the Puritan church?

No head of the church.

In which religion were priests celibate?

Catholic.

In which religion were priests allowed to marry?

Protestant and Puritan.

What language are services/the bible in in Catholicism?

Latin.

What language are services/the bible in in Protestantism?

English.

What language are services/the bible in in Puritan religion?

English.

In which religion were churches highly decorated?

Catholic.

In which religion were churches plain and simple?

Protestant and Puritan.

Which religion forbids images in Church?

Puritan.

Why do Puritans forbid images in church?

• Images in Church such as crucifixes are seen as worshipping idols. God cannot be recreated into something physical.

• No distraction from God.

In which religion do priests wear special clothing (vestments)?

Catholic.

In which religion is mass celebrated?

Catholic.

In which religion do bread and wine become the actual blood and body of Christ?

Catholic.

In which religion do bread and wine represent the blood and the body of Christ?

Protestant and Puritan.

What religion was Elizabeth?

Protestant.

How did Elizabeth solve her problem of religion?

Religious Settlement.

Within how many months of becoming queen, did Elizabeth begin her religious settlement?

3 months.

What were clergy?

Church leaders.

What were recusants?

People who refused to attend Church.

When did Parliament pass Elizabeth’s religious settlement?

February 1559.