Early Elizabethan England GCSE History Edexcel

Up to 2.4: The Armada

What was the population of England when Elizabeth became queen?

Three million

Who was at the very top of society in Elizabethan England?

God and the monarch

Who was at the very bottom of society in Elizabethan England?

Labourers and the poor

Was society mainly urban or rural in Elizabethan England?

Mainly rural

Were towns like London growing or getting smaller in Elizabethan England?

Growing

What religion was almost everyone in Elizabethan England?

Christian

What were the three types of Christianity that existed in Elizabethan England?

Catholic, Protestant and Puritan

Who was at the top of Elizabethan government?

The monarch

Which group was very important in Elizabethan government, especially in their local areas?

Nobles (Earls and Lords)

What was the name of the group of c. 19 advisers, nobles and very senior government officials who advised the monarch?

Privy Council

How often did the Privy Council meet?

At least three times a week

Why was Elizabeth a good leader?

She was confident, a good speaker and well educated

Why did Elizabeth understand how dangerous politics could be?

She had experienced being a prisoner in the Tower of London where she was held in 1554 on suspicion of treason against Mary I.

How did Henry VIII’s break with Rome change religion in England?

It made the monarch Head of the Church, instead of the Pope

What religion had Edward VI (Henry VIII’s son) been?

Protestant

What religion was England under Mary I?

Catholic

What religion was Elizabeth I?

Protestant

What religion were most people in England?

Catholic

Who did many Catholics want on the English throne?

Mary, Queen of Scots

Why were Puritans a problem for Elizabeth?

They wanted to manage their own churches

In 1558 what religion were most bishops?

Catholic

Why was it harder for Elizabeth to get an Act of Parliament through the House of Lords than the House of Commons?

There were lots of Catholic bishops in the House of Lords

Which areas of England were strongly Protestant?

London and East Anglia

Which areas of England were strongly Catholic?

Northern areas such as Durham, Northumberland and Cumberland

Why was the north being Catholic a problem for Elizabeth?

The north was very close to the Scottish border so Mary, Queen of Scots could expect support if she invaded

Who were Elizabeth I’s parents?

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (his second wife)

Why did many Catholics reject Elizabeth as queen?

They thought she was illegitimate because her parents’ marriage was unlawful

Who had declared the marriage between Elizabeth I’s parents (Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn) unlawful?

The Pope

What did Henry VIII do to Anne Boleyn in 1536?

Executed her for treason and excluded Elizabeth from succeeding him (she was just two years old)

When did Henry VIII change his mind to say that Elizabeth could succeed him?

At the last minute, on his deathbed

Why did Henry VIII’s decision to exclude Elizabeth from the succession until the last minute make her problems with legitimacy even worse?

It suggested that even Henry did not think that Elizabeth was legitimate

Why was Elizabeth’s gender a significant challenge to her legitimacy?

In the sixteenth century people thought it was unnatural for a woman to rule

Who was Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I, married to?

Philip II of Spain, who became King of England

How much was Elizabeth I in debt when she became queen?

£300,000

How much did Elizabeth I get each year from her land and regular taxes?

£286,000

Who had to give Elizabeth permission to raise extra taxes?

Parliament

Why did Elizabeth want to avoid introducing unpopular extra taxes?

This might lead parliament to make demands on her

When Elizabeth I became queen, how much did she spend on military arms and munitions?

£100,000

Which country was a traditional enemy of Scotland?

England

Why was England’s border with Scotland hard to defend?

It was remote and far from London

How were Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I related?

Cousins

Who did many Catholics want on the English throne?

Mary, Queen of Scots

Who was Mary, Queen of Scots, first married to?

The heir to the French throne, Francis

Who was ruling Scotland whilst Mary, Queen of Scots, was in France?

Her mother, Mary of Guise

Which country had troops stationed in Scotland?

France

Why did France have the potential to overpower England?

France was wealthier and had a larger population than England

What was the name of the long history of friendship between France and Scotland?

Auld Alliance

Why did England join Spain in a war against France in 1558?

Mary I had committed English troops to support her Spanish husband, Philip II

What was the name of the treaty that Elizabeth was forced to accept which confirmed the loss of Calais?

Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis

What was the most powerful and wealthy country in Europe in 1558?

Spain

Where did the Spanish Empire have territories?

In Europe and Central and South America

Why had Spain and England been friendly for most of the Tudor period?

King Philip II of Spain had married Queen Mary I, Elizabeth’s sister

What did Elizabeth do when Philip II offered to marry her after Mary’s death?

Elizabeth ignored her Privy Council and rejected Philip’s offer of marriage

What religion was Spain?

Devoutly Catholic, committed to preventing the spread of Protestantism

What did English Protestants fear about Spain’s future alliances?

That Catholic Spain and Catholic France would put aside their differences and unite against Protestant England to please the Pope.

Who did Catholics believe should be Head of the Church?

The Pope in Rome

Who did Protestants believe should be Head of the Church?

The King or Queen

Who did Puritans believe should be Head of the Church?

Nobody - they wanted committees elected by churchgoers to make the rules

Which type of Christianity liked richly decorated interiors to glorify God?

Catholics

Which types of Christianity wanted a plainer Church?

Protestants and Puritans

Which type of Christianity thought the clergy should not be allowed to marry?

Catholics

Which type of Christianity wanted the Bible in Latin and read only by priests?

Catholics

Which types of Christianity wanted the Bible in English so everyone could read it?

Protestants and Puritans

What did Catholics believe happened to the bread and wine given to people during Mass?

A miracle took place turning them into the body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation)

What did Protestants believe happened to the bread and wine given to people during Holy Communion?

They remained bread and wine but were also the body and blood of Jesus.

What did Puritans believe happened to the bread and wine given to people during Communion?

They remained the bread and wine, but Jesus was spiritually present

What did Catholics believe the priest should wear?

Colourful vestments

What did Protestants believe the priest should wear?

Plain robes

What did Puritans believe the priest should wear?

Plain black gowns

What was Elizabeth’s aim with her religious settlement?

Elizabeth wanted to find a compromise on religion to establish a form of Protestantism that Catholics could accept

When was the religious settlement established?

1559

What were the three parts of the religious settlement?

1. Act of Supremacy 2. Act of Uniformity 3. Royal Injunctions

Which part of the religious settlement made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church, taking power away from the Catholic Pope in Rome?

Act of Supremacy

Why did Elizabeth’s decision to call herself Supreme Governor, not Head, appease Catholics and Puritans?

This implied she would not be so dictatorial as Henry VIII and would be more tolerant

Which part of the religious settlement made Protestantism England’s official faith and also set out rules of religious practice and worship in a revised Book of Common Prayer that had to be used?

Act of Uniformity

Why was the new Book of Common Prayer deliberately unclear?

Catholics could interpret it to mean the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ, while Protestants could take it as simply an act of remembrance

What did the Act of Uniformity say about what priests had to wear?

They had to wear colourful vestments

What did the Act of Uniformity say about the level of fines for anybody who did not attend church on a Sunday?

1 shilling (one week’s pay for an ordinary worker)

Which part of the religious settlement was a set of instructions issued by Sir William Cecil on behalf of the queen to the clergy, on a wide range of issues to reinforce the acts of Supremacy and Uniformity?

Royal Injunctions

What did the Royal Injunctions say the clergy had to teach?

The Royal Supremacy

What did the Royal Injunctions say about Bibles?

Each parish had to have a copy of the Bible in English

What did the Royal Injunctions confirm about what priests had to wear?

They had to wear colourful vestments

What was the name of the belief taught by the Church of England that the monarch had been chosen by God?

Divine right

Why was it important for the monarch’s legitimacy that they kept the support of the Church?

So the Church would continue to teach ordinary people that the monarch was legitimate

What moral issues did the Church courts deal with?

Marriage, sexual offences and slander

Why were many decisions about transfers of wealth made by the Church courts?

Church courts dealt with wills and inheritance

Why were ordinary people very reliant on the Church for practical advice and support?

The Church gave guidance to communities and people turned to their priest in times of hardship

How did the Church ensure that all members of the clergy took the oath of supremacy and followed the terms of the religious settlement?

By carrying out visitations

How many members of the clergy were dismissed in the first visitations in 1559?

400

How frequently did visitations take place after 1559?

Every three to four years

Who did priests need a special license from to be able to preach?

The government

Why did moderate Protestants believe that Elizabeth was bringing in an age of harmony and progress after the chaos of Mary I’s reign?

Elizabeth described herself as the saviour of Protestantism and often used biblical sayings and portraits to show that she was restoring the true religion to England

What language were the Bible and Church services in Elizabethan England?

English

Why did Protestants not lead rebellions, violent protests or help a foreign power invade England?

Protestants thought it was better to have Elizabeth I on the throne than the Catholic, Mary, Queen of Scots

How many bishops accepted the settlement and took the oath of supremacy?

Only one - Elizabeth had to appoint 27 new bishops, allowing her to put Protestants in place

How many Puritans had fled England when Mary I had been queen?

Over 800

Why did many Puritan exiles return to England when Elizabeth I became queen?

England was a Protestant country again

Give two examples of two of Elizabeth’s most trusted Privy Councillors who were Puritans.

1. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester 2. Sir Francis Walsingham

Why did some Puritans accept posts as bishops in the new Church?

They thought they would be in a good position to gradually make the Church more Puritan.

Why did Puritans not lead rebellions, violent protests or help a foreign power invade England?

Puritans thought it was better to have Elizabeth I on the throne than the Catholic, Mary, Queen of Scots