Early Elizabethan England Key Words

Excommunicate

To be expelled from the Catholic Church

Heretic

Someone whose beliefs go against the teachings of the Church

Martyr

A person who is killed because of his or her religious beliefs

Divine Right

Belief that the monarch’s right to rule came from God

Clergy

Religious leaders, such as bishops and priests

Papal Bull

A written order issued by the Pope

Succession

The issue of who was going to become the next monarch

Cipher

A secret way of writing in code

Vagabonds

Wandering beggars who often turned to crime

Conspiracy

A secret plan with the aim of doing something against the law

Puritans

Extreme Protestants opposed to any Catholic elements in the Church

Circumnavigate

To travel all the way around the world

New World

The term used by Europeans for North and South America

Doctrine

The teachings and beliefs of the Church

Armada

Spanish word meaning a naval fleet or group of warships

Jesuit

Catholic missionary priest

Catholic

The form of Christianity based on allegiance to the Pope

Court

The community of people who lived with the Queen

Rhetoric

The art of public speaking and persuasion

Privy Council

The committee of ministers appointed by Elizabeth to advise her

Crown

The monarch and their government

Protestants

Christians who broke away from the Catholic Church

Royal Supremacy

This is when the monarch is head of the Church