History- Elizabethan society

What was the social hierarchy in Elizabethan England?

Nobility
Gentry- own lots of land, upper class
Yeomen- lower gentry (less land)
Tenant farmers- farmed on rented land
Landless/Labouring poor
Vagrants and homeless

What was the job hierarchy in Elizabethan towns?

Merchants
Professionals eg. lawyers, doctors
Business owners
Skilled craftsmen eg. silversmiths
Unskilled workers and unemployed

What could the monarch do?

Had divine right (chosen by God) to rule so could give titles, land, jobs and money but also take it back
Declare war and make peace
Call/dismiss Parliament and pass/reject laws
Rule legal cases

What was the Privy Council and their role?

Made up of leading courtiers, advisors, nobles and senior government officials
19 Members chosen by monarch and met atleast 3x a week

Debate and advise monarch on policies
Make sure decisions carried out
Monitored Parliament and law and order

What was the Lords Lieutenant and their role?

Members of nobility often in Privy Council

In charge of raising and training local militia and overseeing county defences
Oversaw enforcement of policies
Part of local government

What were the Justices of the Peace (JPs) and their role?

Large landowners who kept law and order in local areas
Unpaid and reported to Privy Council
Position of status so very popular job

Make sure all social + economic policies carried out
Heard county court cases every 3 months for serious crimes
Part of local government

What was the Secretary of State and their role?

Most important Privy Councillor
Closest to monarch but below nobility

Advised monarch on matters important to the Crown

How did the monarch and Parliament work together

Extraordinary taxation could only be done with Parliament’s agreement
Queen’s orders couldn’t be enforced in law courts but Acts of Parliament could
Important policies had to be approved by Parliament
Royal Perogative- some areas only monarch could decide upon
Could stop Parliament discussing topics she didn’t want them to eg. Succession

What were the Early Problems facing Elizabeth at home

Legitimacy- Birthed from Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII second wife) after divorce so not accepted by Catholics. Henry VIII also declared Elizabeth illegitimate in 1536 before reversing it later

Gender/Marriage- Queen ruling by herself very unnatural as Christianity teaches women under authority of men. Women seen as weaker on all aspects so not fit to rule. Mary’s reign was horrible so people believed women can’t rule and Elizabeth should marry but she turned down many offers

Character and strengths- Very indecisive which Privy Council found frustrating.

What threats was Elizabeth facing from abroad?

Financial weakness- Government £300k in debt but made £286,667 annually due to fighting costly wars. Taxes agreed by Parliament but now could make demands on Elizabeth (didn’t want to rely on them too much)

French threats- Wealthier + Larger population. Auld Alliance- between France and Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots also French Queen so England could be invaded from both angles

France and Scotland- Mary QoS had legitimate claim to throne whilst being supported by Catholics. Border between Eng. and Scot. hard to defend which led to constant fighting and raids

France and Calais- Elizabeth wanted to regain Calais which was forfeited after the war with France. Concerned that France and Spain no longer at war as they’re both Catholic

Some differences between Catholicism and Protestantism

Protestants believed Bible should be translated to languages of the country whilst Catholics believe it should be Latin only.
Beliefs and practices solely based on Bible but for Catholics believe from Both Bible and Church (tradition)
Priests and Pope highly venerated

Who were the clergy?

Religious leaders eg. bishops or priests
Most were Catholic
Act to change England’s religion wouldn’t pass through House of Lords as most were catholic

What was the religious settlement, 1559?

Policies and Laws designs to eliminate religious divisions and conflicts. Wanted to create a Protestant church that Catholics would accept

Summarise the Act of Supremacy

Elizabeth made herself Supreme governor of Church of England. All clergy and royal officials had to make an oath to her

Summarise the Act of Uniformity

Aimed to unite Catholics and Protestants by finding a middleground
Book of Common Prayer used in all churches. Wording deliberately unclear to suit either Protestants or Catholics
Everyone must attend church on Sundays and other holy days or you get fined 1 shilling

Summarise the Royal Injunctions

All clergy taught the Royal Supremacy
Each Parish has a copy of Bible in Eng
Pilgrimages and monuments to “fake” miracles banned
Clergy to wear special vestments
Images in Churches allowed

How did Puritans challenge the Religious Settlement?

Attitudes: Wanted more Protestant developments and had big issues over crucifixes (idol worship) and Clothing (Priests shouldn’t be special

Actions: Puritan bishops threatened to resign and didn’t wear special clothing. Didn’t follow rules on how services should be conducted

Impact: Elizabeth backed down when they threatened to resign. Archbishop released “Book of Advertisement” for guidelines. Special exhibition in London for what priests wear (37 didn’t attend and got fired)

How did foreign powers oppose the religious settlement

Attitudes: Most of Europe Catholic, heavily opposed spread of Protestantism and tried to limit it

Actions: Alliance between Austrian, Spanish and Holy roman empires

Impact: Elizabeth antagonised most of Europe, Phillip II banned imports of English cloth (spreads Protestantism)

How did Catholics oppose the religious settlement

Attitudes: Wanted special vestments for Priests but Queen refused. Not happy when Queen didn’t add crucifixes to every church

Actions: Didn’t wear vestments, differed on Church services and disobeyed Queen’s orders

Impacts: Didn’t pose major threat, 1/3 of nobles/gentry didn’t comply. Rebelled but easily put down

Summarise the Scottish rebellion, 1560

Scottish protestant lords didn’t like French, Catholic influence brought by Mary of Guise
Elizabeth under constant threat from Scotland and France (allies)
Elizabeth funded rebels Protestant rebels with money and troops which helped them defeat Mary

Summarise the Treaty of Edinburgh, 1560

Ended Scottish rebellion as it said Mary, QoS will give up claim to English throne
Mary never approved and continued her claim. Wanted to be named Elizabeth’s heir

Why did Mary flee to England?

Mary marries Lord Darnley in 1565 then gives birth to a son in 1566
1567- Lord Darnley murdered and Mary marries Earl of Bothwell (Scottish protestant.) Forces Mary to abdicate and is imprisoned. Tries to counter-rebel but fails and flees to England
Held captive in England

Summarise the Northern Rebellion, 1569

Catholic nobles felt mistreated by government so wanted Mary, QoS in power by freeing her
Elizabeth found out and arrested Duke of Norfolk (Nov 1969)
Other rebels seized Durham Cathedral and celebrated mass over 2 weeks
Headed further South but Mary moved even further south
14,000 Royal troops crushed rebellion as Spanish help never arrived
450 executed to prevent further rebellions
Pope issued Papal Bull (Elizabeth must be deposed and ex-communicated from Church

What Acts did Elizabeth introduce after the Papal Bull?

Recusancy Act, 1581- Recusants are Catholics which refused to conform to Protestant Church and religious settlement. Required to take oath of allegiance to the Queen. Fines, imprisonment or confiscation of property if failure to comply

Jesuit and Seminary Priests Act, 1581- Targeted Priests who trained abroad and returned to Eng. to minister Catholics. Anyone found harbouring or helping them could face fines, imprisonment or forfeiture of property

Acts against J and S Priests, 1585- Strengthened punishments against these Priests. High treason to be one (death penalty), Refusal to attend Church services led to fines or prison

Summarise the Ridolfi Plot, 1571

Aim: Murder Elizabeth, launch Spanish invasion and Make Mary the queen. Mary to marry Duke of Norfolk. Phillip told Duke of Alba to prepare 10k troops led by Ridolfi

Failure: Sir William Cecil uncovered plot and had enough evidence to prove Norfolk guilty

Outcome: Ridolfi never returned to England, Norfolk executed. Mary + Spain became more of a threat. England focused improving relations with France

Summarise the Throckmorton Plot, 1583

Aims: Guise to invade England, free Mary and overthrow Elizabeth. Phillip to provide financial support. Francis Throckmorton to be a go-between with Mary

Failure: Uncovered in 1583 by Secretary of State. Throckmorton arrested, tortured, convicted and executed

Outcome: Bigger threat of Foreign Catholic powers. Many Catholic sympathisers in England. Life became harder for them as imprisoned or watched

Summarise the Babington Plot, 1586

Aims: Murder Elizabeth through English Catholic rebellion. Duke of Guise invades with 60k men and Put Mary on throne. Supported by Pope and Phillip II

Failure: Babington sent letters to Mary but Mary’s letters intercepted by spies. Once Walsingham had enough details, all involved arrested then hung drawn and quartered

Outcome: Mary finally tried by Privy Council and sentenced to death. English aiding Dutch Protestants against Spain. Mass arrests of recusants, Execution of Mary

Why was Mary executed in 1587 and not before?

Plots kept getting more dangerous- only a mater of time until one went through

Catholics warded off as no Catholic ties to English throne

Act for the Preservation made Mary useless to throne and gave clear pathway of execution

How were Spies used in Elizabethan England?

Sir Francis Walsingham became Secretary of State in 1573.
Developed network of spies both England and abroad
Some specially trained agents but most were ordinary people who were paid for Info.
Used ciphers in written communications to hide plans from rebels
Everyone routinely spied on

What were Elizabeth’s foreign policy aims

Develop and improve trade to benefit English economy
Protect England’s borders
Protect the throne
Avoid War (costly and could get overthrown)

Why did Spain pose a threat to England?

Very wealthy and larger population (would win war)
Spain controlled England’s main route to European markets (Netherlands) so couldn’t trade abroad
Needed licenses granted by Spain to trade

What did Drake do to be viewed as a villain/hero

Hero- Claimed first area in New World for Elizabeth: New Albion. 2nd person in history to circumnavigate globe. Seized £400k of Spanish treasure for the Crown. Boosted national morale and seen as hero when knighted

Villain: Phillip called him a pirate and hated him. Spanish relationships improving but he undermined this by seizing cargo and attacking colonies

Why did France and Spain want to ally with England?

France- surrounded by Spanish territory and wanted England’s help
Spain- Elizabeth’s fleet would protect ships sailing in the channel to Netherlands against France

Why were the Dutch unhappy with the rule of Holy Roman Empire?

Catholics wanted to wipe out Protestantism
Dutch heavily prosecuted for being Protestant
Wanted autonomy and freedom of religion
England felt the need to help as they are also Protestant

Why did Elizabeth not directly help Dutch protestants and how did she indirectly help

Phillip II might help Catholic rebels in England
France might side with Spain
Too costly and England not as rich
Risk of war

Allowed Spanish colonies and ships to be attacked by English Privateers
Pursuing Friendly relations with France
Encouraging others to fight Spain

Summarise the Spanish Fury and Pacification of Ghent, 1576

Spanish forces sacked Antwerp as they went months without pay. Rampaged through other Dutch provinces

All 17 provinces united against Spain. All Spanish troops to be expelled from the country
Restoration of political autonomy and end to persecution
Elizabeth sent loan of £100k and expeditionary forces to make sure it went through
Signed by Don Juan- Phillip’s brother

What happened After the Pacification of Ghent

6 months later, Phillip sent new army to attack Netherlands.
Elizabeth sent John Cashmir (mercenary) with 6k troops but they devastated Catholic churches so Catholics allied with Spain
Privy Councillors urged Elizabeth for direct intervention but she hesitated
Dutch turned to France for help but Spain had upper hand

Spain gained Portugal so got the empire and naval forces. Much richer and stronger than England

What was the Treaty of Joinville, 1584

French Catholic League allied with Phillip II against French Protestants

What reasons caused the Spanish Armada

Treaty of Nonsuch (1585) and England’s direct intervention in Netherlands
Drake and the New World- his actions angered Phillip
Spain + Pope plotting to kill Elizabeth (religious conflict)
Pope promised to forgive sins of those in the Armada and give Phillip a reward

What was the singeing of the King’s beards

19-22nd April 1587, Drake sailed into Cadiz harbour and destroyed 30 ships under order of Elizabeth
Gave Elizabeth a year to prepare as Phillip had to rebuild for a year

What was Phllip’s plan for the Armada

130 ships, 2341 guns and 30k men under command of Duke of Medina-Sidonia
Armada would sail along channel to Netherlands
Join up with Duke of Parma and transport 27k men to Kent
Parma marches to London and deposes Elizabeth, instilling Catholicism

Summarise the events during the Armada, July 1588

Battle of Plymouth- English fleet fired at Armada with cannons and captured 2 Spanish vessels
Armada continued east and arrived on Isle of Wight. Spanish outgunned by English and wasted ammo
Spanish forced to drop anchors off coast from Netherlands called Gravelines whilst waiting for reinforcements
English attacked Spanish with fireships- broke strong formation and unable to meet with Duke of Parma- forced to flee

Consequences of the Armada

Great propaganda for Elizabeth and Protestantism- shows strength and wealth, “God blew and they scattered (Favoured Protestantism)
Strength of British Navy- more confidence to trade on open sea (boost economy)
Anglo-Dutch relations improve (Dutch rebels renewed fight)
Spain financially weakened

What were the reasons for the Armada failing?

Poor Spanish communication- Communication between Duke of Parma and Medina-Sidonia happened overseas, took long time and didn’t know what was happening. Captains panicked and scattered due to fireships

Spanish supplies- Kept in weak wood barrels due to Drake’s raids. Food rotted as already 10 weeks at sea. Low supply of cannonballs that were low quality

Weak Spanish Leadership- Phillip ignored suggestions from commanders, tried to do everything himself despite not being there (outdated tactics, not adapted)

Weather- ¼ of men made it back due to ¾ drowning. ½ ships lost. Secured English victory and heavily weakened Spain

Superior English Tactics- Fleet kept safe distance so couldn’t get boarded. Fired faster and further away (minimal losses), Near Eng ports so could retreat and restock, Fireships confused Armada and broke formation.

What education did each class have access to?

Lower class- No formal education
Middle class- Petty School 4-8, Grammar School 8-14, Uni. Apprenticeship for boys. Girls just had Dame school
Noble boys- Private tutor until early teens, Noble household until mid teens, University
Noble Girls- Private tutor until early teens, Noble household until mid teens

What type of education did the nobility have?

Learnt Variety of subjects eg. Latin, Greek, Philosophy.
Women learnt music, dance, needlework
Boys taught horse riding, archery, fencing etc.
Sent to another noble household to finish education

What were Grammar Schools like

42 founded in 1560s, 30 more in 1570s. Most schools in England than ever before
Private schools for well off boys (gentry, professionals etc.)
Focus on Latin but also history and Philosophy with sports
Emphasis on memorising lots of text along with debating and public speaking

What were Petty schools like?

Set up and Ran in teacher’s home
Most boys began education here
Learnt reading and writing in English along with arithmetic

What were Dame schools like

Provided basic education for girls
Focused on the home- wide variety of skills such as cooking, baking, sewing

What were universities like?

Only two: Oxford and Cambridge. Started uni at 14-15
Curriculum: Geometry, music, Astronomy, Philosophy, Logic and Rhetoric, Divinity and Law
Doctorates were highest the highest qualification
Different colleges opened inside universities to train more Protestant Clergymen eg. Jesus College in 1584 opened by Elizabeth

What were punishments like in school

Kept in at break
Corporal punishment eg. caning
Exclusion
Expulsion after warnings
Being on report (monitored closely)

How much did education improve under Elizabeth (percentages)

1603: 30% Of men and 10% of women literate
1530s: 20% of men and 10% of women literate

Who were the poor and what 4 groups were most at risk of being poor?

80%+ Of income spent on bread
Claiming Poor relief
Beggars and homeless

Most at risk:
Widows
Old and Sick
Boys aged 16 (40% of the poor)
Unemployed

Difference between a vagrant and Vagabond

Vagrants are those who were unemployed with no job so turned to begging but a vagabond is a vagrant who turned to crime

Why did poverty increase so much?

Between 1560 and 1601, population increased by 50%
Wages decreased due to more demand for jobs so employers could pay less
Rent increased due to population so more demand for homes and land owners could charge more
Poor harvests led to less food so increased prices and turned to sheep farming (less food, more unemployment as less labour intensive)

What were the attitudes towards the poor

Split into two groups Impotent (incapable of work and deserved help) and Idle poor (able-bodied unemployed and didn’t deserve help)
Poverty drove a crime wave which threatened the rich

How were the poor helped?

Poor relief which supported the impotent poor by taxing the rich

Summarise the 3 acts introduced to help the poor

Statute of Artificers, 1563: Anyone who refused to pay poor rates could be imprisoned. Officials who can’t organise poor relief fined £20

Vagabonds Act, 1572: 3 levels of punishment for Vagabonds- 1. Publicly whipped and holes drilled in ears 2. Jail time 3. Execution. Introduced National Poor Rate- JPs kept register of the poor. Towns and cities had to find jobs for Impotent poor

Poor Relief Act, 1576: JPs provide Impotent poor with materials to help them work by letting them trade. Those who refused sent to a special prison called House of Correction

What sport activities did each class enjoy

Upper class: Hunting, Hawking, Fishing, Fencing (men only) and tennis (men only)

All classes: Wrestling and swimming (didn’t mix classes), Bear baiting, Cockfighting (opposed by puritans), bullfighting

Lower Class: Football (much more violent)

How did the arts change under Elizabeth

Theatre- Theatre developed as a result of Protestantism (more secular plays became popular). 1583, Elizabeth I established The Queen's Men. Popular with all classes.

Literature- Lot of new literature written during Elizabeth reign. History a very popular subject, as were accounts of voyages of discovery

Music- Upper class played Lutes, Spinets and harpsichords whilst lower class played bagpipes and fiddles. Wealthy families would employ musicians (only men paid.) Lower classes would hear it in public places or church

Why did exploration increase? (4 reasons)

Financial + Military- Trade expanding due to New world. Triangular trade set up by John Hawkins (slave trade) very profitable due to exotic spices and materials. Private investors funded many voyages

Technology- Navigation much more precise due to Thomas Hariot figuring out simpler way of using Sun to calc. sailing direction. More accurate and standardised maps for more accuracy. Galleons allowed for longer journeys with more cargo

Adventure- Young well-off men went on voyages to make fortunes. Publication of accounts of voyages persuaded people

Education- Discovery of Americas led to belief of faster route to Pacific and Far-East. Search led to many voyages which led to new info. abt NA coastline. Increased study of maths and astronomy led to simpler navigation

What were Drake aims for sailing around the globe

Main purpose to raid Spanish colonies in Pacific as relations worsening
Wanted revenge as attacked by Spanish forces whilst with John Hawkins. 325 killed and some abandoned. Returned home with only 15 sailors
Great Profit to be made in Americas and many investing in the expedition

Why can Drake’s circumnavigation be considered both a failure and success?

+Gathered lots of info. abt Americas and voyages which encouraged further explorations
+Angered Phillip by raiding Spanish colonies
+Established Nova Albion- first colony under queen

-Only had 1 ship by the time he reached Pacific in 1578 and executed Captain Thomas Doughty
-How far North they travelled is debated (maybe only up to Vancouver)
-Spain already had many colonies in New World

How did Walter Raleigh organise the Virginia project and why was it significant?

Raleigh secured royal charters from the queen
Recruited 107 colonists (wanted over 300)
Sought financial backers and investors for funding
Raleigh organised provisioning of supplies eg. food and seeds and tools
Raleigh couldn’t lead the expedition himself

Significance/aims:
Begin England expansion into New World (roots for empire) and Reduce Spanish influence
Access to valuable resources and a lot of profit
End English dependence on Europe for exotic goods (lower costs)
Develop culture through exchange and interaction

Why did the colonisation of Virginia fail?

1585 Voyage: Grenville’s ships hit rocks, damaging supplies and seed crops.
Tribes angry colonists taking up land and resources, forced to abandon Roanoke in June 1586 due to hostilities from tribes they relied on
Starving colonists boarded Drake’s ships to return

1587: John White wanted to take settlers further North but landed at Roanoke due to worries of hurricane. Too late to plant seeds so low food. Too many craftsmen not enough farmers. Natives didn’t work for them when expected to do physical work. No materials to build forts or arts. Eng fishing techniques didn’t work and couldn’t hunt
White returned in 1590 but all settlers disappeared and never seen again