Queen, Government and Religion (1558 - 1568)

when did Elizabeth become queen

1558

Elizabethan England 1558

it was very hierarchical and everyone knew their place in society

who was head of society and government?

The Queen

what was the centre of all political power during Elizabeth's reign?

the royal court

Privy council

a committee of ministers Elizabeth appointed to advise her, they were a group of nobles and they advised Elizabeth. they had great power and helped run the country

How many people were on the privy council?

Elizabeth appointed 19 people to be on the privy council and they met several times a week

What was Parliament made up of?

Nobility and gentry

What did Elizabeth need the parliament for?

To pass new laws and raise taxes

Nobles

there were about 100 nobles and they were expected to deal with social unrest and crime in their lands. they would also be the army commanders in time of war

Who was in the gentry?

lesser nobles, knights and lawyers (they helped ruin local governments and acted as judges and sheriffs

What did Justices of the Peace do?

* Enforced law, provided for the poor and ensured roads and bridges were maintained
* who else helped run the government
* the growing class of merchants
* yeomen and tenant farmers (large class)
* they rented their land to others
* if they could prove ownership to their land yeomen could vote in parliament

when would Elizabeth call parliament

when it was about finance. Elizabeth needed parliament to grant money from taxes to pay for the running and defence of the country

how many times was parliament called in her reign

13 times in her 44 year reign

what was parliament consisted of

* the house of lords and house of commons, 100 bishops, lords and judges (HOL)
* the lower house of parliament (HOC)
* there were about 450 MP's in the commons who were elected by wealthy landowners (mainly merchants, gentry, lawyers)

who was at the base of the hierarchy

labourers, serpents and poor

Elizabeth's personal problems (4)

* many Catholics believed she was illegitimate and therefore had no right to the throne as her father previous divorce to Catherine Aragon wasn't recognised by the Catholic Church and after her mothers (Anne Boleyn) execution Henry declared her illegitimate which he later reversed
* because she wasn't married people believed that she would not be strong or effective enough and that being unmarried would deter foreign rulers. she appeared vulnerable and weak
* marriage would hopefully lead to an heir and Elizabeth was not married so no heir could be produced which could lead to civil war after her death

issue of succession

women were thought to be unnatural leaders and the violence of Mary I rule reaffirmed this view

Elizabeth's strengths and character (4)

* she was brought up as protestant
* she was well educated and spoke many different languages
* she endured the execution of her mother so was redeemed as strong as she was brought without a mother
* she was cautious and perceived as politically intrigue for most of her life

What were Tudor monarchs expected to pay for?

* Costs of running England and if they needed more money they had to call for parliament


* So the monarchs did not like to do this

England's money problems (3)

* Edward IV spent large amounts of money fighting in Scotland
* Mary I sold large amounts of land to bring in money in the short term but losing money in rent in the long term
* The tax system was ineffective ordinary people paid high taxed whilst nobles paid less than they owed

in 1558 where was England likely to be invaded by

France

when did war against France start

1557, meant Elizabeth inherited a loss of £300,000 and Calais had just been lost which was a valuable port for England Under Mary I

government spending when Elizabeth became queen

government spending was high and despite her being in debt she spent £100,000 on arms and munitions

When did Elizabeth sign the peace deal with France

1558

French threat in Scotland (4)

* Scotland was controlled by Frances Catholic royal family With French troops stationed 5here but this was very unpopular
* In 1558 MQS married the heir to the French throne, as Catholics they wanted to invade England and replace Eli with a catholic
* In the late 50s preacher John Knox rebelled with the help of English troops in 1560
* The French left and Mary's husband died reducing the threat of invasion

exchequer

A department or office of state in England charged with the collection and management of the royal revenue and judicial determination of all revenue causes

challenges with the exchequer book

royal land had not produced sufficient rent to keep the exchequer book balanced

Mary QOS (challenge)

many French believed Mary QOS should be ruler as she was catholic legitimate and had a heir and was married to the French kings son

Mary I religion

she had reintroduced roman Catholicism which caused great resentment among protestants but pleased the Catholics however Elizabeth was Protestant so it changed again

Roman Catholics and protestants (5)

* protestants had rebelled against Queen Mary's reintroduction of Catholicism. Mary had burnt 300 protestants at the stake
* Elizabeth was a protestant who sought to restore Protestantism, but was aware that forcing people to change could start a civil war
* many of Elizabeth's newly appointed advisers were protestant
* there were also puritans who caused controversy too

Elizabeth's religious settlement

* tried to create a settlement which would satisfy all religious groups
* acts of supremacy and uniformity
* all government officials and clergy had to swear an oath to Elizabeth
* all church services had to be in English - the prayer book was to be used in English too
* some catholic features were restored such as candles and vestments
* services included prayers for the queen and priests were told what to say
* clergy were allowed to marry
* failure to attend church services meant a fine of on shilling
* RECUSANCY FINES
* the settlement did not cause any rebellions

when was the fine introduced for Catholics not attending church

1559

when was the religious settlement

1559

what was the act of supremacy

the act that made Elizabeth head of the church

what was the act of uniformity

the act specified the form of the church service which had to follow throughout England

How many people were killed for their faith in Mary's reign

280

What were the Royal Injunctions?

a set of instructions ordered by sir William Cecil on behalf of the queen for the clergy to follow

clergy

people who have been trained and approved for carrying out religious services in the church

the church if England and its role in society (4

* the vast majority of people went to church at least once a week
* peoples lives revolved around the church
* the church ran schools and organised social events for the parish
* leading a good life with the church would lead to a good afterlife