Elizabeth Part 1 - AQA GCSE History

what was elizabeth like in her younger years

-she was bright, intelligent and hard-working

what was elizabeth’s childhood like

-henry viii executed anne boleyn, her mother, and sent her away from the royal court

-elizabeth rarely saw henry viii and lost the title of princess but still remained proud of him

what were some changes after henry viii died

-henry viii died in 1547 and passed the throne onto edward who then died and passed it onto mary

-mary was catholic and determined to make england catholic

what did mary do to make england catholic

-nearly 300 protestants who refued to change their beliefs were burnt at the stake

why did elizabeth get locked up in the tower of london

-a rebellion broke out in 1554 where elizabeth was suspected and charged with treason

-she got let out 2 months later due to lack of evidence

when did elizabeth become queen

-november 17th 1558, after mary died

what was henry viii’s religious backstory

-he was catholic for 40yrs until the pope refused to give him permission to divorce his wife so he setup the church of england

-he closed monasteries and seized their wealth leading to a rebellion in 1536 where 200 people were executed

how did henry viii impact elizabeth

-married anne boleyn in 1533 but she got executed 3yrs later

-henry viii left the country in debt due to numerous wars with france and spain

what changes did edward vi bring

-he was protestant bringing about many changes causing a rebellion in 1549 to break out in cornwall and devon where 2500 were executed

what impact did edward vi bring

-left the country in more debt as poverty increased due to bad harvests so food prices rose and famine aswell

-farm workers lost their jobs when when land owners enclosed land to grow sheep instead of crops, causing a rebellion in 1549 in norfolk that killed 3000

what was the power ladder in elizabethan times

-god → monarch → nobility → gentry → everyone else

what role did the nobles play

-they were wealthy landowners and the monarch’s leading advisers who appointed lord lieutenants and responsible for providing for their county and providing soldiers

-if the monarch kept them happy then they would be loyal but some can rebel

what roles dd the gentry play

-they were knights, lawyers, merchants and smaller landowners that ran as JPs with about 40 in each county

-they didn’t get paid but it gave them influential power as they decided local laws, e.t.c.

-JPs depended on nobles who recommended them for their role and so were loyal

what roles did the general population play

-they worked for the people above them and served as soldiers

-they were expected to be loyal but unpopular changes can lead to rebellion due to poor economic conditions or religious changes

what was the importance of patronage

-elizabeth couldn’t run the country alone and so nobles ran national government and gentry ran local governments for her

-she could take away the power they had and so they pleased the queen, she didn’t control all the power but controlled the people who did

what was the royal court

-it consisted of 500 courtiers that brought the most important people in the country together to ask for advice, rewards, e.t.c.

where did the queen stay most of the time

-rarely spent 2 weeks in 1 place but her main palace was at whitehall, london and regurlarly visited other palaces and grand houses of the nobles

how did the system of patronage keep courtiers loyal

-system of patronage meant nobles wanted to win the queen’s trust to gain power as with the queen’s support they can boost their own following and gain wealth and land

how did the queen keep as many courtiers as happy as possible

-she shared titles and positions around

-despite being protestant, she allowed catholics to come to court to not lose their loyalty

what was the queen’s life like in the royal court

-she spent lots of time in the privy chamber with high-ranking ladies in waiting that told her what happened at the court

how did the queen use ceremonies to demonstrate her power

-courtiers expressed their loyalty to the queen through ceremonies

-they included activities like: riding and hunting and was fun and designed to impress

what was the privy council

-it consisted of the most powerful courtiers and met most days at court and they advised the queen and helped run the country

-the queen needed support of as many nobles, but only chose a few as her closest advisers as she trusted them the most

what roles did the privy council play

-people management, policy, pathway to the queen, problem-solving, parliament, protection, propaganda

how did the privy council help people management

-they organised JPs and were in charge of various government departments like:

-lord treasurer - responsible for the queen’s finances and spending

-lord high admiral - commanded england’s navy and settled disputes

-lord chamberlain - ran the royal household and booked appointments, e.t.c.

how did the privy council help on policy

-they advised the queen on important matters like religion and foreign policy

how did the privy council help the pathway to the queen

-secretary of state(main adviser/leading privy counseller) was in regular contact with the queen and all communication passed through them first

how did the privy council help problem-solving

-secretary of state was expected to deal with everyday problems

how did the privy council help parliament

-council helped decide what happened in parliament

-they decided what was debated and made speeches applauding the queen

how did the privy council help protection

-council protected the queen, e.g. using spies to help uncover plots against her and organising england’s defence

how did the privy council help propaganda

-council created a positive image of the queen through written publications/portraits

what ways did elizabeth control the privy council

-delay, small team, written records, careful selection, divide and rule, rewards, punishments

how did elizabeth use delay to control the privy council

-she made it clear who made the big decisions, she was a cautious ruler that didn’t rush into anything despite her advisers frustration

how did elizabeth use a small team to control the privy council

-mary used to have 50 counsellors but elizabeth had 19, making them easier to control

-she attended meetings with only 8 or 9 of them

how did elizabeth use written records to control the privy council

-she used the detailed notes of discussions to question counsellors or catch them out

how did elizabeth use careful selection to control the privy council

-elizabeth chose her counsellors very carefully, and took care of not offending nobles who could turn against her

how did elizabeth use divide and rule to control the privy council

-she deliberately chose counsellors with different viewpoints to allow her to hear all the sides and make a final decision herself

how did elizabeth use rewards to control the privy council

-counsellors who did a good job received wealth, encouraging them to be loyal to her

how did elizabeth use punishments to control the privy council

-counsellors that upset her could quickly be dismissed

who were elizabeth’s key ministers

william cecil, christopher hatton, francis walsingham, robert dudley

what’s the background of william cecil

-member of the gentry and a moderate protestant, he wanted to bring the country together and wasn’t afraid of disagreeing with elizabeth

what roles did william cecil play

-queen’s main adviser for 40yrs

-became secretary of state in 1558 and managed meetings in parliament

-became lord treasurer in 1572 and secretary of state again in 1590

-died in 1598, where his son, robert cecil took over

what’s the background of christopher hatton

-member of the gentry and a moderate protestant

what roles did christopher hatton play

-organised the queen’s progresses and captain of the queen’s bodyguard

-elected to parliament and helped the queen control MPs and pass laws

-made lord chancellor in 1587 and died in 1591

what is the background of francis walsingham

-member of the gentry and a puritan who fled mary’s reign in 1560

-held a grudge against william cecil and wanted strict laws against the catholics

what roles did francis walsingham play

-in charge of the queen’s secret service which helped uncover a catholic plot in 1571

-became secretary of state in 1572

-in 1586, found evidence that mary queen fo scotts was plotting against elizabeth

-died in 1590

what is the background of robert dudley

-member of the nobility and a puritan, a childhood friend of elizabeth

what roles did robert dudley play

-made earl of leicester in 1564

-appointed master of the horse, which made him personally responsible for the queen’s protection

in 1585, he was appointed as an army commander to fight spanish forces in the netherlands

-in 1588, he was in charge of the land forces guarding elizabeth against the spanish armada

-organised queen’s visits to tilbury, standing beside her as she gave speeches

-died in 1590

why did elizabeth promote dudley and hatton

-dudley came from a powerful family so the queen wanted them on her side

-they were excellent courtiers that hosted extravagant banquets, e.t.c.

-they were intelligent and able and worked their way up

how did elizabeth use her coronation to display her power

-she was carried on the platform with golden silk, and nobles and servants following her

-a huge banquet and a 10 day celebration in london followed

how did elizabeth hide her physical appearance

-she used a white face mask to hide smallpox scars and wore a wig when she lost her hair in the 1590s

how did publishings and plays play a role in propaganda

-there were only 60 printing presses in england at the time and so the privy council could easily censor books or pamphlets they disproved

-government briefly shut down london theatres in 1597 when a play criticised the queen

what did the privy council publish

-their own books which defended and applauded the queen, other people were encouraged to do the same

-books and plays put the queen in good light or made fun of enemies like spain

what were progresses

-the queen toured the country in the summer as most people couldn’t visit london

-her and her court stayed at the houses of nobles and they put on feasts and cerenomies

-she travelled with her advisers and nobles spent a large sum of money trying to impress her

how did portraits help propaganda

-most people never saw the queen so her image was really important

-portraits didn’t often show her real image but were controlled to spread positive messages

-many nobles had portraits of her on the walls of their houses to express loyalty and sent abroad to foreign rulers

-artists had to get permission to draw a portrait and in 1596, all portraits that were deemed bad were burnt

what messages did portraits put out

-she was england’s rightful ruler

-she was powerful

-she was wealthy

-she was young/healthy

-she was a wise/successful ruler

-she protected her people

how did these portraits express these meanings

-orbs and sceptres, sword of justice, e.t.c. were used to display she was a rightful ruler unlike what the catholics thought

-portraits showed her wearing expensive jewels and standing on a map of england

-portraits hid signs of aging

-portraits included symbols to display a meaning

who was thomas howard

-he was a powerful noble and protestant and was jealous about the rise of william cecil and robert dudley

-his plan to gain greater influence backfired and caused a rebellion in the north

what was thomas howard’s marriage plan

-he was going to marry elizabeth’s cousin, mary queen of scotts and many approved of the plan

-dudley told elizabeth and he was captured and imprisoned where he begged her for forgiveness and told the other nobles not to rebel

what was the result of howard’s capture

-earl of northumberland and cumberland were scared that they could face execution due to their involvement of the plan and so launched a rebellion up north

what happened to howard after he got released

-in 1571, he was involved in the Ridolfi plot where 6000 spanish troops were to join the english catholics and remove the queen off the throne

-mary queen of scotts was to become queen and marry howard

-the plot was uncovered and howard was executed on june 1572, despite elizabeth’s initial reluctance

what were some religious problems elizabeth faced

-catholics believed the pope should be in charge and churches should be highly decorated, they might rebel if the church was made more protestant

-protestants believed that the monarch should be in charge of the country’s church and most people were protestants in england

-there were lots of puritans in parliament

what were some economic problems that elizabeth faced

-Mary I had spent lots of money on wars with spain and so elizabeth inherited little money for the country which wasn’t enough for an army

-wollen cloth business was falling in the 1550s which was its main trade and so the government received less money from taxes and thousands were left unemployed/in poverty

what were some succession problems elizabeth faced

-Mary Queen of Scotts had the strongest claim to the throne if she didn’t have children

-King Philip of Spain wanted to marry her but he was catholic and if she refused spain might attack

-parliament and the privy council wanted her to produce an hier otherwise there may be a civil war

-some people believed a female ruler was incompetent

what were some political problems elizabeth faced

-parliament was growing stronger and demanding more say in how the country would be run

what was the makeup of elizabeth’s parliament

-elizabeth → francis walsingham(secretary of state) → william cecil(lord treasurer) → nobles → bishops → judges → MPs

why did elizabeth need parliament

-although she had most of the power, she needed parliament to pass big laws or changes and approve the changes

-parliament only met for a total of 35 months out of her 45yr reign, which is 3 weeks each year

how did elizabeth control parliament

-she decided on what parliament discussed, and that they don’t debate religion or succession

-she could dismiss parliament if it refused to do what she wanted but she was willing to compromise

-she controlled which MPs were in parliament as she influenced the nobles who chose them

what was the puritan opposition in parliament

-MPs should be allowed to say and discuss what they wanted

-queen should marry a protestant prince

-stricter regulations on churches like less decoration

-puritans wrote pamphlets and matters they disagreed with against elizabeth

what was the opposition to monopolies in parliament

-many MPs complained about her giving monopolies to members of the privy council and courtiers

-in 1601, she compromised and cancelled some of the monopolies

-elizabeth was able to control parliament and get the results she wanted for most of her reign

what was the succession problem

-everyone expected her to marry quickly after becoming queen

-there would be chaos and conflict as different families would try and take power when she died

-privy council and parliament advised her to marry and wanted to settle the matter quickly

what were the disadvantages of marriage

-she could lose independance as a husband would be socially superior

-marrying an english noble would make others jealous and less loyal to her

-marrying a catholic prince would cause unrest as the population feared catholicism, mary I’s marriage to philip of spain was also very unpopular as they were foreign

who were elizabeth’s main suitors

robert dudley, king philip II of spain, francis duke of anjou and alencon

why was king philip II of spain a suitable suitor

-spain and england had recently allied with a war against france

-philip wanted to marry to become king of england

-his marriage with mary was very unpopular and caused chaos so elizabeth turned him down

why was robert dudley a suitable suitor

-dudley and elizabeth were childhood friends and rumours spread they were in love

-dudley had a wife that died in september 1560 which caused a scandal

-elizabeth decided marrying dudley would be too big of a scandal and a big risk

-dudley married elizabeth’s cousin in 1578

why was francis, duke of anjou and alencon a suitable suitor

-he was the king of france’s younger brother and regurarly visited england in the 1570s

-the pair became close despite the 20yr age gap

-the possibility divided the country as france was catholic and her advisers were split, this intensified from the Valentine’s day massacre in 1572 in france and the french were very unpopular with pamplhets against elizabeth marrying him

-elizabeth called it off as it was deemed too big of a risk

what was the solution to the succession problem

-Mary Queen of Scotts was executed in 1587 and so Mary I’s son, James VI now had a strong claim to the throne

-James VI was protestant and recognised by william cecil but elizabeth initially refused

-in 1601, robert cecil began planned with james what happened when she died and in 1603, james VI became king

what is the brief history of kenilworth castle

-built in the 1120s, as an important royal castle with a norman keep

-in the 14th century, it was turned into a comfortable living area and a hunting area

-in 1563, elizabeth gave the castle to robert dudley

what caused dudley to make improvements to the castle

-he proposed to elizabeth on christmas 1565 but got rejected

-elizabeth ordered him back to court and gave him money to improve kenilworth, introducing the latest features of elizabethan architecture

-improvements show dudley’s determination to impress elizabeth and highlight her wish to promote him

what was the impact of elizabeth’s visit to kenilworth castle

-she visited in 1575 for 19 days, longest she stayed with a member of the court

-dudley put on incredible entertainments to try and impress her

what did dudley do in 1578

-married elizabeth’s cousin and elizabeth was furious but eventually forgave him and the pair remained close until his death in 1588

what was dudley’s improvements to kenilworth

-the great tower, privy garden, leicester’s gatehouse, leicester’s building, stables and the insides

what were some political problems elizabeth faced at the end of her reign

-her loyal key ministers had died and were replaced by younger, more ambitious men who were desperate for power and so she didn’t have as much control

what were some economic problems she faced at the end of her reign

-between 1594-1597, there were 4 terrible harvests and food prices rose up and hunger increased

-poverty and crime increased, along with riots as the war with spain was costly and meant that taxes increased too

what were some military problems she faced at the end of her reign

-england was at war with spain and spend large sums of money helping rebels fight against spanish rule in the netherlands