Studied by 208 people1558 - accession
no question about who would succeed, greeted with pageants and processions
1558 - first Parliament
centred around religion and marriage, petition that she should marry and give an heir, tried to establish a new religious settlement but was adjourned
april 1559 - introduced reformed religion
gave in to neither side, settlement was via media (middleway)
1558 - religious settlement
needed to pass it by Parliament, first attempt blocked by Catholic lords, her and Cecil changed parts to officially create the settlement, deliberately vague with beliefs and policy, looked Catholic but sounded Protestant
1558 - Act of Supremacy
Elizabeth made Supreme Governor, all clergy and officials required to swear an oath to her, heresy laws repealed, both kinds of communion authorised, new court
1558 - Act of Uniformity
1552 book of common prayer to be used, fine introduced for not attending Church on a Sunday, 'black rubric' omitted, death sentence for attending Catholic mass, Protestant leaning with Catholic elements
1558 - other religious reforms
taxes paid to the church now paid to the crown, monasteries dissolved again, clergy to wear vestments, music encouraged, images were not to be destroyed, clergy could marry but only if approved
1558 - via media
looked Catholic but sounded Protestant, more Protestant leaning, Catholics, radical protestants and Puritans were dissatisfied, best move to secure foreign relations and the stability of her monarchy
1565 - vestments controversy
Dean of Christchurch deprived of his position for refusing to wear the surplice, aim to put an end to the order that vestments should be worn by all, 37 London preachers removed (not a significant number overall), Zwingli advised them to give in over indifferent matters
crucifixes
Elizabeth liked them and thought removing them would anger the Catholics, demanded each church display one but backed down when Puritan Bishops threatened to resign
the Puritan challenge
wanted radical reform so began to challenged the Anglican Church, began going against agreements of the settlement but not popular with ordinary people
1586 - Bill and Book
Anthony Cope, bill and book to overturn the gov and church, some support, sent to the tower
1571 - Walter Strickland
wanted to reform the prayer book and ban vestments, some support, Elizabeth closed his Parliament to silence him, was allowed back after outcry but bill disappeared
separatists
small group of religious opponents that wanted to establish their own church/religion instead of reform Elizabeth's, set up own church but didn't last long and went into exile, executed upon return in 1590s, limited due to lack of common goal and people grew to accept her religion
1569 - Rebellion of the Northern Earls
Catholic, Elizabeth tried to limit their power by giving land to the Southern Earls, genuine religious concerns but politics and succession caused it, 4.5k men stormed Durham Cathedral and destroyed the English Bible and communion table then celebrated Catholic mass, over 800 executed and 500 killed in battle, never seriously challenged again
1568 - MQoS kicked out of Scotland
encouraged Northern Catholics as she had a legitimate claim to the throne, married to French King which limited Spain's actions abroad, then he died so Spain could help Catholic support against England, her arrival signalled opportunity
1556 to 1557 - Dutch rebel against Spanish
for practical and Protestant reasons, Spanish crush the rebellion, possibility for invasion, Spanish base in the lowlands would put England at risk of invasion
1568 - deterioration of Spanish relations
Elizabeth expressed quiet sympathy to Dutch Protestants, new world trade conflict, ambassador issues, Spanish sympathy for MQoS, merchants acting as pirates
1568 - Anglo-Spanish 'tipping point'
Spanish ships forced to land in England carrying £85,000, Cecil advised Elizabeth to seize them, she took on the loan from European Bankers, Philip seized English ships and banned trade
1571 - Excommunication
Pope declared Elizabeth a heretic and England was excommunicated by way of a Papal Bull, Catholics released from loyalty to her
1571
Parliament passes a series of Acts to protect Elizabeth from consequences of the Papal Bull, illegal to bring into England and carry out orders, treason acts that it was illegal to say or write that Elizabeth wasn't the true Queen of England
1574 - Seminary Priests
talented young Catholics trained by William Allen in France, long and strict training to be best examples of Catholic Priests, some executed in 1577, considerable success
1580s - the Jesuits
most likely to subvert England and restore Catholicism, increased Catholic presence in England, 1581 act increased recusancy fines to £20 and made it treason to convert others, 1585 act made it illegal to be an ordained Catholic Priest, cause much diminished by 1589 due to gov actions of suppressing Catholic threats
1571 - The Ridolfi Plot
plan to secure a landing of Spanish troops in Essex so they could march on London and overthrow Elizabeth, details uncovered by Cecil apprehending and torturing a messenger, success depended on people that had no desire to remove her, not really a threat as was controlled by gov
1583 - The Throckmorton Plot
uncovered by Walsingham with a spy in the French embassy, two parts; Spanish landing in Lancashire (fiction) and a landing in sussex under the command of Mary's French cousin funded by Spain and the papcy, anticipated to encourage Catholic rebellion, Throckmorton tortured and executed, willingness of Spain to involve themselves, Bond Association created by councillors (required to murder anyone uprising), less severe once panic passed
1586 - The Babington Plot
Babington (young Catholic) collected over a dozen conspirators who were committed to murder Elizabeth, Walsingham intercepted letters between France and Mary and used it as leverage, Babington used as a double agent, Mary consented to Elizabeth's murder as she feared assassination, Babington executed, MQoS executed in 1587, contributed to decision to launch Armada in 1588, controlled by Walsingham but seemed to pose significant threat at the time
court
centre of patronage, independent info for the monarch, made up of those surrounding the Queen, over 1,000 people generally attended, became politicised, heard ideas from influential figures
Lord Lieutenant
one for every county, wealthy noble acting as a direct link to the Queen and Privy Council, responsible for putting down unrest and providing part time soldiers
Justices of the Peace (JPs)
30-60 in each county, unpaid officials selected by the Queen so oversee law and order, duties included enforcing poor laws, collecting tax, repairing roads and judging crimes at quarter sessions
Privy Council
'indispensable hub of the entire machinery of the government', administrative body, about 19 members chosen by Elizabeth, met 3 times a week, debated current issues and advised on policy
William Cecil
secretary of state and Elizabeth's most trusted advisor, educated at Cambridge (intelligent), planned for all eventualities, attended 97% of meetings in 1560s, heart of the government
1590s - faction
at its worst due to the turnover in councillors, Robert Cecil vs the Earl of Essex (most serious factional rivalry of the reign), Essex was convinced Cecil was engineering his downfall when. really it was his actions in Ireland, Essex was banned from the court and stripped of his monopoly
1560s - faction
used by Elizabeth to control and dominate her council, Earl of Sussex and Earl of Leicester were forced to reconcile when civil war looked likely, Cecil and Dudley also disagreed with each other
Parliament
legislative, where taxes could be raised, two houses, elections held but very few could vote, passed laws and offered advice
Elizabeth's control of Parliament
could only meet when she called and she set the agenda, could only discuss what she allowed, prorogue = she could close it at any time, imprisoned awkward members, privy councillors sat to help control proceedings
when did Elizabeth call Parliament?
10 times (13 sessions) in 45 years, only when she needed things done, relative to current state of affairs (more in 1590s because more issues), more reluctant than predecessors
Parliamentary challenges - religion
evidence of ideas for reform by MPs supported by Bishops and PCs which Elizabeth refused, Strickland suspended in 1571 for proposing reform however this received lots of opposition so it couldn't be done again
Parliamentary challenges - MQoS
attempted to bring about her execution in 1572 via speeches, statements and consultations however only managed to persuade to execute Norfolk, signed death warrant in 1586 after petitions from both houses as it was the legal penalty for treason
Parliamentary challenges - freedom of speech
mostly used as direct criticism of the Queen, Wentworth brothers argued in Parliaments from 1566-87 as wanted to call it more often, Elizabeth refused, in 1576 Peter Wentworth said he didn't like court being controlled by 'rumours and messages' but this was stopped by the house of commons and he was sent to the tower
Parliamentary challenges - monopolies
felt they were unfair and abused so protested in 1597, 1598 and 1601, would not grant taxes until they were withdrawn
domestic impact of marriage and succession
1559 petition that she should marry with 'convenient haste', House of Lords asserted a duty to marry and provide an heir in 1563, Elizabeth thanked them for their concern and accepted but later furiously scored bill noting her promise, more pressure in 1566 which she proclaimed was equivalent to being buried alive, feared they would use her successor to focus plots against her
foreign impact of marriage and succession
stalled negotiation with MQoS, concerned herself with Mary's matrimonial projects and even put Leicester forward as a suitor, increasingly uneasy relations between Spain and England, Spanish supported Mary's claim to the throne and got involved in plots
purveyance
the right of a monarch to buy a product at a lower price
immediate socioeconomic problems
inherited £227,000 Marian Debt, debased coinage causing inflation, couldn't increase taxes without the permission of Parliament, cost of running Royal Household, previous method of patronage, quick rise in population throughout reign (25%)
strengths of Elizabeth's financial management
reforms of administration (two parts of the exchequer) made it more efficient, William Paulet and Sir Thomas Gresham, reduced court spending, revised book of rates from Mary
Thomas Gresham's contributions to financials
convinced Cecil that Elizabeth should be borrowing from her nation (used during wars), identified areas of economic weakness
Cecil's contributions to financials
Economic Settlement 1559 - 1563, regulated lang use, navigation acts (eg compulsory fish wednesdays), wage reforms
debt from Mary
£227,000, 14% interest on £160,000 loan from the Antwerp Exchange, Elizabeth reduced expenditures, left building to courtiers, avoided war, froze salaries and used monopolies as patronage, surplus of nearly £300,000 by 1584 so acquitted debt though wars then had a disastrous impact
inflation
exacerbated by debasement of the coinage in the 1540s, especially affected food prices (140% increase between 1490 and 1580), attempted to deal with by revaluing coinage and reducing imports although this had limited success due to unknown impact of growing population
cost of war
total of around £4 million, funded dutch rebels to avoid Spanish invasion, used purveyance to get cheap canons and forced nobility to give loans to the crown totalling £330,000 and sold £600,000 in crown lands, forced to use extraordinary income, ruined financial security, back in debt by end of reign
extraordinary income
taxes passed through Parliament only at times of emergency
crown lands
revenue increased from £86,000 to £110,000 throughout her reign, did not feel she could risk aggressive management systems to increase rent, some land sold at start of reign but reluctant to exploit tenants
Parliamentary taxation
usual reason for summoning Parliament was to ask for money, willing but not too often, could have raised taxes but didn't, didn't want to pay for a professional taxation collecting service or alienate gentry
customs duties
tax on imports governed by revised book of rates, substantially increased, around £91,000 made each year during the 1590s, people started smuggling so loading and landing laws introduced, tried to encourage finishing to decrease exports
efficiency of savings
less duplication of officials so more savings, Exchequer had 2 sections containing around 80 people, 3/4 of crown revenue was collected by Exchequer of Receipt, several tellers lied about borrowing in 1571 so Cecil introduced preventative reforms, lack of pay rises led to increasing income via unofficial sources, £8,000 building project to house them
other income (church)
fruit and tenths tax from church to crown, recusancy fines increased in 1581 (collections inefficient due to Catholic sympathetic JPs), favoured conformity over revenue
development of trade
muscovy company developing Russian market, interest in trade with Guinea cost, new markets for goods, beginning of slave trade, finance came from private investors, global, profits varied hugely
monopolies
used as patronage, putting up prices due to having no competition, Parliament protested in 1589 and Elizabeth promised reform, some were withdrawn in 1597, some grants suspended in 1601 when it became a real issue with MPs due to poor financial state, proclamation annulled most contentious monopolies (salt, vinegar, sugar), Elizabeth didn't want to lose the support of her patrons
causes of poverty
population increase (rose from 3 to 4 million), inflation, low wages (1563 Statute of Artificers), unemployment (lack of jobs due to enclosures), bad harvests (particularly in 1590s, limkited supply) and migration
tackling poverty
fairly successful in towns and cities, compulsory levy in Norwich to raise funds, 650 better off households made contributions to 200 really poor, begging was forbidden
1563 - Statute of Artificers
those under 30 and a=unmarried were bound to serve and employer that needed them, everyone was to work on the land unless a scholar or at sea, wage limits, hours enforced, at least 7 years apprenticeship for those aged 10-18
1563 - Alms Act
punishment of beggars, distinguished between idle and deserving poor rate, those refusing to pay the levy would be reported and forced
1572 - Poor Relief Act
compulsory contributions to the poor rate, begging licensed where relief could not be provided, any beggars over 14 were punished unless given a job, children of convicted beggars put into honest occupations, "vagabond" defined to include wide variety
1576 - Act for the Relief of the Poor
begging licenses given, large towns to provide a store so the poor could be put to work
1598 - Act for the Relief of the Poor
maximum amount for poor rate, Pauper children apprenticed, begging forbidden, JPs to appoint 4 overseers, encouraged to provide for family
1601 - Act for the Relief of the Poor
1598 law made permanent, church no longer responsible, deserving/undeserving, children of Pauper recognised as needing special help
later years - relations with Parliament
war with Spain meant she called it 4 times, continous demands made them less willing to grant supply, Gov had to listen to concerns and complaints, losing control of commons as central councillors were dead, committees seized initiative and pushed forward new policies, usually harmonious as disorganised clashes had little long term effect
why did the Anglo-Spanish war begin?
1585 Treaty of Nonsuch with Dutch as belied defence of England started in the Netherlands, sent an army in 1586 which was unsucessful but saved the Dutch from annihilation, execution of MQoS allowed Philip to claim the throne for his daughter, attack on Cadiz Harbour delayed Armada
1588 - impacts of the Spanish Armada
increase in patriotic pride, Tilbury Speech (nationalism and improved image although actually occurred 9 days after), propaganda opportunities (divine providence against Philip), very expensive with high interest rate loans, complaints about subsidy, several thousand died from diseases and Elizabeth couldn't pay their wage
1585 to 1604 - consequences of the Anglo-Spanish War
result = status quo, cost was only half covered by Parliamentary grants, forced to sell crown lands, reduced court expenditures, kept positions vacant to avoid paying salaries, lack of patronage encouraged corruption and bribery, debate among councillors, lack of clear policy
1596 - Oxfordshire Rising
supposed protest against enclosures, previous demonstration, 60 men went to Lord Lieutenant to ask for help for the poor and starving, planned to throw down enclosures, attack HQ and seize weapons, planned to march on London, young man's movement
1596 - Oxfordshire Rising (Gov reaction)
seen as a serious threat, 5 ringleaders taken to London and charged with treason, 20 others questioned locally, 2 executed and the other 3 died in prison
1601 - Essex's Rebellion
failed in Ireland and ignored Elizabeth's intructions and blamed others to defend himself, his sweet wine monopoly was not renewed (main source of income), called on citizens to rise in support but they did not, plotted to seize the Queen and take control of the Gov, walked through London with 100 men brandishing swords before retreating, surrendered and imprisoned in the tower, tried for treason and found guilty, grated private execution
Irish Rebellion (nine years war)
led by Earl of Tyrone, fear that Irish would allow Spanish troops to land despite brutal treatment of shipwrecked soldiers during Armada, only half the English troops returned to base after commander was killed, Elizabeth sent Essex with 16,000 men, wasted time with needless manoeuvres, faced Tyrone with almost 4,000 men (no battle, met alone), came home against orders, most expensive war
later years - increase in popularity
still able to charm (Golden Speech during final Parliament, love letter to the country, celebrated), danced with honored guests, only faction was Essex, presented herself as the loving mother of the country, wore lots of jewels, pretty but portrait had a small audience, plays celebrating virtues, French Ambassador said "fine and vigorous composition of mind"
later years - decline in popularity
increasing criticism, loving mother not convincing due to economic crisis, short temper, scandalous stories about children/courtiers, unwell so less public appearances, old and ill, lost the will to live and her reputation, improper, mocked for appearance, French Ambassador said she looked aged
March 1603
Elizabeth I dies, aged 69
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