History Paper 1

Faction Fighting During Elizabeth's Reign

  • Arguments for Faction Causing a Crisis:
    • Unsettled Atmosphere: Faction fighting created a more unsettled and volatile atmosphere at court, unprecedented in Elizabeth's reign.
    • Elizabeth's Responsibility: Some historians argue Elizabeth bears responsibility due to creating uncertainty over the succession.
    • Delayed Appointments: She delayed appointments to government positions, fueling intense factional rivalry.
    • Tolerance of Bad Behavior: Elizabeth tolerated Essex's bad behavior for too long (e.g., Ireland, drawing a sword), which would be unacceptable otherwise, indicating a loss of control.
    • Patronage Domination: Elizabeth allowed patronage to be dominated by the Cecils, creating an in-and-out group, frustrating Essex and his followers.
  • Arguments Against Faction Causing a Crisis:
    • Peaceful Succession: There was no succession crisis, with a peaceful transition to James VI/I.
    • Cecil's Organization: Cecil was able to organize and prepare for a peaceful succession.
    • Queen's Control: Faction leaders were reliant on the Queen's favor and patronage, knowing Elizabeth could take their power away.
    • Limited Noble Power: The relationship between monarch and nobility wasn't successfully undermined; mindful of this, the Queen didn't appoint any Essex supporters as Lord Lieutenants, meaning Essex had no support when he revolted.
    • Court-Based Power: Nobility's power being purely court-based is the reason why James' succession was so peaceful.
  • Why Factions Developed:
    • Death of Advisors: In the late 1580s-early 1590s, many of Elizabeth's long-standing advisors died, paving the way for new, ambitious, and unstable replacements (Earl of Leicester, Francis Walsingham, Christopher Hatton).
    • Succession Uncertainty: Elizabeth remained unmarried and childless, refusing to name her successor, which led to instability and uncertainty at court.
    • War with Spain: The war with Spain and disagreement over policy added a significant element to competition.
    • Limited Patronage: The strains of war meant Elizabeth couldn't give as much Royal patronage, increasing competition.
    • Delayed Appointments: Elizabeth delayed appointing people to government positions, intensifying rivalry and instability.
  • Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex:
    • Characteristics and Status:
      • Step-son of Robert Dudley, with connections to the old nobility as an Earl.
      • Tall, handsome, and athletic, would flatter Elizabeth.
      • Support among some nobility and deputy Lord-Lieutenants.
      • Military successes and a military following.
      • Deliberately presented himself as a man of the people.
      • Wealth based on sweet wine monopoly given in 1588 by Elizabeth I.
      • Appointed to Elizabeth's council in 1593.
    • Weaknesses:
      • Arrogant, impulsive, quick-tempered, and had a tendency to react violently.
      • Weaker support base within top levels of government and nationally.
      • Reliant on the Queen and her patronage, lacking his own means to build a support base.
    • Actions/Events:
      • 1596: Quarrelled with the Queen over the distribution of profits from the Cadiz expedition.
      • 1597: Queen chose a different candidate for Lord Chamberlain than the one Essex had favored.
      • 1598: Essex quarrelled again with the Queen over who would be appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland; Essex turned his back on the Queen, then went to draw his sword.
      • 1599: Sent to Ireland to lead campaign against Tyrone revolt; returned to court without Elizabeth's permission, bursting into the Queen's chamber unannounced; placed on house arrest and investigated for misconduct.
      • 1600-1601: Suspended from all affairs, his monopoly was not renewed, putting him in great debt; many moderate supporters dropped their support.
      • Feb 1601: Started planning a small force to capture the Queen and members of the council and court; conspiracy discovered, pushing him into open rebellion; eventually surrendered and was executed.
  • William and Robert Cecil:
    • Characteristics and Status:
      • Both very talented administrators and politicians.
      • Influential support already established in court and council, but also across the Kingdom and among Lord Lieutenants.
      • Robert Cecil had been an MP, knighted, and appointed to council in 1591; became Queen's secretary in 1596.
      • Cecils had built up their power through promotions and positions in government, especially William Cecil, who was Lord Treasurer, master of the wards, and acting as Queen's personal secretary since Walsingham's death.
      • Aligned with Elizabeth on foreign policy and shared her cautious approach to politics.
    • Strengths of Cecil's Faction:
      • By 1596, dominated key positions in government (e.g., Lord Treasurer, master of court of wards, Queen's private secretary).
      • Had support base across the country, especially Lord Lieutenants.
      • 1593-94: Sir Edward Coke was appointed Attorney General.
      • 1596: Robert Cecil appointed principal secretary when Essex went away on the Cadiz campaign.
      • 1599: While Essex was serving in Ireland, Robert Cecil consolidated all important government positions after his father's death; he made himself master of court of wards and his brother president of the council of the north.
      • After 1601: Robert Cecil completely dominated court through 1603 and at the start of James I's reign.

Succession Crisis

  • Strengths of James VI's Claim:
    • Direct descendant of Henry VIII through Margaret Tudor.
    • Protestant, so no religious opposition to claim.
    • Long-reigning King of Scotland with sons.
    • Support of both Cecil and Essex factions; nobody in court was working against his succession.
  • Weaknesses of James VI's Claim:
    • Foreigner, leading to anti-Scots sentiment in England.
    • Henry's will had previously denounced the heirs of Margaret and James VI to the English succession.
    • His mother was Mary, Queen of Scots, who had been executed for treason in the 1580s due to the Babington Plot.
    • There were possible rival claimants from the Greys and from a Spanish princess related to John of Gaunt.
  • Failings of Essex's Succession Maneuvers:
    • Between 1599 and 1600, Essex and Lord Mountjoy wrote to James VI, suggesting that James should raise an army to pressure Elizabeth.
    • Essex also wrote to James suggesting the Cecils were supporting the claim of the Infanta Isabella.
    • However, James did not commit himself and remained cautious; he decided to send two ambassadors to talk with Essex, but when they arrived, Essex had already been executed.
    • James began negotiations with Robert Cecil.
  • Successes of Cecil's Succession Maneuvers:
    • R. Cecil was very supportive of James' succession and saw his succession as the best way to ensure his own future position in government; he began correspondence in 1600.
    • Cecil was keen to give the impression to James that he was the man to deal with and fully in charge.
    • Cecil remained in a superior position than his main rivals Walter Raleigh and Lord Cobham; he diminished their influence.
    • Cecil's actions combined with his connections at court meant the succession was achieved peacefully and was undisputed after the death of Elizabeth in 1603.

War with Spain

  • What Persuaded Elizabeth to Go to War:
    • By 1585 councillors seeking a more active foreign policy managed to persuade Elizabeth there was a real possibility of Spanish dominance.
      • 1584: William of Orange (leader of Dutch rebels) was assassinated.
      • 1584: Duke of Parma started gaining successive victories against Dutch Protestants.
      • 1584: Spain joined up with the Catholic League (Guise faction) in France.
  • Triggers for War:
    • 1585: Elizabeth agreed to directly intervene in the Dutch revolt (Nonsuch Treaty). She sent a military expedition in 1587 under Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. This was seen as a direct act of provocation by Phillip II.
    • Most historians agree that Phillip had already decided to launch a decisive strike against England in 1585 and began preparing the first Armada in 1586.
  • Problems of the War:
    • The war was fought on several fronts, stretching already thin English resources.
      • Fought on land in France and Netherlands.
      • Fought at sea against Spanish shipping and through expeditions to the New World.
      • Three Armadas were sent to invade England in 1588, 1596, 1597.
      • The need to defend Ireland as a possible backdoor for Spanish entry into England.
    • The war was going to be costly and have socioeconomic consequences.
  • Was the War with Spain a Crisis?
    • Arguments for Crisis:
      • There was a real threat to national security throughout the entirety of the period.
      • Compared to Spain, England was a small country with limited resources.
      • 11,000 English troops killed in France.
      • Financial and domestic crisis from the war; continuous fighting for 15 years on multiple fronts.
        • Netherlands costing £100,000 per annum to support.
        • France costing £150,000 to support between 1589-91.
        • Majority paid by parliamentary taxation as Elizabeth's annual income was only £300,000.
      • Impact on the counties was felt heavily, which led to pressure on local authorities.
      • 100,000 people forced into military service.
      • A degree of tension with some local landowners refusing to send trained bands and sending peasants instead.
      • Reports of widespread passive resistance to taxation and many non-payment campaigns.
      • Near mutiny in 1600 by Kent cavalrymen awaiting shipping to Ireland.
    • Arguments Against Crisis:
      • Resistance to anything was only ever passive.
      • No major rebellion against Elizabeth or taxation in later periods in England.
      • All Spanish attempts of invasion failed; the first Armada was defeated, and the other two were pushed back by the weather.
      • The landing at Kinsale of Spanish troops was also defeated.
      • The war boosted English patriotism: The war seen as English Protestantism against Spanish Catholicism; development of propaganda like the cult of Gloriana and the virgin queen.
      • Events boosted English morale: The defeat of the first Armada and the raid on the port of Cadiz by the Earl of Essex.
      • English privateers were successful on many occasions; estimates they captured around 1000 Spanish ships across the period; Spain realized they weren't going to be able to monopolize the Atlantic trade.
  • The War at Sea - Elizabeth's Approach:
    • The war at sea was fought through a series of expeditions funded as a joint stock enterprise, placing profit over strategic advantage.
    • Elizabeth took a very cautious approach, not wanting to take huge losses.
    • Elizabeth's male commanders would sometimes ignore her commands and act independently.
    • Positives:
      • Between 1589-91 English privateers captured around £400,000 worth of Spanish treasure, disrupting their war effort.
      • 1596: Expedition to Cadiz was a success led by the Earl of Essex; two Spanish ships destroyed and two captured, delaying Spain launching their next Armada by a year.
    • Failings:
      • Expedition to Cadiz can be seen as a missed opportunity as Essex failed to attack the main body of Spanish ships and failed to intercept and capture treasure ships from the West Indies.
      • 1589: Essex joined a naval mission expressly against Elizabeth's orders and it was a disastrous failure. The aim was to attack the remains of the 1588 Armada, then sail to Portugal and raise a Portuguese revolt, and then sail to the Azores and intercept Spanish treasure. Instead, Essex sailed straight to the Azores for the treasure, failed to gain any treasure, and lost thousands of English lives.
  • Land Wars - Threats Posed by Spain in France and Netherlands:
    • 1589: Spain began directly interfering in French politics; Phillip wanted to remove Protestant Henry of Navarre.
    • 1590: Phillip sent 3,500 troops to Brittany and moved Spanish troops in the Netherlands onto the French border.
    • 1590-96: Phillip launched major campaigns into Flanders to clear the way for Spanish access to the French coastline.
  • Land Wars - English Interventions in France and Netherlands:
    • 1589: Elizabeth sent 4,000 troops to support Henry IV; 1591: A further 3,000 troops to Brittany; 1592-93: Another 5,000 troops to Brittany again.
    • In the 1590s, English forces under Sir Francis were helping Dutch Protestant rebels.
    • Elizabeth initially provided £35,000 to Henry IV and then another £10,000 in 1591.
    • Positives for England:
      • 1595: The Spanish threat had diminished somewhat; the Dutch rebels had had successive victories pushing Spain out of the Northern Netherlands.
      • Henry IV converted to Catholicism, which helped restore the power balance between France and Spain, stopping Spanish dominance of Europe.
  • Land Wars - Negatives for England:
    • The war was financially costly and costly in terms of lives. Even though the threat was somewhat lessened, the Spanish continued the war effort until after Elizabeth's death.
    • England was excluded from a peace treaty between France and Spain.
    • Spain remained a constant threat until 1604 when a peace treaty was signed with James I.
    • Significant costs of war evidence:
      • Netherlands costing £100,000 a year.
      • 1589-91: Aid to France cost £150,000 a year in total.
      • Important to note garrisons in Ireland costing around £3,000 a month at the same time; Elizabeth also had to ensure that English coastal defenses were strong due to the three Armadas sent, which would have been costly as well.
      • Elizabeth only had an annual income of £300,000 a year; parliament were becoming increasingly frustrated at the constant need for taxation.

Socio-Economic Distress

  • Causes of Hardship:
    • Harvest failures in the 1590s, with successive failures giving no time for the economy to recover.
    • Wheat prices had doubled between 1593 and 1594; agricultural prices higher in the 1590s than any other point in the Tudor period.
    • The real value of wages falling at unprecedented levels; in 1597 wages in real terms were at their lowest point from between 1260 to 1950.
    • Higher percentage of the population living below the poverty line, with more risk of malnourishment made worse by overcrowded cities and migration from the countryside.
  • Evidence of Social and Economic Hardship:
    • In London, poverty rose from 5% to 9% of the population; in Ipswich, it rose to 13% in 1597.
    • Increase in crime; death rates rose, 21% above the national average in 1596 and 1597; increase in food shortages and reports of starvation/famine; fears of an epidemic of Plague led to the closure of theatres in 1593 and 1594.
    • The council received an increasing number of letters warning that 1596 was going to be the worst year of suffering in that period.
  • Evidence of Increasing Social Tensions:
    • 1595-1597: Food riots across London; a major riot spread by 1,800 unemployed apprentices, soldiers, and unemployed men.
    • Reports that rioters and commoners established camps in Norfolk and planned attacks on farmers suspected of stockpiling food.
    • There were widespread fears whipped up by the circulation of pamphlets in the 1590s describing increasing numbers of violent crimes, spreading increasing fear, paranoia, and anxiety.
    • Increasing crime rates in the 1590s and increasing prosecutions in courts; rates of theft rose due to a genuine need for food (1596-98).
    • 1596: Fears of an uprising in Oxfordshire; planned a protest against enclosure and food prices; rebels were planning to seize weapons and lead a march on London; however, in the end, only four potential rebels turned up and they disbanded.
  • Evidence of Government Response:
    • The government reaction reflects both its fear of social disorder and concern for social welfare.
      • Responses by Council:
        • 1590s: Reissued book of orders, giving instructions to JPs on how to deal with Plague and famine effectively.
        • Council introduced new charges and punishment for enclosure, marking the real concern of possible social breakdown; this was seen in the response to the Oxfordshire rising, which was to portray an uncompromising message.
      • Responses by Parliament:
        • 1597: New Vagrancy Act: Able-bodied poor arrested, whipped, and forced to work; persistent vagrancy leads to slavery.
        • 1597: Tillage Act: Return of enclosed land, posture farming back to arable.
        • 1601: Poor Law: Basis for poor relief lasting into the 19th century; gives authorities more responsibility for poor relief; two overseers of the poor in each parish.
        • 1597 to 1598: 11 of 17 bills from that session dealt with poverty.
  • Serious Chance of Breakdown:
    • Social and economic problems were made worse by the climate of war and high taxation; there was also an aging Queen and an undecided succession.
    • In certain regions, there was a genuine social crisis; areas of the North and South West did suffer episodes of starvation.
    • Towns and cities saw an unusually high number of food riots, rising poverty, and vagrancy, hitting small towns the hardest.
    • Disturbances in Norfolk compared to 'commotion time' and 'Kett's time'.
    • The government reaction to the Oxfordshire rising highlighted huge fear from the overreaction to a tiny uprising, with real fear of imminent social breakdown.
    • Elizabeth's government certainly seemed to fear a social crisis; their legislation clearly indicated they recognized that the social crisis could be created by economic hardship.
  • No Real Chance of Social Breakdown:
    • The threat of widespread popular rebellion was small compared to 1549 due to wealthier commoners (yeomanry) more likely to side with government; e.g., Oxfordshire rising lacked any organization or leadership.
    • Effects of hardship not felt uniformly across the country; London and the South escaped the worst effects of food shortages; larger towns were able to stockpile food for distribution; genuine starvation localized to the North and South West.
    • The effects of hardship were less severe in the 1590s than in the 1550s in terms of impact on population.
    • The threat of social breakdown in reality was probably never as serious as the government feared; social and economic conditions improved from 1598.

Relations with Parliament

  • 1589 Parliament:
    • Issues: Purveyance caused tension; parliament's concern was over the abuses of purveyance; parliament enacted a 'redress of grievances before supply' - no taxation before Elizabeth had addressed the problem of purveyance.
    • The Commons even started to draft a bill to limit purveyance, which would have been a direct legal challenge by parliament to the monarch's prerogative rights.
    • Elizabeth/council response: Elizabeth ordered the bill on purveyance to be dropped immediately; Elizabeth did promise to reform the Purveyance system and stop the abuses.
    • Outcome: The taxation requested was granted due to Elizabeth making the promise and then sticking to it; purveyance was not an issue in any further parliaments.
  • 1593 Parliament:
    • Issues:
      • Succession: Peter Wentworth tried to persuade the house to produce a petition to the Queen asking her to name her successor.
      • Taxation: W. Cecil told the Commons that their initial grant of two subsidies was not enough > This angered the Commons, who saw it as their sole right to introduce and decide on Taxation bills.
    • Elizabeth/council responses: Elizabeth arrested Wentworth and sent him to the tower and four other MPs placed on house arrest; councillors in the Lords managed to calm the rest of the Commons.
    • Outcome: The Commons accepted that it was Elizabeth's right to clamp down on Wentworth and supporters; it was her prerogative to decide on succession, not parliament. Councillors in the Lords also managed to persuade the Commons to grant the additional taxation that Elizabeth required.
  • 1597 Parliament:
    • Issues: Monopolies caused large tension over the abuses of monopolies; the sensitivity to monopolies can be explained by the difficult socio-economic situation of the 1590s.
    • MP Moore started a discussion on monopolies, which led to a petition to Elizabeth; they wanted reform but made it clear they were in no means challenging her prerogative.
    • Elizabeth/council response: Elizabeth promised all monopoly licenses would be Re-Examined.
    • Outcome: Commons actually agreed to pass a substantial taxation request due to Elizabeth's promise of reform; this promise led to the escalation of the 1601 parliament.
  • 1601 Parliament:
    • Issues:
      • Elizabeth did not deliver on her promise; she failed to cancel any monopolies and even granted new ones.
      • This parliament contained 157 MPs from 1597, which added to the anger of the Commons.
      • Robert Cecil mishandled the situation; he tried to stop the debate on monopolies completely, which made the Commons furious.
    • Elizabeth/council response:
      • Elizabeth sent a message through the speaker to the Commons that she would deal with the issue; she canceled 12 of the most controversial monopolies.
      • Elizabeth also authorized that anyone with a case against a monopoly can pursue them in law courts.
    • Outcome: Elizabeth received all taxation due to her 'Golden Speech' to the HOL; the speech restored the Good relations between parliament and government and prevented any form of crisis.
  • Evidence For a Crisis:
    • John Neale Thesis: Theory that the events of the 1590s were the forerunner for the 17th-century civil war.
    • The Commons was certainly more difficult to manage and became more rowdy; the council made some missteps (1593: W. Cecil telling parliament tax not enough; 1601: R. Cecil trying to shut down debates on monopolies).
    • The common confidence had certainly grew; they were more willing to question Royal policy and abuse of prerogative; difficult to imagine in Henry VIII's time.
    • The government did seem to lose control of the Commons in 1601, and but for Elizabeth's Golden speech, things may have escalated much worse.
    • Perhaps the increasingly difficult context of the 1590s saw a need for the Commons to attempt more reform.
  • Evidence of No Crisis:
    • Elton and Graves thesis: Events of the 17th century were not inevitable; no direct link between events of 1590s and the civil war.
    • Elizabeth's persistence of the protection of her Royal prerogative was no different to any other Monarch.
    • Parliament wasn't trying to restrict her rights; simply complaining about abuses of Purveyance and monopolies not off the right for them to be granted by monarch.
    • Matters in the Commons were quickly dissolved; in the 12yr period there were only 4 sessions, each only 2-3 months long; parliament still an occasional institution.
    • The real crisis was perhaps being felt by many in the country; MPs couldn't help but be affected by it.
  • Overall, no crisis in parliament.

Growth of Protestantism

  • Prior to 1529:
    • Criticisms of the Catholic Church:
      • John Wycliffe and Lollards: Accused the church of corruption and clerical abuses; wanted an English bible.
      • Ideas developed into general Anti-clericalism; wanted to stamp out pluralism and absenteeism, better educated clergy and better preaching.
        • Limits to criticism:
          • John Wycliffe was silenced by the church; was investigated and stood trial; declared a heretic after his death.
          • The Lollards were heavily persecuted as heretics; however, Anti-clerical criticism did survive into the 1500s; the Lollards are a tiny minority within England.
      • Erasmus (humanist):
        • “Ad Fontes”: a return to the original versions of scriptures and retranslate the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament; believed ‘Latin vulgate’ was inaccurate.
        • Called for reform of clerical abuses; however, Erasmus never wanted a break from Rome and the Catholic church and was not schismatic.
      • Martin Luther:
        • Luther's 95 theses of 1517 were an attack on the Catholic church, specifically abuses of indulgences.
        • Lutheran ideas began to enter England in the 1510s to 1520s; they influenced William Tyndale and other academics; Robert Barnes was the first known Lutheran and was executed in 1540.
        • However, Luther's work was illegal in Henry VIII's England; Henry produced the In Defence of the 7 Sacraments, which was an attack on Luther.
      • Puritanism:
        • All Puritans are influenced by Calvinists and believe in living a Godly lifestyle.
        • Scripture was at the centre of their faith; they rejected any religious beliefs that were not represented in the bible.
        • Evangelists: spreading the word of God; and reject decoration and ornamentation.
        • Three types of Puritans:
          • Moderates/conformists: They want a more protestant settlement but are prepared to work within the liturgy of Elizabeth's settlement.
          • Presbyterians: They want a more radical doctrine and settlement; they want a national church structure and doctrine but the head of state is not the head of the church; church elders to attend a national convention.
          • Congregationalists/separatists: Do not believe in a national structure of the church and want more radical change; they want regional congregations to decide on their own doctrine with no secular or national authority.
  • People that Influence Protestantism 1529-1547:
    • Thomas Cromwell: Sympathetic reformer; used the opportunity of the annulment to break away from Rome and establish the Imperial Kingships; supported the Great Bible of 1539; and Injunctions of 1536 + 1538 discouraged Anti-pilgrimage, relics and superstition and pushed through the 10 articles.
    • Thomas Cranmer: Officiated the annulment and Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn; produced the historical/theological basis of Henry's claim that the Pope had usurped the Authority of Kings (Collectanea Satis Copiosa).
    • Anne Boleyn: Supported the rise of Cranmer and reformers; she employed reformist private chaplains (Hugh Latimer, Nicolas Shaxton, William Barlow, and Matthew Parker).
  • Role of London 1529-1547:
    • The centre of trade for illegal and heretical books.
    • Stronghold for reformist ideas; hundreds of Londoners investigated for heresy in the 1540s for not following the six Articles.
  • Limited Impact by 1547:
    • Protestantism was still a tiny minority in England.
    • Despite the changes in the 1530s Henry's advisors were only able to make changes which suited Henry's political aims and worked within his religious beliefs.
    • Conservative backlash against reform in 1538:
      • Supported by Henry and shown in the six articles and the King's book 1543; Henry personally attended the execution of known reformers like Robert Barnes.
      • Even in the stronghold of London, only 10-15% were Protestant.
  • Growing Influence Under Edward:
    • Changes in doctrine and church services legally moved towards a protestant reformation.
    • Repealed the six articles and the censorship of books + treasons act.
    • 1st and 2nd act of uniformity set out the 1st prayer book (moderate) and 2nd prayer book (radical), as well as Cranmer's book of homilies which were instructions for priest sermons.
    • 42 Articles influenced by Calvinism; spread of Lutheranism in England and influence of more radical protestant ideas (Martin Bucer); dissolution of the Chantries undermines the belief in purgatory; and increase in the publication of protestant literature.
  • Why Protestants Were Still a Minority by 1558:
    • Edward dies young, allowing Mary to undo his legal changes before they could embed.
    • Also, his failure to alter the succession and that Mary was seen as the legitimate heir shows people did not care she was Catholic.
    • Only 300 protestants became Martyrs and only 800 went into exile in Mary's reign, highlights only a tiny minority prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith.
    • By 1558 the North was still predominantly Catholic; only 10% of clergy in Lancashire had married; the West Country was still Catholic and even in southeast Sussex the gentry were still largely Catholic.
    • Wyatt rebellion failed to gain the support needed to challenge Mary and her Spanish marriage, shows Protestantism not embedded.

Puritanism

  • Puritan Challenge Through Church 1560s:
    • Articles of religion (1563): Convocations discussed the 39 articles - puritan clergy tried to intrude six further articles for more reform.
    • Vestments controversy: Puritan clergy attempted to challenge and debate clerical vestments that Elizabeth had decided on, believing current vestments were a relic of Catholicism.
  • Government Reaction:
    • Elizabeth intervened on the articles and suppressed most of the puritan articles including article 29.
    • Elizabeth was not prepared to change her injunctions, which she based on the moderate vestments of 1548.
    • 1565: She wrote a letter to Archbishop Parker demanding he ordered all Bishops to enforce conformity on clerical dress; 1566: Parker produced his advertisements ordering all clergy to wear the vestments as outlined in the 1559 injunctions.
    • Result: 37 members of the clergy were suspended; Elizabeth only allowed the articles to pass as legislation in 1571.
  • Puritan Challenge Through Parliament:
    • 1571: Amendments to Alphabet bills; bishops sympathetic to puritanism attempted to introduce these bills. As the bills were going through MP William Strickland tried to attach his own version of the prayer book (a Presbyterian version).
    • 1572: John Field ‘admonitions’ to parliament, a pamphlet which attacked and criticized the bishops (the apiscable church), calling the bishops ‘popish-remnants’; and called Elizabeth's prayer book the ‘popish dunghill’.
    • 1584/87: Copes ‘Bill and book’ introduced to the commons would introduce a national presbyterian system and replace Elizabeth's prayer book with a Calvinist prayer book.
  • Government Reaction:
    • 1571: Elizabeth vetoed the Alphabet bills and Strickland's additions; 1572: John Field was imprisoned in the tower for a year.
    • 1584/87: She shut down the debate through a speech from one of her councillors Christopher Hatton; some MPs were temporarily imprisoned in the tower.
    • Result: Elizabeth vetoed any attempt to change her settlement and was very uncompromising towards puritanism. She shut down puritan MPs and no reforms to her settlement were achieved through parliament.
  • Puritan Challenge Through Grass Roots:
    • 1570s: Prophesyings that were growing, being informal meetings between clergy and their congregation, who argued they are just improving the quality of preaching. Clergy would give a surfmen and the others would give feedback. From 1575 prophesyings were supported by Archbishop Grindal.
  • Government Reaction:
    • 1570s: Elizabeth does not like the idea of unsupervised uncontrolled meetings between clergy and congregation. She suspected these meetings were a cover for puritan attempts to introduce presbyterian changes.
    • 1576: Elizabeth demands Grindal puts a stop to prophesyings, yet Grindal who supported prophesyings refused to stop them.
    • Grindal was put on house arrest and when he died in 1583 he was replaced by Whitgift.
  • Overall Impact of Puritanism:
    • Limited Impact by 1590s:
      • John Whitgift (1583): introduced three articles which required all clergy to take oath that they agreed three things didn't go against God - (Royal supremacy / Book of common prayer / 39 articles); in Canterbury alone 300 clergy were suspended for refusing to take the oath.
      • Puritans had failed to change any aspect of the settlement.
      • By 1589 a number of important political supporters had died (Robert Dudley, Walsingham, and Ambrose Dudley).
      • 1588-89: Martin Marprelate tracts - anonymous articles published and circulated which included a very verbally violent attack on Bishops. The articles were too extreme and distorted puritanism.
    • Continuing Influence by 1590s:
      • Calvinism and puritanism did not disappear particularly in the south of England where there was continuing influence of Evangelism; support for Calvinist ideas continued to grow in parishes.
      • Many protests and petitions in response to Whitgift's three articles - from landowners especially in the south (Kent).
      • People complain about the lack of effective preachers in the country due to the number of clergy being suspended.
      • Cheap Calvinist literature was widely available, including calvescism.
      • In the era of war with Catholic Spain and after Elizabeth's excommunication the strongly Anti-Papal and Anti-Catholic elements of puritanism gave it patriotic and nationalist appeal.
      • Result: Most puritan Calvinists were able to find a way to remain in or within the Elizabethan church.

Servants of the Crown

  • Thomas Wolsey:
    • Successes/Achievements:
      • Introduced a new subsidy tax which was a much more effective way of collecting tax than tenths and fifteenths.
      • Effectively organized Henry's campaign in France, proving himself an effective administrator.
      • Attempted legal and social reforms i.e prosecuted officials through the star chamber and reforms through the