1 - The Situation on Elizabeth’s Accession Flashcards
How did social hierarchy work in Elizabethan England?
Countryside:
-Nobility (The wealthiest landowners, numbering few than a hundred with huge local influence, they were the monarch’s leading advisors)
- Gentry (Lesser nobles, knights and lawyers. They still owned land, and were needed to run the government on a local level)
- Yeomen (Wealthy farmers who owned their own farms)
- Tennant farmers (Rented their farms from landowners)
- Labouring poor (Work on the land)
- Vagrants/Vagabonds
Towns:
- Merchants (Buy and sell goods to make a considerable profit, many mayors were merchants)
- Professionals (Doctors etc.)
- Skilled craftsmen (Completed apprenticeship)
- Apprentices and unskilled workers
- Vagrants/Vagabonds
How was the government structured in Elizabethan England?
The Queen was in charge of:
- The Privy Council, which sent orders to the Lords Lieutenant, head of the Justices of the Peace and town council. They were in charge of controlling the general public
- The law courts: Appointed judges, who were in charge of quarter sessions and local law courts
- The church: Appointed archbishops and bishops, who were in charge of parish priests and church wardens.
What main problems did Elizabeth face when coming to power?
- People questioned her ability to rule as a woman
- Unmarried and no heir to the throne
- Needed to appoint advisors
- At war with France with no allies (Scotland are also an ally of France)
- Catholics questioned her legitimacy as Henry VIII technically did not divorce Catherine of Aragon before marrying Anne Boleyn, as the Pope did not grant an annulment
- People were living in poverty, making Elizabeth liable to rebellious uprisings.
- Wanted to change from Catholicism to Protestantism in a predominately Catholic country
Why was choosing new councillors an issue that needed addressing?
- The councillors from Mary’s reign were all Catholics
- If Elizabeth got her selection wrong, she would offend many powerful people, which could result in uprisings.
- There were too many councillors from the previous reign to make decision making effective
Elizabeth could choose to keep nobles happy, or choose a smaller, more loyal and more able council.
How did Elizabeth select her new councillors?
- Appointed her council quickly, thanked councillors that she released to keep their support and kept 10 councillors that served Mary to please the powerful
- Reduced the number of councillors from 50 to 20
- Worked through a smaller, more trusted inner ring of Protestant advisors
Why was financial weakness an issue that needed addressing?
- Elizabeth had inherited a debt of £300,000 due to war and inflation
- A rise in prices meant it was not easy for the monarchy to fund the cost of running the country. Although prices had risen the rent from the land the monarchy owned was fixed.
What did Elizabeth do to solve the financial weakness?
- Cut back government spending and maintained the costs of her household strictly
- Ensured the Exchequer (looked after the crown’s money) accounts were balanced and that all debts were called in
- Made peace with France to cut out cost of war
- Sold many crown lands as a one-off source of finance
Elizabeth ended up paying off the debt, and had a reserve of £300,000
What were the challenges that Elizabeth I faced from abroad?
- England were at war with France, who had an alliance with Scotland through the Auld Alliance. Mary Queen of Scots was queen of both countries and had a claim to the throne, threatening Elizabeth’s position
- England were vulnerable to a joint invasion from France and Scotland - both were also Catholic countries
- Spain may also invade as they may not believe in Protestantism
Why were King Philip II and Spain friendly to Elizabeth at first?
- Spain were friendly and allies with England at first because King Philip II had ideas of marrying Elizabeth so that he could surround France (who he had been at war with) and gain easier access to the wealthy Spanish Netherlands to the East of France.
- If France controlled England, then Spain would likely lose control over the Spanish Netherlands
What did Elizabeth do in an attempt to solve the challenges from abroad?
- Elizabeth speedily decided to make peace with France, as she could not afford to continue the war, did not have enough manpower and defeat would get the reign off to a bad start
- She had also spent £100,000 on military defences when already in debt
- This suggests that Elizabeth thought that challenges from abroad was a serious issue
What problems arose from Elizabeth’s gender, legitimacy and marriage situation?
- Many believed that a women would not be able to rule the country successfully after the disastrous reign of Mary I, including Protestants.
- Catholics also questioned Elizabeth’s legitimacy, as the Pope had not granted an annulment for the divorce of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII
- If Elizabeth married an English noble, other nobles would become jealous. If she married a foreign prince (most of whom were Catholic), she would be dragged into foreign policy where the prince may assume control over England. If she did not marry, she could not produce an heir to the throne.
These were not problems that Elizabeth could easily solve. She chose to have a great coronation and she had the hope that the longer she ruled, the more she would be accepted. She decided not to marry.
Why was poverty a big threat to Elizabeth and her position as Queen?
Two factors were affecting people’s prosperity in this time:
- Quality of harvests
- Epidemics of disease
These were factors that Elizabeth could not control, but could still be dangerous and people were more likely to join in with uprisings if hungry. Rising food prices meant that people’s wages were starting to lose value.
Elizabeth was lucky however, as there was a successful harvest in 1558, causing no immediate problems and uprisings.
