1.1 - The situation on Elizabeth's accession Flashcards
What did Elizabeth’s government consist of?
- The court
- The Privy Council
- Parliament
- Justices of the Peace
- Lord Lieutenants
Describe the court.
The court : made up of noblemen who acted as the monarch’s advisers and friends. They advised the monarch and helped display her wealth and power.
Describe the Privy Council.
The Privy Council : members of the nobility who helped govern the country. They monitored parliament, Justices of the Peace and oversaw law and order and the security of the country.
Describe Parliament.
Parliament : advised Elizabeth’s government, made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons
The House of Lords was made up of noblemen and bishops.
The House of Commons was elected though very few people could vote.
Parliament passed laws and approved taxes (eg, extraordinary taxation - extra taxes required to pay for unexpected expenses, espescially war).
Describe the Justices of the Peace.
Justices of the Peace : large landowners; appointed by government, who kept law and order locally and heard court cases.
Describe the Lord Lieutenants.
Lord Lieutenants : noblemen, appointed by govenment, who governed English counties and raised the local militia.
What were the ways Queen Elizabeth I power was limited?
She could not pass laws without parliament’s approval or raise taxes without parliament’s agreement.
Who lived in the countryside?
- The nobility : major landowners; often lords, dukes and earls.
- The gentry : owned smaller estates.
- The yeoman farmers : owned a small amount of land.
- Tenant farmers : rented land from the yeoman farmers and gentry.
- The landless and labouring poor : people who did not own or rent land, and had to do work to labour to provide for themselves and their families.
- Homeless and vagrants : moved from place to place looking for work.
Who lived in the towns?
- Merchants : traders who were very wealthy.
- Professionals : lawyers, doctors and clergymen.
- Business owners : often highly skilled craftsman.
- Craftsmen : skilled employees
- Unskilled labourers and the unemployed : people who had no regular work and could not provide for themselves and their families.
Describe obedience and care in Elizabethan society?
- In Elizabethan society, you owed respect and obedience to those above you and had a duty of taking care of those below.
- Households were run similarly where the husband and father was the head of the family: his wife and children were expected to be obedient to him.
What were the problems facing Elizabeth when she became queen?
- Elizabeth was young (21 years) and lacked experience.
- Elizabeth’s government needed money.
- Elizabeth’s legitimacy was in doubt as the pope had refused to recognise her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII.
- Catholics refused to ackowledge Elizabeth’s right to rule England.
- Elizabeth was Protestant. Her predecessor, Mary, was Catholic.
- Elizabeth was unmarried and it was unusual doe a queen to rule in her own right, as Christian traditions suggested that women should follow men’s authority. Many people disapporved of the idea of a queen regnant (a queen who was ruler).
- To pass laws, Elizabeth needed the support of parliament.
What were the key issues facing Elizabeth in 1588?
- Widely expected that Elizabeth would marry. However, this would reduce her power, as her husband would be expected to govern the country and deal with parliament.
- Elizabeth’s inexperience meant she needed the support and advice of her Privy Council.
- Elizabeth could issue royal proclamations and had prerogative powers, enabling her to govern without parliament’s consent. However, laws could only be passed with parliament’s approval as Acts of Parliament.
What were the problems of marriage for Elizabeth? What about a positive outcome of marriage?
- If Elizabeth married a Protestant, this would anger Catholics.
- If she married a Catholic, this would upset Protestants.
- Marriage could involve England in expensive wars, damaging royal finances and requiring taxation.
- However, marriage was important as Elizabeth needed an heir.
Describe Elizabeth’s character and strengths.
- Elizabeth was confident and charismatic - this enabled her to win over her subjects and commands support in parliament.
- Elizabeth was well educated - fluent in many languages.
- Elizabeth had an excellent grasp of politics - she understood the interests of her subjects / able to use her powers of patronage effectively.
- Elizabeth was resilient - spent time in the Tower, facing possible execution. She could cope with the pressures of being queen.
- Elizabeth was Protestant and the number of Protestants in England was growing, making her position more secure. She could claim divine right with growing conviction.
What were the financial weaknesses England had obtained when Elizabeth became queen in 1558?
- The crown was £300,000 in debt.
- Over £100,000 of Crown debts were owed to foreign moneylenders which charged a high interest rate at 14%
- Elizabeth needed money to remain secure on the throne so she could use it to reward her supporters.
- Since the 1540s, thr Crown had devalued the coinage, by reducing its silver and gold content, in order to make more money to fight wars against France. This resulted in inflation, as the value of the currency fell.
