challenges to elizabeth's rule

Question 1

who was mary queen of scots ?

Answer 1

Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth’s cousin
-Her first two husbands died and she was implicated in the second one’s murder. She was forced to abdicate and was imprisoned. She managed to escape and fled to England where she sought refuge from Elizabeth in 1568
-Mary’s threat to Elizabeth suddenly became more immediate now that she was in the country

Question 2

why did mary pose a threat to elizabeth ?

Answer 2

• people believed Elizabeth was illegitimate and felt she had no right to be on the throne. (Her father, Henry VIII, had divorced his first wife. Catholics didn’t recognise divorce and so viewed his second marriage to Elizabeth’s mother as illegal.)
  -Elizabeth had converted England’s official religion to Protestantism, leaving many Catholics disgruntled. Mary was a Catholic and many viewed her as their figurehead and a rightful replacement to the throne

Question 3

what were elizabeth’s options for dealing with mary queen of scots

Answer 3

1- Getting Mary out of the country - sending Mary back to Scotland or France could backfire, allowing her to gather more support to challenge Elizabeth.
2-Keeping Mary imprisoned – would reduce risk of Mary getting more support back in Scotland or France and allow Elizabeth to keep tight control. But unlawfully imprisoning Mary could start international outcry and attacks.
3-Executing Mary – whilst this would remove the figurehead for Catholic challengers, it could also provoke international attacks and set a precedent for killing a queen.

Question 4

what did elizabeth decide to do to Mary queen of scots

Answer 4

Elizabeth decided to keep Mary as a closely guarded royal ‘guest’, moving her from castle to castle so she would not be the focus of plots

Question 5

who were the plots against elizabeth led by

Answer 5

Elizabeth faced many challenges and plots against her. Most of them were led by Catholics aiming to get Mary on the throne and return England to Catholic rule. By 1572 MPs were pressurising Elizabeth to have Mary executed in order to keep England secure

Question 6

when was mary queen of scots executed

Answer 6

Mary was put on trial, found guilty of treason and was executed on 8 February 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle. The executioner held up her severed head and shouted “God save the Queen”.

Question 7

what was elizabeth’s reaction to mary’s execution

Answer 7

Elizabeth always believed that executing Mary would lead to bigger problems, e.g. international backlash, which is why she held off executing her for so long. When Mary was found guilty of treason, Elizabeth hesitated to sign the death warrant.

When she did sign, she refused to submit it, but her secretary secretly took it. When Elizabeth found out, she was furious and he was put in the Tower for 18 months. Elizabeth wrote to King James apologising for the death of his mother, Mary.

Question 8

consequences of mary’s death

Answer 8

As it turned out the consequences were not as serious as Elizabeth had feared:

France - fearing the might of Spain, they wanted to maintain their alliance with England.

Spain - already at war with England due to the action of the ‘Sea Dogs’ and events in the Netherlands.

Scotland - King James VI was on the throne of Scotland, he was Elizabeth’s heir and so he took no action.

English Catholics - remained loyal to Elizabeth.

Question 9

what was the lead up to the spanish armada in 1588

Answer 9

During Elizabeth’s reign Catholic Spain and Protestant England remained friendly. Over time tension built up leading to war in 1585 and an invasion of England in 1588, known as the Spanish Armada.

Question 10

how did religious differences lead to the spanish armada

Answer 10

Spain was a Catholic country and England a Protestant country – meaning that the two rulers had conflicting spiritual outlooks.

Question 10

how did religious differences lead to the spanish armada

Answer 10

Spain was a Catholic country and England a Protestant country – meaning that the two rulers had conflicting spiritual outlooks.

Question 11

how did problems with marriage lead to the spanish armada

Answer 11

King Philip of Spain had been married to Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I. When Mary died he offered to marry Elizabeth but she rejected him.

Question 12

how did issues with piracy lead to the spanish armada

Answer 12

English sailors like Hawkins and Drake attacked and stole treasure from Spanish ships in the New World. King Philip was furious but Elizabeth encouraged and rewarded adventurers

Question 13

how did the civil war with france cause issues that led to the spanish armada

Answer 13

France was the traditional enemy of both England and Spain, meaning that they united together against the country. Now France was in civil war it was preoccupied with its own issues and no longer posed a threat – so the alliance between Spain and England was not necessary anymore.

Question 14

how did the links between the spanish and the catholic plots help cause the spanish armada

Answer 14

There was evidence of Spanish support for plots to restore Catholicism to England, particularly involving getting Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne and Elizabeth off

Question 15

how did the dutch revolt link to spanish armada

Answer 15

Protestants in the Netherlands began a revolt against Spanish rule in 1572. Elizabeth secretly supported the Dutch rebels because she knew the Dutch revolt would keep the Spanish too busy to threaten England.

Question 16

how did elizabeths army joining the dutch rebels help cause the spanish armada

Answer 16

Elizabeth sent an army to help the Dutch rebels fight Spain. For the first time English and Spanish armies were fighting each other. England and Spain were now at war

Question 17

what was the importance of the netherlands

Answer 17

The Netherlands were ruled by Spain but England saw it as a vital place for trade.

By 1572 Protestant ideas spread in the Netherlands and Protestant Dutch rebels began a campaign for independence from Catholic Spain, leading to the Dutch Revolt.

King Philip of Spain sent an army to defeat rebels. After the death of the Dutch rebel leader, William of Orange, Elizabeth was asked to become Queen of the Dutch. She declined but sent an army to fight with the Dutch against Spain.

Throughout the 1590s the Dutch won several victories against the Spanish and by 1609, after Elizabeth’s death, the Dutch Protestants won control of Holland.

Question 18

what happened on the 29th of july 1558

Answer 18

English Channel on 29 July 1588. = Spanish Armada, a fleet of armed 130 ships sailing towards England in a crescent formation

reasons=
religious differences, English interference in Spanish affairs in the New World and the Netherlands,
King Philip of Spain decided to invade England and attempt to overthrow Elizabeth

Question 19

explain what happened at the spanish armada

Answer 19

1- Armada leaves Lisbon on 28 May 1588 but delayed by storms. Finally sets sail for England on 21 July.
2-Armada seen by English from Cornwall. Warning beacons lit on English coastline. Armada continues through English Channel chased by English ships, but little damage.
3-Armada anchors near Calais where more troops are meant to join, led by Duke of Parma, but English send burning fire ships. Spanish ships panic and scatter
4-Spanish ships blown towards dangerous sandbanks and English attack in Battle of Gravelines. This time they battle at close range and there’s significant damage
5- Armada is forced north around east coast of Britain and English turn back after food and supplies run low.
6-Armada sets sail for home but forced around Scotland and Ireland. ships are wrecked in storms and sailors drown.
7-surviving Spanish ships arrive back in Spain, but almost half of their fleet is lost.
Victory for England.

Question 20

what were the casualties of the spanish armada like

Answer 20

Both sides suffered casualties as a result of the Armada but English losses were relatively minor compared to the Spanish. Spanish lost 20,000 men and 51 ships

However, despite England’s victory several thousand men died from illness and disease in the weeks following the battle.

Question 21

what were factors which contributed to spanish defeat
= leaders

Answer 21

The Duke of Medina Sidonia led the Spanish fleet, but he was inexperienced in naval battle and so made some fatal errors in his planning and tactics.

Question 22

what factors to the spanish defeat
=planning

Answer 22

The strength of the Spanish fleet came from its crescent formation plan – but when the English broke this up with their fireships, the Spanish became vulnerable and exposed to attack.

Question 23

what factors lead to spanish defeat
= no reinforcements

Answer 23

The Spanish plan relied on stopping to pick up the Duke of Parma’s army to boost their numbers, but the fleet was unable to anchor and so never picked them up

Question 24

what factors lead to spanish defeat
-tactics

Answer 24

Spanish tactics were to get close enough to English ships to board them, whereas the English tactic was to attack from a safe distance

Question 25

what factors lead to spanish defeat
-ships

Answer 25

Spanish ships were slower and less equipped for the bad weather than the English ships

Question 26

what factors led to spanish defeat
-weapons

Answer 26

The English ships had cannon they could fire at a safe distance and could be reloaded quickly. The design of the Spanish cannon meant that they could only fire over short distances and were slow to re-load.

Question 27

wha factors led to spanish defeat
-support

Answer 27

The Spanish overestimated the level of support there would be in England for Spanish control and a return to Roman Catholicism.

Question 28

what factors led to spanish defeat
=weather

Answer 28

The lack of a secure port where the Spanish could take shelter meant that the Spanish ships were buffeted by the wind. The thinking was that God intervened and the windy weather was a sign that God was on Elizabeth’s side.

Question 29

what were elizabeth’s two main problems concerning france

Answer 29

She inherited a bad relationship with France from her predecessor Queen Mary I.

France were big supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots, who Elizabeth had executed

Question 30

explain how elizabeth inherited a bad relationship with france

Answer 30

Elizabeth’s predecessor, Queen Mary I, was in an anti-French alliance with her husband, King Philip of Spain. During Mary’s reign she lost the town of Calais which was ruled by England for hundreds of years, so this meant France now controlled the entire northern coastline of France and left England more vulnerable of attack.

Question 31

explain how france supported mary queen of scots

Answer 31

Mary, Queen of Scots was married to Francis II, King of France before he died so the French were supporters of Mary and her claim to the English throne. When Elizabeth eventually had her executed, Elizabeth feared serious repercussions from the French

Question 32

how did elizabeth try to develop a good relationship with france

Answer 32

Despite initially being a threat to England, the civil war in France from 1562 meant French monarchs were preoccupied with home affairs to pose a threat to Elizabeth. Even when Mary, Queen of Scots was executed, the French King, Henry III, kept on friendly terms with Elizabeth.

Although failing, to take back Calais, Elizabeth managed to keep a good relationship with France going, she even entered negotiations to marry Duke of Alencon to help this.