Early Elizabethan England 1558-1588 Content

Question 1

When did Elizabeth I become queen and why?

Answer 1

Mary I - Elizabeth’s half sister - died and Elizabeth succeeded her on November 1558.

Question 2

in Elizabeth’s government, what was role of The Privy Council?

Answer 2

Members of the nobility who helped govern the country. They were appointed by Elizabeth herself and advise on matters of the state.

They monitored parliament, Justices of the Peace and oversaw law and order and the security of the

Question 3

In Elizabeth’s government, what was the role of the Justices of the Peace?

Answer 3

Large landowners; appointed by government, who kept law and order locally and heard court cases.

Question 4

In Elizabeth’s government, what was the role of the court?

Answer 4

Made up of noblemen who acted as the monarch’s advisers and friends.

They advised the monarch and helped display her wealth and power. Members of the court could also be members of the Privy Council.

Question 5

In Elizabeth’s government, what was the role of the Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 5

Noblemen, appointed by government, who governed English counties and raised the local militia.

Question 6

In Elizabeth’s government what was the role of Parliament?

Answer 6

They 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 (extraordinary taxation).

Question 7

Who lived in the countryside in Elizabethan England? (Order from most to least powerful)

Answer 7

The nobility

The gentry

The yeoman farmers

Tenant farmers

The landless/labouring poor

The homeless/vagrants.

Question 8

Who lived in the towns in Elizabethan England? (Order from most to least powerful)

Answer 8

Merchants

Professionals

Business owners

Craftsmen

Unskilled labourers and the unemployed

Question 9

In Elizabeth society who did you have to show obedience and care to?

Answer 9

You owed respect and obedience to those above you and a duty of care those below.

The husband and father was head of the household. His wife, children and any servants were expected to obedient to him.

Question 10

What were the many problems Elizabeth faced when she became Queen?

Answer 10

Elizabeth’s government needed money.

Elizabeth was Protestant Her predecessor, Mary I, was Catholic.

Elizabeth’s legitimacy was in doubt.

Elizabeth was young (25) and inexperienced.

Question 11

Why was Elizabeth’s legitimacy in doubt?

Answer 11

The pope had refused to recognise her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII due to her being Henry’s second wife.

Due to this and various other things Catholics refused to acknowledge Elizabeth’s right to rule England.

Question 12

What was the problem with Elizabeth being unmarried?

Answer 12

Although England was ruled by a Queen, it was still a patriarchal society

Her being unmarried went against Christian traditions that women should follow men’s authority. Many people disapproved of a queen regnant (a queen who actually ruled)

Question 13

Who was Anne Boleyn - Elizabeth’s mother?

Answer 13

Elizabeth’s father divorced Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn.

Henry had Anne Boleyn executed in 1536 - for adultery. Henry thus excluded Elizabeth from the succession, although he reserved this decision before his death.

Question 14

What were the problems that would arise if Elizabeth did marry?

Answer 14

If Elizabeth married a Protestant, this would anger Catholics much more.

If she married a Catholic, this would upset Protestants.

Elizabeth’s power would be reduced, as her husband would be expected to govern the country and deal with parliament.

Question 15

What would be the issue if Elizabeth did not marry?

Answer 15

Elizabeth would leave the throne without an heir. If she had died the throne would be vacant and this could lead to a Catholic-Protestant civil war.

Question 16

Who was very important in Elizabeth’s Privy Council?

Answer 16

Elizabeth’s inexperience meant that she needed support and advice.

Her Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil was very important.

Question 17

What were Elizabeth’s strengths?

Answer 17

Elizabeth was confident and charismatic helped win over support in Parliament.

Elizabeth was Protestant, the number of Protestants in England, making her position more secure.

Question 18

What does the Crown refer to?

Answer 18

The government, which means her (the monarch) and her advisers (The Privy Council)

Question 19

What were the Financial weakness, 1558?

Answer 19

The Crown was £300,000 in debt and had an annual income of only £286,667

Over £100,000 of Crown debts was owed to foreign moneylenders.

Mary I had sold off Crown lands to pay for wars with France, so the Crown’s income from rents was falling.

Since the 1540s, the Crown had debased (devalued) the coinage, by reducing its silver and gold content, in order to make money to fight wars against France. This resulted in inflation, as the value of the currency fell.

Question 20

Why did Elizabeth need money?

Answer 20

To remain secure on the throne, as she could use it to reward loyal servants and supporters.

Question 21

What did Elizabeth do to raise money and cut spending?

Answer 21

She did not raise taxes but instead hoarded her income and cut her household expenses by half.

Like her predecessors, she sold Crown lands, raising 120,000. By 1574, the queen could claim the Crown was out of debt for the first time since 1558.

These decisions were very popular as they didn’t affect the general public.

Question 22

What foreign alliance threatened Elizabeth’s security on the throne?

Answer 22

The Auid Alliance: France’s alliance with Scotland threatened England.

Mary, Queen of Scots married Francis in 1558. Francis became King Francis II of France in 1559.

Elizabeth was afraid of Mary Queen of Scots because she would be ousted by the Catholics and replaced by Mary Queen of Scots.

Question 23

Why was Elizabeth on bad terms with France and what was she afraid of, 1558?

Answer 23

She was afraid of France as she inherited a bad relationship with her predecessor Mary I.

Mary I had declared war on France in 1557. In January, 1558 France regained Calais which had been England’s possession since 1347 during the Hundred Years’ war marking the end of English territorial claims in France.

Question 24

Why did Elizabeth worry that France and Spain would unite against England?

Answer 24

France military resources were no longer stretched by war with Spain, making a war with England more likely.

Although France and Spain had recently been at war they both were Catholic countries and changing alliances was common if it suited their interests as England’s military was vastly weaker then the united power of France and Spain.

Question 25

Why would war have been an economic disaster for Elizabeth and the Crown?

Answer 25

War was an expensive business and the Crown was in debt. England could not afford a war with France, Scotland and/or Spain, as this would be ruinously expensive and deepen the government's debts.

Question 26

How did Elizabeth deal with the challenges from France and Scotland?

Answer 26

She sought to avoid war with France by signing the Peace of Troyes, 1564, which recognised once and for all the French claim to Calais. Elizabeth was able to deal with the threat posed by Scotland by placing Mary, Queen of Scots, who fled Scotland in 1568, in custody in England. By imprisoning Mary and making peace with France, Elizabeth had only one significant threat by 1569: Spain.

Question 27

Who were Puritans?

Answer 27

Some extreme Protestants became Puritans - people who wanted to purify the Christian religion by getting rid of anything not in the bible.

Question 28

What was Elizabeth's religious settlement, 1559?

Answer 28

Elizabeth's religious settlement had 3 main parts: Act of Supremacy, Act of Uniformity, and Royal Injunctions. The overall aim was to create a moderate Protestant Church that most people could accept, helping Elizabeth secure her rule and avoid rebellion.

Question 29

Who were the Clergy?

Answer 29

Officials of the Church which included Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and Deacons. They had to take the Oath of Supremacy, recognising Elizabeth as Supreme Governor.

Question 30

What was the Act of Supremacy, 1559?

Answer 30

Under Mary I, England was Catholic. This was the first part of Elizabeth's religious settlement and she introduced the Act of Supremacy, 1559 which made her the Supreme Governor (Head) of the Church of England. Based on Henry VIII's 1534 Act of Supremacy. All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her. Slightly softened the language of Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy to be more acceptable to Catholics.

Question 31

What was The Act of Uniformity, 1559?

Answer 31

The second part of Elizabeth's religious settlement. Dictated the appearance of churches and how religious services were to be held. It required everyone to attend church or pay a fine of 1 shilling.

Question 32

What was the Book of Common Prayer, 1559?

Answer 32

A key feature of the Act of Uniformity which introduced a set church service to be used in all churches. The clergy had to follow the Prayer Book wording during services or be punished.

Question 33

What was the Ecclesiastical High Commission, 1559?

Answer 33

A key feature of the Act of Supremacy established to keep discipline within the Church and enforce Elizabeth's religious settlement. Disloyal clergy could be punished.

Question 34

What were Royal Injuctions, 1559?

Answer 34

The third and final part of Elizabeth's religious settlement. This was a set of instructions to the clergy that reinforced the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity. It included instructions on how people should worship God and how religious services were to be conducted.

Question 35

What were the aims of Elizabeth's religious settlement, 1559?

Answer 35

Create religious stability and unity between Catholics and Protestants and end the religious chaos and avoid civil war/rebellion. Keeping both Protestants and moderate Catholics satisfied. Increase her power as Queen and help reduce the Pope's influence and meant she controlled both state and religion. She didn't want to provoke Catholic countries like Spain or France by being too extreme in her Protestantism so she had elements in her settlement that appealed to Catholics.

Question 36

What were the impacts of Elizabeth's religious settlement, 1559?

Answer 36

8,000 clergy out of about 10,000 accepted the religious settlement. Many Marian Bishops (Catholic Bishops appointed by Mary I) opposed the settlement and had to be replaced. The majority of ordinary people accepted Elizabeth's religious settlement and attended

Question 37

What were the specific rules the Royal Injunctions set out?

Answer 37

All clergy were required to teach the Royal Supremacy, report those refusing to attend Church to the Privy Council, keep a copy of the bible in English, have a government licence to preach and prevent pilgrimages, religious shrines and monuments to 'fake' miracles. They had to wear special clothes called vestments.

Question 38

What were the responsibilities of the Church of England?

Answer 38

Provide guidance for communities - the (local) parish church helped people in times of hardship and uncertainty. Responsible for Church Courts - these dealt with marriage, sexual offences, slander, wills and inheritance. Visitations - bishops carried out inspections of churches and clergy, to ensure they obeyed the religious settlement. These took place every 3-4 years. Visitations also involved checking the licences of physicians, midwives and surgeons.

Question 39

How did the Church of England help secure Elizabeth's reign?

Answer 39

It legitimised Elizabeth's rule as the Church encourage people to remain loyal to and not rebel against their monarch. Preached the government's message as priests needed a government's licence to preach. This ensured the clergy preached Elizabeth's religious and political message, as those who refused to do so would be denied a licence. Enforced Elizabeth's religious settlement, 1559.

Question 40

What was the role of parish clergy in village life?

Answer 40

In all parishes the clergyman was a major figure in the village community and conduced church services including baptisms, weddings and funerals. The clergy offered spiritual and practical advice and guidance to people, especially when times were difficult (such as during a poor harvest). The clergy were funded by taxes or tithes (religious tax), or by other sources of income, such as the sale of church pews. The gentry funded some parishes while others remained independent of local landowners.

Question 41

What was the role of parish clergy in town life?

Answer 41

Parish churches in towns contained a much wider collection of people, including merchants, craftsmen, labourers and vagrants. There was often a wider range of religious beliefs, too, especially in London which contained mainstream Protestants, Puritans and Catholics The role of clergy varied both within towns and between them. In London a wide variety of parishes existed, some of which were very wealthy while others were relatively poor. Due to overcrowding, parish clergy in towns had a wider range of issues to deal with than the case in village parishes. These included poverty, homelessness and diseases, such as smallpox and plague.

Question 42

What did the Puritans want for England?

Answer 42

They wanted to develop their own Church, which would not be controlled by the monarch. There would be no bishops, and priests would not wear vestments. They wanted to make the world a 'more godly' place by banning 'sinful' activities, such as gambling and cock fighting. Puritans wanted a simpler style of worship, whitewashed churches and no worship of religious idols, including crucifixes and statues, which were seen as ungodly and too Catholic. Many Puritans were anti-Catholic and believed the pope was anti-Christ. A minority of Puritans believed the monarch could be overthrown in certain circumstances. This was especially the case if the monarch was Catholic.

Question 43

What did Elizabeth do to indirectly upset Puritans?

Answer 43

Elizabeth, anxious not to upset Catholics, demanded that a crucifix be placed in each Church. Puritans opposed this, and, when some Puritan bishops threatened to resign, she backed down, as she could not replace them with educated Protestant clergy of similar ability. Elizabeth wanted the clergy to wear special vestments, as described in the Royal Injunctions. This resulted in the resignation of 37 Puritan priests, who refused to attend church and wear the new vestments as required.

Question 44

To what extent was Puritan threat limited?

Answer 44

Puritanism had less of an impact on northern England, which remained mostly Catholic. The government ignored most Puritan demands for reform of the Church of England, suggesting that Puritanism's support was limited.

Question 45

What were Recusants?

Answer 45

Practiced the Catholic religion in secret. Elizabeth tolerated them initially, as she did not want to turn them into religious martyrs and she wanted to avoid a Catholic rebellion.

Question 46

What was the Counter Reformation?

Answer 46

The Catholic Church's attempt to reverse the Protestant Reformation in Europe and stop its spread. Protestants in Europe were charged with heresy (denying the teachings of the Catholic Church). They also burnt Protestant books. In 1566, the pope issued an instruction to English Catholics to not attend Church of England services.

Question 47

Why did Catholic nobility dislike Elizabeth?

Answer 47

Traditional and powerful nobility (major landowners) prospered under Mary I, such as the Nevilles and the Percys. They resented the loss of influence under Elizabeth and disliked the growing influence of her favourites, such as Sir William Cecil and Robert Dudley, Early of Leicster, who they saw as Protestant upstarts.

Question 48

To what extent was the Catholic threat limited?

Answer 48

The Catholic nobility in the north were very influential and always enjoyed freedom from the Crown, so they were well placed to incite a rebellion against Elizabeth. This threat was increased by the pope's instruction that Catholics were not to attend Church of England services. This gave them a powerful religious reason to rebel.

Question 49

How did Elizabeth upset France in 1562?

Answer 49

A religious civil war began in France, in 1562 between the Huguenots and Catholics. Elizabeth backed the Huguenots by supplying troops and money, as she was hoping to take back Calais in return. This backfired as the Huguenots and Catholics made peace. Together the united France army drove England out of France in 1563. This isolated England in Europe even further. France saw this as Elizabeth pushing heir weight and trying to topple their government. Spain didn't like how Elizabeth tried to topple another Catholic government in Europe. Phillip II of Spain didn't act but it worsened relations which Elizabeth tried to avoid.

Question 50

Why did Counter Reformation increase tensions between England and the Papacy and allied Catholic powers?

Answer 50

It meant Pope Pius V was prepared to end Protestant rule in England. He disapproved the steps Elizabeth had taken to suppress Catholicism following the revolt of the Northern Earls. The pope had excommunicated (being formally excluded from the Catholic Church) Elizabeth in 1570. This could only encourage Catholic powers, such as France and Spain, to attack England.

Question 51

Why did Elizabeth anger Spain between the years 1566-1570?

Answer 51

In 1566, Elizabeth publicly condemned the Dutch Protestants in the revolt (1566), but privately helped them to weaken Spain. She let Sea Beggars shelter in English ports and blocked Spanish troops using the Channel. This support showed her Protestant sympathy and angered Spain.