Early Elizabethan England 1558-88 Flashcards
How was legitmacy a key problem faced by Elizabeth at the start?
- She was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, so not everyone accepted her legitmacy (especially Catholics)
- Many thought that Mary Queen of Scots was the legitimate Queen
How was marriage a key problem faced by Elizabeth at the start?
Women were though to be inferior so many found Elizabeth ruling by herself to be unusual. As a result people felt that she should marry
How as religion a key problem faced by Elizabeth at the start?
In 1558, the country was divided by religion (Protestant and Catholic)
How were foreign powers a key problem faced by Elizabeth at the start?
England was weak compared to others (France and Spain = most powerful and were both Roman Catholic)
How was money a key problem faced by Elizabeth at the start?
England had fought costly wars before Elizabeth became Queen. The Crown was £300,000 in debt when she took the throne.
What was one problem of Mary, Queen of Scots?
Many Catholics saw Mary Queen of Scots as the legitimate monarch (she was Elizabeth’s second
cousin and had a direct link to the throne). Mary arrived in England in 1568 after the Protestant Scottish Nobles revolted after the suspicious death of her husband.
What was another problem of Mary, Queen of Scots?
Elizabeth was unsure what to do with Mary. She did not want to hand her over to the Scottish Lords but she also did not want to allow her to go abroad so she decided to keep her in England in captivity.
What were the causes of the Revolt of the Northern Earls, 1569?
- Northen nobility tended to remain Catholic
- They did well out of Mary’s I reign
- Found their influence reduced under Elizabeth and disliked her ‘favourites’ her Dudley and Cecil
What was the plan of the Revolt of the Northern Earls?
- Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland would raise an army and take control of Durham and would then march south to join the Duke of Norfolk’s forces
- Several thousand Spanish troops would land in Hartlepool to support the rebels
- Mary Queen of Scots would be freed, married to the Duke of Norfolk and placed on the throne
What were the main events of the Revolt of the Northern Earls, 1569?
- November 1569 - earls of Northumberland and Westmorland led a rebellion against Elizabeth called the Revolt of the Northern Earls
- Took Durham Cathedral and celebrated a full Catholic mass
What were the outcomes of the Revolt of the Northern Earls?
- Most nobles stayed loyal to Elizabeth and by 24 November they were forced to retreat and eventually defeated
- Prompted harsher treatments against Catholics
- Pope Pius VI excommunicated Elizabeth (expelled her from the church)
What was the point of the Ridolfi Plot, 1571?
Murder Elizabeth, Spanish invasion and put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne
Who was Robert Ridolfi?
An Italian banker, one of the Pope’s spies
What were the events of the Ridolfi Plot?
- Ridolfi, Phillip II and Duke of Alba plan invasion with help of Duke of Norfolk
- Cecil intercepted letter - Norfolk executed, Mary spared
What was the significance of the Ridolfi Plot?
- Plot reinforced threat posed by Mary and by Spain
- Elizabeth tried to improve relations with the France
What was the point of the Throckmorton Plot, 1583?
- Duke of Guise, Mary’s cousin, to invade and otherthrow Elizabeth
- Francis Throckmorton acted as a go-between
What were the events of the Throckmorton Plot?
- Walsingham uncovered the plot
- Papers found at the Throckmorton’s house and he was tortured and executed in 1584
What was the significance of the Throckmorton Plot?
- Again reinforced threat from Spain and Mary (and potentially France)
- List of Catholic sympathisers concerned Elizabeth
- More harsher laws against Catholics
What was the Babington Plot, 1586?
- Duke of Guise would again invade, Catholics encouraged to rebel
- Anthony Babington wrote to Mary about the plot
What were the events of the Babington Plot?
- Walsingham intercepted the letters and deciphered the codes within them
- Babington and accomplices executed
What was the significance of the Babington Plot?
- Elizabeth’s government became determined to crush Catholicism
- Mary finally tried by the Privy Council and sentenced to death
- Mary executed in February 1587
How did politics lead Elizabethans to explore?
- Wars with Spain and in Netherlands had hit trade hard
- Rivalry with Spain for naval dominance
- Drake as a privateer targeting Spanish ships
- Massive rewards e.g. Americas full of riches; exotic crops, silver
- Financial rewards result in increased power and control
How did economics lead Elizabethans to explore?
- Wars with Spain and Netherlands had disrupted wool and cloth trade - needed new markets
- Massive rewards e.g. Americas full of riches; exotic crops, silver
- Trans-Atlantic slave trade
- North-West Passage
How did new technology lead Elizabethans to explore?
- Quadrant/Astrolabe - new navigation
- Maps/printing - Mercator map more accurate and printing meant they were used by more people
- Ship design - Galleons were quicker, more manoeuvrable, more cargo space, more fire power
How did better ships lead Elizabethans to explore?
- Ship design improved making longer journeys possible
- Galleons were larger, more stable and faster and also had more firepower to protect them
What other factors led Elizabethans to explore?
- Sense of adventure
- Role of individuals like Drake and Hawkins
Why did Drake circumnavigate the world?
- Economic opportunities in the New World
- To challenge Spanish domination
- Revenge for Spanish defeat in 1567-8
What were the positives of Drake’s circumnavigation of the world?
- Raided Spanish ships
- Gathered lots of useful information about Americas
- Local Native Americans treated the English with great hospitality
What were the negatives of Drake’s circumnavigation of the world?
- Lost 4 out of 5 ships
- Mutiny during the voyage
What was the significance of Drake’s circumnavigation of the world?
- Massive return for investors
- Drake very wealthy and famous
- Announcement of Nova Albion encouraged English colonies to be established in America
- Destroyed Anglo-Spanish relations
Why was establishing a colony in Virginia seen as important?
- A base to attack Spanish colonies from
- A base for privateering (piracy)
- It acts as an example for future colonies
- North Americans could choose English traders over Spanish traders
- England would no longer need to rely on Europe for trade if it could control the trade from the New World
What was Raleigh’s preparation for the colony?
- Given a grant to explore North America in 1584
- Fact finding mission in 1584
- Used positive reports to persuade people to move the colony - convinced them that they would be rich
- Two Native Americans, Manteo and Wanchese were brought back (helped with the language and made links with their people)
- Invested his own money as well as promises to investors of a share in his privateering profits
How many attempts were there to colonise Virginia?
There were two attempts: 1585-6 and the infamous ‘lost colony’ of 1587-90
Why did the Virginia Colony fail?
- Vital supplies were damaged on the journey
- Difficulty hunting - Gunpowder had been spoiled on the journey
- Problems with the Native Americans e.g. Chief Wingina
- They left too late to plant crops
- They had the wrong mix of people
What happened during the second attempt at colony in 1587?
- Manteo was made Lord Roanoke and John White in overall charge
- They experienced many problems, including significant hostility from Native tribes (e.g. John White’s adviser, George Howe, was found dead with 16 arrow wounds)
- Afterwards John White returned to England to update Raleigh
What happened when John White returned to the colony in 1590?
- He found it deserted
- The only clue as to what happened to the settlers was the world ‘Croatoan’ carved into a post
