Early Elizabethan England

Question 1

Elizabeth’s problems when she came to the throne

Answer 1

>Succession
>Government
>Society
>Economy
>Religion
>Relations with other countries

Question 2

Elizabeth’s problems - succession

Answer 2

> Women regarded as weak , unstable and inferior.
Risk that powerful Catholic countries might support Mary’s claim to the throne.
Risk Catholic Pope might excommunicate Elizabeth for being illegitimate,
Some relief Mary Tudor was no longer queen.
Elizabeth represented a fresh start.
1558, Mary Queen of Scots declared she was rightful queen of England not Elizabeth.
Many Catholics supported Mary’s claim.

Question 3

Elizabeth’s problems - Government

Answer 3

> believed monarch was chosen by God.
monarchs governed with small number of advisers and Elizabeth inherited lots of Catholic ministers.
War with France left debt of £30,000 when she came to the throne.
Still not enough money to pay for full time army to protect from invasion.
by 1558, Mary had strengthened army to help protect coastline.
meetings of parliament were needed to be able to approve taxes and new laws.

Question 4

Elizabeth’s problems - Society

Answer 4

> population of 3 million
influenza epidemic was raging and it killed thousands
society believed in strict hierarchy and part of God’s plan.
increased fear of crime due to growth in vagabondage
poverty and unemployment rising amongst poor classes.
women couldn’t own their own property.
women belonged to fathers or brothers.

Question 5

Elizabeth’s problems - Economy

Answer 5

> most people worked as labourers on farms.
landowners started to keep sheep for wool instead of crops, requiring fewer labourers so fewer jobs.
merchants sold English wool abroad, market collapsed early 1550s so thousands of spinners and weavers lost jobs.
England’s coinage contained less gold harming foreign trade and increasing further.
prices increase after early 1550s, ordinary people afford less for same amount of money so the economy slowed.

Question 6

Elizabeth’s problems - religion

Answer 6

> 1558, country divided - protestant and catholic.
Henry VIII upset Catholics in 1534, Edward was Protestant, Mary burnt nearly 300 Protestants.
1558, Puritans returned from exile (fled during Mary Tudor’s reign).
Puritans ready to put pressure on for tougher rules on Catholics.
Protestants were relieved when Elizabeth became queen.
Still a large number of Catholic noble families.

Question 7

Elizabeth’s problems - relations with other countries

Answer 7

> Most powerful countries were Spain and France, England was much weaker.
France and England had been enemies for centuries and were at war in 1558.
France controlled Scotland - Mary QoS was married to an heir to the French throne.
French troops based in Scotland posed a threat to English security.
1558, England lost French territory.
King Philip of Spain - most powerful ruler was married to Mary Tudor and now wanted to marry Elizabeth.
King Philip was Catholic so if Elizabeth made England Protestant then Catholic countries might attack England (religious war).

Question 8

Pros if Elizabeth made church Catholic

Answer 8

> House of Lords contained mainly Catholic bishops.
France and Spain were unlikely to invade.
Majority of ordinary people still had some affection for Catholic ceremonies in 1558.
Some parts of the country were more Catholic than others.

Question 9

Cons if Liz made church Catholic

Answer 9

> House of Commons was mainly Protestant.

Question 10

Pros if Liz made church Puritan

Answer 10

> Hostile towards Catholics.

>Money (no decor in churches).

Question 11

Cons if Puritan church

Answer 11

> She remained fond of certain Catholic ideas.
Afraid England would become a religious conflict like the rest of Europe.
Spain and France were Catholic.
French had connections to Catholic QMoS.
Challenged her power as Puritans believed they, not her, should run their own church.

Question 12

Pros if Liz made church moderate Protestant

Answer 12

> Liz was Protestant, but still liked priests to wear special clothes, she enjoyed musics, hymns and some decoration in church.
She disliked superstition in Catholic services.
She would be head of church.

Question 13

Cons if Liz made church moderate Protestant

Answer 13

> Spain+France = Catholic.

>1558, most bishops were Catholic, she would have to replace them if they disagreed.

Question 14

Religious Settlement

Answer 14

> 1559.
The Act of Supremacy.
The Act of Uniformity.

Question 15

Religious Settlement - Act of Supremacy

Answer 15

> 1559.
England became officially Protestant again.
Elizabeth became Supreme Governor of the Church of England, rather than Head of.
Bishops were given the job of running the Church.
All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to Elizabeth accepting her title. Refuse x3 = execution.

Question 16

Religious Settlement - The Act of Uniformity

Answer 16

> 1559.
New English Protestant Prayer book.
All church services were in English.
Bread + wine still taken but meaning left deliberately open.
Some ornaments + decoration still allowed in churches.
Priests wore quite fine vestments and allowed to marry.
Everyone to attend church on Sundays + holy days or face 1 shilling fine. But Liz turned a blind eye to it.

Question 17

Challenges to Elizabeth

Answer 17

> Puritan challenge.

>Catholic Plots.

Question 18

Puritan challenge - weaknesses

Answer 18

> Lack of support: Puritans were a small minority, at odds with the majority of ordinary people, couldn’t criticise Church without making a direct attack on Elizabeth + risking loss of support.
Divisions within: Puritans weren’t united, views were extreme so harder to enforce + stricter than moderate Protestants.
Government action: Liz had so much power she could end them if she wanted, had to persuade Liz.
No alternative: If they tried to remove Elizabeth they would end up with Mary QoS, who’s Catholic.

Question 19

Puritan’s Challenge - strengths

Answer 19

> Secure Elizabeth’s power: Many Puritans helped Liz during time when chances of war increased, Puritans never called for Liz to be removed, Puritans wanted to strengthen CoE.
Highly educated: Puritanism strong in London unis, literacy rates higher as they focused on studying the bible at uni.
Friends in high places: Lots of Puritans were at centre of Liz’s government, many councillors +MPs were Puritan or Puritan sympathisers.

Question 20

What could Liz have done with Mary QoS?

Answer 20

> Send an army to help regain Mary’s throne in Scotland.
Keep Mary a prisoner in England.
Execute Mary.
Let Mary return to relatives in France.
Send Mary back to Scotland to face trial.

Question 21

What did Liz actually do with Mary QoS?

Answer 21

> Liz kept Mary a prisoner for nearly 20 years. He refused to visit or release Mary, despite her cousin’s moving letters.
Mary executed in 1587.

Question 22

Revolt of the Northern Earls

Answer 22

> Leaders = Earl of Northumberland + Westmoreland. They were leading noble Catholics.
November, 1569, ordered workers on their lands to join a rebel army.
When Earls reached Durham , they stormed the cathedral and destroyed Protestant prayer books + celebrated traditional Catholic Mass.
Despite reaching Durham, Earls failed to attract any wider support.
Rebels moved further south to York.
Mary QoS moved to a prison further south.
Elizabeth sent 10,000 men army to York, Earls fled.
450 rebels were executed, northumberland beheaded, westmoreland fled abroad.

Question 23

Reasons for the Earl’s Revolt

Answer 23

> Political.
Personal.
Religious.

Question 24

Political reasons for the earl’s revolt

Answer 24

> Northern earls had lost power.
Government in the north of England now carried out by the Council of the North - traditional nobility + earls lost some of their authority.
When Liz found out about plan for Mary to marry Norfolk, she summoned earls to court, only option seemed revolt as the earls feared prison or execution.
Earls were angered that their power in the North was handed to men Elizabeth had more direct control over.

Question 25

Personal Reasons for the Earls Revolt

Answer 25

> Earl of Westmoreland’s wife urged him not to back down after being summoned to Elizabeth’s court - ‘determined, take action and revolt’.
Northern earls had lost power + land to Elizabeth.
Earl of Northumberland had lost coppermines so money.
Earls demanded Liz get rid of her ‘evil councillors’, especially disliked Robert Cecil as they blamed him for the religious settlement + their loss of power.

Question 26

Religious reasons for earls revolt

Answer 26

> Earls had alread taken part in plan to marry Mary QoS to Duke of Norfolk (Catholic sympathiser + most powerful noble in England). Make him Liz’s heir + given him more authority. They hoped he’d restore some of their power.
Wanted Liz to accept Mary QoS as rightful successor + release her from prison, so Catholic monarch when Elizabeth died.
Rebels wore Catholic badges + emblems on tehir clothes, also carried Catholic banners.
Earls forced way to Durham Cathedral, overturned protestant communion table + held Catholic service + destroyed prayer books.

Question 27

Catholic Plots

Answer 27

> The Revolt of the Northern Earls, 1569.
Ridolfi Plot, 1571.
Throckmorton Plot, 1583.
The Babington Plot, 1586.

Question 28

Ridolfi Plot, 1571

Answer 28

> In 1570, Pope excommunicated Liz making it easier for Catholics to plot against her.
Roberto Ridolfi (Italian banker). Mary QoS used Ridolfi to carry messages to Duke of Alva + King Philip of Spain -> overthrow Liz so Mary queen.
In 1571, Ridolfi met Alva to try and convince him to invade England but Alva wasn’t keen on plans + told Philip not to unless Liz overthrown.
Duke of Norfolk’s servants revealed his plan.
Plot discovered before it could attract any domestic support.
Duke Norfolk put on trial and executed in 1572 but not Mary.
New law passed so anyone who claimed Liz wasn’t rightful Queen could be executed.
Ridolfi retired in Europe.

Question 29

Throckmorton Plot, 1583

Answer 29

> 1572, 1000s of French Protestants murdered on orders of MQoS relatives.
Increased fears of Catholic attack in England, relations with Spain on decline. Wanted to invade England and restore Catholicism.
Francis Throckmorton, a young English Catholic, was the carrier of letters between MQoS and French+ Spanish Ambassadors.
Papers found incriminating leading Catholic nobles but plot stopped as waiting for money from Phillip II. Didn’t reach public eye.
Throckmorton was executed and the Spanish ambassador was expelled.
1584, Bond of Association passed. If Elizabeth was under threat, MQoS would be executed.

Question 30

Babington Plot, 1586

Answer 30

> Anthony Babington, young Catholic, carried letters for MQoS in the 1580s.
Encouraged to plot, unaware it originated from priest on Liz’s government surveillance. July 1586, he wrote to Mary explaining how to free country from Protantism.
Invasion with foreign army’ freeing Mary.
Letters intercepted by Walsingham as spies in Mary’s household.
Mary agreed to plan + fell into the trap.
Mary was found guilty of plotting to take Liz’s life and was executed in February 1587.
6 plotters were also arrested and executed.

Question 31

Mary QoS

Answer 31

> Mary was a Catholic and gained support of Catholics against Elizabeth.
Mary was a possible heir to the throne.
Both the Ridolfi and Throckmorton Plot intended to make Mary queen and restore Catholicism.
In 1584, Parliament agreed Bond of Association. If Liz’s life is under threat then Mary would be executed.
Parliament was strongly Protestant and feared MQoS becoming queen.
1570, pope excommunicated Elizabeth.

Question 32

Execution of MQoS

Answer 32

> The Babington Plot of 1856 revealed Mary approved plan to kill Elizabeth and that she was directly involved.
Under the 1584 Bond of Association, Mary was executed.
She was executed in 1587.