Economic/ social change

Question 1

What caused economic issues for Mary ?

Answer 1

• Continued demand due to the rapid increase in population
• Inflationary impact of debasement of the coinage
• Harvest failures in 1555 and 1556 (strain and food shortages for the poor)
• Devastating impact of the sweating sickness (1557-8)

Question 2

What successful financial reforms were made ?

Answer 2

• The court of the Exchequer took over the Court of first fruits and tenths and the Court of Augmentations (adopted superior methods)
• 1554

Question 3

What did Elizabeth benefit from that Mary set up ?

Answer 3

• New book of rates (1558) benefitted Elizabeth

Question 4

What did Mary (mistakenly) continue from Edward ?

Answer 4

• Remitted the final part of Edward’s last subsidy which brought her popularity BUT at a some financial cost

Question 5

How were crown finances security boosted ?

Answer 5

• Plans for recoinage were drawn up in 1556-1558 and implemented under Elizabeth

Question 6

How were the financial records ?

Answer 6

• For a government at war, its financial record was satisfactory

Question 7

How did Mary alleviate socio-economic pressures on the poor ?

Answer 7

Mary attempted to enforce laws against grain hoarders particularly stringently, while encouragement was given to convert pasture land to tillage.

Question 8

What years were dreadful and why ?

Answer 8

• 1556-8

- Huge mortality rate from the influenza epidemic, high taxation due to France and a series of harvest failures

Question 9

Where were there 4 planned uprisings and in what year ?

Answer 9

• Planned in Nov 1553 in : Devon, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and Kent
• BUT the plans leaked on Jan 1554 forcing the rebels in to action

Question 10

Where did the rebellion originate and why ?

Answer 10

• originated in Kent with Sir Thomas Wyatt raising forces of 3,000 men
• Due to : Xenophobia, religion (came from a protestant stronghold), socio-economic grievances (decline in the local cloth industry) and the MAIN factor was resentment towards the proposed marriage

Question 11

What was an implicit objective of the rebellion ?

Answer 11

• get rid of Mary (involvement of Jane Grey’s father implied a desire to restore Jane to the throne however the rebels would have preferred Elizabeth)

Question 12

When did the rebellion start ?

Answer 12

• 25th Jan 1554 : Wyatt raised his standard in Maidstone to signify the start of the rebellion

Question 13

Where were the rebels stopped ?

Answer 13

• Ludgate at the edge of the city of London only 0.5 km away from the Queen at the Tower (Feb 1554)
• Forced to surrender and ask for mercy

Question 14

How did the crowns response to Wyatt’s rebellion initially fail ?

Answer 14

• Jan 1554 : Norfolk (chosen by the Government) was forced to retreat and return to court

Question 15

What were the consequences for the rebels ?

Answer 15

• 90 were executed
• Wyatt became a Martyr
• Resulted in the execution of Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth was arrested and imprisoned

Question 16

What was significant about Wyatt’s rebellion ?

Answer 16

• Showed although Protestants were the minority, their religious opinions couldn’t be ignored
• Demonstrated the extent to which there was popular suspicion of the proposed Spanish marriage