Elizabeth Flashcards
When was the Elizabethan religious settlement?
In 1559
What did Catholics want from the Elizabeth settlement?
For them to still believe in transubstantiation(the idea during Mass, the bread and wine used for Communion become the body and blood of Jesus Christ).
Images to be allowed in the Church
What did Protestants want from the Elizabethan settlement?
Bible/Prayer books in English
Control of the Pope ended
Key features of Elizabeth’s religious settlement
Act of Supremacy
Ecclesiastical High Commission
Book of Common Prayer
Royal Injunctions
Act of Uniformity
Act of Supremacy
Elizabeth became Supreme Governor(Head) of the Church of England. All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her
The Royal Injunctions
A set of instructions to the clergy on how people should worship God and how religious services were to be conducted.
Act of Uniformity
Dictated the appearance of churches and how religious services were to be held - required everyone to attend Church
Ecclesiastical High Commission
Kept discipline within the Chirch and enforced Elizabeth’s religious settlement
Book of Common Prayer
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
What were the aims of Elizabeth’s religious settlement?
The wording of the new Prayer Book could be understood to mean different things by Catholics and Protestants:
The Communion Sacrament referred to in the Book of Common Prayer could be interpreted as the body/blood of Jesus(transubstantiation), this would have appealed to Catholics, while Protestants could view it as an act of remembrance
Protestants would have approved of the ban on pilgrimages to ‘fake’ miracles, while Catholics would have approved of the possibility of ‘real’ miracles
Catholics would also have approved of the use of candles, crosses and vestments in church services
Impact of the religipus settlement
8000 clergy out of roughly 10,000 accepted the religious settlement.
Many Marian bishops(Catholic Bishops appointed by Mary Tudor) opposed the settlement and were replaced
The majority of ordinary people accepted Elizabeth’s religious settlement and attended the church services, though many of them held on Catholic beliefs
What did the Royal Injunctions require the clergy to:
Wear special clothes(vestments)
Prevent pilgrimages, religious shrines and monuments to fake miracles
Have a government licence to preach
Keep a copy of the Bible in English
Teach the Royal Supremacy
Report those refusing to attend Church to the Privy Council - absentees were fined a week’s wages
Why did Phillip II launch the Spanish Armada?
Politics and diplomacy
Religious conflict
Acts of provocation
Changes of circumstances
How did politics and diplomacy contribute to Phillip II launching the Spanish Armada?
The Treaty of Joinville(1584) meant Spain could attack England without risking war with France.
The Treaty of Nonsuch(1585) meant English soldiers were at war with Spain, so Phillip could justify attacking England.
England would be a useful addition to Phillip’s empire, as it would give Spain complete control of the Atlantic.
How did religious conflict contribute to Phillip II launching the Spanish Armada?
The Armada gave Phillip II, a devout Catholic, another opportunity to remove Elizabeth and place a Catholic on the English throne.
The papacy had wanted to overthrow Elizabeth since excommunicating her in 1570.
The pope promised absolution(forgiveness) of sins) to those taking part in the Armada.
How did acts of provocation contribute to Phillip II launching the Spanish Armada?
Drake’s actions in the New World threatened Spanish commercial interests.
Elizabeth’s support for Dutch rebels challenged Spanish interests there
How did changing circumstances contribute to Phillip II launching the Spanish Armada?
Spain acquired Portugal in 1580, giving Phillip II access to Portuguese ports and ships.
The Duke of Parma’s success in the Netherlands since 1579 meant Spain’s position there was secure.
Elizabeth’s hesitation to fully back Dutch rebels was a sign of weakness and encouraged Phillip II to attack.
The Treaty of Nonsuch features
England signed this in August 1585, with the Dutch Protestant rebels where they’d pay for an army of 7400 English soldiers led by Robert Dudley, who would work with the rebels’ government, the Council of State. It was likely this group would fight the Spanish, although war hadn’t been formally declared
The campaign in the Netherlands features(1585-88)
Elizabeth wanted to negotiate with Phillip II(wasn’t formally at war with Spain), so Robert Dudley wasn’t given resources to defeat the Spanish.
Some of Dudley’s officers defected to the Spanish side - damaging relations with the Dutch rebels
Dudley wanted to end Spanish rule in Netherlands: Elizabeth wanted to go back to how the Netherlands was governed in 1548 when it remained under Spanish control but had freedom
Significance of campaign in the Netherlands(1585-88)
Dudley could only disrupt Spanish forces in the Netherlands under the Duke of Parma. He could not defeat them.
Dudley stopped the Spanish from capturing a deep-water port, Ostend, on the English channel, which denied the Spanish Armada the chance to link up with the Duke of Parma’s troops in 1588.
Drake’s key attacks on Cadiz features
In March 1587, Elizabeth ordered Francis Drake to attack the Spanish navy. Between 19 and 22 April, he attacked Cadiz, a major Spanish naval port, destroying 30 ships and much of the fleet’s supplies
Significance of Drake’s attacks on Cadiz and Spain
Spain had to take a break from building the Armada, which they had been gradually building up in January 1586, in order to defend itself against Drake.
The disruption Drake caused didn’t stop the Armada, but delayed it by a year.
This brought England more time to prepare for the eventual Spanish attack and invasion in 1588.
Barrels were also destroyed which provided lots of food for the Spanish, so the Spanish may starve.
Grows rivalry between England and Spain
Reasons for poverty in Elizabethan England
Bad harvests
Economic recessions
Growth of towns
Population growth
Increasing demand for land
Sheep farming
Enclosure
How did bad harvests cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
These harvests in 1562, 1565, 1573 and 1586 hit subsistence farmers(those who ate what they grew), reduced the food supply and drove up prices.
How did economic recessions cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
Economic recessions(declines in economic activity) caused by trade embargoes created unemployment and poverty,like those involving Spain over the Netherlands control of the Netherlands and the Scheldt and Rhine estuaries closed off one of the principal trade routes used by English traders in Europe - this reduced th England and Spain had a growing commercial rivalry by the 1570s. Phillip II banned English trade with the Netherlands for a time, via vital Dutch ports like Antwerp, which damaged England’s economy and caused much hardship for English people.
How did enclosure cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
Land was divided into fields:
For animal husbandry
For arable farming
Given to farmers who farmed for profit.
This denied people use of common land(land that could be used by everyone), so people were unable to provide for their families
How did sheep farming cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
The growth of the wool trade meant many farmers preferred to rear sheep, rather than grow food for profit
How did population growth cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
As the population increased(from 3 million in 1551 to 4.2 million by 1601), more people needed land. This drove up rents and resulted in entry frees(up-front sums paid at the start of land rental), which many people couldn’t afford to pay. There was also an increased demand for food(driving up prices) while increasing the labour supply(driving down wages), meaning many ordinary people could no longer provide for the selves or their families.
How did growth of towns cause poverty in Elizabethan England?
Growth of towns, like London and Norwich, drove up the cost of rents, while food prices rose since food was brought in from rural areas to be sold.
Babington Plot Key Features
Occurred in 1586.
The Duke of Guise would invade England, murder Elizabeth, and put Mary Queen of Scots, on the throne. Phillip II and the Pope supported the plot,
Antony Babington, a Catholic, wrote to Mary in July 1586 about the conspiracy.
Sir Francis Walsingham intercepted and read Babington’s letters to Mary, which clearly demonstrated her awareness of, support for, and involvement in the conspiracy. Babington and the plotters were sentenced to death and hanged, drawn and quartered
Significance of Babington Plot
Elizabeth’s situation was more precarious than with previous plots.
Elizabeth’s government were determined to crush the Catholic Threat and the persecution of Catholics intensified as in 1585, 11000 Catholics were imprisoned/placed under house arrest.
The plot meant on October 1586, Mary was sentenced to death for her part in the plot. Elizabeth delayed, but signed Mary’s death warrant in February 1587.
By 1585, England and Spain were virtually at war
Why was Mary Queen of Scots executed?
Mary had been involved in a series of plots against Elizabeth, such as the revolt of the Northern Earls, the Ridolfi plot, the Throckmorton plot and the Babington plot.
Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s Secretary of state unearthed evidence Mary was involved with the plotters.
The Spanish threat by 1587 and fact Phillip II had been involved in these plots too heightened the threat Mary posed.
Mary was a rallying point for Catholics who saw her as a legitimate queen, because the pope had refused to recognise Elizabeth’s mother(Anne Boleyn)’s marriage to Henry VIII as divorce was banned by the Catholic Church.
The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570(excluded her from participating in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church), so Mary was an alternative Catholic monarch.
Groups of people who opposed Elizabeth’s settlement
Puritans
The Catholic Challenge at home
The Catholic Church abroad
Who were Puritans?
Puritans were radical Protestants who wanted to purify the Christian religion by getting rid of anything not in the Bible and wanting to develop their own Church.
Extent of Puritan Challenge
Puritans opposed the use of crucifixes in Church and when some Puritan bishops threatened to resign, Elizabeth took away crucifixes, since she couldn’t replace them with other educated Protestant clergy members.
Vestments:
Puritans argued the clergy should wear either no vestments or simple vestments, resisting Elizabeth’s desire for them to wear special vestments and in 1566, the Archbishop of Canterbury stating in his Book of Advertisements that priests should attend an exhibition showing the vestments they must wear resulted in the resignation of 37 Puritan Priests.
Overall, the government ignored most Puritan demands for reform of the Church of England. Puritanism had the least impact in northern England, where people were mainly Catholic, compared to areas like London, Cambridge, Oxford and East Anglia where they were more active.
Extent of Catholic challenge at home to Elizabeth’s settlement
The pope instructed English Catholics in 1566 not to attend Church of England services
One-third of the English nobility and a large part of the gentry were recusants.
Catholic nobility didn’t enjoy their loss of influence and power under Elizabeth , but were influential in the North and had always enjoyed independence from the Crown, so were well placed to carry out a rebellion against Elizabeth.
The Catholic Church’s attempt in the 16th century to reverse the Protestant Reformation in Europe and stop its spread was known as the Counter Reformation .
Protestants in Europe were charged with heresy
This was shown in The Revolt of the Northern Earls(1569-1570)
What was heresy?
Heresy involves denying the teachings of the Catholic Church, who executed heretics severely for the beliefs
Who were recusants?
Recusants were Catholics who practised the Catholic religion in secret, but Elizabeth initially tolerated them to avoid a Catholic rebellion and them becoming religious martyrs.
Key features of the Revolt of the Northern Earls
The plan was for Mary to marry the Duke of Norfolk. Robert Dudley told Elizabeth of the plot, leading to Norfolk’s imprisonment in the Tower,
The Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland took control of Durham Cathedral, celebrating mass there, and in Northern Churches, and began to move south,
Elizabeth moved Mary to Coventry, to stop her escaping to join the rebels.
Thouh the rebels captured Hartepool, support from Spain never arrived
Significance of the Revolt of the Northern Earls
It showed Mary, Queen of Scots could not be trusted - and she remained in prison - was the most serious rebellion of Elizabeth’s reign
This rebellion created widespread fear among English Protestants about Catholic plots and revenge
The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 and called on loyal Catholics to depose her - encouraging further Catholic plots against her. The Catjolics no longer had to obey the Aueen and were encouraged to overthrow her.
The loyalty of England’s Catholics was now in doubt, forcing the government to take harsh steps against them(e.g. in 1572 Elizabeth sent the Earl of Huntingdon to suppress Catholicism).
Elizabeth’s controlover the north of England was strengthened.
Extent of Catholic challenge in France to the religious settlement
When religious war began in France, in 1562, Elizabeth backed French Protestants in order to take back Calais, but this policy failed as French Protestants made peace with the Catholics later that year. Frace was a Catholic country so there was a high risk that they might reverse the religious settlement and attempt to replace Elizabeth with a Catholic monarch in the first years of Elizabeth’s reign, but this threat faded as the French in 1560 were defeated by Scottish protestants(who rebelled against French rule) and English troops, so were forced to leave Scotland.
The French Wars of Religion(1562-1598) between Catholics and Protestants weakened France, so removed the threat of a French invasion for the rest of the 16th century.
Extent of the Catholic Challenge by the papacy to the religious settlement
The Counter Reformation meant the pope was prepared to end Protestant rule in England as he disapproved of the steps Elizabeth took to suppress Catholicism following the revolt of the northern earls.
The pope had already excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570(formally excluded her from the Catholic Church), encouraging Catholic powers to attack England.
Extent of the Catholic Church by Spain to the religious settlement
The presence of Mary,Queen of Scots encouraged the Spanish government to plot against Elizabeth
Spanish atrocities against Protestants in the Netherlands put Elizabeth under pressure to shelter Dutch rebels who made their way to England , who attacked Spanish ships in the channel,
England seized the Geneose loan in 1568, which consisted of gold for the Spanish government and Elizabeth seized it due to ships carrying the loans sheltering in English ports,
By 1570, Spanish rule in the Netherlands was secure, risk of Spanish invasion as troops were in the Spanish Netherlands close to England.
Plots against Elizabeth
The Ridolfi Plot, Throckmorton plot and Babington plot: all attempts to get rid of Elizabeth, confirmed how Catholics, Spain and Mary Queen of Scots were a threat to Elizabeth
Attitude towards the poor
These changed during Elizabethan time, because people:
Feared poverty led to disorder and was a potential cause of rebellion
Cost of dealing with the poor
Changihg economic circumstances, including problems with the wool trade, bad harvests and enclosure forced authorities to develop a more constructive attitude towards poverty.
Elizabethans distinguished between:
Deserving poor who couldn’t help themselves
The idle poor(those who worked but chose not to do so)
Vagrants
People without a settled home/regular work
Vagabonds
Homeless people who moved from their parishes looking for work, often involved in crimes. Itinerants were like this too
Poor rate
A local tax organised by Justices of the Peace to inprove the lives of the poor, the poor given money/products to make/sell- existed before Elizabeth’s reign and continued through Elizabethan times
Charity
Often funded by local wealthy people who gave name to the charitable foundation e.g. Lady Cecil’s Bequest for Poor Tradesmen, Romford
Examples of progressive change
Progressive was the government’s response to increased unemployment caused by the falls in the wool trade. Examples of these laws included the Statute of Artificers and Poor Relief Act
Statue of Artificiers
In 1563, those refusing to pay poor rates were put in prison, officials had to pay a penalty of £20 of they didn’t do this
Poor Relief Act
- JPs required to provide the poor with wool and raw material to make and sell things, the poor who refused to do so were sent to a special prison known as rhe house of correction
What was repressive change
Targeted Vagrants - Parliament felt they posed a threat to public order, but also that the poor needed to be helped by providing them to work
Vagabonds Act
1572- vagrants whipped and a hole drilled through ear as a mark of shame, to warn others of their vagrancy
Imprisoned if arrested again for vagrancy
Given the death penalty for a third officence.
The Act introduced a national poor rate to support the impotent poor, Justices of the Peace had to keep a register of the poor and those in authority had to find work for the able bodied poor
