Elizabeth 2 Flashcards
Role of the court
The centre of all political and social issues in England
How did Elizabeth use the court?
To build up a system of her most trusted, loyal advisors who would rely on her to maintain their titles
Who was Elizabeth’s most trusted advisor?
William Cecil
When and what title did William Cecil gain?
Lord Burghley
1573
Elizabeth’s longest serving minister
Who was William Cecil’s son and when did he take over his father’s role?
Robert Cecil
Took the title of lord Burghley in 1596
Who were two other advisors who developed close relations with Elizabeth?
Christopher Hatton
Walter Raleigh
Both resented by the nobility
Which of Elizabeth’s advisors was a staunch protestant?
Francis Walsingham
Key acts of Francis Walsingham
Built up an extensive spy network
Key role in the execution of Mary Queen of Scots
What was patronage?
Rewarding subjects with land, titles and monopolies to ensure loyalty
How often did Elizabeth use patronage?
Used patronage sparingly - being granted an office by the monarch was seen as one of the most rewarding gifts. She only granted 18 titles during her reign and by the end of her reign there were less members of the nobility than there had been at the beginning
Who were 2 key members of the nobility?
Robert Dudley
Earl of Essex
What title was Robert Dudley granted and when?
Earl of Leicester
1564
(example of patronage)
Who was Elizabeth’s favourite noble?
Earl of Essex
Who could patronage be granted by?
The Queen or her key ministers
Why did Elizabeth favour Cecil?
His administrative skills
Cecil’s political views?
Conservative and focussed on maintaining stability - in line with Elizabeth’s views
How did Elizabeth use her ministers?
Advised her on what to do - didn’t tell her what to do as
Elizabeth believed she had a ‘divine right to rule’
Also helped to shape her image as a powerful, protestant who could overcome images associated with her sex through propaganda - portrayed to her subjects and to foreigners
What did a ‘divine right’ to rule mean?
Elizabeth had been chosen by God to rule
How was the Queen’s image shaped through propaganda?
Elizabeth’s ministers helped portray her as a powerful, protestant Queen who could overcome the weaknesses associated with her sex. This was portrayed to her ministers and to foreigners
How was Elizabeth’s refusal to marry associated with the country?
Often said her ‘impregnable body’ respresented an ‘impregnable’, secure, unconquerable country
What did Elizabeth have a reputation as?
The virgin Queen
What dominated politics for years through Elizabeth’s reign?
The succession crisis
Elizabeth remained unmarried and did not produce an heir
What act did Cecil implement in response to the throckmorton plot?
The bond of association
What did the Throckmorton plot involve?
A plan to assassinate the virgin queen
When was the bond of association act implemented and what did it involve?
1583
The agreement that if Elizabeth was assassinated
- Her advisors had the right to execute her murderer
- Her advisors had the right to choose the next successor to the throne
Who was the last suitor for Elizabeth?
Duke of Anjou
Courted Elizabeth in 1579
Who was the Duke of Anjou?
French catholic
Last suitor for E to marry - courted Elizabeth in 1579
Opposition to the Duke of Anjou
- Disliked by the protestant faction at court as he was a French Catholic. Convinced E not to marry him by emphasising her sieve portrait and her reputation as a virgin Queen
- Cecil spread rumours about Anjou at court in hope this would make Elizabeth fall out of love with him
Did Elizabeth love Anjou?
Evident she liked him, she gave him the nickname of her ‘little frog’
He showered her with luxurious gifts
However, unknown if she actually wanted to marry the duke
How did the protestant faction at court convince Elizabeth not to marry Anjou?
Through emphasising her sieve portrait and her reputation as the ‘virgin queen’. Many believed her reputation as the ‘impregnable queen’ represented England’s image as the ‘impregnable country’
Who was Elizabeth repeatedly pressured by to name a successor?
Parliament
Why didn’t Elizabeth name a successor?
Strategic reasons
What were the strategic reasons that Elizabeth chose not to name a successor?
To maintain her position of power, and her survival as the monarch.
- there had been several attempts during her reign for the assassination of Elizabeth e.g. Throckmorton plot. if E was to establish a named successor this could potentially encourage pretenders to attempt to overthrow her in favour of the successor.
- She also believed parliament did not have the right to tell her what to do. She ruled under a ‘divine right’ and used her powers to ban Parliament from speaking of the matter
How did Elizabeth prevent parliament from discussing the issue of the succession?
Through using her power to forbid parliament from discussing the matter
Why did she not like parliament discussing the matter of her succession?
She believed they did not have the right to tell her what to do. She ruled under a ‘divine right’.
Why were parliament so fixed on the issue of Elizabeth naming a successor to the throne?
They believed if she did not name a successor England would be led into a civil war
What was the Throckmorton plot?
A plot in 1583 to assassinate and overthrow Elizabeth through the invasion of England by the duke of Guise
Who invaded England at the Throckmorton plot?
Duke of guise
When was the Throckmorton plot?
1583
Result of the throckmorton plot
terrified Elizabeth’s ministers
Cecil established the bond association act which gave her ministers the right to execute the killer and choose a successor to the throne in the event of elizabeth’s death
Why was the bond of association written?
In the event of the Queen’s murder and she had not chosen a successor
Who was Mary Queen of Scots?
Elizabeth’s cousin, she was next in line to the throne
Why was Mary Queen of Scots being present in England a problem?
She was Catholic and as a result had the support of many catholics living in England - some believed her claim to the throne was stronger than Elizabeth’s given the fact that she had married Lord Darnley
What was the problem with showing support for MQS as the next claimant to the throne?
Supporting Mary would be an attack on a friendly, protestant Scottish government - Mary was E’s cousin but this was too much of a risk.
Naming a successor could also provoke devoted Catholics into rebellion in attempt to try and place Mary on the throne - maintaining her position of power and status as Queen
What would be the problem with not supporting MQS as the next claimant to the English throne?
Established Mary as an enemy and could perhaps provoke her or her supporters into attempting to overthrow Elizabeth.
Would also damage E’s reputation as it showed her reluctancy to support an anointed, lawful monarch
When was the Northern rebellion?
1569
Aims of the Northern rebellion?
To marry MQS to the Duke of Norfolk, and have their children as the heirs for Elizabeth. Goals of the rebellion eventually stemmed into overthrowing Elizabeth
Events of Northern rebellion
Catholic Earls in Northern England gathered the support of 1000s of Catholic commoners. They marched south and seized Durham. The rebellion was overthrown by Elizabeth’s royal army
Consequences of Northern rebellion
100s executed - showed how threatened E felt
Neither Mary or Norfolk punished
Name all rebellions involved in overthrowing Elizabeth
- Northern rebellion of 1569 (marriage of MQS and duke of Norfolk and having their children as Elizabeth’s heirs, aims eventually stemmed into planning to overthrow E altogether)
- Ridolfi Plot of 1572 (plan to assassinate E and put MQS on the throne)
- Throckmorton Plot 1583 (involved the invasion of England by the duke of guise and the plan to assassinate E)
- Babington plot 1586 (second invasion of Duke of Guise, plan to assassinate E and overthrow her with MQS)
When was the ridolfi plot?
1572
Name the 2 rebellions that involved the invasion of the Duke of guise
- throckmorton plot - 1583
2. Babington plot - 1586
Reasons against the execution of MQS
- E’s morally conscience - Mary was her cousin
- Mary was an anointed, lawful monarch and executing her would damage Elizabeth’s reputation
- Promote social disorder and further rebellion by angering MQS’s supporters and catholics
- Could trigger war with Spain
Reasons for the execution of MQS
- Her involvement in the rebellions of 1570s and 80s and the fact that she had been charged with treason
- England was already at war with Spain, and the Spanish were planning their armada
When was Mary executed?
February 1587
When did Phillip of Spain propose to Elizabeth?
A year after Mary died, 1559
When was the start of developing tensions between England and Spain?
1559 - after E rejected Phillips marriage proposal
Event that highlighted ideological differences between Spain and England
Excommunication of Elizabeth by the pope in 1570
How did Spain have lots of power?
Phillip tad taken control over Lisbon in 1581 and now had control over Portugal
Phillip also had control over the Netherlands
Elizabeth’s 1st actions in the Netherlands
In 1581 provided financial aid to Protestants in the Netherlands who wanted to establish their own independent, protestant state
Elizabeth’s 2nd action in the Netherlands
Signed the treaty of Nonsuch in 1585 which agreed to English protection and military support to the independent Dutch state in the Netherlands
Why did Elizabeth sign the treaty of Nonsuch in 1585?
- Promote the spread of protestantism
- Stop the spread of Spanish power
- England relied on Dutch ports for trade
Explain the events of the invasion in the Netherlands after the treaty of Nonsuch was signed
In December 1585 Robert Dudley led a 7000 strong English army into the Netherlands. He was victorious and established himself as ‘General Governor’
This angered Phillip as the title of ‘general governor’ implied he had control over the Netherlands
Dudley led a poorly equipped, underfunded army into war with Spain in the Netherlands.
He resigned in 1587, the Netherlands had been lost to Spain
What title did Dudley give himself in the Netherlands? and why did this anger Phillip?
General Governor
Implied he had control over the Netherlands
Why did Dudley resign and give up his title in 1587?
He used bad strategies and had a poorly equipped, underfunded army
Events in foreign policy in 1587
English privateers, including sir Francis drake were attacking Spanish ports and ships at sea
This was being encouraged by Elizabeth
How many Spanish ships did the English privateers destroy?
25-30
Harmed the Armada which was being built in Lisbon
Why did Elizabeth encourage English privateers to destroy Spanish ships in 1587?
She believed Phillip was preparing for war
She wanted the treasures they had stolen from the Spanish to enrich England
Effects of the raid on the Armada?
Delayed the building of the Armada by over a year
The rain had damaged wood used for food storage - food could not be stored well and rotted whilst the Armada was on route to England
English tactics on raiding Spanish ships
- Line of battle tactic, involved English ships lining up and firing at the enemy simultaneously
- Fireships used - setting old wooden ships alight and sending them to the middle of the enemy
- more powerful canons and advanced sails developed
Tactics of the Spanish when English privateers invaded ships
Spanish navy would attempt to board English ships and fight man to man, however, English ships could sail out of range of Spanish ships to prevent this
Spanish sailors were far less experienced than English sailors
What did Phillip launch in 1588 at what battle?
The battle of Gravelines
151 ships, 7000 sailors and 34,000 soldiers launched from the Netherlands by Phillip to attack England
Who was the leader of the Spanish fleet at the battle of Gravelines?
The duke of Medina Sidonia
Why did the battle of Gravelines in 1588 fail for the Spanish?
The battle coincided with a storm, pushing the armada off track. the English were therefore able to attack Spanish ships and fire at them from 100 metres away. The duke of Medina Sidonia ordered for the retreat of the Spanish ships
How many Spanish ships returned to the Netherlands after the battle of Greenwich?
65
Where did the Spanish ships sail after the retreat after the battle of Greenwich?
The Spanish fleet anchored at the dutch port for a few days, they waited for the Duke of Parma to supply them with more troops
Why was anchoring the Spanish fleet after the battle of greenwich at the Dutch port a disastrous idea?
They were not in a protected deep water port and were not safely anchored.
Sir Francis Drake ordered more English sailors to attack the Spanish ships - he sent 8 fireships into the Spanish fleet leading to the defeat of the Armada
What main reasons led to the defeat of the Armada?
- bad weather
- English tactics
- Spanish mistakes
What did Phillip II do after the defeat of the Armada?
He planned a second invasion but never launched the attack
Results of the defeat of the Armada for England?
United England and led t more Catholics pledging their loyalty to Elizabeth.
Strengthened the feeling that England was living through a ‘golden age’
Failed tactics of the Spanish
They had left Spain in May but didn’t reach England until July due to bad weather, the rain from storms also led to damage of the wood used to build the Spanish ships which led to rotting food - the Spanish had little resources to survive.
Spanish sailors, including the leader of the fleet (Duke of Medina Sidonia) were far less experienced than the English sailors
Tactics of the Spanish mainly involved sending troops directly onto English ships - easily avoided by the english as they could sail out of range. They had mainly equipped themselves with on land weapons and didn’t have the advanced on sea supplies the English had e.g. sails and canons
After the defeat at the treaty of greenwich Duke of Medina Sidonia led the Spanish fleet to the Dutch port. The ships were not securely anchored and the port was not well protected, they were left vulnerable to English attack
Successful tactics of the English
English sailors had far more experience than the Spanish
Far more ships than England - Henry VIII had started the build up of fighting vessels
Tactics - Fireships and line of battle
Advanced sails - for faster moving ships
Advanced, powerful canons
Sir Francis Drake - tactical and clever with how he attacked the Spanish (in 2 extremely vulnerable positions)
1. Bad weather had caught Spanish off guard - he attacked Spanish ships from 100 metres away after they had been swept off route. Many Spanish ships destroyed on the coasts of Ireland and Wales
2. As they were anchored on the unprotected Dutch port he sent 8 fireships to the fleet
What had henry VIII done to help English victory at the Armada?
Started developing English navy fighting vessels
Rebellions caused by economic instability
Northern Rebellion of 1569 (primarily political causes)
Oxfordshire rebellion of 1596
When was and what were the causes of the Oxfordshire rebellion?
1596 Enclosures Poor Harvests Disease Falling wages
Plans of the Oxfordshire uprising of 1496
To invade the home of the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, seize weapons and invade London
Why did the Oxfordshire uprising fail?
Only 4 leaders turned up on the day of the rebellion
Governments reaction to Oxfordshire uprising
HARSH
The 4 leaders of the rebellion were tortured before being executed for treason
Main cause of the Northern rebellion
Political - initially had the goal to marry MQS to the Duke of Norfolk, eventually had the goal to completely overthrow Elizabeth
Subsidiary cause of the Northern rebellion
economic causes
Current economic stability led many commoners to join the uprising
How much did the population increase by during Elizabeth’s reign?
From 3 million to 4 million
How did the increase in the population result in economic instability?
More people = more demand for foodstuff however bad harvests led to a decline in foodstuff.
Prices of foodstuff increased
More people led to more competition for land, causing rents to increase
More people meant more were able to work, wages fell and there were less jobs available leading to poverty
when were the bad harvests during Elizabeth’s reign?
Between 1594 and 98
What disease led to mass death during Elizabeth’s reign?
Outbreak of the flu in 1596
When was the outbreak of the flu and how many did it kill?
1596
200,000
What 4 things did Elizabeth use to try and help the poor?
- Poor law of 1572 which let local officials raise money for the poor
- The act for ‘setting the poor on work’ in 1596
- Surveys carried out by the privy council which helped the privy council find out which cities were in the worst economic situation to help the privy council shape national laws
- Poor law of 1601
What did the poor law of 1601 involve?
First law which taxed the wealthy to help pay for the care of the poor who could not work, for example the sick and the old and those who were starving
How effective was the poor law of 1601?
Effective in some areas, however, was not fully enforced in some areas.
Evidence the authorities tried forcing paupers away so they didn’t have to deal with them
Who led the Northern rebellion of 1569?
Earl of Westmorland and the Earl of Northumberland
Consequences of the Northern rebellion
Northumberland executed
Westmorland escaped to france
Duke of Norfolk arrested
When was Essex’s rebellion?
1601
Cause of Essex’s rebellion?
Many felt women could not rule, after his fall from power he gathered an army of forces including 4 privy councilllors to lead a rebellion against Elizabeth
How did Essex gain support for the rebellion?
Through claiming women were not capable of ruling
Results of the Essex rebellion
Robert Cecil called him a traitor
Many of his 200 forces deserted him
Essex was arrested, alongside his remaining followers
Why was Earl of Essex provoked to rebel?
He had fell from power in 1601 after his failure to deal with the Tyrone rebellion in Ireland. He gathered an army of supporters against Elizabeth through using the claim that women could not rule effectively
What was elizabeth remembered for?
Being one of England’s greatest monarchs
By the end of Elizabeth’s reign what can be said?
The church of England and protestantism had been firmly established
Why was Catholicism less popular in the last years of Elizabeth’s reign?
Associated with Spain and treason
Trade opportunities at the end of Elizabeth’s reign
Opportunities increasing with India and Russia
Who did Elizabeth eventually name as her successor?
James I, the son of MQS. She named him on her deathbead and he succeeded the throne in 1603
What were puritans, who were they influenced by and what did they want to do?
Extreme protestants, influenced by European reformers such as John Calvin, wanted to remove all elements of Catholicism from the Churhc of England
What did the puritans argue?
Elizabeth did not go far enough with religious change and her 39 articles were ‘popish’ and could be seen as Catholic
