Elizabeth Flashcards
What problems did Elizabeth face in 1558
7 of them
– Challenges from abroad
– marriage and the succession
– doubt about her role being successful being a queen
– choosing her counsellors
– religious divisions
–Doubts weather a queen could rule successfully
– creating peace and posterity
What was the problem with the French from abroad in 1558
Challenges from abroad
Scotland was ruled by Elizabeth’s cousin Mary Queen of Scots who was married to the heir of the French throne And was living in France
– both countries were strongly catholic so the Scottish and French troops were both settled there
– this was called the auld alliance
-England was already at war with France In 1558 And the French thought that Mary Queen of Scots should be queen
What was the problem with spain in 1558 (challenges from abroad)
Spain was the most powerful and wealthy country in Europe
– it was catholic and devoted to spreading Catholicism
– However Spain and England had previously been friendly as Philip I I was married to bloody Mary
*This is not a problem straightaway
What was the problem with marriage and succession in 1558
problem is Elizabeth faced in 1558
– In a patriarchal society there was an expectation that she should marry and a male should run the country
– if she married a nobleman it may just cause jealousy among other nobleman
– if she was to marry a foreigner there was a problem because most the princes of Europe were Catholic And she didn’t want Catholics to demand more religious freedom
-Her succession was also a problem because it was thought they could cause a civil war
In 1558 why were their problems with religious divisions
-From 1553 to 1558 bloody Mary was the Monarch in England and she burned Protestants at stake
-When Elizabeth came Queen in 1558 Most of her subjects are Catholic
-Her brother Edward VI was the only Monarch to fully commit to being a Protestant
– Mary I faced little resentment when she turned catholic after Edward
– this meant when Elizabeth became Queen there was religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants
– this meant that there was a high threat of invasion To turn the country back to catholicism
Problems with Elizabeth’s illegitimacy in 1558
– To be legitimate it was essential that the monarch was born whilst the reigning king and queen were married
– her legitimacy Was in doubt because her father Henry V I I I had divorced his first wife Catherine of Aragorn in order to marry Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn
Many believed because her parents marriage was illegal she was illegitimate
– Elizabeth dealt severely with plotted to try to overthrow her with the network of spies
Financial weakness in 1558
When Elizabeth became Queen the country within £300,000 debt
– the total annual income of the crown was approximately £286,667
– to be strong the country had to have money
– Taxes were unpopular but Parliament had to agree to them in response Parliament could make demands to Elizabeth she therefore didn’t want to rely too much on the government income
How did Elizabeth solve her financial weakness
She sold of land and cut back on spending from the start of her own
– she made sure all the spending was accounted for
How did Elizabeth deal with France in 1559
Elizabeth gave France English territory in Calais which humiliated England
How did Elizabeth deal with religious divisions
In 1559 she introduced the religious settlement
What were the features of the religious settlement in 1559
– It stated Elizabeth was the head of the church and called her self “supreme governor “ and all clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath to abide by this
– ornaments and decorations run out of church for the Catholics
– The Bible and church services had to be in English
– Rules but holy communion well left vague to please everyone
-The clergy had to take an oath recognising Elizabeth’s title and agreeing to use the new Preyer book
What was the impact of The religious settlement
– Most excepted the supreme governor but only one of Mary‘s Catholic bishops accepted the oath
-People got around the English mass and had private Latin masses
What were puritans
These were more extreme and radical religiously As that they were Protestants that fled the country when Mary the first was around and they went to the Netherlands
What did the Pope say in 1566
That Elizabeth was a heretic
What did Elizabeth do to the northern hours to anger than in the 1560s
She took some land which Mary the first had given to them
What day does the pope excommunicated Elizabeth
1570