elizabeth I Flashcards
first steps as monarch
1559 - officially crowned Queen - crowned by Owen Oglethorpe, Catholic bishop - showed desire for peaceful compromise between Catholics + Protestants.
religious settlement
-wanted political stability over protestant-leaning beliefs.
-Catholic bishops under Mary and some nobles formed a Catholic voting block of around 40 to attempt to reinstate the 1552 Book of Common Prayer.
-1559 - Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis ended military action in France
Act of Supremacy 1559
-Rejected Papal supremacy.
-Declared E1 ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England.
-Oath of loyalty imposed for all clergy, all but one of Mary’s bishops refused and were removed from office, around 300 lower clergy refused.
-Court of High Commission established to prosecute those who’s loyalty was suspect.
-Heresy laws repealed – ended the persecution of Mary’s reign.
-Communion in both kinds permitted.
Act of Uniformity 1559
-Imposed the 1552 Prayer Book, but with some modifications.
-Wording of the communion was a mixture of the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Books.
-Anybody failing to attend Church of England services was deemed a recusant, and was ordered to pay a 12d fine, purposely lenient.
-Ornaments and Vestments were to be worn as stated in 1549, led to the Vestinian controversy of 1566.
-Kneeling part of the communion, the Black Rubric had been removed, angering many Protestants.
-Passed by 3 votes in House of Lords, only after Bishops White and Watson were imprisoned and a further 2 were excluded.
-1559 Prayer Book was set out, an amalgamation of the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Books used during Edward’s reign.
Act of Exchange 1559
-Gave Elizabeth the right to take over property once owned by the Bishops.
-Used more as a threat to keep Bishops in line who criticized the settlement.
What were the 39 articles
- laid down the doctrine of the Church.
-passed in 1563, made law in 1571. - based on the 42 articles of Edward’s reign
what were royal injunctions
- 57 instructions, to set out further guidelines for the reformed faith, such as:
-English Bible placed in every Church.
-Reiterated clergy were to wear the 1549 vestments.
-Wafer to be used at communion instead of bread, a Catholic concession.
-Pilgrimages outlawed.
-No more altars would be destroyed.
Court
-Travelled on at least 25 Royal progressions during her reign.
-Extravagance at court toned down, 1563 Parliament voted for an allowance for court spending of £40,000.
-Each day, thirteen poor men at the palace gates given 5p.
-1563 – All paintings of her were to be modelled on portraits supplied by the ‘Sergeant Painter.’
-Incorporated Privy Council, Chamber, and Royal Household.
-Royal household employed nearly 1,500 people.
Patronage
- recognized patronage was more valued when not given out freely.
-only granted 18 during her reign.
-used to dissuade nobles from rebelling.
factional rivalry
-Cecil held most influence the beginning of reign.
-Rivals arose in the mid-1560’s, - Dudley was made Earl of Leicester in 1564, Earl of Sussex returned from Ireland in 1565 and was made a Privy Councillor, supported by the Duke of Norfolk,
-Rebellion of the Northern Earls 1569 – attempt to marry Norfolk to Mary, Queen of Scots. Norfolk was executed in 1572.
-Sir Francis Walsingham – one of the Queen’s principal secretaries 1573-1590. Aimed to see further Protestant reforms so supported the Protestant Queen. Developed an intricate spy network used to successfully trap Mary Queen of Scots.
-1567 – Leicester convinced Elizabeth to reject the marriage proposal from Archduke Charles of Austria, which Cecil favoured.
-1578-85 – Debate on whether to send English troops to the Netherlands. Agreed to send troops in 1585.
-1579 – Fighting over the Anjou marriage – Cecil argued in favour, Leicester and Walsingham opposed vehemently, both were banished from court for a number of weeks.
-Court rivalry never reached the level of Henry VIII or at the end of Edwards reign.
-1590’s – Rivalry between Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex.
-1598 – Robert Cecil argued for an end to the war with Spain, Essex wanted the war to continue.
-1596 – Essex attempted to secure the appointment of Sir Robert Sidney as Lord Chamberlain, failed. Attempted to appoint Sir Francis Bacon as Attorney General, but Elizabeth refused.
-1601 – Essex’s rebellion – Under house arrest after return from Ireland, £16,000 in debt. Planned an armed attack on the council to remove Robert Cecil, wrote to James VI of Scotland asking for help. Tried and executed.
Privy Council
- 19 members at start of reign - 11 by 1597 - mainly protestant.
-kept some of Mary’s councillors. - some new councillors - Marquis of Northampton - protestant
-main privy councillors - William Cecil/Robert Dudley.
-appointed William Cecil as Secretary of State, influential until his death in 1598.
Local government enforcement
-JP’s – Increased in use, administered the Poor Laws, on average 50 in each county by 1600.
-Lords Lieutenants – Increased in use, supervised JP’s, by 1585 – at least one Lords Lieutenant in every shire, Deputy Lieutenants established in the 1560’s to share the workload.
Parliament
-Jan-May 1559 – Religious Settlement pushed through by Protestant councillors
-Jan-April 1563; Sept-Jan 1567 – In 1563, Privy council openly pressed Elizabeth to marry.
-April-May 1571 – Parliament granted a subsidy to pay for the suppression of the 1569 rebellion. William Strickland proposed a bill to reform the Book of Common Prayer, angered Elizabeth.
-May-June 1572– Parliament debated the execution of Norfolk and Mary after the Ridolfi Plot, Elizabeth refused to back calls for Mary’s execution; Feb-March 1576 – Tightened the anti-Catholic laws.
-Nov 1584-Mar 1585 – Parliament passed the Act for the Surety of the Queen’s Person, gave a statutory basis to the Bond of Association.
-Oct 1586-March 1587 – Aftermath of the Babington Plot, Elizabeth consulted Parliament for advice on the execution of Mary.
-Feb-March 1589 – Assembled in the aftermath of the Armada, double subsidy raised for war with Spain.
-Feb-April 1593 – Wentworth imprisoned for a second time.
-Oct 1597-Feb 1598 – Elizabeth short of money, at a time of economic and social crisis, introduces a comprehensive Poor Law, raised a triple subsidy.
-Oct-Dec 1601 – 1598 Poor Law revised, ‘Golden Speech’ delivered, quadruple subsidy granted.
conflicts in parliament
-1566 – MP’s angered Elizabeth by discussing the succession.
-1563-66 – Puritan Party of around 40 MPs organised to press for further reforms away from Catholicism.
-1576 – Peter Wentworth imprisoned after demanding greater freedom of speech.
-1584 – Archbishop Whitgift’s attack on preachers who wanted to ‘purify’ the Church, furious reaction from Puritan members of Parliament.
-1586 – HoC asserted its right to settle a dispute over the Norfolk re-election case, although traditionally a role fulfilled by the Lord Chancellor.
-1596 – Robert Cecil appointed Secretary of State, replacing his father. Angered Essex due to hereditary titles being given out.
-1601 – Parliament clashed with Elizabeth over monopolies.
-1601 – Essex executed, attitudes of Essex reflected larger discontent, linked to the Queen’s diminishing authority.
foreign policy - scotland
-July 1559 – Henry II of France died, succeeded by 15-year-old Francis II, power lay in regency of Francis, Duke of Guise, brother of Mary of Guise, Scottish regent for Mary, Queen of Scots.
-July 1559 – Protestant revolt began in Scotland, French force of 9,500 troops prepared to enter Scotland in defence. Cecil persuaded Privy Council to send aid, £5,000 sent to aid the Scottish Protestants.
-27th Feb 1560 – Treaty of Berwick – 8,000 English troops sent to Scotland.
-July 1560 – Treaty of Edinburgh:
o All English and French troops removed from Scotland.
o Mary Queen of Scots recognised Elizabeth as Queen of England.
o Freedom of worship was permitted in Scotland, success for Cecil who masterminded the intervention.
-1560 – Francis II died, replaced by 10-year-old Charles IX. Mother, Catherine de Medici, opposer to the Guise faction, became regent, and sent Mary Queen of Scots back to Scotland, accepted by the Protestant Lords.
Foreign Policy -France
-Regency of Catherine de Medici sparked the beginning of French factional rivalry.
-1562 – French Wars of Religion began between the Huguenots and Catholics, Elizabeth reluctantly agreed to help the Huguenots.
-Sept 1562 – Treaty of Richmond – Loan of 140,000 crowns to the Huguenot leader Louis I de Bourbon, 3,000 troops sent to garrison Le Havre, under the command of the Earl of Warwick, Dudley’s brother. In return, England would regain Calais.
-1563 – Huguenots believed Elizabeth’s intervention was selfish, Catholics and Huguenots united to expel English troops from Le Havre.
-April 1564 – Treaty of Troyes – Ended all English involvement in the Wars of Religion, England gave up all right to Calais for a payment of 120,000 crowns.
Mary queen of Scots
-1561 – Assumed the role of Queen of Scotland, Treaty of Edinburgh had left Scotland influenced by Protestantism. Mary unable to exert any power or influence.
-1565 – Mary married Lord Darnley (great grandson of Henry VII), became pregnant, rumoured the man responsible was David Rizzio. Rizzio executed 1566 under orders from Darnley, Mary gave birth to James VI (James I of England) 19th June 1566.
-1567 – Darnley strangled, Mary found another lover, Earl of Bothwell. Implicated in Darnley’s murder, forced abdication 24th July 1567, baby James VI ascended. Protestant Lord, Earl of Murray, became regent.
-1568 – Fled to England, ‘Casket’ letters implicated Mary in Darnley’s death, Mary kept in prison, caused issues with rebellion.
Northern rebellion 1569-70
-took place in Durham and North Yorkshire.
-Spanish ambassador, De Spes, encouraged Mary Stuart to rebel.
-duke of Norfolk, Cecil enemy, got support from angry nobles.
-earls of Northumberland and Westmorland heavily involved.
-attempted to declare Mary heir to the throne.
-4,600 rebels, 7,000 of Elizabeth’s forces under the Earl of Suffolk.
-took Durham, dispersed when faced with Elizabeth’s forces.
-around 800 executed.
Ridolfi Plot 1571
-Conspiracy to marry Mary to Duke of Norfolk.
-Led by Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland.
-Cecil masterminded campaign to gather intelligence against Norfolk.
-Cecil able to secure the execution of Norfolk through the 1572 Parliament.
-Spanish ambassador, De Spes, expelled from England.
-Mary kept in prison, not executed.
-Northumberland executed 1572, Westmorland spent the rest of his life at court in the Spanish Netherlands.
Throckmorton Plot 1583-84
-Francis Throckmorton, an English Catholic.
-Acted as an intermediately between Mary and the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza.
-Planned foreign landing in Sussex, to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with Mary.
-Sir Francis Walsingham’s espionage network helped to foil the plan.
-Mendoza expelled.
-Led to creation of the Bond of Association, demanded all signatories execute anybody who attempted to usurp the throne, successfully or unsuccessfully.
Babington Plot 1586
-17th July 1586 – Anthony Babington, sent a letter to Mary outlining the assassination of Elizabeth.
-Exposed by Walsingham’s codebreaker, Thomas Phelippes.
-Sept 1586 – Conspirators, including Babington, executed.
-Oct 1586 – Mary arrested and found guilty. Not executed due to threat of Spanish invasion.
-Feb 1587 – Elizabeth signed the execution warrant for Mary, did not allow it to be put into action.
-Elizabeth’s second Secretary of State, William Davidson, released the warrant.
-8th Feb 1587 – Mary executed at Fotheringhay Castle.
-Davidson fined and placed in the Tower of London but was later released and the fine was remised.
