Elizabeth I Flashcards
Religion in England in 1558
It was unclear what proportion of the country were Catholics and Protestants. Most ordinary people would have beliefs between the two, people liked the English Bible and not paying taxes to Rome but people liked the traditional traditions of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth needed to create a church that most would accept or cause a civil war like in the rest of Europe.
Elizabeth’s personal beliefs
Elizabeth was careful of the impression she made on others and she was careful not to give too much support for one view. She wanted to establish a settlement of religion to heal divisions between Catholics and Protestants and to maximise her own control of the church. Elizabeth had Protestant preferences. She had grown up connected to a family sympathetic to reform and she was educated by teachers such as Roger Ascham who were knowledgeable of Lutheran ideas. Within a month of becoming Queen she forbade priests in the royal chapel to elevate the host (transubstantiation). She was also furious when the Dean of St Paul’s cathedral presented her with a copy of the prayer book containing illustrations of saints.
She also liked traditional teachings (catholic ideas). She liked the ornaments of the Catholic Church such as the crucifix, candles and church music. She supported the view that priests should not marry. One of her major disagreements with Matthew Parker (Archbishop of Canterbury) concerned an instruction she issued forbidding clergymen to live with his wife on cathedral grounds or in a college.
Influences on religion at home and abroad
Elizabeth’s first attempt to introduce bills into parliament was stopped by Catholic bishops appointed under Mary who formed a catholic voting block. They objected the attempt to bring back the protestant prayer book of 1552 and the prospect of the church being headed by a woman.
England was at war with France and was unable to rely on support of Spain. Scotland was still firmly allied to the Catholic French and their young queen was the wife of the heir to the French throne and the next in line to the English. Any alteration of religion was bound to have an impact on England’s relationship with France, Scotland and Spain. Elizabeth was helped in getting an agreement on a settlement due to two events. The first was the signing of the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis between France and Spain, this ended English military action against France. The second was a government sponsored debates between Protestant and Catholic clergy. During the event two Catholic bishops made the mistake of suggesting they did not accept the authority of Elizabeth, allowing her to imprison them. This gave her a majority of one vote in parliament.
Elizabeth’s religious settlement - the act of supremacy 1559
The act of supremacy 1559 – restored the royal supremacy to the English church established under Henry VIII. Under this act papal supremacy was rejected, reformation legislation under Henry VIII was restored, the crown appointed commissioners to visit churches and correct heresies/errors – but they were not defined (this pleased protestants and Catholics). The act also made Elizabeth the supreme governor of the church. This pleased male misogyny who believed women could not be head of the church, Catholics who believed only the Pope could be head and Protestants who believed only god could be the head. An oath of supremacy must be taken by clergymen and church officials and there were penalties for refusing.
Elizabeth’s religious settlement - organisation of the church
there was little else altered about the organisation of the church, except the leadership. England would continue to have two Archbishops and bishops would remain.
Elizabeth’s religious settlement - the act of uniformity 1559
the act specified the use of a single common prayer, which was a modified version of the one Cranmer introduced in 1552. The conservative wording of the Eucharist in 1549 and the reformist wording of the 1552 version were added together and both used in the prayer book. This was acceptable to most. The act also specified the use of ornaments and the dress of bishops in vestments should return to the state before the 1549 act of uniformity.
Elizabeth’s religious settlement - royal injunctions 1559
they stated that the Eucharist must be carried out at a simple communion table and altars were removed, pilgrimages and other Catholic practised banned, each church must have a copy of Earasmus’ paraphrases, parish churches must have an English bible, preachers had to be licensed and preachers had to preach once a month or lose their licence.
The officers nominated by Cecil to enforce the injunctions were protestant, which affected the character of the reforms. Some of the reforms reflected the Queens personal beliefs as prospective wives of the clergy had to product a certificate signed by two JPs to show their suitability of the job.
Thirty nine articles of faith 1563
This was the definitive answer of what Elizabeth’s Anglicanism would become. The result was the thirty nine articles written in 1563 and made law in 1571 and still remains the essential statement in the Church of England today. These articles contained different aspects of Protestant and Catholic traditions.
Reactions to Elizabeth’s religious settlement - domestic reaction
Domestic reaction – reaction among most Catholics and Protestants was muted, around 400 of the clergy lost or resigned their livings because they could not accept the settlement, this meant virtually all Catholics appointed under Mary were dismissed; creating a leadership within the church that was enthusiastic about the reforms. Compared to 800 Protestants who refused Mary’s reforms. There was some localised opposition; some ministers ignored the new Book of Common Prayer, while a survey of JPs in 1564 found only half of the clergy could be relied upon to support the settlement.
The act of exchange 1559 – this allowed Elizabeth to take over property belonging to bishops and force them only to rent land to her. This act was used as a threat to keep bishops in line with the settlement. This act was unpopular.
Reactions to Elizabeth’s religious settlement - foreign
both France and Spain could pose a threat to the settlement, however neither showed much inclination to be critical. France was becoming absorbed into civil war and Philip II of Spain was prepared to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. Neither Philip nor the Pope saw the changes in England as permanent. Philip offered to marry Elizabeth in 1559, it was more a gesture than an offer and it was designed to keep hopes of Catholicism in England. However as the 1560s progressed Elizabeth saw Spain as a bigger threat.
Elizabeth - threats from Scotland and France
Mary Queen of Scots and Francis became King and Queen of Scotland when Henry II of France was killed in a tournament held to celebrate the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis, which solidified the Scottish and French alliance and was a threat to Elizabeth, especially as Mary had a claim to the English throne. In Scotland a group of protestant nobles led a rebellion against the Catholic regent in Scotland, Mary of Guise (ruling on behalf of her daughter Mary). William Cecil persuaded Elizabeth to send secret arms and money to them. However in 1560 the Treaty of Edinburgh was reached and French troops in Scotland were withdrawn. Mary returned to Scotland a widow when Francis died.
In 1562 France collapsed into civil war between groups of nobles. Charles XI ascended the throne with his mother Catherine de Medici as regent. Catholic families including the Guises were ranged against Huguenot families, led by the Prince of Conde. Elizabeth embraced the idea of sending support to the Huguenots. The treaty of Hampton Court September 1862 promised the Huguenots loans and military aid. Dudley captured Le Havre and they tried to exchange it for Calais. The Huguenots were disillusioned by this and they reached a temporary truce with the Catholics and planed to oust England from Le Havre. They were helped as plague spread in Le Havre and the town was surrendered by June 1863. The peace of Troyes was signed in 1564between the English and French governments.
This made Elizabeth realise ill defined campaigns were unlikely to succeed, even in the name of religion. This made her cautious in foreign policy later in her reign.
Council of Trent 1545-63
This council began in 1545 and was a meeting of Europe’s leading catholic clergy to discuss the future of the church. The council produced a series of hard line rules ending the chance of a peaceful compromise with the Protestants. This reflected a reinvigoration of Catholicism in Europe. Some wanted Elizabeth excommunicated but Philip hoped Elizabeth would change her religious settlement
Foreign Suitors for Elizabeth
Philip II of Spain – he wanted to work with England against the struggle against France and he wanted to ensure Mary Queen of Scots did not gain influence in England. He would cause political continuity and stability and he spoke up for Mary in the council of Trent. However he was a catholic and was unpopular due to the marriage with Mary I
Archduke Ferdinand – he was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor and he was a cousin of Philip. However he was foreign and a catholic
Archduke Charles – he was the brother of Archduke Ferdinand meaning he would ensure Elizabeth has good relations with the Hapsburgs. However Elizabeth had no intention of marrying him.
Prince Erik Of Sweden – he was protestant and he was heir to the Swedish throne and it was unlikely that England would become a satellite state if Elizabeth married him. However there would be no benefit for her to marry him in terms of European diplomacy.
Domestic suitors for Elizabeth
Earl of Arundel – he was a wealthy member of the English aristocracy but he was catholic
Sir William Pickering – he spent many hours with the Queen in 1559 however there would be nothing politically gained from marrying a member of the gentry
Sir Robert Dudley – he became the Earl of Leicester in 1564 and he was married to Amy Robsart who was ill and in 1560 she was found dead and rumours circulated around the court that Dudley killed her. William Cecil wanted Elizabeth to be available in the European marriage market and he knew the marriage would be the end of his political career. Elizabeth came to realise she could not marry him after the death of his wife.
Succession crisis for Elizabeth
In October 1562, Elizabeth was taken ill and it became clear she had smallpox. Elizabeth survived but if she died England could have fallen into civil war. Elizabeth has been criticised for putting her interests before those of the nation by not marrying. However by keeping her options open she helped England’s diplomacy in Europe.
Mid Tudor society - nobility under Elizabeth
tensions rose within the nobility due to population increase and the sale of monastic land. Many nobles bought land after the dissolution of the monasteries but the gentry also benefited and became much wealthier land owners. It has also been argued the ambition of the gentry made the nobility angry that they were losing their status in society. Some old noble families fell from power, usually due to royal disfavour or the inability to produce a male heir. However the number of peers remained consistent, 51 in 1547 and 55 in 1603. They also had 10% of the land in England. Elizabeth did not want to create new peers and relied on the old nobles, the exception was William Cecil who was made Lord Burghley after 40 years of service.
Mid Tudor society - gentry under Elizabeth
Great Gentry – the great gentry began to rival the nobles in land, wealth and power. Across the Tudor period the great gentry rose from 300 to 600. Elizabeth added very few to the great gentry and they owned a little less than 10% of England’s land.
Gentry – they were the rich landowners in England and with the nobility they would dominate local communities in terms of trade, wealth and law and order. Although there number increased during the Tudor period, some families died away as they became impoverished or lost favour. Some gentry sought positions at court with Elizabeth so they could raise their status. The gentry were the centre of learning and took advantage of the printing press as many were literate. Many gentry saw themselves as intellectually superior to the nobles who relied on their status and titles.
Mid Tudor society - lower orders under Elizabeth
economic pressures of the 1500s meant living standards dropped. The population increased from around 2.3 million in 1520s to 3 million by the 1550s. The amount of workers now available meant wages did not keep in line with inflation. Increased population put pressures on food supply and it is thought 50% of rural and urban poor lived below the subsistence level. The bad harvest in 1549 made the problem worse. There were some opportunities due to the small increase in some trade industries such as mining iron and coal. But the opportunities were limited.
Mid Tudor economy - population under Elizabeth
by the end of Elizabeth’s reign the population growth had reached 4 million, whereas it was only 1.5 million by 1470. The cause of the increase is unknown, especially as diseases such as Typhus, Plague, Cholera and Influenza were still common in England. These diseases were devastating to the population if an epidemic broke out, like the influenza epidemic of 1556 and 1558.
Harvests impacted the population. The population was growing its fastest in the 1540s due to the consistent good harvests from 1537-42 and 1546-48. The population began to dip after the bad harvests of 1551 and 1554-56. Poor harvests combined with the outbreak of disease were devastating to the population. Also the population in the 1550s was lower than the population before the Black Death in 1346. However the population flow depended on region, bad harvests rarely occurred nationally, as they occurred regionally.
Mid Tudor economy - inflation under Elizabeth
over the course of the 1500s inflation was about 400%. Between 1520 and 1540 prices doubled due to inflation. Inflation was caused by government overspending (usually on wars after Henry VIII), debasement of the coinage, bad harvests and land sales.
Inflation was caused by population increase according to modern historians, however population in England had risen before without the problem of inflation occurring. It is thought farmers were concentrating more on wool products in the 1520s rather than food, with the debasement of the coinage in 1540s adding further problems. A combination of factors led to the inflation problems in England.
Prosperity - the land and trade under Elizabeth
In general landowners benefited from trends in Elizabethan England. Income from the land rose in Elizabethan times and landowners acquired material possessions due to the dissolution of the monasteries and the chantries act. One of the consequences of this was a building boom of country houses on an unprecedented scale. At more modest levels of society, farmers benefited from rising agricultural prices. The Essex clergyman William Harrison in his 1577 book ‘description of England’ noted the improvement of living standards enjoyed by farmers, especially in the south east of England.
Historians note the extent of ship building from the early 20th century shows the sign of buoyant trade. However the second half of the 20th century shows England was desperately seeking new markets to revive the long term decline of the cloth trade.
Depression under Elizabeth
Not everyone shared prosperity, for many real wages fell. This was a particular concern during bad harvests and 9 of 44 harvests in England were described as poor. The impact was catastrophic, particularly during the successive bad harvests of 1594-7. By 1596 real wages were less than half than what they had been nine years earlier.
Economic conclusions under Elizabeth
The economic record of Elizabethan government is mixed. Ministers tended to deal with the problems in an ad hoc matter; they reacted to situations that occurred. An example is the Statute of Artificers 1563 to fix prices, ensure maximum wages and restrict workers freedoms. The government’s main concern was maintaining law and order during the subsistence crisis of the 1590s.
Problems with poverty under Elizabeth
Tudor governments began to see major problems with poverty as the 16th century progressed. Cecil in particular was worried about the problems that poverty would have. Roaming unemployed men, known as vagabonds, led to the escalation of petty crime, particularly in more urban, built up areas. The increase in the number of vagabonds is attributed to social and economic factors like population increase, inflation, bad harvests and the social impact of the dissolution of the monasteries.
Legislation in the mid 16th century
The government was slow act due to the lack of an established field of activity. The church, monasteries and families had been deemed sufficient. In 1552 attempts were made to reduce begging by making beggars register and be given permission to beg. If they begged without a licence, they were whipped and returned to their parish of origin. In 1563 another attempt was made to reduce vagabonds. The Statute of Artificers aimed to enforce workers to take seven year apprenticeship in an attempt to restrict movement. It aimed to fix prices and wages. The local JPs were given responsibilities for carrying out the act. In the mid sixteenth century the only distinction between the poor was the impotent poor (unable to work) or the idle poor (people fit to work).
Legislation in 1572, 1576, 1597 and 1601
1572 – Distinction between people who were unemployed and the idle poor. Some local areas sent up chantries but in 1572 the Poor Relief Act made donations to local authorities compulsory.
1576 – House of Correction were set up to punish those who refused to work
In the 1590s governments were afraid of riots and rebellions. There were food riots in London and the south east in 1595 and in East Anglia in 1596-7. The Poor Law Act 1597 they confirmed the compulsory poor rate and required the setting up of pauper apprenticeships to train boy until 24 and girls until 21. More houses of correction were set up to put the able bodies poor into work and the impotent poor were provided for in poorhouses.
The 1597 act was repeated with slight changes in the 1601 act. The Poor Law Act 1601 remained the basis of England’s treatment of the poor until the 19th century. A distinction was set up between the lazy and other unemployed people, but no real acceptance that many were unemployed and unable to support themselves was through no fault of their own.
The effects of the acts of parliament were limited. However there were no rebellions a serious as those in the mid century like in 1549.
How did Elizabeth enhance her image of as queen - Court
Elizabeth toned down the extravagance of her court, which saved her money. This displayed herself as carful and hardworking and showed she would rather spend money on public needs rather than new palaces. In 1563, Parliament granted Elizabeth £40,000 a year for her court, this was not enough so Elizabeth made the different from her own income. Elizabeth did have separate wardrobes for her different palaces; she indulged in expensive silk and fineries from places like Italy. She empathised courtly rituals, for example at mealtimes she would enter the room last. Furthermore jousting tournaments focused the attentions of the Queen s provider of honours and glory, joust were held on the anniversary of her accession to power. Dances at court were also used as part of courtly ritual. She was keen to be seen as powerful, dancing with ambassadors but the reality was Elizabeth was masking her fainting fits and regular headaches
How did Elizabeth enhance as queen - royal progresses
Elizabeth travelled on at least 25 progresses during her reign. She stayed in the homes of leading families and they were accompanied by much spectacle for the entertainment of the masses such as street decorations and fireworks. These were designed to increase her standing among members of the court, but also amongst the people of England.
How did Elizabeth enhance her image as queen - marriage
Elizabeth’s reluctance to marry was turned into positive propaganda, as the Virgin Queen. This reminded people that her priority was England and politics, she benefited from these associations, people drew comparisons between her and the Virgin Mary.
Paintings – portraits and paintings of Elizabeth drew on classical themes that were well known during the Renaissance, this reinforced the image of the Queen as the provider of peace and plenty. However Elizabeth was keen to control the representation of her image. All paintings were modelled on portraits supplied by her Sergeant Painter. Production of unauthorised images was banned and any items produced were to be destroyed. This meant a standard image of the Queen appeared in nearly all her paintings.
How did Elizabeth enhance her image as queen - royal court
Propaganda mostly reached the upper sections of society, but spread through the lower orders through the clergy. Elizabeth deliberately created a masculine personality and she demanded a lot from courtiers and she was impatient with those who failed her. However Elizabeth used her feminine charms often, this allowed her to rule over the court. They showed their loyalty to her more than any court since the 1520s. The royal court was the hub of social and political life. However Elizabeth blurred the lines between social and political functions. For example, she encouraged politicians (like Cecil) to be courtiers and vice versa. The royal court incorporated both government offices of the Privy Council and the chamber, as well as the Queens personal household. To achieve social status, titles or lands, nobles had to be seen at court. The Queens main palace was Whitehall, employing 1,500 people. Royal servants were paid little, so received tips from people who wanted access to the court.
Elizabeth’s system of patronage
The crown controlled appointments to offices in land and central government, the church and the royal household. The monarch had titles to distribute as well as economic benefits such as the right to collect taxes. The most valuable patronage was the grant of office. A large number of the politically active class held some office under the crown. The importance of patronage extended to secondary patronage. Those who acquired office found their office and gave them the right to make appointments. Thus even more people indirectly tied to the Queen. Another form of patronage was the grant of pensions or land. Occasionally land was sold but Elizabeth realised the importance of keeping land. Favours involving land were bestowed by leasing land at a low rent. Monopolies were a lucrative form of income as the recipient had the sole right to manufacture or sell a particular item. They were unpopular as they prevented competition and they were frequent complaints to parliament. Grant of titles was another form. Elizabeth only created 18 peerages and they were fewer nobles in 1603 than in 1558.
