Elizabeth I: character and aims Flashcards
What was Elizabeth’s character?
-Young, 25
-Better educated
-Better grasp of political processes in there widest sense.
-Better judge of character than Mary.
-Had learnt lots from her political and personal experiences e.g relationship with Thomas Seymour and her implication in Wyatt’s rebellion.
-Informed interest in decision-making processes, but had no desire to involve herself in the details of government.
What were her short-term aims?
-Consolidate her position
-Settle religious issues
-Pursue a peaceful settlement with the French
Why was her accession challenging?
-Bad harvests meant food was scarce and expensive.
-Ravages of influenza epidemic meant country had suffered.
-Delicate political and religious situation.
-Disastrous war against France + loss of Calais.
What were the key features of Elizabeth’s consolidation?
-Path eased by acceptance of her succession by Mary’s key councillors. Within a couple days, 9 of Mary’s councillors rode to Hatfield to ensure Elizabeth of their loyalty.
-Cecil appointed principal secretary. She kept Mary’s councillors guessing about her other appointments.
-Showed herself familiar with the customs associated with newly acceded monarchs by taking herself to the Tower.
-Proceeded quickly to her coronation within two months on the 15th Jan 1559.
-Gained international confirmation from the Spanish ambassador.
What were the two acts of Parliament that the religious settlement embraced?
Act of Supremacy 1559
Act of Uniformity 1559
What was the Act of Supremacy?
-Restored royal supremacy and rejected papal supremacy.
-Reformation legislation of HVIII restored.
-Heresy law revived under Mary was rejected.
-Powers of royal visitation of the Church, HVIII, were restored. This allowed the Crown to appoint commissioners to visit, reform, order, correct and ament all errors or heresies of the Church.
-Queen described as ‘supreme governor’ rather than ‘supreme head’ of the CoE.
-Oath of supremacy to be taken by clergymen and church officials.
Overall, it restored the legal position of the Crown in relation to the Church which had first been established under HVIII.
What was the Act of Uniformity?
Specified the use of a single Book of Common Prayer, which was a modified version of Cranmer’s strongly Protestant book from 1552.
Modifications:
-Variations of Eucharistic belief were possible.
-‘Black Rubric’, included in 1552 to explain kneeling at Eucharist, was omitted.
The Act also specified that ornaments of the church/ministers should be as they were in the second year of Edward IV’s reign, before the Act of Uniformity 1549. This was an issue of contention as Protestant’s did not like it.
What were the Royal Injunctions of 1559?
-Set of instructions about the conduct of church services and government of the Church.
-Protestant: emphasised the ‘suppression of superstition’ (Catholic practices) and the need to abolish all hypocrisy, enormities and abuses in the Church.
-Protestant: Eucharist administered at a simple Communion table rather than the alter.
-Protestant: removal of ‘superstitious’ things e.g traditional Catholic practices like pilgrimages and the use of candles.
Essentially, they were an attack on traditional Catholic practices
How was Elizabeth’s personal idiosyncrasies reflected in her religious policies?
Elizabeth’s disproval of clerical marriage highlighted as the wives of clergy had to produce a certificate signed by two justices of the peace signifying their fitness for such a role.
What was the Treaty of Cauteau-Cambresis?
-1559
-Peace treaty with France to end the war.
-Agreement over Calais that France would retain it for 8 years, after which it would be returned to England provided peace had been kept, or France would pay £125,000 to England.
Why was Elizabeth reluctant to intervene in Scotland and how was she convinced?
-The Lords of the Congregation were requesting assistance from their fellow Protestants in England after failure to capture Edinburgh.
-She didn’t want to interfere in the domestic affairs of another country.
-She loathed Knox, the leader of the Scottish Reformation.
-Cecil persuaded Elizabeth to intervene (he sympathised with the religious predicament of Scottish Protestants) by playing on her insecurity and even threatening to resign if she did not support.
What was intervention in Scotland?
-Initially limited to money and armaments.
-Dec 1559 the navy was sent to the Firth of Forth to stop French reinforcements from landing.
-Lords of Congregation offered conditional support at Treaty of Berwick Feb 1560.
-March 1560 an army was sent North.
-Lords of Congregation were accepted as a provisional conciliar government and, with the death of Francis II in December, the Guises fell from power.
-Mary Stuart’s influence on French policy came to an end and she was forced to return to Scotland.
-Cecil had triumphed.
Foreign policy with France.
-Conflict broke out between Catholic and Protestants in France and Elizabeth was encouraged to intervene.
-She was defeated.
-English forced to seek an unfavourable peace treaty with France at Treaty of Troyes 1564.
-Lost Calais permanently and the indemnity she had secured at Cateau-Cambresis.
-blow to Elizabeth’s prestige and led to to become more cautious about supporting Protestant causes in Europe.
