Elizabeth I: The Beginning of her Reign Flashcards
Early Life, Religion, Marriage and Succession, Society & Economy
When was Elizabeth born?
1533
Who was she largely raised by?
Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.
During this stable environment with Catherine Parr, what did Elizabeth develop?
Elizabeth developed her religious beliefs – moderate Protestantism within the Church of England that her father had created.
What Act legitimised Elizabeth under Henry VIII?
The 1544 Succession Act –> Elizabeth was named third in line of succession.
What THREE things did Elizabeth introduce in 1559? (Religious reforms)
- The Act of Supremacy
- The Act of Uniformity
- The Royal Injunctions
What helped Elizabeth secure the Religious Settlement? (in terms of foreign relations).
Elizabeth was helped in getting agreement on a settlement because of the signining of The Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis –> Series of peace agreements between France, England and Spain.
-This drew the long-running wars between them to a close and ended English military action against France.
-The French promised to return Calais in the future or pay an indemnity. (i.e. compensation).
What was the second event that enabled Elizabeth to get agreement on a settlement?
-A government-sponsored debate between Protestant and Catholic clergy in which some of the Catholic bishops made the mistake of suggesting that they did not accept Elizabeth’s authority over them, allowing her TO ARREST AND IMPRISON TWO OF THEM.
The issue of control over the Church was settled by the Act of Supremacy in 1559 - What was this?
ii) To make sure that the change of leadership was truly being accepted at parish level, what TWO things happened?
-The Act re-established the English monarch as Head of the Church, although Elizabeth chose to be titled ‘Supreme Governor’.
-The AoS also required all churchmen to swear an oath of loyalty to their new Supreme Governor.
ii)
-The Crown was given the power to order visitations to churches to ensure they were worshipping in the correct way –> Commissioners were sent out to investigate. The visitors required clergymen to take an oath, accepting the royal supremacy.
-A new court, The Court of High Commission, was established to persecute those whose loyalty was suspect i.e. (potential traitors).
What was significant about Elizabeth’s decision to title herself ‘Supreme Governor’?
-This was a less controversial title than ‘Supreme Head’.
-Through this, Elizabeth was able to satisfy those people who still regarded the Pope as the rightful head of the Church or who felt that it was wrong for a woman to hold the top position.
What happened to the Marian bishops who refused to swear the oath of loyalty to Elizabeth?
-They were removed from their posts, as were some of the more important clergy such as deans and cathedral canons.
-Ordinary parish priests, on the other hand, were largely left alone.
What was the consequence of this? (think variation in services)
-There was CONSIDERABLE variation in how church serves were CONDUCTED.
-Traditional forms of worship continued in more conservative areas.
What was the ‘Act of Uniformity’ in 1559?
-The Act of Uniformity of May 1559 set out rules about the APPEARANCES OF CHURCHES.
What were the three things that the Act of Uniformity focused on?
- It established a new Prayer Book –> The Book of Common Prayer.
- The ‘Black Rubric’ which has reduced the significance of kneeling to receive communion, was removed, further pleasing traditionalists.
- The Act specified that any practices which had existed in 1549 (during Edward’s reign) such as decoration in churches and dress worn by the clergy should be those of the second year of Edward’s reign, before the limitations imposed later (This PLEASED traditionalists, but angered many clergy who had returned from exile abroad and expected a purer, more Calvinist, form of worship to be used).
What was significant about the new Prayer Book that was established under the Act of Uniformity in 1559?
The Act of Uniformity had the purpose of establishing an agreed set of doctrines throughout the country, ending the quarrels between Catholics and Protestants.
-To achieve this, The Book of Common Prayer was issued. This was a FUSION of the two Prayer Books issued in Edward’s reign.
-It amalgamated the moderate language of the 1549 book with the more openly Protestant words in the 1552 book.
-It served brilliantly as a compromise between what Catholics and Protestants wanted to hear when they worshipped –> allowed both conservatives and radicals to accept the wording used during the Eucharist.
To make sure that there was uniformity of worship, what was attendance at Church made?
i) What happened to those who failed to attend?
ii) What happened to those who attended Catholic Mass?
-Attendance at Church was made COMPULSORY.
i) Anyone failing to attend could be FINED (although fines were small and not usually imposed) and the money collected was distributed to the poor.
ii) However, attendance at Catholic Mass, rather than the communion service of the Church of England, was treated as a serious offence with a heavy fine. Anyone saying Mass could face the death penalty.
What were The Royal Injunctions of 1559?
The Royal Injunctions were 57 instructions (sent out to the clergy about the form of worship to be followed) and they made clear the protestant nature of the new Church.
- The Eucharist was to be administered from a plain communion table rather than an ornate altar, as Catholics used.
- They called for the removal from churches of ‘things superstitious’ - the traditional elements of worship such as the use of candles or going on pilgrimages. Pilgrimages were outlawed.
- Parish churches were required to purchase a bible in English and display a Bible written in English.
- Preachers had to be licensed by a Bishop before they could begin preaching.
What were the visitors chosen by Cecil to enforce the Injunctions like?
STRONGLY PROTESTANT
What was central to the issues between Catholics and Protestants?
Transubstantiation –> The question of what happened to the bread and wine during the Mass.
What did Catholics believe about what happened to the bread and wine during the Mass?
-For Catholics, the priest transformed the BREAD into CHRIST’S BODY and THE WINE INTO CHRIST’S BLOOD.
-This meant that anyone consuming the bread and wine would be taking God’s presence directly into themselves, allowing the cleansing of sin and spiritual renewal.
What did Protestants believe about the significance of the bread and wine?
-Protestant reformers believed that the bread and wine WERE IMPORTANT SYMBOLS OF CHRIST’S PRESENCE.
-This meant that the bread and wine could merely be used to CREATE A MOMENT OF GREAT INTENSITY FOR THE CELEBRANT, but not necessarily more.
What was the SIGNIFICANCE of Elizabeth’s religious settlement?
-It used to be thought that a ‘PURITAN CHOIR’ IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FORCED A MORE RADICAL SETTLEMENT upon Elizabeth than she would of liked.
-More recent research has suggested that E got the settlement that she wanted, despite strong opposition from Catholics in the House of Lords.
-The settlement was Protestant in Doctrine, but Catholic in appearance –> Elizabeth created it in order to maintain her own authority over the Church, and to make it as ACCEPTABLE to the majority of the population who were Catholic at the start of her reign, in order to prevent challenges to her position.
How was Elizabeth’s religious settlement firmly Protestant?
-It used an English Prayer Book, an English Bible.
-It was separated from Rome.
-Its doctrine, established in the THIRTY NINE ARTICLES OF 1563 WAS CALVANIST.
-Many of the new bishops who were appointed and had been in exile during Mary’s reign and were religiously radical.
-Many of Elizabeth’s advisers, such as Cecil and Dudley, who were hugely influential, favoured further reform of the Church.
What were the Thirty Nine Articles of 1563?
-A definitive statement of what ‘Anglicanism’ meant.
-The result was the Thirty Nine Articles of faith, published in 1563 and made law in 1571.
-Like the rest of the settlement, this welded together parts from the different Protestant and Catholic traditions into a whole that was acceptable to as many people as possible.
What were reactions to the settlement at home generally?
-Elizabeth hoped that the settlement would CALM THE TENSIONS THAT HAD BEEN GROWING SINCE HENRY VIII’S REIGN AND ALLOW ENGLAND TO AVOID THE SORT OF RELIGIOUS WARFARE THAT HAD BEEN SEEN IN THE GERMAN STATES OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE DURING THE 1550s and which could be seen in France at the start of 1560s.
-Elizabeth had good reason to be optimistic –> Reaction among most Catholics and Protestants to the changes were muted.
How many of the clergy lost or resigned their livings because they would not accept the settlement?
-Estimates suggest around 400 of the clergy lost of resigned their livings.
What happened to virtually all of the Catholic bishops appointed by Mary who refused to accept the settlement?
-The Marian Catholic bishops were DISMISSED.
Why was the refusal and the subsequent dismissal of the Catholic bishops a positive thing for Elizabeth?
-It gave Elizabeth the opportunity to MAKE NEW APPOUNTMENTS WHICH CREATED A LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE CHURCH THAT WAS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT HER REFORMS.
What was the opposition to the settlement compared to Mary’s?
-Compared to the 800 or so Protestants that had fled abroad in Mary’s reign, the scale of refusal between 1559 and 1563 was minimal.
However, what kind of opposition to the settlement was evident from the start?
-LOCALISED opposition was evident from the start –> Some ministers simply ignored the new Book of Common Prayer and stuck to the traditional Catholic form of worship.
-Meanwhile, a survey of Justices of the Peace in 1564 found that only about HALF OF THEM COULD BE RELIED ON ACTIVELY TO SUPPORT THE SETTLEMENT.
-Some of the strongest reaction in England was against the financial side of the settlement and the seemingly minor issue of what priests wore to conduct services.
What was the 1559 Act of Exchange? Why was it introduced?
-The disastrous war against France under Mary, and problems with Scotland at the start of Elizabeth’s reign, had created a DANGEROUS SHORTAGE OF MONEY IN THE ROYAL TREASURY.
-Elizabeth followed Henry VIII by taking taxes that were traditionally paid to Rome into her own money box (repealing Mary’s reinstatement of such taxation).
-Elizabeth adopted a controversial policy –> The Act of Exchange –> This allowed Elizabeth TO TAKE OVER PROPERTY BELONGING TO BISHOPS AND TO FORCE THEM ONLY TO RENT LAND TO HER.
What were some of the foreign reactions to Elizabeth’s settlement?
-Elizabeth was concerned about the foreign reaction considering both France and Spain were Catholic powers and could pose a threat to the settlement.
-Although, neither showed much inclination to be critical –> France was becoming absorbed in civil war and Philip II of Spain was prepared to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt –> Neither Philip or the Pope saw the changes in England as PERMANENT and hoped that Elizabeth could be persuaded to return the Church to Rome.
Who offered to marry Elizabeth in 1559?
-Philip II of Spain offered to marry Elizabeth –> it was more of a gesture than a genuine offer.
-The offer was designed to keep the hopes open of Catholicism being maintained in England.
-However, as the 1560s progressed, Elizabeth began to regard Spain as more of a threat.
How did France and Scotland become a threat in 1559?
-Mary, Queen of Scots was already married to Francis II, the heir to the French throne.
-They became KING AND QUEEN when Henry II of France was killed in a tournament held to celebrate the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis.
-THIS SOLIDIFIED THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND SCOTLAND and was a threat to Elizabeth, especially as Mary also had a claim to the throne of England, being a grand-daughter of Henry VII.
How did Elizabeth respond to the Scottish Protestant rebellion against the Scottish regent Mary of Guise?
-In Scotland, a group of PROTESTANT NOBLES LED A REBELLION AGAINST THE FRENCH CATHOLIC REGENT IN SCOTLAND, MARY OF GUISE, who had been ruling Scotland on behalf of her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, ever since she had inherited the throne at the age of six days.
-WILLIAM CECIL persuaded Elizabeth TO SEND IN SECRET LIMITED ARMS AND MONEY TO THEM.
What happened in relation to Elizabeth’s support for the Protestant nobles rebellion against Mary of Guise in 1560?
-In 1560, a peace settlement (THE TREATY OF EDINBURGH) was reached.
-The French troops stationed in Scotland were withdrawn.
After this treaty had been signed, what complication arose?
-The young French king, Francis II, died suddenly.
What did the death of her husband mean that Mary, Queen of Scots did?
-Mary RETURNED TO SCOTLAND as Queen but a widow.
-Who she married next was of VITAL CONCERN FOR ENGLISH INTERESTS.
-Her eye went in the direction of LORD DARNLEY, who had himself a distant claim, through his mother, to the English throne.
What happened in France after Francis II died?
-In 1562, the French state COLLAPSED INTO CIVIL WAR between rival groups of nobles and their clients for control of the Crown.
-Catholic families, including the Guises, were ranged against HUGUENOT FAMILIES (the Protestants in France who were followers of John Calvin) , led by the Prince of Conde.
-Essentially conflict broke out between Catholics and Protestants in France.
