Elizabeth - key topic 1 Flashcards
When did Elizabeth become queen?
November 1558
What are 5 parts of Elizabeth’s government?
- Privy council. 2. The court. 3. Parliament. 4. Justices of the peace. 5. Lord Lieutenants
What does the privy council do? (2)
- They’re members of the nobility who help govern the country. 2. Monitor Parliament, JPs and oversee law and order and security of the country.
What does the court do? (2)
- Made up of noblemen who advise Elizabeth. 2. Helped display her power and wealth.
What does the Parliament do? (3)
- Made up of HoC and HoL. 2. Advise Elizabeth’s government. 3. Passed laws and approved taxes (extraordinary taxation)
What is extraordinary taxation?
Extra taxes required to pay for unexpected expenses, especially war.
What do JPs do? (4)
- Large landowners. 2. Appointed by government. 3. Kept law and order locally. 4. Heard court cases
What do Lord Lieutenants do? (4)
- Noblemen. 2. Appointed by government. 3. Governed English counties. 3. Raised the local militia
What does militia mean?
A force of ordinary people raised in an emergency.
What % of people lived in the countryside?
0.9
What % of people lived in towns?
0.1
Who lives in the countryside? (6)
- The nobility. 2. The gentry. 3. The yeoman farmers. 4. Tenant farmers. 5. The landless and labouring poor. 6. Homeless and vagrants
What is the gentry?
Mini nobles - owned small amounts of land.
What are yeoman farmers?
Owned a small amount of land.
What are tenant farmers?
Rented land from yeomen farmers and the gentry.
Who lives in towns? (5)
- Merchants. 2. Professionals like doctors, lawyers. 3. Business owners. 4. Craftsmen including apprenticeships. 5. Unskilled labourers and the unemployed
What were some problems Elizabeth faced when she became queen? (7)
- 21 years old and therefore lacked experience. 2. Government needed money (£300,000 in debt). 3. Legitimacy was doubted. 4. Needed support of Parliament to pass laws. 5. Catholics refused to accept her. 6. She was Protestant compared to Catholic Mary. 7. Unmarried
Why didn’t Elizabeth want to marry? (3)
- Either way it would anger Protestants or Catholics. 2. Her power would decrease. 3. Could involve England in expensive wars and they were already broke.
Why did Catholics deem Elizabeth as illegitimate?
The Pope refused to acknowledge Henrey VIII’s divorce and remarriage to Anne Boleyn.
What were some of Elizabeth’s strengths? (5)
- Confident and charismatic –> helped in Parliament. 2. Resilient. 3. Well educated –> spoke Latin, Greek, French and Italian. 4. Understood politics well and efficiently. 5. She was Protestant and Protestantism was growing.
What does divine right mean?
Chosen by God to rule
What does patronage mean?
Monarch could give land/jobs/titles to reward/bribe subjects –> get more wealthy
Financial weakness in 1558 (3)
1.. Crown was £300,000 in debt. 2. Over £100,000 was owed to foreign moneylenders which charged a high interest of 14%. 3. Inflation grew
How could monarchs raise money? (4)
- Rent and income from their own lands (Crown Lands). 2. Taxes from trade (custom duties). 3. Special additional taxes, known as subsidies, which had to be agreed by parliament. 4. Profits of justice (fines, property of lands from people convicted of crimes)
What did Elizabeth do to solve financial problems? (3)
- Hoarded her income and cut her household expenses by half. 2. She sold Crown land, raising £120,000. 3. By 1574, the queen could claim that the Crown was no longer in debt for the first ever time since 1558.
Challenges Elizabeth faced from abroad in 1558 (4)
- The French threat. 2. France ended its war with Spain. 3. War was expensive and England couldn’t afford the risk. 4. French alliance with Scotland
What was the French threat? (3)
- France was wealthier than England and had a bigger population. 2. Mary, Queen of Scots had married the heir to the French throne and had a strong claim to the English Throne. 3. English Catholics might rally to her in the French invaded.
What was the problem with Calais? (2)
- Last remaining land on the continent of Europe. 2. Lots of pressure for Elizabeth to regain it but didn’t want to risk war.
Why was the fact that France ended its war with Spain a threat?
French military resources were no longer stretched by the war so there was a risk that the Catholic countries team up and invade England.
Why was the French alliance with Scotland a threat?
These were the 2 countries surrounding England and as both Catholic (and had Mary QS) they could invade powerfully,
How did Elizabeth avoid war with France?
Signed Peace of Troyes 1564 which allowed France to officially claim Calais.
How did Elizabeth avoid Mary QS and Scotland?
Put her in custody in England
Why was religion important in Elizabethan England?
- Guided people’s morals and behaviour. 2. Birth, marriage and death were all marked by religious ceremonies. 3. Increased chances of going to heaven and avoiding hell.
When was the Reformation?
Halloween 1517
Differences between Catholicism and Protestantism (4)
- Pope vs no Pope. 2. Church is between people and God vs direct link to God. 3. Priests are celibate vs priests can marry. 4. Churches highly decorated vs hardly decorated
When was Elizabeth’s religious settlement?
1559
What were some key features of the religious settlement? (4)
- Act of uniformity. 2. Act of supremacy. 3. Book of Common Prayer. 4. Royal injunctions
What was the Act of Uniformity? (2)
- Dictated the appearance of churches and how religious services were to be held. 2. Required everyone to go to church.
What was the Act of Supremacy? (2)
- Elizabeth became Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 2. All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her
What were the Royal Injunctions? (3)
- A set of instructions ordered by Sir William Cecil on behalf of the queen for the clergy to follow. 2. Must attend church or be fined. 3. Keep a copy of Bible in English
What was the Book of Common Prayer?
Set church service which the clergy had to follow or be punished.
What were some impacts of the religious settlement? (3)
- 8000 / 10,000 members of the clergy accepted it. 2. Many Catholic bishops opposed it and were replaced. 3. Majority of people accepted it –> huge success!!!
What were some roles of the Church of England? (4)
- It was controlled what was preached. 2. It gave guidance to communities. 3. Enforced religious settlement. 4. In charge of church courts.
What were puritans?
They were Christians who wanted to purify Christianity by removing anything which was not part of the Bible.
In an ideal world, what would puritans want? (3)
- Church not controlled by monarch. 2. No bishops and no vestments. 3. Banning sinful activities like gambling and cockfighting.
What were 2 things that puritans opposed?
- Crucifixes. 2. Vestments.
What happened when puritans opposed crucifixes?
Elizabeth backed down as she was going to lose educated Puritan bishops because they wanted to resign.
What happened when puritans opposed vestments?
37 Puritans priests lost their post because they refused to wear fancy vestments.
Give 3 examples of famous puritans who were openly anti - catholic
John Foxe. Thomas Cartwright. John field.
Where did puritans mainly take place?
London, Cambridge, Oxford, East Anglia. Less of an impact for up north as they were mainly Catholic.
What was the counter - reformation?
The Catholic Church’s attempt to hold on to their power and stop Protestantism from gaining popularity. Protestants arrested with heresy
What was the nature of the Catholic threat?
Catholics began the counter reformation and were hostile to towards protestants. 1566, Pope tells Catholics to not attend Church. This leads to revolt of northern earls 1569 to 1570.
What’s a recusant?
People who practised Catholicism in secret.
What was the extent of Catholic threat?
- Up to one third of nobility were recusants. They were traditional and powerful. 2. They were independent from the crown so could incite a rebellion against Elizabeth.
What was the extent of Catholic challenge in France?
In 1962, Elizabeth backed French protestants so she could get Calais back. Yet this failed as the protestants and catholics made peace.
What was the extent of Catholic challenge from the papacy? (2)
Counter reformation meant pope aimed to end Protestant rule in England. Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570
What was the extent of Catholic challenge in Spain? (4)
In 1566, Dutch rebelled against Spain and many Protestants made their way to England. Spain was angered by England’s seize of the Genoa loan in 1568. By 1570, Spain had secured Netherlands so were closer to England. Presence of Mary, Queen of Scots
What was Mary’s claim to the throne?
She was Elizabeth’s second cousin.
Why was Mary important? (3)
- She was Catholic so nobility supported her. 2. No concerns about legitimacy. 3. Always a part of Catholic plots.
Why did Mary leave Scotland?
Scottish lords rebelled and forced her to abdicate as they thought she killed her husband, Lord Darnley. Mary fled to England seeking Elizabeth’s help.
What happened when Mary fled to England?
She was held in comfort while Elizabeth decided what to do with her. Scottish rebels wanted her tried for the murder of previous husband.
How could helping Mary regain the throne cause problems?
It would anger Scottish nobility and leave a Catholic leader on the border of England.
How might handing Mary over to the Scottish lords be a problem?
Could provoke a war with France and Spain as Mary was the widow of a french king.
How could allowing Mary to go abroad cause problems?
She could go to France and provoke a French plot against her.
How can keeping Mary in England cause problems?
Catholic plotters in England may overthrow Elizabeth with her
What was the casket letters affairs?
Meeting set up to try Mary from October 1568 to January 1569. Did not reach any conclusions so Mary stayed in England.
Why did Elizabeth not make Mary her heir?
It would encourage people to kill her. A civil war may break out if she rules.
