Elizabeth's accession Flashcards
When did Elizabeth come to power?
1558
Why did Elizabeth face problems when coming to power?
She was young, unmarried, female and seen as illegitimate.
Why was Elizabeth being seen as illegitimate a problem?
Catholics believed she was illegitimate because her parents marriage had been illegal and thus she had no claim to the throne; her mother Ann Boleyn had been married to Henry VIII, but once he executed that marriage was no longer considered legitimate and so Elizabeth was not considered Henry’s son so had no claim to the throne. For many Catholics this was considered important because the Pope was the one to excommunicate Elizabeth as a result of this.
Why was being unmarried and single a problem?
- As a single woman she was considered unable to offer a strong effective monarchy. If she was married it would make England seem more powerful as it would stop foreign countries from invading as they’d see England as being lead by a powerful man rather than a weak woman.
- Being married would provide England with an heir, which would give security to all those worried about England’s future when she passed on.
Why did people worry about her being inexperienced?
They worried she would choose the wrong advisers.
What were Elizabeth’s strengths of character?
She was brought up Protestant.
She was well educated.
She endured the execution of her mother and the imprisonment of her half sister.
What challenges did Elizabeth face from home and abroad when coming to power?
Problems with money and the threat of invasion.
Explain how money was a problem for Elizabeth when she came to power.
- Tudor monarchs had to pay for the cost of running England, so if they needed money they had to go though Parliament. This gave Parliament a lot of power which wasn’t good when Elizabeth was trying to create the impression of being powerful leader.
- In 1558 England and France were at war so when Elizabeth came to the throne she inherited a debt of £300,000. This was not helped by the fact government spending was high; even though se was in debt £100,000 was spend on arms and munitions.
- Royal land was not producing enough rent to keep the Exchequer’s books balanced, this was because after 1550 the economy started to slow and more people were struggling to afford necessities let alone to pay tax. Less jobs were on offer at the time as many farmers started to lean towards sheep rearing not crops as it meant less labour costs, hence why people were struggling to find employment and so pay taxes.
- Money was also a problem because it mean it would be harder for Elizabeth to afford to keep an invasion at bay.
Explain how the treat of invasion was a problem for Elizabeth when she came to power.
Invasion was a big threat because the French were inhabiting Scotland, as a result of Mary Queen of Scots marriage to the french King Francis II who as per tradition inherited all of her land. This meant England had the threat of the French troops in its back garden, meaning they could enter at any point. France was an extremely wealthy country so would be able to afford the cost of the invasion. Being catholic also meant the French and Mary had a lot of support.
