Elizabeth's Problems and Decisions Flashcards
State the year Elizabeth I was born, and explain her familial situation.
- 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife
- Anne Boleyn was beheaded for treason in 1536 and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate (and so lost her right to the throne)
- After the birth of Edward (son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, his third wife) Elizabeth’s chances of being queen were almost non-existent
- Elizabeth only saw her father and half-brother on special occasions
- After Henry VIII married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, in 1543, she persuaded him to bring Elizabeth back to court
What was Elizabeth I like growing up?
- She was raised a Protestant
- She learnt multiple languages, and other skills
- She liked music and was taught Bible stories
- Her tutor, Roger Ascham, and later many ambassadors, praised her highly for her intelligence and strong personality
What was Elizabeth I’s life like before becoming queen?
- In 1554, Queen Mary I (her sister) had suspected her involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion
- Elizabeth was accused of treason (which was punished by death) and imprisoned
- She was later released due to a lack of evidence
- As Elizabeth was Mary’s heir to the throne, foreign ambassadors and English courtiers began to take notice of her
How old was Elizabeth when she became Queen, and what was her coronation like?
- Mary I died in November 1558, when Elizabeth was 25
- Elizabeth’s extravagant coronation was held in January 1559
- She wore ermine, symbolising purity and wore her hair loose as it represented her virginity
List 8 problems Elizabeth faced as soon as she ascended the throne.
- Choosing councillors
- Financial issues
- Challenges from abroad
- Religious divisions
- Doubts about her ability to rule as a woman
- Problem of her legitimacy
- Marriage and children
- Creating prosperity
List 6 reasons why the issue of choosing councillors was so important.
- The government, which consisted of the nobility and the gentry, was made of councillors chosen by the monarch
- The nobles of England had a lot of power, and many were related to the royal family
- Not giving them roles could anger them, and monarchs had been previously overthrown by displeased nobles
- Choosing members of the Privy Council was particularly important as it contained the heads of the government departments
(- Such as the Lord Treasurer, who was in charge of the crown’s finances and spending) - They met almost daily, and for important issues, such as war
- They were responsible for administration, such as controlling the business of Parliament
List 8 things Elizabeth I did to solve the issue of choosing councillors.
- She made William Cecil Secretary of State; her principal advisor
- He became an MP under Henry VIII and held an important position under Edward VI
- He had lost his position under Mary I, but had started working with Elizabeth then
- She filled the rest of the positions quickly- within 3 months
- She had 20 councillors, unlike Mary who had 50
- Elizabeth kept 10 men who had served under Mary that had a lot of experience and influence
- She thanked past councillors for their work to keep their support
- She mostly appointed relatives and trusted colleagues as councillors
- Elizabeth waited for 4 years before making her friend Robert Dudley a councillor, to prevent jealousy
- Much of the work of the government was carried out by a smaller group of Protestant councillors that Elizabeth trusted and worked closely with, rather than the whole council always meeting
How successful was Elizabeth at choosing councillors, and why?
- Very successful
- Mary I had been ill for months, and Elizabeth had that time to plan who she would choose as her councillors should she become queen
List 4 reasons why financial issues were so important.
Monarchs gained money through renting/ selling crown lands, fines, customs duties and feudal dues; money paid to the monarch as a landowner.
- In the 1500s, the monarch was expected to pay for the costs of running the country (such as going to war, the court and the royal household)
- If the crown needed extra money, such as for going to war, they needed to ask Parliament to approve increased taxation, and monarchs disliked this as it increased Parliament’s power
- War with France had caused a debt as big as £300,000 by 1558
- Prices had risen, but rent rates were fixed, and the crown’s main source of revenue was rent
List 4 things Elizabeth did to improve her finances.
- Elizabeth built on reforms introduced by Edward and Mary to improve how the Exchequer (the government department that looked after finances) was ran
- She cut back on government spending, and costs such as those of her household
- Exchequer officials were ordered to call in debts
- Crown lands were sold in the next 20 years
How effective was Elizabeth at solving her financial issues?
- Her approach took time to work, but by 1585 Elizabeth had paid off Mary’s debt and had a reserve of £300,000
- Only war with Spain later caused both a strain on finances, and increased taxes
What was the political situation in Europe like when Elizabeth became queen?
- There was a strong link between Scotland and France as Mary, Queen of Scots was married to the heir of the French throne
- Spain was the richest and most powerful country in Europe, and its empire included parts of Central and South America
- England and Spain had been friendly during the Tudor period, and King Philip of Spain had been married to Mary I
- Philip II was afraid of France’s growing influence and kept good relations with England
- Mary I had invaded France along with her husband, and lost Calais (the last English stronghold in France) in January 1558
- France had retaliated to the invasion by increasing the number of their forces along the Scottish border
- Losing Calais had been a national humiliation, but Mary had made no move to win it back
List 6 problems stemming from the war with France in 1558.
- England was threatened by the combined force of France and Scotland, which were Catholic
- France were interested in the English crown as they believed Mary (Queen of Scots) should be the Queen of England
- French soldiers were also stationed in Scotland, so there was a risk of a joined attack across the Channel and from the northern border
- Defeat would start off Elizabeth’s reign disastrously
- The Privy Council didn’t believe they had the necessary resources to win
- England couldn’t send aid to Spain
- Farming communities didn’t have men to spare due to famine and epidemics
List 3 reasons for continuing the war with France.
- A military victory and winning back Calais would restore national pride and start off Elizabeth’s reign positively
- Victory would end the fear of danger from France and Scotland
- Making peace could make Elizabeth look weak
What did Elizabeth decide to do about the war with France?
- She made peace with France in January 1559 in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis
- Calais was permanently lost
How great of a problem were challenges from abroad? Did this change?
- In 1558 Elizabeth took out huge loans to gain £100,000 to spend on munitions
- Even after making peace with France, Elizabeth feared a European religious crusade
List 3 reasons why Elizabeth’s ability to be a monarch was doubted.
- Female rulers were seen as unnatural in the 1500s
- Women were seen as too weak to do things such as leading armies into battle, dispensing justice and making harsh decisions
- Mary I’s reign had been disastrous, particularly due to her military defeats
What could Elizabeth do to get rid of doubts about her ability to be a monarch due to her gender?
- By proving she was a good ruler over time
- The idea of her marrying and leaving power to her husband was dismissed
Explain why there were doubts about Elizabeth’s legitimacy, and what effect this had.
- Henry VIII had made himself Head of the Church of England, and had his Archbishop of Canterbury approve his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his first wife
- Catholics believed only the Pope could grant divorces to monarchs
- Henry then married Anne Boleyn, and they had Elizabeth
- Catholics did not believe their marriage was valid, and so Elizabeth was illegitimate
- This meant she could not be queen
What could Elizabeth I do about her legitimacy?
- Nothing- she just celebrated her coronation as an anointed queen
- She was the daughter of Henry VIII, which made her more popular than Mary, Queen of Scots, who was allied with France, which was England’s enemy
List 5 of Elizabeth I’s potential suitors.
- Philip II
- Prince Eric of Sweden
- (Possibly) Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
- Archduke Charles (son of the Holy Roman Emperor)
- Duke of Alençon/ Anjou (King of France’s younger brother)
List 9 problems with marriage and the succession.
- Having heirs ensured political stability
- Most foreign princes were Catholic, and marriage to one of them would cause discontent among Protestants
- A Catholic husband could be useful to Catholics feeling discontent
- Philip II and Prince Eric of Sweden were turned down early on as Elizabeth was at the beginning of her reign and occupied with other issues
- Mary’s marriage to Philip II had been unpopular
- The Duke of Anjou had been rejected as he was Catholic and French
- If Elizabeth married an English nobleman, it could have caused jealousy and anger between the nobles
- The Queen’s close relationship with Robert Dudley caused political tension
- Elizabeth’s council and Parliament could not unite behind one candidate, so she never married
What were 3 main problems linked to prosperity (within the lives of regular people) did Elizabeth have to try to improve, although they were out of her control?
- Quality of harvests
- Epidemics of disease
- Poverty
How were harvests, disease and poverty in the years before 1558? What effect did this have on Elizabeth and her government?
- For much of the 1550s there had been poor harvests, which resulted in severe food shortages
- In Mary’s reign, famine and disease had coincided, and 200,000 died as a result
- Prices had been rising since 1500, but most rapidly in the 1550s, and wages were losing value as a result
- Poverty was a serious problem as hunger made people more likely to join riots
What was the 1558 harvest like?
- It was excellent
