Elizabethan Basic Info

Question 1

Elizabeth ran the country with the help of

Answer 1

Court and the privy council

Question 2

Court

Answer 2

body of people (courtiers) who lived in same house as the monarch (key servants, advisers and friends)

Question 3

Privy council

Answer 3

approximately 19 leading courtiers, advisers, senior officials (e.g. William Cecil).

Question 4

What problems did Elizabeth face

Answer 4

Legitimacy, society, religion, financial weakness and French threat

Question 5

Legitimacy

Answer 5

Many people thought that Elizabeth was not the Legitimate (legal) Queen because Henry VIII got divorced

Question 6

Society

Answer 6

Women were thought to be inferior. A queen ruling by herself was very unusual so many felt that Elizabeth should marry

Question 7

Religion

Answer 7

In 1558, country was divided by religion (Catholic until Henry VIII’s reign), many thought country’s differences would lead to civil war

Question 8

Financial weaknesses

Answer 8

England had fought costly wars before Elizabeth became Queen. England was
weak compared to other countries (France and Spain= most powerful and were both Roman Catholic).

Question 9

French threat

Answer 9

Many Catholics saw Mary Queen of Scots as the legitimate monarch. Mary was half French and therefore
had a lot of support in France

Question 10

Religious divisions in England 1558

Answer 10

After the reign of Catholic Mary I England was a divided country in terms of religion. The North of England had generally remained Catholic and the earls and their followers wanted Catholicism restored across the country.

Question 11

When and what was Elizabeths’s religious settlement

Answer 11

Elizabeth’s religious settlement of 1559 was an attempt at finding a compromise that would establish a form of Protestantism that Catholics could accept. She didn’t want to persecute Catholics but she was hoping that their religion would die out in England eventually.

Question 12

3 key parts of the religious settlement

Answer 12

Act of Supremacy (Elizabeth supreme governor of the church), Act of Uniformity (all churches and services to be the same across the country) and the Royal Injunctions (instructions to reinforce the two main Acts)

Question 13

The church of england and its role in society

Answer 13

Elizabeth used the Church of England to increase her control. e.g. Church courts and inspections enabled
her to enforce the religious settlement

Question 14

The nature and extent of the puritan challenge

Answer 14

Puritans (extreme Protestants) disapproved of the use of the crucifix and priests wearing special vestments. Elizabeth had to back down about the crucifix but managed to insist that the vestments were worn

Question 15

Nature and extent of the catholic challenge including the role of the nobility, papacy and foreign powers

Answer 15

1556, Pope issued an instruction for Catholics not to attend church services. Some people were punished for not attending mass but in many cases this did not happen.
Other parts of the country proved more of a challenge – particularly in the North of England where there was a revolt in 1569

Question 16

Plan of the revolt of the northern earls

Answer 16

Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland would raise an army and take control of Durham and would then march south to join the Duke of Norfolk’s forces
Several thousand Spanish troops would land in Hartlepool to support the rebels
Duke of Norfolk and the rebel forces would seize control of London and overthrow Elizabeth
Mary Queen of Scots would be freed, married to the Duke Norfolk and placed on the throne

Question 17

Main events of the revolt of the northern earls

Answer 17

Rebels took Durham Cathedral and celebrated a full Catholic mass. Controlled land in NE England as far south as Leeds. However, most nobles stayed loyal to Elizabeth and by 24 November the rebels were forced to retreat and eventually defeated. Hundreds of rebels executed

Question 18

Significance of the revolt of the northern earls

Answer 18

First and most serious rebellious act by Catholics against Elizabeth. Power and influence of Northern Earls ended. Prompted harsher treatments against Catholics. Pope Pius VI excommunicated Elizabeth (expelled her from the church)

Question 19

Mary, queen of scots, her claim to the throne, her arrival in England in 1568

Answer 19

Many Catholics saw Mary Queen of Scots as the legitimate monarch (she was Elizabeth’s second cousin and had a direct link to the throne). Mary arrived in England in 1568 after the Protestant Scottish Nobles revolted after the suspicious death of her husband.

Question 20

Relations between Elizabeth and Mary 1568-9

Answer 20

Elizabeth was unsure what to do with Mary. She did not want to hand her over to the Scottish Lords but
she also did not want to allow her to go abroad so she decided to keep her in England in captivity

Question 21

Features and significance of the Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington plots, walsingham and the use of spies

Answer 21

Three Catholic plots to remove Elizabeth from the throne with the help of France/Spain and replace her with Mary. Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington were key people involved in each one. Walsingham (Secretary of State) intercepted the letters in the Babington Plot and deciphered the codes within them. This was used as evidence to prove that Mary was directly involved.

Question 22

The reasons for and significance of Mary Queen of Scots’ execution in 1587

Answer 22

Evidence from the Babington Plot proved Mary’s guilt and finally persuaded Elizabeth to sentence her to death (although she was still very reluctant). Mary’s death removed an important threat to Elizabeth but gave Phillip of Spain another reason to want to remove Elizabeth

Question 23

Political and religious rivalry

Answer 23

Phillip II of Spain had been married to Mary I. Elizabeth refused his offer of marriage when she came to the throne. Phillip also saw himself as the leading Catholic monarch in Europe and Elizabeth’s support for Protestants and treatment of Catholics (eg Mary Queen of Scots) created big problems between England and Spain.

Question 24

Commercial rivalry. The New World, privateering and the significance of the activities of Drake.

Answer 24

Many English merchants directly challenged Spain’s dominance of the New World (America). Many even attacked Spanish ships and ports. Francis Drake was the most famous privateer who stole large amounts from Spain. Elizabeth knighted him which sent a clear message to Spain

Question 25

English direct involvement in the Netherlands 1585-88, the role of Robert Dudley

Answer 25

Elizabeth’s support for Dutch rebels after they declared independence from Spain led to war with Spain. She allowed Dutch rebels to take shelter in English ports (Sea Beggars), took money from Spanish ships (Genoese Loan) and provided financial help to the Dutch rebels.
Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester) also led failed military expeditions in the Netherlands which worsened relations between the English and the Spanish further.
After the Treaty of Joinville (1584) made an alliance between the French and Spanish, Elizabeth felt that she could no longer avoid conflict with Spain and signed the Treaty of Nonsuch 1585 in support of the Dutch rebels

Question 26

Drake and the raid on Cadiz: ‘Singeing the King of Spain’s beard’

Answer 26

April 1587 – Drake sailed into Cadiz Harbour and destroyed 30 Spanish ships and a large amount of their supplies. England knew that Spain was preparing an attack and this raid delayed their preparations by a year and this gave the English more time to prepare

Question 27

Spanish invasion plans. Reasons why Philip used the Spanish Armada

Answer 27

Phillip had been provoked by the English in a number of ways (e.g. religion, politics, English threats to Spanish dominance in the New World) The plan involved 130 ships, 30,000 men stationed in the Netherlands that would be transported across the channel to march on London, depose Elizabeth and create a new Catholic government in England

Question 28

The reasons for English victory.

Answer 28

tactics (e.g. fire ships), the weather, faster ships (galleons), poor Spanish
supplies, poor Spanish leadership and communications

Question 29

Consequences of English victory

Answer 29

propaganda and religious victory, great boost to English pride, Dutch rebels were encouraged to renew their fight, showed strength and skill of the English navy, defeat cost Spain very dearly, financially and politically

Question 30

Education in the home, schools and universities depended on

Answer 30

Social position

Question 31

Poor children education

Answer 31

No formal education - learned from their families, working on the land, or in the home.
They needed to bring in a wage for the family.

Question 32

Well off children education

Answer 32

Petty schools age 4-8: (reading, writing and arithmetic) then Grammar school age 8-14: (Latin, Greek, French, ancient and classical history, philosophy, archery, wrestling, chess and running). Girls - Dame schools or educated at home by mothers (Reading and writing, arithmetic, Music, dancing, needlework, horse riding and archery)

Question 33

Noble children education

Answer 33

Boys - Private tutor until early teens (Latin, Greek, French, ancient and classical history), University (Oxford or Cambridge) from 14 or 15. Some went to Inns of Court in London to train as lawyers. Girls - Private tutor until early teens Then sent to another noble household to complete their education. Make useful social contacts and perfected the skills expected of them as a noble woman

Question 34

Sports pastimes and theatre depended on

Answer 34

Social posistions

Question 35

Nobility sport, pastimes and the theatre

Answer 35

sports such as hunting, hawking, fishing, fencing, real tennis

Question 36

Working people sport, pastimes and theatres

Answer 36

Working people – football was a lower class game – could be very violent and had no rules as such

Question 37

Other sports, pastimes and the theatre

Answer 37

Spectator sports such as bear-baiting and cock-fighting were popular – gambling was also very common
Theatre was also very popular with all classes in Elizabethan England – many new plays and purpose built theatres. Protestantism led to the development of new plays as many thought that the centuries old plays were too Catholic

Question 38

The reasons for the increase in poverty and vagabondage during these years.

Answer 38

Many reasons for increased poverty in Elizabethan England: Increased population, rising food prices, sheep farming and enclosure of fields meant less people were employed in farms, more people forced to move to cities to look for work, international problems such as Dutch Revolt affected trade

Question 39

The changing attitudes towards the poor.

Answer 39

Some sympathy for impotent or deserving poor (unable to work due to illness or age) but able bodied or
idle poor (those fit for work but didn’t) were treated more harshly.

Question 40

Government actions towards the poor

Answer 40

1563 Statute of Artificers (to collect poor relief money), 1572 Vagabonds Act (to deter vagrancy) and 1576 Poor Relief Act (to help able bodied people find work. Some success but poverty remained a problem throughout Elizabeth’s reign. Most important change was that these laws recognised that unemployment was a problem that needed to be solved and that people were not unemployed out of laziness

Question 41

Economic factors prompting exploration and the drive to expand trade

Answer 41

Wars with Spain and Netherlands had disrupted wool and cloth trade – English needed new markets. New World was full of riches; exotic crops, silver. Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The search for the North-West Passage to the Far East.

Question 42

New technology factors promoting exploration, including impacts and drive to expand trade

Answer 42

Quadrant/Astrolabe – new navigation Maps/printing – Mercator map more accurate and printing meant they were used by more people Ship design – Galleons were quicker, more manoeuvrable, more cargo space, more fire power

Question 43

Politics factors prompting exploration and drive to expand trade

Answer 43

Rivalry with Spain for naval dominance. Drake as a privateer targeting Spanish Ships. Massive rewards e.g. Americas full of riches; exotic crops, silver..Financial rewards result in increased power and control

Question 44

Reasons for Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe 1577-80

Answer 44

Drake probably didn’t intend to do it when he set off! The main purpose was to raid Spanishcolonies and to look for opportunities for English colonisation and trade.

Question 45

Significance of Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe 1577-80

Answer 45

it almost ended in disaster with 4 ships lost but Drake and 56 surviving men returned in 1580. They had made huge amounts of money (£500m in today’s money), Drake became rich and famous, great boost to English morale, English reputation enhanced, gathered information about the Americas, positive meeting with Native American population, severely damaged relationship with Spain.

Question 46

Significance of Raleigh and attempted colonisation Virgina

Answer 46

Walter Raleigh investigated and organised the colonisation of Virginia. Fact finding expedition to Virginia made initial contact with the Native American tribes. Two Native American Indians (Manteo and Wanchese) were brought back to England and mathematician Thomas Harriot learnt their language, taught them English and made an English-Algonquian ‘dictionary’. Raleigh persuaded men to leave England and make the voyage. He also raised funds by convincing merchants to invest (he also invested a lot of his own money)

Question 47

Raleigh realised that there was a lot to consider before the voyage could set off:

Answer 47

• Who should go? 300 with a variety of skills (e.g. hunters, carpenters)
• Supplies? Enough food and water for the journey
• Timing? It was vital to get there in enough time to sow crops
• Ships? Needed to be big enough and well-armed in case of attack (e.g. from Spain)

Question 48

Reasons for failure of Virginia 2 attempts: 1585-6 and infamous ‘lost colony’ of 1587-90

Answer 48

They left too late to plant crops
They had the wrong mix of people
Vital supplies were damaged on the journey
Difficulty hunting -Gunpowder had been spoiled on the journey
Problems with the Native Americans e.g. Chief Wingina

Question 49

Roanoke 1587-90

Answer 49

• Second attempt at colony began in 1587
• Manteo was made Lord Roanoke and John White in overall charge
• They experienced many problems, including significant hostility from Native tribes (e.g. John
  White’s adviser, George Howe, was found dead with 16 arrow wounds)
• John White returned to England to update Raleigh and when he returned in 1590 he found the
  colony deserted
• The only clue as to what happened to the settlers was the word Croatoan carved into a post