elizabethan - chapter 1.1 Flashcards
who was Henry VIII first wife and how long was he married to her for
the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon
married to her for 20 years
why did the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon fail
- failed to produce a surviving male heir
- a series of miscarriages, still births and infant deaths had left just one heir to the throne, Mary I
- a female heir did not bode well
-> the last time england had a female heir (Matilda, daughter of Henry I), when her father died her male cousin took over the throne, triggering civil wars - henry convinced himself his marriage to catherine was invalid and god had punished them for their sin by denying them any surviving sons
- henry had also become infatuated with another woman, Anne Boleyn
why did Henry want to marry Anne Boleyn
he saw her as the solution to all his problems, as he believed she could provide him with a son and heir
what led to Henry breaking with Rome
- the pope refused to grant henry the divorce from catherine he needed even after years and years of diplomatic pressure and bullying
- when anne fell pregnant, henry took the drastic step of breaking with rome
-> so he could divorce catherine, and marry anne to ensure the baby would be legitimate
who did anne boleyn give birth to
Elizabeth I
when was elizabeth born
7th september 1533
where was elizabeth born
Palace of Greenwich
what act was passed after elizabeth was born and what did it do
an act of succession
confirmed elizabeth as a new heir to the throne and declare Henry’s elder daughter, Mary, to be illegitimate
why did the marriage between henry and anne quickly unravel
due to the disappointment of a birth of another daughter
when was anne boleyn executed and what were her charges
may 1536
charged with treason, incest, adultery and witchcraft
what act was passed after anne boleyn was beheaded and what did it mean
a second act of succession
declared elizabeth illegitimate with no right to inherit the throne
what happened a year after elizabeth was declared illegitimate that seemed to relegate elizabeth to a position of political irrelevance
the birth of a male heir, from Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour
what happened as Henry VIII aged
- his style of government became more tyrannical
- in the late 1530s and early 1540s, many of Elizabeth’s remaining Yorkist cousins were arrested and executed
-> because the paranoid king felt his position and that of the dynasty be threatened
what did elizabeth feel towards her father as she was exiled from court
- she was lonely and isolated from her family
- she rarely saw her father and met him only a few times in her life
- however, this distance only served to strengthen the immense love and admiration she appears to have felt towards him
where did elizabeth live during her childhood
- she lived with her own household in various royal residences in the country
-> the most significant was Hatfield in Hertfordshire
what was elizabeth’s education like
- initially, she was taught by a governess, Kat Ashley, who became a lifelong friend
- later, despite being a woman, she was given a brilliant education
-> she was able to share some of the tutors employed to school her brother - she was an accomplished linguist
-> by 14 she was able to speak French, Italian, Spanish and Latin fluently, and could read Greek - she was good at history and enjoyed writing poetry
- however, she wasn’t just an intellectual, she was musical, athletic (an accomplished horsewoman and dancer), and was skilled at needlework too
who was undoubtedly the greatest intellectual influence on Elizabeth
- her tutor, the Cambridge scholar, Roger Ascham
-> he replaced her previous tutor, William Grindal, when he died of the plague - Ascham himself revelled in teaching such a conscientious and talented student as Elizabeth, and her love for learning gave her a reputation of seriousness
- she was taught to use the modern italic style of handwriting, as favoured by Ascham, that had been developed in Italy during the renaissance
-> it contrasted sharply with the ‘secretary hand’ used by most people in england at the time
-> it demonstrated how modern and advanced an education she had received
who acted as a mother figure to elizabeth during her teenage years
Henry’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr
how did Catherine Parr influence Elizabeth
- Catherine was a Protestant reformer
- she influenced Elizabeth’s protestant views and the direction of her education
during elizabeth’s teenage years how did her position in the family begin to improve
she visited court more often and lived with her siblings for some of the time
when was a third act of succession passed and what did it declare
passed in 1544
restored Elizabeth as an heir to the throne (although it didn’t technically make her legitimate), but stated she could only succeed after Edward and Mary
why was it expected that elizabeth would never become queen
- she could only succeed after Edward and Mary
- one or the other, or both, were expected to produce children of their own
when did Henry VIII die
January 1547
how old was Edward when he succeeded Henry
9
how did the relationship between Edward and Elizabeth change after he became king
elizabeth had been fairly close to her brother until this point
but once he became king he became aloof and arrogant
what religion was Edward
protestant
what happened under the reign of Edward VI
- edward and his government brought about radical changes to religious practice and belief
- colourful images and stained glass windows were removed from churches
- the English language, rather than Latin, became widely used in sermons and prayers
why can edward not be completely blamed for what happened under his rule
he was so young so could have been easily manipulated by ministers
until the end, in 1549, the power behind the throne was his uncle, his mothers brother, the Duke of Somerset
-> following serious rebellions and having alienated many, including the king, Somerset fell from power and was later executed on charges of treason
who embroiled Elizabeth in her first serious political crisis
Thomas Seymour
what was elizabeth’s first serious political crisis
- thomas seymour married elizabeth’s stepmother, catherine parr, after henry died
- elizabeth lived in their household
- an outrageous flirtation developed between elizabeth and seymour
- this led to a grave scandal that had the potential to place elizabeth’s life in considerable danger
- seymour was accused of treason and executed in 1549
- as part of the investigation, elizabeth was questioned and it was suggested that Seymour was plotting to overthrow edward and marry elizabeth
- elizabeth managed to convince her investigators of her innocence in the matter and she escaped from the affair embarrassed, but still maintaining her freedom, status and life
- this taught her some invaluable political lessons about how to behave in future
when did edward die
1553
how old was edward when he died
15
what happened just before edward died
he was unmarried and childless, so the dying boy was manipulated by the Duke of Northumberland into overriding the third act of succession and henry’s will
edward was persuaded to name his protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir in place of his two half-sisters, and the privy council was bullied into accepting the change
thus, when edward died, it was Jane, not Mary, who was proclaimed Queen
what was lady jane grey known as
the Nine Days Queen
what did mary and elizabeth do after lady jane grey was defeated and what did it show
they rode into london together triumphantly
the public show of unity disguised the deep gulf that divided the sisters
what religion was mary I
catholic
what was mary I proud of
her Spanish heritage
why did Mary I hate Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth
- Anne displaced her own mother as queen
- elizabeth was the product of what she regarded as bigamous marriage
- she hated Elizabeth’s youth and beauty, and her protestant faith
what did Mary I do during her reign
rounded up protestant heretics, burning nearly 300 of them over her 5 year reign
how was the situation between Mary I and Elizabeth further complicated
by the fact that, at 37 years old, Mary was unmarried and childless
-> meaning Elizabeth was still the heir to the throne
what happened as a result of Elizabeth still being the heir when Mary was 37
- mary negotiated a marriage to her kinsman, Philip of Spain
-> this provoke Wyatt’s Rebellion in 1554
when was Wyatt’s rebellion
1554
what happened in the Wyatt’s rebellion
- happened after Mary I negotiated a marriage to Philip of Spain
- outraged at what was seen as a Spanish takeover, thousands of rebels marched into London
- the rebellion quickly collapsed
what did Mary do to Elizabeth after Wyatt’s rebellion
- commanded elizabeth to go to whitehall palace, where mary could keep an eye on her
-> elizabeth claimed she was ill and unable to make the journey - elizabeth, suspected of working secretly with the rebels, had her arrest ordered for by mary
-> was imprisoned in the tower of london
what happened in the Tower of London (after Wyatt’s rebellion)
- under torture, Wyatt claimed he had written to elizabeth and she had approved of the rebellion
-> he later retracted this statement about her involvement just before his execution - imprisoned at the tower for 2 months, elizabeth wrote a letter to mary protesting her innocence
- she was eventually released when no solid evidence could be found
- however she was kept under house arrest, firstly at Woodstock in Oxfordshire and later in her own palace of Hatfield
what happened to Mary I before her death
she was childless and had suffered 2 phantom pregnancies, borne out of her desire to secure a catholic succession
what happened just before and after Mary I death
before:
- although she knew the end was near, Mary had refused to officially refused to proclaim Elizabeth her heir until just a few days before her death
- she died on 17th October 1558
- her cousin and key catholic advisor, Cardinal Reginald Pole, died 12 hours later
after:
- messengers rode to Hatfield, where elizabeth was living
-> they informed her of her sisters death and he own accession
when and where was elizabeth crowned queen
in Westminster Abbey
on 15th Jan 1559
when did Mary I die
17th Nov 1558
