Elizabethan England

Question 1

What religion was Elizabeth?

Answer 1

Protestant

Question 2

What were the name of the three social classes?

Answer 2

Nobility, Gentry and Peasantry

Question 3

What group was Nobility?

Answer 3

Highest after the monarch (owned most of the land and given privileges)

Question 4

What group was Gentry?

Answer 4

The middle group

Question 5

What group was Peasantry?

Answer 5

The lowest group and its poorest

Question 6

What was Parliament?

Answer 6

Parliament was made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons

Question 7

What did Parliament do?

Answer 7

Parliament had influence over setting taxes and was responsible for passing laws.
(Queen decided when to call Parliament and when to listen to advice).

Question 8

What was the House of Commons?

Answer 8

Section of parliament made up of ‘ordinary people’ (but members were educated or relatively wealthy)

Question 9

What was the House of Lords?

Answer 9

Section of parliament made up of nobility

Question 10

What was the Privy Council?

Answer 10

The most powerful men in the country appointed by Elizabeth to advise her (19 members)

Question 11

What was the Secretary of State?

Answer 11

The most senior member of the Privy Council

Question 12

Who was Secretary of State

Answer 12

William Cecil

Question 13

What did The Privy Council do?

Answer 13

• Acted as Elizabeth’s main advisors from war to marriage
  -Responsible for day-to-day running of the country

Question 14

What are Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 14

• Appointed by Queen to take responsibility for an area of the country

Question 15

What did Lord Lieutenants do?

Answer 15

Responsible for settling disputes, raising taxes and raising an army (should the Queen ask for one)

Question 16

What are JP’s?

Answer 16

Selected from local gentry and responsible for enforcing whatever law parliament passed

Question 17

What did JP’s do?

Answer 17

Appointed to ensure order was kept
One JP could send someone to prison but two could send someone to death

Question 18

What problems did Elizabeth face on her accession?

Answer 18

Legitimacy - Elizabethans legitimacy was questioned as she was conceived while Henry VIII and Anne were not married
The French Threat - France and Spain were catholic countries so if Elizabeth did not please them there was the threat of war as Elizabeth was Protestant (France also allied with Scotland, traditional English enemy).

Question 19

What does Puritan mean?

Answer 19

An extreme Protestant

Question 20

The act of Supremacy

Answer 20

• This act made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church (title ‘supreme head’ was avoided as Elizabeth believed Christ remained Head of Church).
• This act was controversial as it made it clear the pope had no religious authority anymore
• It was considered treason to not consider Elizabeth ‘Supreme Governor of the Church’

Question 21

The act of Uniformity

Answer 21

-This act made Protestantism the official faith in England
- Everyone had to go to Church every Sunday (or face a fine)
-The wording of the Church services were designed to appeal to both Protestants and Catholics (allowed to keep the religious ornaments and vestments, preferred by Catholics).
- Elizabeth knew it was important to keep Catholics happy

Question 22

What was The Royal Injunctions?

Answer 22

The royal injunctions were a set of instructions - issued by William Cecil. They covered a wide range of issues to reinforce the Acts of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity.

Question 23

What was in The Royal Injunctions?

Answer 23

• Included instructions on how people should worship God and the structure of the services
• Also stated no one could preach without a license from the government (to try and prevent Puritans from challenging the settlement)
• Pilgrimages and monuments were banned as seen as too catholic
• Clergy had to wear special clothes (vestments)

Question 24

Why did Elizabeth need a ‘settlement’ for religion?

Answer 24

Because some people were catholic, some were Protestant, and this was causing huge problems

Question 25

What were The Clergy

Answer 25

Religious people e.g the Pope

Question 26

What did The Clergy do?

Answer 26

in charge of the religious life of the community and had to please God by serving Him every day.

Question 27

Advantages of the Settlement

Answer 27

• Most members of the Clergy took the oath of loyalty to the Queen
• The Clergy now allowed to marry (would please Protestants)

Question 28

Disadvantages of the Settlement

Answer 28

• Some Catholics were unhappy with the settlements Protestants focus
• Some Puritans objected the inclusion of ‘Catholic ideas’

Question 29

What did Protestants think of the Bible

Answer 29

It should be English so everyone can read it

Question 30

What did Protestants think about Church decorations

Answer 30

Churches should be plain and simple so everyone can focus on the sermons and bible readings

Question 31

When did England first start to become Protestant?

Answer 31

When Henry VIII broke from Rome in 1934

Question 32

What two books did all churches have to have under the settlement?

Answer 32

Book of Common prayer in English and the English bible

Question 33

What did Catholics think of the Pope?

Answer 33

He was the Head of the Church and God’s representative on Earth

Question 34

Which group tried to stop the Elizabethan settlement before it was passed?

Answer 34

The Marian Bishops

Question 35

Which part of England was more resistant to this settlement, because most Catholics lived there?

Answer 35

The North (remember its closer to Scotland so more people were Catholic thanks to Queen Mary)

Question 36

How did Elizabeth’s officials check that the settlement was in place?

Answer 36

Through visitations to local churches