Elizabethan England Flashcards
who was Elizabeth’s mother?
Anne Boleyn
how many people were there in the privy council 1600?
the privy council had shrunk to 11 people by 1600
how did Elizabeth buy the loyalty of her court?
patronage
what did Elizabeth give to her loyal nobles?
‘leases in reversion’ - effectively a grant of freedom and money from queen
titles and monopolies
why did Elizabeth give courtiers titles, power and positions of authority?
to win and reward their loyalty, but also because the economy was weak at the start of her reign, so the funds available to win support of noblemen were small. appointing titles didn’t cost the treasury money
did parliament attend Elizabeth’s court?
no
what was the privy council?
group of 19 people who were the queen’s most trusted advisors, led by the secretary of state
define patronage
the encouragement and support given by one person to another whether in terms of money, status or titles
what was parliament responsible for?
passing laws, setting taxes, advising the queen
why weren’t elections free?
the state controlled the ballot in certain places if they wanted particular figures to be elected
what was the privy council responsible for?
negotiating between parliament and the crown
how many sessions of parliament did Elizabeth call in her 44 year reign?
13
when was William Cecil secretary of state?
1558-1572
how many times was MP peter wentworth arrested?
3
why was MP peter wentworth arrested?
suggesting that MPs should be allowed to express their views on any matter they wanted (Elizabeth disagreed)
what did MP peter wentworth do in 1593 to get himself thrown in prison?
he tried to pressure the queen into naming a puritan or protestant successor in 1593, he was arrested and imprisoned. he died in prison
when was the first poor law passed?
1601, most MPs realised punishing the poor did not work, but they disagreed with how to deal with crime and poverty
did parliamentarians agree with how Elizabeth gave our monopolies
no. she was criticized by some parliamentarians
MP robert bell called the practice unfair in 1571, and other MPs joined his calls for change
what religion were the majority of parliamentarians?
protestant
when did the court split into rival groups?
1590s as Walsingham and Hatton died
when was robert devereux appointed privy councillor?
1593
why did devereux’s rise to prominence divide Elizabeth’s court?
half of the court support devereux, half supported william and robert cecil
when did the earl of essex lead a rebellion?
1601, after he visited Ireland in 1599
who was the 9 years’ war between?
english rulers in Ireland and Gaelic Irish leaders
what was tyrone’s rebellion
the 9 years’ war, fought between the english monarch and Gaelic Irish armies
what was essex’s job in Ireland?
he was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1599 and his job was to control the Irish
did essex fail or succeed in Ireland?
he failed. instead of controlling the Irish, he made a truce with them and was mocked upon his return to England
why did the earl of essex start a rebellion?
he resented his treatment
what military accomplishments did the earl of essex have?
he battled against the spanish armada for Elizabeth and then raided cadiz again in 1596 on her orders
what happened to earl of essex on his return to england in 1600?
he was banned from Elizabeth’s court, cast out from the royal society and his reputation was ruined, he lost his monopoly on the sweet wine trade
what happened in the earl of essex’s rebellion?
he rallied a small army to rebel (only had a few hundred supporters), then took 4 privy councilors hostage when they tried to arrest him at his house in February 1601
how was the earl of essex punished?
arrested, then beheaded on the 25th of February 1601
who chose each lord lieutenant?
Elizabeth appointed each lord lieutenant
who did the lord lieutenants report to ?
privy council
what did the lord lieutenants have control over?
local militia
who had more power: the lord lieutenant or the justices of the peace?
lords lieutenant
how many lords lieutenants were there per region?
1
how many JPs were there per county?
40
did JPs get paid for the job?
no, most of them were wealthy nobles or benefited from Elizabeth’s patronage
what did JPs do?
jobs of a modern day local council: enforced law and order, collected taxes and helped enforce poor laws, made judgments and rulings in local courts on behalf of the Queen, could choose punishments (JPs executed witches - particularly in Essex)
were JPs difficult to remove?
no, they were easily removed if religious beliefs or bribery caused them to behave inappropriately
did Elizabeth use propaganda?
yes. defo.
what is propaganda?
information and misinformation spread to show a leader or monarch in a favourable light, effectively brainwashing society
what 5 methods of propaganda did Elizabeth use?
progresses, plays, publications, pennies and portraits
why did Elizabeth go on progresses?
to meet normal and important people, who in return would try and impress the Queen
did Elizabeth use censorship?
yes, the privy council censored writings that were critical of the queen - this was made easy because there was few printing presses to monitor
when was the printing press invented?
1440
how many printing presses were there in England?
60
name some examples of symbolism used in portraits of the queen
white clothes (to show purity), surrounded by swords (to show strength and a certain slay-factor), Ermines and Pelicans
was Elizabeth more influenced by her ministers and privy council than her father had been?
no concrete answer,
some think she was because she was a woman so her advisors felt more able to pressure/bully her into things
others argue it was normal for tudor monarchs to heavily rely on the advice of a couple intimate friends or advisors
who argued Elizabeth was illegitimate?
catholics, they believed the marriage of her parents was illegal so she had no right to the throne
what happened in 1558 to increase the threat of Scottish invasion?
mary QoS married a french heir, increasing the threat that she and a french king would invade england
what was the impact of Henry VIII’s reformation?
- Henry became very rich as he took the wealth of monasteries across England
- many people weren’t pleased with the reformation
- there were several rebellions, such as the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536
What did Henry VIII do to the Bible?
translate it into English
was Henry VIII Protestant?
despite his protestant reforms, he did not consider himself protestant and his six articles (1539) suggested he wanted catholic worship to continue in england
how old was Edward VI when he came into power?
9
how did the church change under Edward VI?
became more protestant:
- priests could marry (catholic church forbid this)
- a ‘book of common prayer’ was published, this removed elements of the catholic mass
- pictures, statues and stained glass windows were removed
- clergymen had to wear simple robes
when and where was the rebellion against the book of common prayer?
devon and cornwall in 1549
was Mary I protestant or catholic?
catholic
how many protestants were executed under Mary’s rule?
almost 300
what differing beliefs do the catholics and protestants have over communion?
catholics believe in transubstantiation - that the bread and wine turned into the body and blood of Christ as it is eaten and drunk
protestants believe the communion elements merely symbolise Jesus
did the protestants believe the Pope was the head of the Church?
no, the King or Queen was the leader of the Protestant Church in England
what was the religious settlement?
the common grounds between catholics and protestants
what did the religious settlement do? (actual actions of the settlement, not the impact)
the clergy had to swear an oath to Elizabeth, the clergy could not marry, not attending Church led to a 1 shilling fine
when was the Act of Uniformity?
1559
what was the Act of Uniformity?
said that services should be held in english, using the book of common prayer. but catholics were free to worship how they wished in private and they could keep some decorations and vestments (priest’s robes)
when was the Act of Supremacy?
1559
what was the Act of Supremacy?
Elizabeth styled herself the ‘governor’ of the Church of England rather than the ‘head’, this gave room for the Pope to remain the nominal Head of the Church
what were the outcomes of the acts of supremacy and uniformity?
england was a more secular society
what was the official religion of england?
Protestantism
what was the counter-reformation?
a movement in the catholic church that tried to convert protestants back to catholicism
missionaries were sent to england by counter-reformers such as William Allen in the Netherlands - they had the support of the Pope
what were the Jesuits?
a key group within the counter-reformation missionary movement
did the Jesuits seek direct rebellion?
no, but they wanted to spread their religious message
did Elizabeth view the Jesuits as a threat to national stability?
yes
when were fines for Catholics who didn’t participate in Protestant services introduced?
1571
how were the fines changed in 1581?
the law was enforced more strongly and fines increased to £20 (looooots of money in the 1500s)
how were Catholic priests who begun Catholic worship after 1559 viewed?
as traitors from 1585 onwards
when was the Jesuits Act passed?
1584
what was the Jesuits Act of 1584?
an act demanding all Catholic Priests leave, english Jesuits were ordered to return to England and swear their loyalty to the Queen, otherwise they would be executed for treason
when was the Statute of Confinement passed?
1593
what was the Statute of Confinement?
law banning recusants from going further than 5 miles from their house
who was Edmund Campion and what happened to him?
he was a Jesuit preacher who tried to convert people to Catholicism and broke the Jesuits Act of 1584 and the Statute of Confinement
he was hung, drawn and quartered, despite being a popular preacher
how did Elizabeth counter the catholic threat?
spies! (like Jude, or so I am told, I still don’t believe that actually happened)
what was the Bond of Association?
a document committed to hunting down and executing anyone trying to overthrow or kill the Queen, created by Walsingham after the Throckmorton plot. English nobles and the court had to sign this document
who was Anthony Munday?
the son of a London merchant, he wrote and performed plays - this interest, as well as his merchant connections allowed him to travel a lot, making him a perfect spy for Walsingham
what did Munday overhear in Rome?
plans to make england a catholic nation again, he told Walsingham
who was Charles Sledd?
an informer, he heard a plot about trying to kill Elizabeth when he was in Rome
what did Charles Sledd give to Walsingham in 1584?
a file incriminating 300 Catholics
who was William Parry?
the son of a welsh noble family, he visited rome, siena and paris spying for walsingham
why was William Parry super uncool?
he became a double agent and tried to get prominent catholics pardoned in england, he then joined catholic plots trying to kill the queen
what happened to Parry?
he was executed for treason in 1585
who was George Eliot?
a spy, to avoid charges of murder, he informed on families helping Catholic priests
who tracked down Edmund Campion?
George Eliot
when was the throckmorton plot?
1583
what was the throckmorton plot?
spain and the pope’s second attempt to seize england, english catholics wold rebel and french soldiers would invade
what happened to throckmorton?
it was discovered he had conspired with the french and spanish ambassadors and was executed
when was the babington plot?
1586
what was the babington plot?
coded messages were passed through MQS servants in beer barrels to the room where she was being imprisoned, she responded to these messages, supporting the plot, the coded messages and replies were intercepted and taken to Elizabeth
who was executed as a result of the discovery of the babington plot?
MQS and Anthony Babington
when did MQS marry the french king francis II?
1558
when did MQS’ husband die?
1560
who was next in line for the english throne?
MQS
was MQS protestant or catholic?
catholic
who did MQS marry in 1565?
HER COUSIN Lord Darnley
what did Lord Darnley do while MQS was pregnant?
STABBED HER FRIEND(and rumoured lover) IN FRONT OF HER
as revenge, MQS supposedly murdered her husband/cousin in 1567, reportedly aided by Earl of Bothwell (another lover, who she married weeks later)
how old was her son when MQS was overthrown and he took the throne?
1
how long was MQS held captive for?
19 years, while an inquiry into the murder or Darnley was done
how did MQS refute the treason accusations?
she believed she could not the found guilty of treason because she was Scottish
when did Elizabeth sign MQS death warrant?
1 February 1587
why did Elizabeth hesitate to sign MQS death warrant?
she didn’t want to inspire her enemies, executing a member of royal family could put her in danger of execution later, didn’t want to provoke an extreme reaction from Catholic countries like france and spain
did Elizabeth witness the execution of MQS?
no, Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury witnessed the execution on her behalf
when did Philip propose to Elizabeth?
1559, the year after Mary I died
was spain protestant or catholic?
catholic
when did the Pope excommunicate Elizabeth?
1570
which plots was King Felipe II of Spain involved in?
Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington
what did the Treaty of Nonsuch do?
gave military support to he Dutch rebels and promised England would protect them, Elizabeth signed it in 1585
why did Elizabeth sign the Treaty of Nonsuch?
England relied on Dutch ports for trade, Elizabeth wanted to support the Protestants and she had a relationship with the leader (the Duke of Anjou)
who did English privateers raid and steal from?
the Spanish, Sir Francis Drake’s boat ‘the Golden Hind’ was infamous
what was the 1568 plunder?
in 1568, 5 spanish ships containing £100,00 of treasure sheltered in the english channel, english pirates and english government claimed the plunder from the ports of plymouth and southampton
what happened as a result of the 1568 plunder?
spain arrested english merchants in the spanish netherlands, england responded by arresting spanish merchants in england, spanish then closed antwerp port to english ships
where did the spanish army keep troops?
in ireland, ready to invade
who raided Cadiz in 1587?
Sir Francis Drake and Robert Devereux
what bad naval tactics did spain use?
they tried to board enemy ships and fight man to man, english ships could simply stay out of range and fire cannnballs to sink spanish ships
when was the spanish armada launched?
1588
how many ships were there in the spanish armada?
151
who was the armada led by?
the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who had little experience in the navy
when was the battle of gravelines?
8th august 1588
what was the battle of gravelines?
the battle that resulted in the defeat of the spanish armada
what were the outcomes of defeating the spanish armada?
- Elizabeth I earned money to pay her navy and nobles by ransoming spanish troops
- King Phillip II planned another attack but never invaded successfully
- Philip II planned a second attempt but never launched the mission
- the defeat of the armada brought England together and more Catholics pledged loyalty to the queen
- the victory strengthened the sense that England was living in a ‘golden age’
