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