Elizabethan England

Question 1

When was the Babington plot?

Answer 1

1586

Question 2

When was the Ridolfi plot?

Answer 2

1571

Question 3

When was the Northern Rebellion?

Answer 3

1569

Question 4

When was the Throckmorton plot?

Answer 4

1583

Question 5

When was the papal bull, and what was it?

Answer 5

27th April 1570

Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth from the catholic church and called upon Catholics to end her rule.

Question 6

What happened in the Northern Rebellion?

Answer 6

1. Elizabeth refused to allow the Duke of Norfolk to marry Mary, Queen of Scots
2. This resulted in two catholic nobles, Westmorland and Northumberland rebelling.
3. They took over Durham Cathedral and held an illegal catholic mass.
4. They began to march south with 4,600 men.
5. The Earl of Sussex raised an army and the rebels disbanded. N was captured and executed, Norfolk was imprisoned and W escaped to France.

Question 7

What happened in the Babington Plot?

Answer 7

1. After the Throckmorton plot, Mary was moved to a closer watch. She was treated harshly with the aim of forcing her into another plot and catching her.
2. Mary became more depressed and resentful of Elizabeth, so she began a secret correspondence with the French Ambassador and Sir Anthony Babington.
3. Together, they plotted to kill Elizabeth.
4. Walsingham knew all about their letters, and let the plan unfold.
5. It was the discovery of this plot that led to Mary’s trial and execution.

Question 8

What happened in the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 8

1. After being released from the Tower of London, Norfolk quickly became involved in another plot.
2. This new plot was led by Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi. After seeing the failure of the Northern Rebellion he believed foreign aid was needed.
3. In 1570 the pope had commanded Catholics not to obey Elizabeth, and as a banker, Ridolfi could move freely across Europe building support.
4. The plan was for the Netherlands to invade England at the same time as another northern rebellion. Elizabeth would be killed, and Mary would be placed on the throne.
5. Elizabeth’s network of spies proved to be too much for the plotters. Norfolk confessed to his involvement and was executed on 2 June 1572.

Question 9

What happened in the Throckmorton plot?

Answer 9

1. This plot was led by Sir Francis Throckmorton.
2. The plot was that Elizabeth would be executed and Mary placed on the throne.
3. There would then be an invasion by the French Catholic, Henry, Duke of Guise, and an uprising of English Catholics.
4. The Spanish ambassador was also involved.
5. When the plot was discovered, Throckmorton was executed and Mary was placed under even closer watch.

Question 10

Which anti-Catholic law was introduced in 1593?

Answer 10

1. The ‘statue of confinement’ - Catholics could not travel more than 5 miles from their home without permission from the authorities.

Question 11

Which anti-Catholic law was introduced in 1581?

Answer 11

1. Recusancy fines were increased to £20 - more than most could afford; this law was strictly enforced.
2. It became high treason to convert to Catholicism.

Question 12

Which anti-Catholic law was introduced in 1585?

Answer 12

1. Any Catholic priest who had been ordained after 1559 was considered a traitor and both he and anyone protecting him faced death.
2. It became legal to kill anyone trying to assassinate the queen.

Question 13

Which anti-Catholic law was introduced in 1571?

Answer 13

1. Recusancy fines for Catholics who did not take part in Protestant services. They could be fined or have property taken from them.
2. However, the rich could afford to pay, and Elizabeth did not enforce the law too harshly; when parliament tried to increase the fines Elizabeth resisted.
3. It became illegal to own any Catholic items such as rosary beads.

Question 14

Who was Francis Walsingham?

Answer 14

1. Walsingham was Elizabeth’s ‘spymaster’. He was said to have ‘eyes and ears’ everywhere.
2. He served as Secretary of State and was one of the queen’s closest advisors from 1572 until his death.

Question 15

Who was William Cecil?

Answer 15

1. Cecil served as Secretary of State twice and as a Member of Parliament, and was Elizabeth’s most trusted advisor; it was said that, at times, the queen would listen to no one but Cecil.
2. Cecil played a key role in developing the Poor Laws and new religious policies. He encouraged Elizabeth to take control of Catholic Ireland and to fight other Catholic rivals in England and abroad.

Question 16

What was a ‘Counterfeit Crank’?

Answer 16

1. A Counterfeit Crank was someone who would trick people into believing they were unwell with a condition known at the time as the ‘falling sickness’.
2. They would mimic the symptoms by biting on soap so it looked like they were frothing at the mouth, and they would pretend to have a seizure.
3. There was no known cure at the time, so people felt bad for them and gave them money.

Question 17

What was a ‘Baretop Trickster’?

Answer 17

1. A Baretop Trickster was a woman who would take off some of her clothes to trick a man into going into a house with her.
2. Once inside, there would be a gang of thieves waiting to rob him.

Question 18

What was a ‘Clapper Dudgeon’?

Answer 18

1. Clapper Dudgeons would cut their skin to make it bleed and tie dirty bandages around the wounds.
2. People would feel bad for them and give them money.

Question 19

Who were the ‘Helpless Poor’?

Answer 19

1. The sick and old were provided with food to live on and placed in special homes where they could be cared for.

Question 20

Who were the ‘Able-bodied Poor’?

Answer 20

1. Those considered fit, including children, were expected to work.
2. They were given food and drink as payment and, in some cases, somewhere to sleep.

Question 21

Who were the ‘Idle Poor’?

Answer 21

1. Those who were seen as lazy were whipped and then sent to a House of Correction where they would be forced to work.
2. Those who went beyond begging into a life of crime might be dealt with more harshly.

Question 22

What happened at the college at Douai?

Answer 22

1. in 1568, an English Catholic cardinal, William Allen, established a seminary at Douai in the Spanish Netherlands to train priests.
2. Allen, who had the full backing of the Pope, aimed to educate priests who would then travel to England as missionaries to convert the English back to the Catholic faith.
3. The first priests arrived in 1574, just as Elizabeth’s fear of Catholic rebellion was growing.

Question 23

Who were the Jesuits?

Answer 23

1. The Society of Jesus was established in 1540. It was part of what is known as the Counter-Reformation and hoped to bring people back to the Catholic faith.
2. The Jesuits, as its members were known, first arrived in England in 1580. Their aim was to convert the protestant population to the Catholic faith.

Question 24

How were the Jesuits treated?

Answer 24

1. Jesuit priests were seen by Elizabeth as a threat to her rule and those who were caught were treated harshly.
2. The 1585 Act against Jesuits and Seminary Priests called for all Jesuits to be driven out of England and many were executed.
3. Those who sheltered them could be arrested.

Question 25

Who were the Puritans?

Answer 25

1. The Puritans were protestants who were unwilling to compromise in how their faith was practised.
2. They argued for the removal of all Catholic elements from the English Church.
3. Elizabeth’s religious settlement was a huge disappointment to them.

Question 26

Who were the Presbyterians?

Answer 26

1. By 1568, most Puritans accepted Elizabeth’s changes and reluctantly conformed.
2. A small, dedicated group called the Presbyterians refused to give in, and continued to argue against what they saw as a popish church.

Question 27

When did Drake’s circumnavigation occur?

Answer 27

1577 to 1580

Question 28

How did York respond to poverty?

Answer 28

1. In 1515, the York Corporation began issuing beggar licenses, 16 years before other cities.
2. Licensed beggars were required to wear a badge so they could be identified.
3. From 1528, a Master Beggar was appointed, whose job it was to keep a check on the rest.
4. Many beggars were expected to work during Elizabeth’s reign; weaving and spinning helped in particular to increase the city’s growing industry.
5. Those who refused to work were sent to the House of Correction or were returned to the town or village they had come from.

Question 29

How did Norwich respond to poverty?

Answer 29

1. In 1570, the authorities in Norwich conducted a survey that concluded that 80% of the population lived in poverty.
2. They separated the poor into two categories: ‘idle poor” and “unfortunate poor”.
3. The ‘idle poor’ were given work such as knitting or sewing while the ‘unfortunate poor’ were given food and other forms of care and support.
4. This system was effective in limiting the numbers who received poor relief, as the poor had to be officially identified.
5. Norwich taxed its rich citizens to pay for the care of the vulnerable.

Question 30

How did Ipswich respond to poverty?

Answer 30

1. In 1569, Ipswich introduced a licensing system for beggars and increased support for the poor.
2. It also became one of the first towns to open a hospital specifically to help the poor and sick who could not afford treatment.
3. A youth training scheme was introduced, designed to help children learn a trade that would lift them out of poverty.
4. The town was also one of the first to build a House of Correction.

Question 31

How did failures in agriculture lead to poverty?

Answer 31

1. England was hit by bad harvests between 1594 and 1598, which led to food shortages, and some people died from starvation.
2. A new system of farming was developing. More and more landowners began to keep sheep on their land rather than renting it out to farmers who traditionally grew crops on their land.
3. This system, known as land enclosure, meant fewer workers were needed and left many people jobless and homeless.
4. A significant number headed to the towns and cities to try to find work but there were not enough jobs to go around.

Question 32

How did an increase in population and prices lead to poverty?

Answer 32

1. During Elizabeth’s reign the population of England grew from 2.8 to 4 million. This was due to an increased birth rate and a decreasing death rate.
2. Limited places to live gave power to landlords who unfairly increased rents (rack renting).
3. The bad harvests resulted in less food, which led to price inflation.
4. A terrible outbreak of flu in 1556 had killed around 200,000, including many of the workers who were involved in producing food.
5. All of these factors contributed to creating a very poor group of people at the bottom of Elizabethan society.

Question 33

How did Henry VII’s reign lead to poverty?

Answer 33

1. Elizabeth’s grandfather, Henry VII, wanted to limit the threat of uprising among his nobles so he limited their rights to have their own retinues.
2. This left many soldiers without work.

Question 34

How did Henry VIII’s reign lead to poverty?

Answer 34

1. One of the most significant changes was the reformation during Henry VIII’s reign.
2. Between 1536 and 1540, Henry closed all of the monasteries in England and many people who had worked for the church were evicted.
3. In addition to unemployment, there was a huge impact on those who were poor. Before the reformation, monks and nuns had played a vital role in looking after the sick and poorest in society, giving them charity and caring for them.
4. The evicted workers had nowhere to go and this was still the case when Elizabeth came to the throne.
5. As Henry VIII’s reign went on, economic problems increased and the cost of war was great. In order to save money, form 1542 he began to debase coins so they could be produced more cheaply.
6. The problem with this was that foreign traders expected more coins for their goods. This damaged trade and jobs, and the cloth trade collapsed completely during Edward VI’s reign.
7. Elizabeth inherited a country that was in an economic mess. Unemployment and poverty were high, and this would continue to get worse.