Elizabethan England Flashcards
-religious settlement -Armada -Population -Political power
Why was there poverty?
- population rise ( higher mortality rates lowe death rates)
- Common land was being closed off (enclosures) which meant poor people couldn’t access land to grow food.
- failed harvests
- the debasement of coinage (chipping bits of coins-reducing values, merchants in order to prevent loss increase the price of food- which in turn makes it unaffordable)
- lack of monasteries ( so unemployed monks and nuns have nowhere to go and poor people have no refuge)
How did Elizabethans react to poverty?
- releasing laws to help combat it ( Poor Laws- made it necessary for the rich to pay a poor rate, which was used to supply the poor with raw materials for work and food, Vagabonds Act- this meant that any criminals who were poor should be publicly whipped and beaten)
- tried to understand it by categorising poor people into three categories: Helpless poor, the deserving poor and the undeserving poor. ( Some further categorised the undeserving poor into:
- Anglers- stole clothes
- Doxy -hide stolen goods in bags
- Counterfeit crank- used soap to make it look as though they were having a fit
- Clapper Dungeon- used Arsenic to make them bleed.)
Why was there a rise in gentry?
- enclosures- farmers realised they could make more profit from selling wool.
- Patronage (gaining favours from the Queen)
- The Arts ( Many like the Burbage brothers who built the Globe theatre used Art to gain patronage. Book the Faerie Queene written by a middling sort praised the Queen, so earned patronage)
How was wealth portrayed?
- Through idle past times like cock or bull-fighting, pins and bowls and training a falcon.
- the clothes that were worn, women wore huge ornate wigs coloured their teeth black and painted their skin white to mimic the Queen. The Queen herself was the only one who wore burgundy and gold clothes. (Clothes depicted status a lawyer would always wear black, for example.)
- Ornate houses- these were usually symmetrical, with several windows, a hall for entertaining guests and portraits of the Queen and noble Kinship. Large well-groomed gardens were also favourable.
- Tiered seating in theatre - the Lord’s box and the Galleries were under a roof and therefore protected from the rain, whereas the pit was where the poor and lower classes usually sat.
- Rich children would often attend Grammar Schools and Universities- where they would learn Latin and some children would go to train for a knighthood,
Who are the most famous explorers of the Elizabethan Era and what did they do?
John Hawkins- built carracks and caravals- ships which were lighter and faster ( this aided the English when against the Armada). He also joined England in the East India Trade company - which profited England financially.
Francis Drake- He was the second person to circumnavigate the world and he raided Spanish troops of their silver on his journey as well as stopping at South America and returning to England with Tobacco. He was knighted upon his return. He delayed the Spanish Armada by destroying their goods in the famous “singeing of the King’s beard”. He also aided the defeat of the Spanish troops by destroying their crescendo formation.
Walter Raleigh- he was one of the Queen’s favourites when he was given permission to explore the world he colonised Roanoke Island and renamed it Virginia after the Virgin Queen, however the planters soon ran low on supplies and so fled with Francis Drake back to England, more planters went back to the island, however the supplies were delayed by the Spanish Armada and when supplies arrived the planters had disappeared and this Island was known as the “the lost colony”
What Inventions aided the exploration?
- Carracks and Caravals
- Astrolabe
- Culverins
How did tension increase between Spain and England during 1588?
- Mary Queen of Scots execution in 1587 angered Spain as she was a Catholic figurehead.
- Francis Drakes circumnavigation also angered Spain as Spain had always been renowned for their exploration skills.
- Drake raided Spanish troops several times.
- Riots in Norway over the Catholic rule were aided by Queen Elizabeth.
- Protestant religious settlement in England angered Philip.
Why did the Armada fail?
- because Spanish troops relied on short distance attacks, but the British had Culverins which were good for long-distance attacks so the Spanish troops couldn’t attack.
- Their Crescendo formation was broken by Drake’s plan to lead aflame boats to the Spanish ships- in a panick, they all began to flee- crashing into one another in the process.
- Philip appointed the Duke of Medina Sedinoa, who was not a naval leader, therefore could not give good advice whereas Elizabeth appointed her cousin who was loyal to her as well as Francis Drake who had previous experience with Spanish troops.
- In the singeing of the King’s beard Drake took most of the preservative wood which helped to preserve the food so many spanish soldiers were tired and hungry,
Why was Mary Queen of Scots arrival in England a problem?
-She needed to be constantly supervised, this required a lot of payment and England was already financially unstable.
-She was a Catholic figurehead ( this means many people fought against Elizabeth for Mary in signifcant plots like :
The Babington Plot
The Throckmorton plot
The Ridolfi plot
The Northern Rebellion
this threatened her protestant settlement)
-She had a legitimate Claim to the throne her grandmother was Mary Tudor- threatened Elizabeth’s position.
-She increases international tensions provoking other Catholic countries like Spain and Italy to invade.
How did Elizabeth transform the Religious settlement of England?
- Laws passed like:
Act of Supremacy- makes her the supreme Governor of church
Royal Injunctions and Act of uniformity- this released a book of common prayer, which was written in English and going to church was compulsory. However, the mass services were vague and priests had to wear Catholic Vestments - Later on Anti- Catholic Laws were released- this made it treason to preach or attempt to convert people to Catholicism and also the fines for recusancy increased.
How did religious tension increase?
- Through Catholics plots like:
The Ridolfi plot, which planned to use both Italian troops as well as the Pope’s permission to attack Elizabeth and remove her from the throne to be replaced by Mary Queen of Scots.
-The Northern Rebellion- A few Catholic Nobles were planning to overthrow Elizabeth and the Duke of Northumberland was going to marry Mary- they were going to have support from Spanish troops, their plan was unveiled, but still they had mass at Durham and were planning to release Mary- but were met with the royal army, so were defeated.
-The Babington Plot- Sir Babington wrote an encrypted letter to Mary about how she could kill Elizabeth- Mary’s maids were spies who decoded the message and unveiled the secret, just to be sure they waited for Mary to reply, which she did and this led to her execution.
-Through Protestant ploys:
Prophysings- these attempted to preach puritan beliefs to priests- more people could fight against the Queen for their beliefs.
-vestment Controversy- they refused to wear the Catholic vestment- quickly averted.
-Mary’s execution evoked international tension ( in Spain)
How did Elizabeth maintain power during her reign?
- Progresses- this is when she would travel around the country meeting people, this aided Englands financial state as well as suppressing many plots against her, however, it left London vulnerable as her entire court went with her, and also she could not travel everywhere- the roads to the North of England were too damaged, but there were many Catholics there, this was a potential threat.
-Portraiture- These portrayed a political message like:
The rainbow portrait- the rainbow suggesting that she is the calm after the storm the eyes and ears on her dress indicating that she hears and sees all.
The Armada portrait- this depicted the Queen with her hand over the Atlantic ocean and on her right where the Spanish troops being destroyed and on her left were English troops which had set off- this suggests that she has divine power. - Her coronation portrait- This conveyed the Queen as youthful and beautiful, her red hair a beacon of the Tudor dynasty and a depiction of King Henry VIII’s red hair suggesting that she will be a powerful monarch.
However, the problem with this was the fact that many people couldn’t afford portraits or they couldn’t understand the underlying political message.
-Privy council- these were members of the court closest to her and consisted of:
-Francis Walsingham- spymaster (helped to overthrow many plots)
-William Cecil- he was the Queen’s closest advisor - but the Queen was too dependent on him and after his death in 1598 he was replaced by Robert Cecil his son who was not as loyal to the Queen.
Patronage- The Queen used this technique to gain peoples loyalty like giving Robert Devereaux a monopoly on sweet wine- however, this was problematic too much power and they could easily overthrow her, and take away the power it could accumulate hatred and resentment towards the Queen and provoke a rebellion.
Why was marriage considered important for Elizabeth?
- It could aid international affairs (like Mary’s marriage with Philip II helped her improve Englands Naval force) But it could also worsen conditions Marrying Duke of Anjou- he was Catholic and Elizabeth was protestant so what would the religious settlement be? Also, threat of the Armada if she doesn’t marry Philip. She couldn’t marry for love- couldn’t marry Robert Dudley- because the court was strongly opposed to it.
- Elizabeth was considered weak because she was a woman and only a man should rule over the country
- To produce an heir- A child through marriage was considered important to continue the lineage.
Why was England’s economy weak?
- Mary I engaged in war with Spain against France and in doing so she lost Calais and the War itself caused a lot of economic instability, so in order to prevent debt she sold a lot of land under the crown, which was useful for a short term, but in the long run it was a huge disadvantage,
- The debasement of coinage- reduced the value of money
- Inflation of prices
What Happened in the Essex Rebellion?
- There was a lot of enmity between Robert Devereux and Robert Cecil, Devereux was jealous f Cecil’s position in court. When the Queen sent Devereux to end Tyrone’s war- he agreed on a truce and fled his position as well as storming into the Queen’s bedchambers- he was banished from court and his patronage was taken away from him, so he gathered others who like him once had wealth and attempted to fight for a position in the court, however, his followers soon abandoned him after being promised a pardon and Devereux was arrested and executed for treason.
