Elizabethan England AQA GCSE - Part One Flashcards
(90 cards)
1
Q
What did Henry VII do on the 22nd August 1485?
A
Win the war of the roses against Richard of York, defeating the Yorkists by winning the Battle of Bosworth field.
2
Q
What did Henry VIII do after winning the war of the roses?
A
He married Elizabeth of York, uniting the Lancastrians and Yorkists and she gave birth to Henry VIII.
3
Q
Who were Elizabeth’s parents?
A
Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn.
4
Q
When was Elizabeth I born?
A
7 September 1533.
5
Q
What reasons were there for Anne Boleyn’s beheading?
A
- Anne Boleyn was accused of adultery.
- This reason was unofficial but she was unable to produce male offspring.
6
Q
How old was Elizabeth when her mother was executed?
A
2 years old.
7
Q
What Elizabeth’s position in the line of succession?
A
She was third behind her brother Edward based on male-preference primagenature, not by age, and her sister Mary I who was older than her.
8
Q
When did Edward VI die? How old was he?
A
Edward VI died in 1553 at age 15 from tuberculosis
9
Q
When did Henry VIII die? Who succeeded him?
A
28th January 1547, he was succeeded by his son Edward VI who was 9 years old. He was not fit to rule until 13 and thus nobles helped him until then.
10
Q
Who came to the throne after Edward VI’s death?
A
Mary I in 1553.
11
Q
Why was Elizabeth I imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1554? Who was responsible?
A
Mary I had Elizabeth arrested after supporting a rebellion and since she was seen as a threat. Mary I was a Catholic and Elizabeth I was a Protestant and thus Mary wanted to hold onto power to prevent a Protestant uprising.
12
Q
When did Mary I die? How?
A
She died on 17th November 1558 of stomach cancer.
13
Q
What did Mary I do to Protestants during her reign?
A
She burned 300 Protestants to death for refusing Catholicism.
14
Q
When was Elizabeth I crowned?
A
15th January 1559.
15
Q
Why was Elizabeth I prepared for a life in the royal court?
A
She was third in line and so no one thought she would become queen.
16
Q
What would Elizabeth have been if not queen?
A
An important foreign figure to seal alliances through marriage.
17
Q
What happened to Elizabeth after her stepmother, Katherine Parr’s, death?
A
Seymour wanted to marry a 13 year-old Elizabeth in February 1547 when he was 38.
18
Q
What problems did Elizabeth face coming into power?
A
She would have to have power over a male only parliament and compete with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, who was supported by Catholics.
19
Q
How long did Elizabeth reign for?
A
45 years, the longest of any Tudor monarch.
20
Q
What four groups had the most power in Elizabethan England?
A
Parliament, The Privy Council, Lord Lieutenants, Justices of the Peace.
21
Q
How was Parliament split?
A
Parliament was made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Lords were based on powerful nobles and the House of Commons was based on gentry and commoners.
22
Q
How much power did Parliament have?
A
It had some power over passing laws and tax, but the Queen could call Parliament when she wanted and ignore it if she wanted. It was called 13 times for monetary affairs in 45 years.
23
Q
Who made up the Privy Council?
A
Those chosen by Elizabeth to be her top advisors, these were normally powerful landowners to prevent an uprising. These people were always all men.
24
Q
What did the privy council do and decide?
A
The privy council took responsibility of the day-to-day affairs in the country and could be called by the Queen to deal with any issue including foreign affairs, religion and the Queen’s security. If the privy council agreed on something it would be difficult for Elizabeth to refuse it.
25
What was the leader of the privy council?
The Secretary of State.
26
Who made up the Lord Lieutenants?
These people were appointed by the Queen to administrate a certain area of England. Most of these people held other key roles like being on the privy council. The position of Lord Lieutenant brought great power and influence.
27
What did the Lord Lieutenants do?
They were involved in settling local disputes, collecting tax and gathering local militias in the event of a rebellion or during wartime.
28
What were Justices of the Peace?
An individual selected from the local gentry who helped govern certain counties.
29
What did Justices of the Peace do?
Their main role was to ensure laws were enforced properly. A single JP had the power to send someone to prison but multiple JPs were required to sentence someone to death.
30
What did Justices of the Peace swear to do when taking office?
They swore to treat everyone they dealt with equally, rich or poor.
31
Who made up the royal court?
Government officials, ladies-in-waiting, servants and advisors, who all surrounded Elizabeth at all times. The royal court was made up of around 1000 people at all times. These people ranged from nobles to servants. It was her mobile household.
32
What did the royal court represent?
The royal court was the centre of political power, trends and fashion in England, whatever Elizabeth and her royal court deemed to be fashionable everyone followed.
33
Where did Elizabeth and her royal court go?
She travelled between a number of households: Windsor, Greenwich, Hampton Court, St James’ Palace, Richmond just to name a few. She went on regular progresses around and outside London. Everyone admired her.
34
What was patronage?
Gaining loyalty from her powerful subjects by granting titles, making royal visits to their household and more to ensure that they were loyal to her and were willing to help her run the country.
35
If you were banished from Elizabeth’s court how were you viewed?
Banishment from her court would be seen as disgraceful, many saw it as unfair and corrupt as it was based on favours and loyalty and not ability.
36
When was Sir William Cecil born? Of what class was he?
1520, he was part of the gentry in Lincolnshire.
37
What are Cecil’s main traits?
He was very intelligent and hard working and studied Law at Cambridge. He was a moderate Protestant. He is considered a stabiliser. He attended the House of Commons regularly and was a very skilled parliamentary manager.
38
When was Cecil put into a position of power?
He was originally a member of Edward VI’s court and Mary I’s. He was made Secretary of State in November 1558, before Elizabeth was even crowned.
39
What did Elizabeth like about Cecil?
He spoke his mind and felt she could trust him completely.
40
What title was Cecil given in 1571? What title was given to him the following year?
Lord Burghley in 1571 and Lord Treasure in 1572.
41
When did William Cecil die? Who replaced him?
William Cecil died in 1598 and was replaced by his son Robert Cecil, who helped organise the gunpowder plot.
42
What was Francis Walsingham’s early life like?
He was born in 1532 in the Norfolk gentry, attending Cambridge University and studying Law. He was a Puritan and fled during Mary Tudor’s reign to study in Catholic Italy. He developed an ability for languages.
43
When did Francis Walsingham gain power in England?
He started working with the government in 1568. He served as an ambassador in Paris in the early 1570s
44
What was Walsingham like?
He was blunt at times and frequently clashed with William Cecil. He was a superb organiser and a ‘spy master’.
44
What role was Walsingham given in 1573 and what role was he given in 1577?
Walsingham was appointed to the Privy Council in 1573 and was knighted in 1577.
45
What did Walsingham do that helped Elizabeth? When did he die?
He uncovered many plots against Elizabeth. He died in 1590.
46
What was Robert Dudley’s early life like?
He was born in 1533, younger son of the disgraced Duke Of Northumberland who was executed during Mary I’s reign. He was a childhood friend of Elizabeth’s and there were many rumours of a romance between the two. Like Elizabeth he was locked in the Tower of London for much during Bloody Mary’s reign.
47
What titles did Robert Dudley hold?
He was made Master of the Horse in the Royal Court, making him responsible for Elizabeth’s safety. He became a privy councillor in 1562, he was given the title of Earl of Leicester in 1564.
48
What was Robert Dudley like?
He was a puritan and radically anti-catholic. He frequently argued with Cecil over succession, religion and foreign policy.
49
When did Robert Dudley die?
He died in 1588, most likely from stomach cancer.
50
What was Sir Christopher Hatton’s early life like?
He was born in 1540 from the Northamptonshire gentry and studied Law at Oxford. He was raised a moderate Protestant and sympathised with Catholics and hated Puritans.
51
Why did Elizabeth like Christopher Hatton?
Elizabeth was first impressed by Hatton’ dancing at court and promoted him. He was loyal, kind, clever and hardworking and helped to organise Elizabeth’s progresses.
52
What titles did Christopher Hatton gain?
He became a gentleman of the privy chamber and the Captain of the Queen’s bodyguard. He was elected to parliament many times and became Lord Chancellor in 1587, in charge of judges and law courts.
53
When did Christopher Hatton die?
He died on the 20th November 1591.
54
How was succession a problem for Elizabeth?
Elizabeth had not produced a child and in 1562 she nearly died from smallpox, this drew attention to the potential power vacuum that would form of Elizabeth died heirless, she received lots of pressure to marry and have kids to secure the line of succession throughout her reign, though she never married.
55
How was Mary, Queen of Scots a problem for Elizabeth?
Hairless, the next heir by right would be her cousin - Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic, she was exiled to Scotland in 1568 and became a figurehead for Catholics still remaining in England after the Protestant Reformation to back.
56
How was Ireland a problem for Elizabeth?
Like any English monarch before her, Elizabeth viewed herself Queen of the Irish, but little to no one in Ireland supported this. Firstly, a major revolt took place in the North of Ireland in 1559, spending large sums of money to limit the rebellion but nothing seemed to work in the long term.
57
How was taxation an issue for Elizabeth?
The government needed money and the main way to get it was through taxes. Unfortunately tax raises could lead to a popular revolt and this raising taxes to fund her endeavours would be difficult if she wanted to retain power, especially for a woman who was not supported by all religions or men.
58
How was religion an issue for Elizabeth?
Elizabeth’s father had broken from the Catholic Church to divorce his first wife. Edward continued the Protestant faith but Mary was a fierce Catholic who opposed Protestantism. Elizabeth was more tolerant of both, though she was a Protestant. Many staunch Catholics felt she should be replaced by a Catholic leader like Mary, Queen of Scots. They remained unhappy at times throughout her reign.
59
How was foreign policy an issue for Elizabeth?
She had to deal with countries who wanted power over England. France and Spain were but two Catholic nations who, backed by the pope, wanted to re-Catholicise England. The Netherlands, a Spanish controlled territory with a Protestant population was supported by Elizabeth, a fellow Protestant. Her main priority was, however, to keep England safe.
60
Why was marriage considered so important in Elizabethan times?
Marriage was a tool used to forge alliances between monarchs of different countries, for example the Habsburgs married into many families, expanding their domain to the largest House domain in Europe. Additionally, marriage would have allowed Elizabeth to continue her direct line of descendants without a succession crisis as was common in Europe at this time.
61
What were the arguments made against Elizabeth marrying?
-Marrying a foreign King or Prince could cause England to become overruled by another country and become a secondary power in Europe.
-Marrying an Englishman could create problems over who should hold authority.
-Remaining unmarried would preserve Elizabeth’s sovereignty.
-Childbirth often was risky and resulted in the death of both the child and the mother.
-Her sister’s marriage to Philip of Spain was considered a disaster and no one wanted her to suffer the same fate.
62
Why was Robert Dudley a potential suitor for Elizabeth? Why did they not marry?
Dudley was a childhood friend of Elizabeth’s and many thought they had a romantic relationship. He was a very powerful privy councillor and was trusted by Elizabeth. He didn’t marry her due to him marrying another woman first and when they divorced it became a scandal.
63
Why was Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon a potential suitor for Elizabeth? Why didn’t they marry?
Francis was the brother of the French King and thus a marriage between the two could increase English influence in France. However, by the time their marriage was considered Elizabeth was 46 and likely would not have children. Also, the reverse effect could happen and Catholic France could expand influence in England.
64
Why was King Philip II of Spain a potential suitor for Elizabeth? Why didn’t they marry?
Phillip lead the Spanish through a golden age, retrieving riches from America and making Spain a great powers with a large empire. A marriage to Philip could increase English wealth. However, it could see England lose influence and come under Spanish control and influence and see Elizabeth lose control. Also, Philip was a Catholic whilst Elizabeth was a Protestant.
65
Who were the key people involved in the Northern Rebellion?
The Northern Earls played the largest role. This included the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl of Westmorland.
66
What was the Duke of Norfolk like?
He was Protestant from a Catholic background. He was Elizabeth’s second cousin and was made Duke of Norfolk in 1554.
67
What title did the Duke of Norfolk hold?
Lord Lieutenant of the North.
68
What was the Earl of Northumberland like?
His father was executed for a revolt against Henry VIII and was not allowed to gain his role until Mary’s reign. He was a Catholic but was respected by Elizabeth.
69
What was the Earl of Westmorland like?
He was a Catholic who became very powerful under Mary and lost influence when Elizabeth came to power, he remained powerful in the north. He also had ties to the Howard family which Henry VIII had ties.
70
Why was the Northern Rebellion started?
Many catholics were unhappy with Protestant Elizabeth’s rule and Norfolk lead this. He left the royal court without permission.
71
When did the Northern rebellion occur?
1569.
72
What happened during the Northern Rebellion?
Norfolk met with sympathisers in Durham Cathedral and held an illegal Catholic mass. They marched south with 4600 men. The Earl of Sussex raised a militia and the rebellion disbanded.
73
What were the consequences of the rebellion?
Norfolk spent 10 months in the Tower of London, Northumberland was captured and executed, Westmorland escaped to France.
74
Who were the key people in the Ridolfi Plot?
The Duke of Norfolk (again), Mary, Queen of Scots and the Pope. Roberto Ridolfi concocted the plan as he saw Catholicism as a must in Europe.
75
What did the Pope do to kickstart Catholic unrest?
He said for Catholics in England not to obey Elizabeth.
76
What role was the Netherlands set to play?
A Catholic coalition would invade over the sea from Dutch ports to recapture England from Protestants.
77
What prevented the Ridolfi Plot from happening?
Elizabeth intercepted the plan through her vast array of spies. Gold coins held letters and these were intercepted and the plan was deciphered. Norfolk confessed to being guilty of collaborating and was executed lm the 2nd June 1572.
78
What were the consequences of the Ridolfi plot failing?
Foreign support was no longer possible for Catholics and they thus became isolated in England. Ridolfi evaded execution and was protected by the pope in Italy.
79
In what year did the Essex Rebellion happen?
1601.
80
When was Robert Devereux born and what was his early life like?
He was born in 1566 and inherited his fathers title of Earl of Essex in 1573 after his father’s death. His mother remarried to the Earl of Leicester, who introduced Essex to Elizabeth.
81
What did Elizabeth give Essex?
She gave him a monopoly on wine so that anyone importing it had to pay him a tax.
82
Who did he develop a rivalry with?
Robert Cecil, son of William Cecil. Despite being less handsome and charismatic than Essex, his family’s prestige put him in competition with Essex over the Queen’s favour.
83
What did Essex do in 1596 to please the Queen?
He enjoyed military success against the Spanish.
84
What did the Queen make Essex in January?
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, making it his job to crush the rebellious Irish.
85
What did Essex do in 1598 to annoy the Queen?
He became involved in an argument over Ireland in which he turned his back on the Queen, she slapped him in the head, he nearly drew his sword but was stopped by other privy councillors. He was put under house arrest but was let go free of charge.
86
What did Essex do wrong during his time in Ireland and after he returned?
He not only didn’t crush the Irish but made a truce with the King, going against the Queen’s orders. He returned dirty and caught the queen without her wig. This was all very bad for Essex’s image. With his power gone he began to rally support in February 1601.
87
What were the 4 things that happened during Essex’s rebellion?
1. Essex took four of the privy councillors hostage and marched
to his London
house with 200 supporters.
2. Robert Cecil responded by labelling Essex a traitor and many rebels abandoned the march.
3. Essex returned to his house where he found his hostages had been let free by those who abandoned the movement.
4. Essex and his remaining supporters were arrested.
88
What happened to Essex after his arrest?
Two weeks after his rebellion he was put on trial for treason. In an effort to avoid a public execution which would humiliate him further, he agreed to identify other collaborators. In return he was executed in private on 25th February 1601. Many other collaborators were killed but some were simply fined.
89
Why did all rebellions against Elizabeth fail?
1. Elizabeth had the largest network of spies and informers that England had ever seen.
2. Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s chief minister oversaw the operation. He had an array of informants from innkeepers and servants to nobles, who could have been on Walsingham’s pay.
3. Most were happy with Elizabeth’s rule and thus most rebellions weren’t popular.
4. For the first time in a while religious freedom existed, even Catholics preferred Elizabeth to a foreign ruler like Philip or Mary Queen of Scots.
5. Elizabeth was a skilled politician, who dealt with parliament effectively, she was powerful and had authority.
6. Elizabeth took swift action against rebellions. Mary Queen of Scots was kept imprisoned years before she was executed. Essex, even though not trying to overthrow Elizabeth, was put down quickly.
