Elizabethan England (Key topic 1.1)

Question 1

What features were Elizabeth’s Government made out of?

Answer 1

• The Privy Council
• Lord Lieutenants
• The justices of the peace
• The Court
• Parliament

Question 2

What was the Court?

Answer 2

made up of noblemen who acted as the monarch’s advisers and friends. They advised the monarch and helped display her wealth and power. Members of the court could
also be members of the Privy Council

Question 3

What was the Privy council?

Answer 3

members off the nobility who helped govern the country. They monitored parliament, Justices of the Peace and oversaw law
and order and the security of the country.

Question 4

Who were the Justices of the Peace?

Answer 4

large landowners; appointed by government, who kept law and order locally and heard court cases.

Question 5

Who were the Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 5

noblemen, appointed by government, who governed English counties and raised the local militia.

Question 6

When did Elizabeth become queen?

Answer 6

1558

Question 7

What did Parliament do?

Answer 7

Parliament – advised Elizabeth’s government, made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
- The House of Lords was made up of
noblemen and bishops.The House of
Commons was elected, though very few
people could vote. Parliament passed
laws and approved taxes (extraordinary
taxation).

Question 8

What was extraordinary taxation?

Answer 8

extra taxes required to pay for unexpected expenses, especially war

Question 9

What was Militia?

Answer 9

a force of ordinary people
(not professional soldiers) raised in
an emergency.

Question 10

Were there any ways in which the power of Queen Elizabeth I was limited? Explain your answer.

Answer 10

Yes, Elizabeth did not possess
complete power. She could not pass laws
without parliament’s approval, or raise taxes
without parliament’s agreement.

Question 11

Who was in the countryside?

Answer 11

The nobility – major landowners; often
lords, dukes and earls.
The gentry – owned smaller estates.
The yeoman farmers – owned a small
amount of land.
Tenant farmers – rented land from the
yeoman farmers and gentry.
The landless and labouring poor – people who did not own or rent land, and had to work or labour to provide for themselves and their families.
Homeless and vagrants – moved from
place to place looking for work.

Question 12

Who was in the towns?

Answer 12

Merchants – traders who were very wealthy.
Professionals – lawyers, doctors and clergymen.
Business owners – often highly skilled
craftsmen, such as silversmiths, glovers
(glove makers), carpenters or tailors.
Craftsmen – skilled employees, including apprentices.
Unskilled labourers and the unemployed – people who had no regular work and could not provide for themselves and their families.

Question 13

What was the obedience and care in Elizabethan society?

Answer 13

Wherever you were in Elizabethan society, you owed respect and obedience to those above you and had a duty of care to those below. Landowners ran their estates according to these ideas.

Question 14

What problems did Elizabeth face when she became queen?

Answer 14

1. She was very young (21 years old) and lacked experience
2. Elizabeth’s government needed money
3. To pass laws Elizabeth needed support from the Parliament
4. Elizabeth was said to be illegitimate as the pope refused to acknowledge Henry VIII’s marriage with Anne Boleyn
5. Elizabeth was Protestant, her predecessor Mary was Catholic
6. Elizabeth was unmarried and it was unusual for a queen to rule in her own right, as Christian traditions suggested that women should follow men’s authority.

Question 15

Who was Elizabeth’s secretary of State?

Answer 15

Sir William Cecil

Question 16

What were the key issues elizabeth faced (2)?

Answer 16

• She was widely expected to marry
• Elizabeth’s experience meant that she needed support from the Privy Council and her secretary of State

Question 17

What were the problems of marriage?

Answer 17

-If Elizabeth married a Protestant, this would anger Catholics.
- If she married a Catholic, this would upset Protestants.
- Marriage could involve England in expensive wars, damaging royal finances and requiring taxation. The Crown was already £300000
in debt.

Question 18

Why was marriage important?

Answer 18

As Elizabeth needed an heir. If she died
without an heir the throne would be
vacant and this could lead to civil war.

Question 19

Why was Elizabeth known as ‘virgin queen’?

Answer 19

As she remained unmarried

Question 20

What were Elizabeth’s character strengths?

Answer 20

1. She was confident and charismatic, enabling her to win over her subjects and command support in parliament
2. She was well educated. She spoke Latin, Greek, French and Italian
3. Elizabeth was resilient – she had
   spent time in the Tower accused
   of treason and facing possible
   execution. She could cope with
   the pressures of being queen.
4. Elizabeth had an excellent grasp
   of politics – she understood the
   interests and ambitions of her
   subjects, and was able to use her
   powers of patronage effectively.

Question 21

Why did Elizabeth’s position as queen become more secure?

Answer 21

As although Elizabeth was Protestant, the number of Protestants in England was growing, making her position as queen more secure. She could claim divine right with
growing conviction.

Question 22

What was the Divine right?

Answer 22

the idea that God alone appointed the monarch, meaning that to challenge
the monarch was to challenge God.

Question 23

What was patronage?

Answer 23

the monarch could use the granting of lands, jobs and titles to reward her supporters. People who received these positions could use them to become wealthy.

Question 24

What were the challenges at home (financial weakness)?

Answer 24

• The Crown was £300000 in debt and had an
  annual income of only £286667.
• Mary Tudor had sold off Crown lands to pay
  for wars with France, so the Crown’s income
  from rents was falling.

Question 25

Why did Elizabeth need money?

Answer 25

to remain secure on the throne as she could use it to reward her supporters

Question 26

Why had the Crown debased (devalued) the coinage since the 1940s?

Answer 26

by reducing its silver and gold content, in order to make more money to fight wars against France. This resulted in inflation, as the value of the currency fell.

Question 27

How could monarch’s raise money?

Answer 27

• Special additional taxes, known as
  subsidies, which had to be agreed
  by parliament
• Profits of justice (fines, property or lands
  from people convicted of crimes).
• Taxes from trade

Question 28

What could Elizabeth do to solve her financial problems in 1558?

Answer 28

• Raise taxes to boost the crowns income. This would be unpopular with ordinary people, increasing the risk of unrest
• Improve the quality of money by increasing the gold and silver content in the coinage.

Question 29

What did Elizabeth do to solve her financial problems?

Answer 29

• She did not raise taxes but instead hoarded her income and cut her household expenses by half.
• Like her predecessors, she sold Crown lands, raising £120000.

Question 30

What could the Queen claim by 1574?

Answer 30

By 1574, the queen could claim that the Crown was out of debt for the first time since 1558.

Question 31

What challenges from abroad did Elizabeth face?

Answer 31

• France, Spain and Scotland were all Catholic countries and believed Mary, Queen
  of Scots had a stronger claim to the throne of England than Elizabeth.
• France and Scotland were old allies (Auld Alliance)
• War was an expensive business and the Crown was in debt. England could not afford a war with France, Scotland or Spain