Elizabethan society Flashcards
continuity and change; problems in the regions; social discontent and rebellions
who dominated society
aristocrats
what was the highest peerage title and why was it dangerous
duke
1547-1572 all ducal title holders were killed
How did E respond to the danger of being a duke
from 1572 she did not make any more dukes
how had the role of the nobility changed
they were more peaceable and less concerned with defence
What did the other peerage ranks do for E
tried to gain prestige through building projects that could accommodate E on her progresses
e.g. Burghley House in Northamptonshire
who dominated local government
country gentlemen and esquired
mainly as JPs
how did the gentry change in Es reign
number of gentry increased and proportion who were very wealthy increased
how did the gap between rick and poor widen
consumer society among the mercantile and professional classes meant landed incomes increased after 1570
poorer people were vulnerable to enclosure and the decline in real wages
When was the first poor law and what did it do
1572
local ratepayers were required to pay a rate for the relief of their own poor
what did the 1576 poor law do
attempted to create a national system of poor relief to be financed and administered locally
towns were required to make provisions for the employment of the deserving poor
what did the 1601 poor law do
the parish became designated as the institution required to administer poor relief
each parish was to appoint an overseer of the poor to ensure efficient collection of poor rates and the appropriate distribution of relief
responsible for relieving the impotent poor, setting the able-bodied to work and apprenticing poor children
work was overseen by JPs
how were the undeserving poor treated
harsh treatment
1572 act added branding to the range of punishment
1597 act laid down that first time offenders should be whipped then sent to their parish of birth, repeat offenders could be executed
how can it be seen that England was a unified state
aristocracy and gentry abandoned fortified castles and built country homes
suggests confidence in social order
What did Elizabeth want to happen in Ireland
wanted to subject it to a policy of Englishness in both religious and secular matters
When was Elizabeth proclaimed supreme governor of the church in Ireland
1560
why was enforcing policy in Ireland an issue
E lacked the power to impose Protestantism on a largely Catholic population
most spoke Gaelic not English
customary laws and land ownership differed hugely from that of England
When was the Shane O’Neill rebellion
1558-1569
causes of the Shane O’Neill rebellion
main: local opposition to central power
subsidiary: internal Irish politics, religion (O’Neill claimed to the true defender of the faith in Ireland
How was the Shane O’Neill rebellion a success
England lacked money and political will to take strong action - largest army was 2,000 strong
E had to spend £250,000 over 10 years on supressing the rebellion
Shane eluded all attempts to capture him - in the end was killed by other Irish not the English
threatened Dublin
How was the Shane O’Neill rebellion a failure
never faced the English in a battle or won any major territory from them
there was no real threat to English control over Dublin
when was the Oxfordshire rising
1596
Causes of the Oxfordshire rising
Main: anger over enclosure
Subsidiary: economic problems - famine caused by bad harvest, falling wages, rising population placing pressure on land availability
why did the Oxfordshire rising fail
was planned to be very violent - planned to murder 7 local landowners so struggled to recruit others
state security was good and the ringleaders were quickly rounded
the fact that economic problems were so large it shows that E had a grip on society as the only rebellion was this one which was very small
when was the Tyrone O’Neill rebellion
1596-1603
causes of the Tyrone O’Neill rebellion
main: local resistance to the centre - Tyrone wanted a complete break with the Tudors and himself as the new Irish leader
broke out when England refused to give Tyrone the right to govern the whole of Ulster
subsidiary: religion - appealed for help from Spain and the Pope
opportunism - English forces were especially weak at this time - exploiting the situation with the Spanish e.g. included an Irish contingent in the 1596 Armada
How the Tyrone O’Neill rebellion was successful
longest lasting rebellion of the period
had a military victory at the battle of the yellow ford 1598 - only major military defeat inflicted by a rebel
gained the support of Spain who sent 3,550 men in 1601
Essex led the English and when money ran low was forced into agreeing peace
How was the Tyrone O’Neill rebellion unsuccessful
failed to obtain significant overseas support
English had superior financial resources - E spent £2 mill on quashing the rebellion
new Lord lieutenant was English
beyond the pale still ruled by Irishmen for England - unchanged
how was the Welsh border maintained
the Council of Wales and the Marches remained in operation
What happened to the Welsh language
it disappeared as a medium of government but was preserved as a medium of religion - Book of Common prayer and the bible translated into Welsh
What suggests the level of discontent with the political situation in Wales
A large number of Welshmen were implicated in the Essex rebellion
When was the Essex rebellion
1601 after Essex was banned from court
Why did Essex rebel
wanted to get rid of the influence of Cecil at court
wanted E to declare James as her successor
angry after being expelled from court after he made peace the Irish rebels against Es orders
Why was the Essex rebellion unsuccessful
Privy Council heard of the impending attack at offered to be merciful of those who supported Essex if they deserted him
Why was the Essex rebellion dangerous
was able to influential people such as the Duke of Southampton, key Catholics and Puritans
When was the Northern rebellion
1569-1570
causes of the Northern rebellion
religion
politics - nobility considered themselves dishonoured by having been displaced from their traditional aristocratic role of controlling Northern Government (E appointed Southern nobles to be wardens of the border marches)
How was the Northern rebellion successful
Besieged the crowns stronghold of Barnard castle
Seized Durham
How was the Northern rebellion unsuccessful
Marched on York but made no attempt to capture it
didn’t try to march into the south to pressurise the government
Leadership abandoned forces and fled into Scotland when they heard that crown forces were on the way
How did E reinforce control in the North after the Northern Rebellion
The Council of the North was reconstituted in 1572 and placed under the control of the Earl of Huntingdon who had no local ties and was a strong Puritan
