Elizabethen England and Religion

Question 1

What was the ‘Act of Supremacy’?

Answer 1

It made Elizabeth supreme governor of the Church of England- all clergy and royal officals had to swear an oath of allegiance to her as the head of the Church. This established discipline within the church.

Question 2

What was the ‘Act of Uniformity’?

Answer 2

It establisjed the appearance of churches and the form and wording of services they held.
The book of common prayer to be used in all churches and Priests were to wear special clothing.
Also it ordered that everyone was to attend church on a Sunday and other holy days, or else be fined one shilling for every absence, normal people this would be a weeks pay.

Question 3

What is the ‘Royal Injunctions’?

Answer 3

It was a set of instructions issued by William Cecil on behalf of the Queen to the clergy on a wide range of issues to reinforce the acts of Supremacy and Uniformity. It included instructions on how people should worship God and the Structure of services.

Question 4

What were the 4 reasons for Poverty in Elizabeth England?

Answer 4

1. Population Growth
2. Rising Prices
3. Sheep Farming
4. Enclosure

Question 5

How did Population Growth cause Poverty?

Answer 5

• The population increased by 35% during Elizabeth’s reign, especially in cities.
• More people meant more food required so the price of food went up and people couldn’t afford it.
• Another issue was housing, not enough houses for people and rent went up, causing people to be homeless.

Question 6

How did Rising Prices cause Poverty?

Answer 6

• Bad harvests in the 1550’s, 60’s, 70’s meant wasn’t enough food to go around.
• The demand for land went up, so price went up and tenets could no longer pay the rent.
• Wages did not rise as fast as prices, and fell as people were desperate for money so were willing to work for less.

Question 7

How did Sheep Farming cause Poverty?

Answer 7

• More people turned to sheep farming made up 81.6% of exports.
• Sheep needed large amount of land which meant less crops and food could be grown so there was less food for the people.
• Also this resulted in employment as sheep did not need maitenence.

Question 8

How did Enclosure cause Poverty?

Answer 8

• Small farmers were forced off the land their land as the open fields were closed.
• The land owners benifted and the farm workers suffered.
• Some common land was enclosed which means common people who did subsistence farming, vital survival off the land, were now kicked out.

Question 9

The Puritan challenge to the religious settlement?

Answer 9

Puritans wished for there to be harsher rules, the main 2 : Crucifix and Vestment.

• Elizabeth said crusifix’s had to be im every church but Puritain Bishops threatened to resign the queen backed out losing her authority.
• Not all clergy were wearing special vestments so Elizabeth invited them to a meeting, 37 out of 110 refused and lost their position, majority consented.

Question 10

The Catholic challenges to the religious settlement?

Answer 10

• In 1566 the Pope issued an instruction that they should not attend Church of England servicies.
• Most of the Recusants (refused to go to mass) were Catholic North Nobles, 1/3 of nobles were recusants and this lead to the Revolt of the Northern Earls.

Question 11

What Foreign Powers challenged to the religious settlement?

Answer 11

Leading Catholic powers France and Spain were a threat to Elizabeth’s settlement.
Religious war broke out in France in 1562 and Elizabeth was worried about this threatening her position
Spain’, military presence in the Netherlands during the Dutch revolt was a clear threat to Elizabeth.

Question 12

What was Elizabeth’s Foreign Policy’s aims?

Answer 12

• Developing and improving trade to benefit the English Economy.
• Protect England’s boarders
• Protecting the English throne
• Avoiding War (money and threat of overthrown), especially if English rebels support the enemy.

Question 13

Challenges to Elizabeth’s Commercial Ambitions and what were the English Respose?

Answer 13

1. Spain controlled the Netherlands, England’s main route into European markets for trading.
2. Spain controlled much of the New World and so denied the English traders access to valuable new trading opportunities.
3. English Merchant targeted and constantly attacked Spanish Ships.
4. In 1572 Drake went to Panama and stole more Spanish silver and cargo’s backed by Elizabeth.
5. Allowed Dutch Protestants, ‘Sea Beggars’ to use English Ports to be a base from where they attack and raid Spanish ships travelling to the Netherlands.

Question 14

How was Provocation a reasons for the Causes for the Armada?

Answer 14

• In 1572 Drake went to Panama and stole more Spanish silver and cargo’s backed by Elizabeth, worsened relations as Elizabeth had a hired a Privateer to attack the Spanish.
• Drake attacked Phillip’s Armada fleet at the Cadiz harbour in April 1587, destroying 30 ships giving the English time to prepare for War.
• Also by constantly helping the Dutch rebels in Spain to fight the Spanish, for example sent £100,000 to the Rebels.

Question 15

Religious reasons for the Causes for the Armada?

Answer 15

• Phillip II wanted to get rid of Protestantism and Heresy.
• The Papacy (Pope) had wanted Elizabeth I overthrown since excommunicating her in 1570.
• The Pope promised to forgive the sins of those taking part in the Armada, and offered Phillip a reward if the invasion was successful.
• Spain and the Papacy had backed Catholic Plots against Elizabeth.

Question 16

Political reasons for the Causes for the Armada?

Answer 16

• Treaty of Joinville 1584, was a secret treaty signed by Phillip and the French Catholic Leaugue which planned to end Protestantism and take on Elizabeth.
• Treat of Nonsuch 1585, Elizabeth agreeing to help Dutch rebels with 7,400 English troops, this effectively put England and Spain at war but on foreign grounds.
• England would be a useful addition to Phillip II’s empire.
• Elizabeth also refused to marry Phillip , when he believed he had the right as he had been engaged with Mary I.

Question 17

How was Circumstances reasons for the Causes for the Armada?

Answer 17

• Elizabeth’s had just had a unsuccessful campaign in the Netherlands as hesitant and did not want to full commitment to war, showed weakness compared to Spain.
• The Duke of Parma had major success in the Netherlands in 1579, crushing the Dutch Rebels meaning they could focus their full attention on England.
• Spain had acquired Portugal in 1580, meaning they had tacken all portugals money and weapons (including ships).

Question 18

What was the plan for the Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569)?

Answer 18

• Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland would raise an army and take control of Durham and would then march south to join the Duke of Norfolk’ forces.
• Several thousand Spanish troops would land in Hartlepool to support the rebels
• Mary Queen of Scots would be freed, married to the Duke of Norfolk and placed on the throne

Question 19

Causes of the Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569)?

Answer 19

-Northern nobility tended to remain Catholic.
Did well out of Mary I’s reign.
-Found their influence reduced under Elizabeth and disliked her ‘favourites’ like Dudley and Cecil.

Question 20

Main events of the Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569)?

Answer 20

November 1659- Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland led a rebellion against Elizabeth called the Revolt of the Northern Earls.
Took Durham Cathedral and celebrated a full Catholic mass.

Question 21

Outcome of the Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569)?

Answer 21

• Most nobles stayed loyal to Elizabeth and by 24th November they were forced to retreat and eventually defeated.
• Prompted harsher treatments against Catholics.
• Pope Pois VI excommunicated Elizabeth

Question 22

Key features od the court in Elizabethan Government?

Answer 22

• The court was a body of people who lived in, or near, the samw palace or house as the monarch.
• The court was mostly made up of members of the nobility. They were monarch’s key servants, advisors and friends.
• Attending court required the monarch’s permission

Question 23

Role of the court in Elizabethan government?

Answer 23

• To entertain and advise the monarch
• A public display of wealth and power
• Courtiers had influence with the monarch rather than actual power

Question 24

Key features of privvy council in Elizabethan government?

Answer 24

• Was made up of leading courtiers and advisers, as well as nobles and very senior government, officials, like Sir William Cecil.
• There was approx 19 members of the privvy council, chosen by the monarch.
• They met at least 3 times a week, and the meetings were often attended and presided over by the monarch

Question 25

Role of the privvy council?

Answer 25

• To debate current issues and advise the monarch on government policy
• Made sure the monarch’s final decisions were carried out
• Oversaw law and order, local government and the security of England.
• Monitored justices of the peace
• Monitored the proceedings of parliament

Question 26

Key features of parliament in Elizabethan government?

Answer 26

• Was made up of the house of Lords (which included Bishops) and the House of Commons.
• Parliament could only be called and dismissed by the monarch.
• Elections were held before each new parliament, but very few people could vote.
• Elizabeth I called parliament ten times during her reign.

Question 27

Role of parliament?

Answer 27

• To grant extraordinary taxation
• Passed laws (Acts of parliament)
• Offered advice to the monarch

Question 28

Key features of Lords Lieutenant in Elizabethan government?

Answer 28

• Each country had a Loed Lieutenant chosen by the monarch.
• They were members of the nobility and were often also on the privvy council.
• They were essential to maintaining the monarch’s power and England’s defences

Question 29

Role of the Lords lieutenant.

Answer 29

• In charge of raising and training the local militia and overseeing county defences
• Oversaw the enforcement of policies
• Part of the local government

Question 30

Key features of the Justices of the Peace (Jps)?

Answer 30

• Jp’s were large landowners who kept law and order in their local area.
• They were unpaid and they reported to the privvy council.
• Being a JP was a position of status, and so was a very popular job

Question 31

Role of JP’s?

Answer 31

• To make sure all social and economic policies were carried out.
• Heard county court every three months for more serious crimes.
• Part of the local government

Question 32

Society in Elizabethan England?

Answer 32

• Elizabethans had a very clear idea of where everyone belonged in society.
• The monarch was at the top of the social scale as the most important of the nobility, followed by the rest of the nobility and gentry.

Question 33

Social hierarchy in Elizabethan England?

Answer 33

• Your place in this hierarchy was generally determined by how much land you had and whether you owned or rented it.
• About 90% of England’s population lived and worked in the countryside.
• Yeomen were men who held a small amount of land or an estate - they were essentially lower gentry.
• Tenant farmers farmed rented land, which was usually owned by yeomen or the gentry.

Question 34

Social hierarchy of towns in Elizabethan England?

Answer 34

• In towns the hierarchy was based on wealth and occupation. Wealthy merchants were at the top, followed by proffesionals (lawyers and doctors).
• Next came skilled craftsmen (e.g. silversmiths, glovers, carpenters or tailors) who could be quite wealthy business owners.
• They organised themselves into guilds, which were trade associations to monitor standards, working conditions and who were allowed to practise the trade.
• Craftsmen were skilled employees and also included apprentices.
• Unskilled labourers and the unemployed came at the bottom of society

Question 35

Respect in Elizabethan Society?

Answer 35

• Wherever you were in Elizabethan socity, you owed respect and obediance to those above you and had a duty of care to those below you.
• Landowners ran their estates according to these ideas. Ideally they would take care of their tenants, especially during times of hardship.
• Households were run along similar lines to society. The husband and father was head of the household. His wife, children and any servants were expected to be obediant to him.

Question 36

Problems with Elizabeth’s legitimacy?

Answer 36

-To inherit the throne, it was essential that the monarch was legitimate. It was not possible for any child to inherit unless they were born in wedlock.
-Elizabeth’s legitimacy was in doubt because of how her father had divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
-Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine in 1533 to marry Anne Boleyn, in the hope of getting a male heir.
-Henry wanted a male heir because he believed a woman could not rule the country with the same authority as a man. Henry believed Catherine couldn’t give him the son he desperately wanted.
-

Question 37

The English reformation and effect on Elizabeth’s legitimacy?

Answer 37

• The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, refused to grant the Divorce, leading to one of the most important developments in English history: the English reformation.
• Henry VIII created the Church of England, separate from the Catholic Church, with himself as the head.
• He was then able to ‘grant himself’ a divorce (often referred to as an annulment).
• Henry married Anne Boleyn on 25th January 1533; Elizabeth was born on 7 September.
• Committed Catholic refused to acknowledge Henry’s divorce because the pope had not agreed to it.
• Catherine of Aragon was alive when Elizabeth was born, and so not everyone accepted that Elizabeth was legitimate. Some Catholics were even executed for refusing to accept her legitimacy.
• In 1536, when Anne Boleyn was executed for treason, Henry VIII himself declared Elizabeth illegitimate and excluded her from the succession. However, he later reversed this decision

Question 38

Problems Elizabeth faced with her gender?

Answer 38

• A queen who ruled in her own right was something very unusual and it seemed unnatural to 16th-century society for a woman to rule.
• The Christian religion taught that women should be under the authority of men.
• Furthermore, monarchs were still expected to lead their armies into battle.
• Women were not considered to be physically, mentally or emotionally capable of governing, and even the home was supposed to be under the authority of the husband or father. It was unusual for women to be in a position of power.
• The majority of people thought that women were not capable of ruling (see interpretation 1). This prejudice had not been helped by Mary I’s reign (1553-58). As England’s first queen regnant her short reign had not gone well.

Question 39

Problems Elizabeth faced with her Marriage?

Answer 39

• Many people thought that Elizabeth should marry. However, she had no intention of doing so.
• Elizabeth turned down offers from some of the most eligible princes of Europe, including her own brother-in-law, Philip II of Spain. Other failed suitors included King Eric of Sweden and the French heir to the throne, the Duke of Alencon.

Question 40

Character and strengths of Elizabeth?

Answer 40

• Elizabeth was highly intelligent and well educated, with an eye for detail and an excellent grasp of politics.
• She had also experienced being a prisoner in the Tower of London, where she was held in 1554 on suspicion of treason against Mary I.
• She understood the dangerous world of court politics, where ambitious courtiers schemed and plotted to gain power and influence. The lifestyle for courtiers was lavish, but the stakes were high: fall out of favour with the queen and you could lose your life.
• Elizabeth was confident and charismatic, able to make great speeches and win over her subjects, though she had a temper that people feared.
• She also often took a long time to make up her mind, especially over serious matters, and her privvy council and advisers could find her extreme,y frustrating

Question 41

English monarchs and raising money?

Answer 41

England’s monarchs coild not do whatever they pleased. They might rule by divine fight, but they needed money and support to rule successfully. Monarchs could raise money from:

• Rents and income from their own lands (Crown lands)
• Taxes from trade (known as custom duties)
• 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)
• Loans (sometimes loans were ‘forced’, meaning they were compulsary and never repaid)

Question 42

Financial weakness of Elizabethan England?

Answer 42

• Elizabeth’s government didn’t have a lot of money, as England had fought costly wars before she became queen and lots of crown lands had been sold off to raise money to fight them.
• When she took the throne, the Crown was £300,000 in debt, which was a huge sum in 1558.
• In contrast, the total annual income of the crown at that time was approx £286,667.
• To be strong, Elizabeth had to be wealthy. Defending England and her throne was very expensive.
• Taxes were unpopular and parliament had to agree to them. In return, parliament could make demands on Elizabeth.
• She didn’t, therefore, want to have to rely too muchon parliament for her income

Question 43

The French Threat?

Answer 43

-France was wealthier and had a larger population than England. It was also England’s traditional enemy and was an ally of England’s other enemy, Scotland.
-Their friendship was known as Auld Alliance. There was an added complication for Elizabeth: the Scottish monarch, Mary Queen of Scots, was her cousin and had a strong claim to the English throne.
-She was also half French and married to Francis, heir to the French throne
She became queen of France in 1559 when her husband became King Francis II.

Question 44

France and Scotland as challenges from abroad?

Answer 44

• Mary, Queen of Scots, declared herself the legitimate Catholic claimant to the English throne when Mary I died.
• Mary, Queen of Scots, was Elizabeth’s second cousin, the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s sister.
• Catholics who had not accepted Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn could rally to MQS, claim to be England’s legitimate, Catholic Monarch
• Scotland was an independant country and a traditional enemy of England. England’s border with Scotland was remote and hard to defend, which meant it saw constant fighting and raids.
• In 1558, Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise, was ruling Scotland for her daughter and had French troops stationed there

Question 45

Mary Queen of Scots’ claim to the Throne?

Answer 45

• MQS was a Catholic with a strong claim to the throne. She was Henry VIII’s great granddaughter, Elizabeth I’s second cousin, and there were no issues about her legitimacy.
• Born on 8th December 1542, she became queen of Scotland at 6 days old after her father, King James V, dies. Her mother, Mary of Guise, was from a very powerful Catholic, French noble family

Question 46

Mary Queen of Scots arrival in England 1568?

Answer 46

• Mary married her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565. She gave birth to their son, James in 1566.
• In 1567, Darnley was murdered, probably by the Earl of Bothwell and Mary was suspected of being involved.
• In fact, she married Bothwell soon after Darnley’s death, which for many was admission of her guilt.
• The scandal led to the Protestant Scottish Lords rebelling again.
• They forced Mary to abdicate in favour of her baby son, James.
• She was imprisoned in a castle on an island in the middle of a loch, but escaped in 1567 and raised an army in an attempt to win back her throne.
• Mary’s forces were defeated at Langside near Glasgow, and she fled to England, seeking Elizabeth I’s help against the rebels

Question 47

What were Elizabeth’s options wigh Mary in 1568-69?

Answer 47

Mary’s arrival in England in May 1568 was a problem to which there was no good solutiom. Elizabeth did not approve of subjects overthrowing their righful monarchs, but she was very aware of the potential threat Mary posed to her throne. Mary was held in comfort, but under guard, until Elizabeth decided what to do with her. The options were:

1. Help mary to regain her throne
2. Hand mary over to the scottish Lords
3. Allow Mary to go abroad
4. Keep Mary in England

Question 48

Problems faced to Elizabeth when she took over?

Answer 48

• Legitimacy
• Gender
• Marriage
• Challenges home and abroad (financial weakness and the French threat)

Question 49

Relations between MQS and Elizabeth 1568-69?

Answer 49

The two queens never met, although they did exchange letters. Mary had asked for a meeting with Elizabeth to persuade her of her innocence in Darnley’s murder, but her request was refused.

A court was convened to hear the case against her between October 1568 and January 1569. The Scottish lords brought letters with them apparently proving Mary’s guilt. Mary said that the court had no right to try her because she was an anointed monarch and would not offer a plea unless Elizabeth guarenteed a verdict of innocent. Elizabeth refused.

Question 50

Was MQS guilty or not guilty?

Answer 50

• No verdict could solve the MQS problem.
• If found guilty, she would be returned to the rebel Scottish Lords as their prisoner, and Elizabeth would have been supporting the deposing of an anointed monarch, who was also her cousin.
• If found innocent, Mary would be free to raise an army, possibly with foreign Catholic support, which would pose too big a threat to Elizabeth’s throne.
• The court did not reach any conclusions. Mary therefore stayed in England, in captivity. She remained a threat to Elizabeth

Question 51

Attitudes to Education in Elizabethan England?

Answer 51

• Although there was no national system of schoolinh, education was becoming increasingly valuable in Elizabethan England.
• While attitudes to education were beginning to changw, they still reflected the social hierarchy of the country.
• Education was not about nurturing talent and ambition, nor about allowing social mobility. The existing social order was very important to Elizabethans and any education you might receive was aimed at preparing you for the life you were expected to lead.
• This meant it usually forced on practical skills, but could include basic literacy. Only a small percentage of children (and then mainly boys) went to school at all. Very few girls received any formal education in Elizabethan England.

Question 52

Education in the home for nobility?

Answer 52

• The children of the nobility learned a variety of subjects such as foreign languages, including Latin and Greek, history, philosophy, Government and Theology.
• As Elizabeth I was highly educated in these subjects many noble families ensured that their daughters were, too.
• They also learned a variety of skills expected of upper class womwnppen, such as music, dancing, needlwork, horse riding and archery.
• They were tutored at home, as were their brothers, but separately by the age of around 7,
• Boys were taught to be skilled in horse riding and archery too, and also fencing, swimming, wrestling and other sports thought fitting only for men.

Question 53

Development of Grammar schools?

Answer 53

42 were founded in the 1560’s and 30 more in the 1570’s. As a result there were more schools in Elizabethan England than there had ever been before. Previously the church provided most of the minimal education to children.

Question 54

What were grammar schools?

Answer 54

Grammar schools were private schools set up for boys considered bright, who largely came from well off families in towns- the sons of middling sorts: the gentry, preofessionals or wealthy business owners. Girls couldn’t attend grammar schools. They were usually educated at home by their mothers preparing them for married life and running a household.

Question 55

Fees for grammar schools?

Answer 55

Fees varied, and were often based upon how much property the boy’s family owned. Some lower class boys who showed promise could also attend, and they did not have to pay the fees. Their places were fumded by people who left money to the schools in their will to provide education for those who would not be able to afford to go without help.

Question 56

Length of the grammar school year?

Answer 56

The school year was long, with holidays only at Christmas and Easter. Schools days were also long beginning at 6/7am and lasting for almost 10 hours. The focus of the curriculum was Latin. The boys also studied ancient, classical historians and philosophers and writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Virgil and Seneca. There would also be time allocated for archery, chess, wrestling and running.

Question 57

Punishments in Elizabethan grammar schools?

Answer 57

• Exclusion
• Being ‘on report’
• Corporal punishment, including caning
• Being kept at break time
• After warnings to the parents of a misbehaving child, it was possible for a pupil to be expelled

Question 58

What were petty schools?

Answer 58

-Petty schools were often set up and run in a teacher’s home. Boys whose parents could afford to send them to school began their education here, or in the case od girls in Dame schools. They would learn reading and writing in English, as well as basic arithmatic. Punishment was often harsh. Beating for poor behaviour or not doing well in lessons was common.

After attending the petty school, bright or well-off boys wojld go to a grammar school. According to the Elizabethan author William Harrison, by 1577, every town in England had a grammar school

Question 59

Schools for girls?

Answer 59

• Girls of all classes often didn’t go to school.
• If they did, they would attend a Dame school.
• Dame schools provided a basic education for girls. They were called ‘Dame’ schools because they were often run by a local, educated woman.
• Women were not expected to go out into the world, but would go from being under their father’s care to their husbands. They were not expected to support themselves.
• For most girls, education was focused on the home.
• As wives and mothers, they would need a variety of skills.
• For example it was important to know how to preserve food, bake, brew, sea and treat simple aliments and injuries.

Question 60

Where did Poor children go to school?

Answer 60

• Most Elizabethans, had no formal school based-education, as the majority of the population were farmers or labourers. They learned what they needed from their families, working on the land or in the home.
• In most cases, children needed to contribute to the family income from as early an age as possible, and the jobs they could expect to dind didn’t recquire literacy or numeracy.
• For everyone in Elizabethan society, the education or training you received would fit you for the life you were expected to lead, depending upon your place in the social order

Question 61

How big an impact did schools have on Elizabethans?

Answer 61

It is estimated that around 30% of men and 10% of women were literate by the end of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1603, compared with 20% of men and 10% of women in the 1530’s.

• This suggests there was an improvement in education for boys during Elizabethan times, but not for girls.
• Leading thinkers and writers increasingly believed in women having a good education. However they were usually highly educated and well-off, and a main obstacle to schooling was it’s cost.
• There weren’t only fees to consider, but the loss of family income from children not working
• This could explain why ordinairy people’s attitudes to educating their daughters does not seem to have changed in Elizabethan times.
• Girls were expected to marry, not to work outside the home. Boys were expected to find paid employment and support their wives and children.
• A little education could help them find a better job.

Question 62

Education in universities?

Answer 62

• For those who were able to go on to higher education Elizabethan England had 2 uni’s: Oxford and Cambridge.
• Unlike today, you would start university at age 14 or 15.
• The curriculum included geometry, music, astronomy, philosophy, logic and rhetoric, as well as medicine, law and divinity.
• The highest university qualification was the doctorate. Doctorates could be taken in medicine, law or divinity
• Oxford and Cambridge universities are made up of different colleges, many of which were founded by the Tudors.
• In 1571, Elizabeth I founded Jesus college in Oxford to educate Welsh boys. One of Elizabeth’s privvy councillors, Sir Walter Mildmay, founded Emmanuel college in Cambridge in 1584.
• Both Elizabeth and Mildmay wanted their colleged to educate more protestant clergymen, so to increase the number of well-educated protestant clergymen.
• In London, the Inns court trained lawyers. Some young men went to study and practice law at the Inns of court, rather than Oxford or cambridge, for their higher education

Question 63

Sports played by Nobility and gentry?

Answer 63

• Hunting on Horseback, with hounds (both men and women)
• Hawking (men and women)
• Fishing (men and women)
• Fencing (Men)
• Real tennis (men)

Question 64

Sports for working people (craftsmen, farmers and labourers)?

Answer 64

Football was a lower class game for men. It was extremely violent. It was not unknown for men to be killed during matches, whcih could last for hours. The aim of the game was similar to football matches today. However unlike today, the goals came in all shapes and sizes. Football didn’t resemble the modern game. There were no rules against:

• Picking up the ball and running with it
• The number of players
• Tripping up the opposing team’s players
• The size of the pitch

Question 65

Spectator sports?

Answer 65

The Elizabethans enjoyed watching sporting competitions, such as wrestling or tennis, depending upon their class. Watching animals fight to death was also considered entertainment and people of all classes would watch even Elizabeth I. Often large sums of money would be gambled on the outcomes.

Question 66

Baiting as a sport in Elizabethan England?

Answer 66

During baiting a bear would be chained to a post and dogs unleashed against it. Despite the bear’s teeth being broken so short so that they could not bite the dogs many were killed as the bear lashed out with its claws or pinned them under it’s paws. Care was taken to not kill the bears as they were very expensive.

It was so popular that special arenas were built in London to house them. All classes enjoyed watching what they considered to be a sport, including the queen.

Question 67

Cock fighting in Elizabethan England?

Answer 67

Cockerels are aggressive birds and when cock-fighting, were made to wear metal spurs to attack each other, as well as using their beaks. Many places, even small towns had special arenas built for cock fighting. All classes enjoyed it and bet huge sums on the outcomes of the fights.

Question 68

Disagreements with baiting and cock fighting?

Answer 68

Puritans especially disapproved of them although not because they felt for their disapproval was that the fights were usually held on sundays, which they considered to be a Holy day

Question 69

Past times in Elizabethan England?

Answer 69

Literature

Theatre

Question 70

Literature in Elzabethan England?

Answer 70

There was a lot of new literature written during Elizabeth I’s reign. History was a very popular subject, as were accounts od voyages of discovery, and translations of Latin and Greek classics. Medieval works such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were also popular.

The most popular form of creative wriging were poetry and plays. Most well-educated people wrote poetry, including the queen. Theatre, meanwhile was undergoing a revolution in Elizabeth I’s reign.

Question 71

Theatre in Elizabethan England?

Answer 71

Theatre developed as a result of Protestantism, which influenced many aspects of Elizabethan life. At the start of Elizabeth’s reign, mystery plays were the most common form of theatre. These plays brought the Bible and saints’ stories to life for an audience. Some protestants believed that the centuries old plays were another way for the catholic church to control interpretations of the Bible.

Saints were an important part of the Catholic religion, and the plays kept their memories (and miracles) in the public imagination. Elizabeth was also concerned that they would encourage religious violence, so her government put a stop to them. Theatre instead turned to new, non-religious (secular) plays.

Question 72

Secular plays?

Answer 72

They were in great demand. They were more exciting than the older religious plays, as unlike Bible stories, the endings were not already known. Comedies were also popular. The demand for theatre rocketed and theatre companies were formed across England. They were usually established and funded by members of nobility. The Earl of Leicester had his own company called Leicester’s men, and in 1583, Elizabeth I established The Queen’s men.

The popularity of plays led to the first purpose built theatres being constructed. Originally, plays were performed in the courtyards of inss that had high galleries surrounding them, so the audience looked down on the action. However with so much money to be made, purpose buily theatres began to appear. Many of the theatres were built in London: the first purpose built theatre was the Red lion in Whitechapel, constructed in 1567. Other included the Rose in 1587.

Question 73

Who was theatre popular with?

Answer 73

Theatre was popular with all classes. Well known performers attracted large audiences. However only men were allowed to act:women’s parts were taken by boys. Sometimes there were queues of 2,000 people waiting to see a performance. Poor people could pay 1 penny to stand in the pit in front of the stage. Seats were very expensive. The most expensive place to sit was directly above the stage. This wasn’t were the best view of the action was, but the important thing was to be seen sitting there by the rest of the audience.