england in 1558 Flashcards
what is the court
made up of noblemen who acted as the monarchs 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
what is the justice of the peace
large landowners appointed by government, who kept law and order locally and heard court cases
what is lord lieutenants
noblemen appointed by government, who governed English counties and raised the local militia
what is the privy council
members of 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
what is parliament
advised Elizabeth’s government, made up of the house of lords and the house of commons. the house of lords was made up noblemen and bishops. the house of commons was elected though very few people could vote. parliament passed laws and approved taxes
what is extraordinary taxation
extra taxes required to pay for unexpected expenses, especially a war
what is a militia
a force of ordinary people raised in an emergency
what percent of the English population lived in the country side
90%
what did the nobility own
major landowners, often lords, dukes, earls
what did the gentry own
owned smaller estates
what did the yeoman farmers own
owned a small amount of land
what did the tenant farmers own
rented land from the yeoman farmers and gentry
what did the landless and labouring poor
people who didn’t own or rent land, and had to work or labour to provide for themselves and their families
what did the homeless and vagrants own
moved from place to place looking for work
what percent of the English population lived in a town
10%
who were the merchants
traders who were very wealthy
who were the professionals
lawyers, doctors and clergymen
who were the business owners
often higher skilled craftsmen, such as silversmiths, glovers, carpenters , tailors
who were the craftsmen
skilled employees, including apprentices
who were the unskilled labourers and the employed
people who had no regular work and couldn’t provide for their families and themselves
what were 7 problems Elizabeth face when queen
- her government needed money
- her legitimacy was questioned
- Catholics refused to acknowledge her right to rule England
- she was protestant but Mary her predecessor was catholic
- was unmarried
- to pass laws needed support of parliament
- young
what is legitimacy
refers to whether a monarch is lawfully entitled to rule
what are 5 of Elizabeth’s character and strengths
- confident and charismatic
- well educated (spoke Latin, Greek, French, Italian)
- excellent grasp of politics
- made her position more secure as there was a growing number of protestants so she could claim divine right
- she was resilient
what was the debt of the crown in 1558
£300,000
what was the annual income of the crown in 1558
£286,667
why did mary tudor sell of the crown lands and what impact did this have
to pay for wars with france this meant that the crowns income from rents was falling
why did elizabeth need money
to remain secure on the throne as she could use it to reward her supporters
what year did the crown get devalued and what did this mean
1540’s and it resulted in inflation as the value of the currency fell
what are the 5 ways monarchs could raise money
- rents and income from their own lands (crown lands)
- taxes from trade
- special additional taxes known as subsides, which had to be agreed by parliament
- profits of justice (fines, property,lands from people convicted of crimes)
- loans
what is one negative and one positive if Elizabeth raised taxes to boost the crowns income
the positive is that the queen could convene parliament and ask for subsides but the negative is that additional taxes would be unpopular with the ordinary people, increasing the risk of unset
what is one negative and one positive about if Elizabeth improved the quality of money by increasing the gold and silver content in the coinage
the positive is that in 1560, Thomas Gresham, the crown’s financial advisor, suggested this to William Cecil, but the crown was slow to respond but the negative is that any new coinage would be traded alongside older, less valuable coins. people would struggle to exchange the older coins for a new ones
what did she end up doing to solve her financial problems in 1558
she didn’t raise taxes but instead hoarded her income and cut her household expenses by half and also like her predecessors she sold the crown raising £120,000
what happened to the crown by 1574
the queen could claim that the crown was out of debt for the first time since 1558
what are the five challenges Elizabeth faced from abroad in 1558
- the french threat
- the auld alliance
- war was an expensive business
- france has ended its war with spain
- under the treaty of the cateau-cambresis
why was the French threat a challenge from abroad
France was wealthier than England and had a bigger population. Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, was married to the French king, Francis the second. Mary had a strong claim to the English throne and English Catholics might rally to her if the French invaded
whywas the Auld Alliance a challenge from abroad
France’s alliance with Scotland threatened England. Mary of Guise (James the fifth’s widow), who ruled Scotland on behalf of her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, kept French soldiers there, who could attack England. the relationship between France and Scotland strengthened by marriage of Francis the second (king of France) to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1559
why was the war was an expensive business and the crown a challenge from abroad
england couldn’t afford a war with France, Scotland or Spain as this would be ruinously expensive and deepen the governments debt’s
why was the France had ended its war with Spain a challenge from abroad
French military resources were no longer stretched by war with Spain, making a war with england more likely. there was also the possibility that France and Spain, both catholic countries, would unite against protestant england. Spain also had troops in the Netherlands not far from england
why was under treaty of cateau-cambresis a challenge from abroad
england had lost Calais to France. this was england’s last remaining territory on the continent and there was pressure on Elizabeth to regain it. however, war with France would be expensive and dangerous
how did Elizabeth deal with the challenges from abroad
- she sought to avoid war with France by signing the Peace of Troyes in 1564, which recognized once and for all the French claim to Calais
- Elizabeth was able to deal with the threat posed by Scotland by placing Mary , Queen of Scots, who fled Scotland in 1568, in custody in england
- by imprisoning Mary and making peace with France, Elizabeth had only one significant threat by 1569 which was Spain
