Life in Elizabethan England

Question 1

Why was there an increase in poverty in Elizabethan England

Answer 1

Rise in population- more demand for goods so prices rose.
Cloth trade collapse- in the 1550s there as a decline in demand for cloth this led to unemployment.
War- taxes rose to pay for the cost of wars
Bad harvests

Question 2

What was the poor rate or poor relief system

Answer 2

A local tax levied by a parish to finance the relief or support of the poor. People had to pay or they were jailed

Question 3

What did Elizabeth do to try and lower poverty rates

Answer 3

Banned Begging- anyone caught begging would be whipped and sent back to their place of birth.
almshouses were established to look after the impotent poor. they were run by charities and were houses for homeless people to stay

Question 4

who was elizabeths secretary of state

Answer 4

William Cecil - Elizabeth appointed Cecil as the Secretary of State in 1558. He was her most important minister and guided her wisely for 40 years. In 1571, he received the title Lord Burghley.

Question 5

who was Robert Dudley

Answer 5

Robert Dudley - Earl of Leicester and a trusted adviser until he died in 1588. He and Elizabeth were very close and there were rumours that he and Elizabeth were lovers.

Question 6

who was Sir Francis Walsingham

Answer 6

Sir Francis Walsingham - was in charge of Elizabeth’s secret service and advised on foreign affairs. In 1586, he uncovered the plot that led to Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution.

Question 7

what its the act of supremacy

Answer 7

This made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church, taking power away from the Catholic Pope in Rome. Her father, Henry VIII, had done the same in his reign, but called himself the Head of the Church, so Elizabeth’s title as Governor implied she would not be so dictatorial and would be more tolerant. This appeased Catholics and Puritans who were uncomfortable with the monarch as head of religion as well as head of state.

Question 8

what is the act of uniformity

Answer 8

This made Protestantism England’s official faith and also set out rules of religious practice and worship in a revised prayer book. This retained some Catholic traditions which Elizabeth hoped would make a good compromise and keep her people happy.

Those who refused to attend Church of England services (recusants) were forced to pay a fine of a shilling a week for not attending church on Sundays or holy days.

Question 9

what was Elizabeth like

Answer 9

Cautious she only had a few trusted advisors she could be indecisive. intelligent she was very well educated powerful and effective leader shew had a difficult upbringing new what it felt like to be in fear of life
powerful

Question 10

when did elizibteth become queen

Answer 10

November 1558

Question 11

what did elizberth do instantly when she came to the throne

Answer 11

she ended the war with France as she wanted peace this was achieved in 1559

this was a theme of her whole reign she always tried to avoid foreign wars .

Question 12

what was the protestant reformation

Answer 12

started in the 16th century and the reformers challenged all catholic beliefs they believed in the authority of the bible rather than the pope

Question 13

what religious changes had taken place since the 1530s

Answer 13

1. Henry viii broke away from the Catholic Church
2. Edward 6th tried to make England more protestant
3. marry 1st restored Catholicism and persecuted protestants.

Question 14

what religious challenges did Elizabeth rht face in the 1560s

Answer 14

1. Some of the nobility were still practising catholics they were influential
   2.This treat became more serious when Mary queen of Scots came to England in 1568
2. catholic rulers of France or Spain could have tried to replace Elizabeth however they were to caught up with there own problems
3. there was a group of puritans that wanted to make the church more Protestant at first Elizabeth tolerated this but in 1565 but any puritans who didn’t where robes were jobless or in prison.

Question 15

who us Mary queen of scots

Answer 15

Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth’s cousin (not to be confused with Mary I, who was Elizabeth’s sister).
Mary’s life had been filled with dramatic events. She had become Queen of Scotland in 1542 when she was just six days old.
Her first two husbands died and she was implicated in the second one’s murder. She was forced to
abdicate and was imprisoned. She managed to escape and fled to England where she sought refuge from Elizabeth in 1568.

Question 16

why was poverty rising in Elizabethan England

Answer 16

Rising population The population rose by a million during the Elizabethan period. More people meant there was more demand for goods, and so prices rose.
Inflation Prices for goods rose, but wages fell as there were more people around to do the work.

Cloth trade collapse Woollen cloth was England’s main export. There was a decline in demand and this led to unemployment.

Wars Taxes were increased to compensate for the price of waging war.

Bad harvests Harvests were particularly bad in the 1590s leading to even higher demand and more rising prices.

Changes in farming Many landlords decided to enclose their fields and keep sheep instead of growing crops which led to high unemployment.

Question 17

why did the government decide to take action against being poor

Answer 17

fears that the ‘social order’ might be threatened if the growing number of poor people ganged together and
vagabonds
and beggars might turn to crime
fears that the poor might spread disease
landowners giving more to the poor

Question 18

what was the 1601 poor law

Answer 18

1601 saw the formalisation of earlier acts and laws of poor relief. Poor Laws were key pieces of legislation:
The four key pieces of legislation of the Poor Law they brought in a compulsory nationwide Poor Rate system

everyone had to contribute and those who refused would go to jail

begging was banned and anyone caught was whipped and sent back to their place of birth

almshouses were established to look after the impotent poor

Question 19

Did Elizabeth successfully look after her people during her reign

Answer 19

The first 30 years of Elizabeth’s reign saw stability and prosperity, but a rising population led to growing poverty and problems, especially in towns. By the end of Elizabeth’s reign wide-ranging laws were passed to support the poor, which remained in place for the next 200 years. They played an important role in supporting the poor and signalled the first move into welfare from the state, but they did not end poverty and in fact more relief money still came from private charity.

Question 20

how did education grow in elizabeths reign

Answer 20

The ability to read and write became a highly desirable asset.

Wealthier boys were better educated than ever before.

New universities and schools were opened. Some grammar schools with the name ‘Queen Elizabeth’ in the title still exist today. They taught exclusively in Latin to prepare the sons of the wealthy for university.

There were two universities, Oxford and Cambridge, although the Inns of Court in London where lawyers were trained was regarded as a third university.

Question 21

how did theatre grow during elizibrths reign

Answer 21

Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during Elizabeth’s reign, in what was considered a ‘golden age’ of culture.
Purpose-built theatres were popular and offered tiered seating with prices suitable for people from all ranks of society. Many nobles protected groups of actors and became their
patrons.

Question 22

what were some pastimes of Elizabethan society

Answer 22

Higher society - the invention of the printing press and spread of education meant that gentlemen were part of an elitist culture involved in intellectual pursuits, such as reading the classics, studying music, hunting and hawking.

Lower society - the vast majority were involved in popular cultural pursuits, which gave them a brief escape from their harsh living conditions. Inns and taverns were an important part of every social ritual. Drinking, gambling on bear-baiting, cockfighting, cards, dice and racing were popular. Tobacco smoking was new and expensive but growing by the end of Elizabeth’s reign. Ordinary people also took part in wrestling, running races and football.

Question 23

what happened in the Spanish armada

Answer 23

The Armada leaves Lisbon on 28 May 1588. It’s delayed by storms and repairs, and finally sets sail for England on 21 July.

The Armada is sighted by the English from Lizard Point in Cornwall. Warning beacons are lit along the English coastline.

The Armada continues through the English Channel now chased by English ships, but suffers little damage.

The Armada anchors near Calais where more troops are meant to join, led by the Duke of Parma, but the English send burning fire ships into the fleet. The Spanish ships panic and are scattered out of formation.

The Spanish ships are blown towards dangerous sandbanks and the English attack again in the Battle of Gravelines. This time they battle at close range and significant damage is inflicted to the Spanish fleet.
The Armada is forced north around the east coast of Britain and the English fleet turn back after food and ammunition supplies run low.
The Armada sets sail for home but are forced around Scotland and Ireland. Many ships are wrecked in storms and thousands of sailors drown.
The surviving Spanish ships arrive back in Spain, but almost half of their fleet is lost.
Victory for England.

Question 24

how did England defeat the Spanish armada

Answer 24

Leaders The Duke of Medina Sidonia led the Spanish fleet, but he was inexperienced in naval battle and so made some fatal errors in his planning and tactics.

Planning The strength of the Spanish fleet came from its crescent formation plan – but when the English broke this up with their fireships, the Spanish became vulnerable and exposed to attack.

No reinforcements The Spanish plan relied on stopping to pick up the Duke of Parma’s army to boost their numbers, but the fleet was unable to anchor and so never picked them up.

Tactics Spanish tactics were to get close enough to English ships to board them, whereas the English tactic was to attack from a safe distance.

Ships Spanish ships were slower and less equipped for the bad weather than the English ships.
Weapons The English ships had cannon they could fire at a safe distance and could be reloaded quickly. The design of the Spanish cannon meant that they could only fire over short distances and were slow to re-load.

Support The Spanish overestimated the level of support there would be in England for Spanish control and a return to Roman Catholicism.

Weather The lack of a secure port where the Spanish could take shelter meant that the Spanish ships were buffeted by the wind. The thinking was that God intervened and the windy weather was a sign that God was on Elizabeth’s side.

Question 25

what were the casualties in the Spanish armarda

Answer 25

Both sides suffered casualties as a result of the Armada but English losses were relatively minor compared to those of the Spanish. England lost just 100 men compared the 20,000 men and 51 ships lost by the Spanish.
A comparison of casualties between Spain and England. With Spain losing 51 ships and 20,000 men and England losing 0 ships and 100 men
However, despite England’s victory several thousand men died from illness and disease in the weeks following the battle.

Question 26

why were the northern earls unhappy

Answer 26

they were committed catholics and they hoped that Mary could take over from Elizabeth.

The earl of Northumberland was angry because Elizabeth took some of his land and had claimed the profits from the copper mines on his estate.

elizibrth had reduced the power of the Northern earls so she could have more power in the north so she could have more power in the north by setting up a council in the north

they blamed William Cecil for all of this saying that he had too much influence over her.

Question 27

what was the revolt of the Northern earls

Answer 27

it broke out in November 1569 and the Duke of north folk hatched a plan to marry Mary queen of Scots and have her recognised as the heir to the throne the other catholic nobles supported this plan

when the plan was uncovered the earls feared for their lives so they tried to overthrow Elizabeth

they marched south heading for a place in Derbyshire where Mary queen of Scots was imprisioned but a large royal army forced them to go back and the earls fled to Scotland. Elizabeth had 2 of the lead earls killed

Question 28

what was the impact of the revolt of the or then earls to Elizabeth

Answer 28

she felt with it but it showed Mary queen of Scots showed a threat to the throne. It crated fear among Elizabeth’s supporters

After this Elizabeth was less tolerant to catholics

Question 29

what was the Ridolfi plot

Answer 29

Roberto Rudolfi was a banker who encouraged a plan for the Duke of north folk to marry Mary queen of Scots. He was supported by the pope and king Phillip of Spain the plot failed and the Duke of northfolk was arrested and executed.

Question 30

what was the throckmorton plot

Answer 30

in 1583 the throckmorton plot aimed to assassinate Elizabeth and had the support of king Phillip in Spain and the pope who provided troops and money

throckmorton was a young catholic who carried messages between marry and catholics abroad

walsingham uncovered it with the spy network he developed across England

Question 31

what are the strengths and weaknesses of the catholic plots

Answer 31

strengths - the presences of Mary in englsnf support form the pope and support from France and Spain

weaknesses elizibeth was popular and these plots did not have support form home
failures like the Northern earl showed people did not want it
Phillip in Spain wasn’t very committed to the plots
wallsignham set up a spy network

Question 32

what is the Babington plot

Answer 32

in 1586 it was another plan to assassinate Elizabeth. It involved France and Spain. The main conspirator was babington and he sent the letters from Mary to her supporters in Europe. Letters were intercepted by waksingham on his spy network including one with plans to assassinate the queen

by August 1586 babington and all the other people involved in it were executed for treason.

Question 33

what were the causes of the execution of the Mary queen of Scott’s

Answer 33

The babington plot directly lead to the execution of Mary queen of Scots because wasingham had collected so much evidence Elizabeth was persuaded to put Mary on train and in October 86 she was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. However Elizabeth dint sign of the death warrant till feb 1587

Question 34

why was there a delay in the execution of the Mary queen of Scott’s

Answer 34

Because Elizabeth believed in the Devine right of monarchs so therefore she felt she had no right to execute a legitimate monarch and she thought this might fuel more plots against her however following the execution there was no more major plots.

Question 35

why were England and Spain political rivals

Answer 35

Phillip of Spain was married to Mary the 1st and the two countries had fought together against france in the 1550s

Spain was a great imperial power Phillip ruled Spain the whole of Netherland parts of Italy parts of north and south America and in 1581 he became king of Portugal. by the 1570s England had ambitions to do what he has done and start an empire.

Because Spain was so powerful they had very strong military forces so Elizabeth was always reluctant to destroy her alliances with Spain.

Spain was a catholic country whereas England was protestant under elizabeths rule

he was inbcloved win some of the plots against her bu the support was mostly half hearted.

Question 36

why the Netherlands commercially significant to England

Answer 36

Because the English exports to Europe went through the dutch ports. because Phillip had control over the Netherlands he could limit access to these ports if they fell out with him

Question 37

trad with the Spanish colonies in the americas

Answer 37

1. you needed a license to trade with the Spanish colines from Spain these were very difficult to get. so Elizabeth encouraged privateers to trade illegally with the Spanish Coliies. Because the were independent she denied she knew anything about it. thus was key for her finances and in 1580 the treasure she received from Francis drake was worth more than her income that whole year.

Question 38

what led to the war with Spain in 1581

Answer 38

in 1581 protestant rebels in the Netherlands declared independence with Spain and established their own country
Elizabeth gave some financial help to these dutch rebels and she signed a treaty with them in 1585 called the treaty of nonsuch this was because she wanted to protect the dutch from Phillip forcing catholicism on them. she wanted more control over the ports so It will be easier for England to export to Europe. She was worried that Phillip was getting too much control because if he were to succeed in the Netherlands the next step could be England.

Question 39

why were Dudleys campaigns in the Netherlands unsuccessful

Answer 39

Robert Dudley was appointed to lead the military exhibition to the Netherlands. in 1587

they were not successful because he wasn’t a talented leader his officer were divided and dint agree on a plan and his army was too small and poorly equipped and Elizabeth didn’t pay the troops.

Question 40

What was drakes raid on Cadiz

Answer 40

In 1587 Elizabeth found out that Phillip was planning to attack England
so Elizabeth sent Francis drake to spy on the prep and attack ships and supplies

this was a success he attacked the port of Cadiz and sunk 30 ships he sized tonnes of food and weapons and he also captured a Spanish ship returning from America full of gold spices and silk

this was a serious set back for Phillip with his prep for the Spanish armada. and delayed it by about a year

Question 41

what was the 1563 poor law

Answer 41

gave magistrates the power to raise local funds for poor relic and fines forepeople who refused to pay

another poor law in 1572 gave magistrates the power to control how much people had to pay and ny the end of the century there was a national system of taxes these

the undesrerving poor could be whipped i

Question 42

what was the poor law of 1576

Answer 42

poor people could be sent to prison of they refused to take work

undesrign poor could could have a whole board run their eat

Question 43

how did new tech make longer journeys possible

Answer 43

before costal features replied upon they Spanish and Portuguese used the stars and the sun everyone was begging to learn these techniques

log an line which helped them estimate there speed.

maps more detailed