(Part 1: Elizabeth's Court And Parliament) The Difficulties As A Female Ruler

Question 1

List and explain the problems Elizabeth faced

Answer 1

1. Succession
   • Elizabeth was the last living child of Henry VIll and she had no children of her own. So it was unclear who would succeed her if she died before producing an heir. In the past, situations like this had led to violent struggles for power.
   • In 1562, she nearly died of smallpox. This drew attention to the uncertainty of England’s future.
   As a result, senior figures were keen that she marry as soon as possible.
2. Foreign policy
   • Catholic countries like Spain and France wanted influence over England and had the support of the Pope in this aim. The threat of invasion was very real.
   One key area of tension was the Netherlands, where the Protestant population was in conflict with its Spanish rulers. Elizabeth had to decide whether or not to become involved.
3. Religion
   • The Tudor period had seen England’s official religion change a number of times, and this had created instability and violence.
   • Many Catholics did not trust Elizabeth and some claimed that she had no right to be queen (they did not recognise Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth’s mother].
   • Puritanism, an extreme form of Protestantism, was also seen as a threat. There were a number of Puritans who had hoped to take control of Elizabeth’s Church and make it more extreme - this could have damaged the whole religious settlement.
4. Taxation
   • The country was short of money and Elizabeth needed to raise taxes.
   • Poverty was widespread and raising taxes would be very unpopular.
5. Mary, Queen of Scots
   • With no direct heir, the next in line to the throne was Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin, Mary. Many Catholics saw her as an alternative Queen of England and this made her a serious threat to Elizabeth.
6. Ireland
   • Like her predecessors, Elizabeth considered herself to be Queen of Ireland. In 1559, she faced a major revolt in Ireland - the first of several during her reign.

Question 2

Explain the problem of marriage and succession for Elizabeth

Answer 2

For a monarch, marriage was seen as an important duty. It could be a way of cementing alliances. More importantly in Elizabeth’s case, it was necessary for her to produce an heir that could succeed her on the throne.

1. Arguments in favour of marriage
   - Create an alliance with a foreign country or guarantee the loyalty of a powerful English family.
   - Produce an heir to continue the Tudor line and stop Mary, Queen of Scots from becoming queen when Elizabeth died.
2. Arguments against marriageLoss of authority - either to a foreign ruler or Englishman.
   - By not marrying, Elizabeth - and England - kept their independence.
   - Giving birth was very risky for the mother.
   - Her experience of marriage had been bad - her father had married six times and ordered her mother to be executed and her sister’s marriage to Philip of Spain had been unhappy and did not produce an heir.
   - Elizabeth was able to use the possibility of marriage to her advantage when dealing with foreign leaders and important figures in England.

Question 3

List the three main potential suitors for Elizabeth

Answer 3

1. Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon
2. King Philip II of Spain
3. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

Question 4

Why didn’t Elizabeth get married?

Answer 4

• We will never know for sure why Elizabeth chose to remain unmarried.
• Elizabeth herself said that she was married to ‘the kingdom of England’ and that remaining single allowed her to focus totally on ruling her country and keep England secure and independent.

Question 5

What was Parliament?

Answer 5

• Consisted of lords, bishops and other nobles who sat in the House of Lords and
‘commoners’ (Members of Parliament - MPs) who sat in the House of Commons.
• Its role was to discuss issues and advise the queen.
• Responsible for passing laws and setting taxes.
• Although the queen could decide when to call Parliament (allow it to meet) and did not have to listen to what it said, in practice she could not ignore it completely. She needed to deal with Parliament very carefully.

Question 6

Explain Elizabeth’s relationship with Parliament

Answer 6

By far the most challenging relationship that Elizabeth had was the one with Parliament.
All the key issues of her reign were debated in Parliament and it was vital that she had its support.

1. Marriage and succession
   - Many in Parliament saw it as their duty to find Elizabeth a suitable husband and, by 1566, began to discuss the issue openly.
   - Angry at such interference, she banned them from talking about it again.
   - Elizabeth saw marriage as a decision for her alone.
2. Religion
   - The most divisive factor in Elizabethan society was religion and Parliament reflected this.
   - The majority of those in both houses of Parliament were Protestants and supported Elizabeth’s religious settlement.
   - When Elizabeth wished to introduce laws that made life hard for Catholics, she found support in Parliament.
   - One area of disagreement, however, was over the issue of Puritanism.
   - A number of powerful Puritans in Parliament tried unsuccessfully to introduce new laws to change the Church of England.
3. Freedom of speech
   - An MP named Peter Wentworth was arrested three times during Elizabeth’s reign for arguing that MPs should be allowed to speak on any matter they chose.
   - Elizabeth clearly did not agree! Some MPs supported Wentworth’s view, but others did not.
   - One of his arrests was organised by other MPs wishing to demonstrate their loyalty to Elizabeth.
4. Crime and poverty
   - The issue of poverty was significant in Elizabethan England, particularly when it led to crime.
   - Many MPs recognised that simply punishing the poor did not work and attempted to introduce new poor laws.
   - They were unsuccessful, until 1601, when the Poor Law was finally passed.
5. Mary, Queen of Scots
   - The majority of those in Parliament saw Mary, a Catholic, as a clear threat to national security and a significant number of them called for her execution.
   - This pressure, and that of the Privy Council, may have swayed the hesitant Elizabeth into executing her cousin.
6. Monopolies
   - The giving of monopolies was an important way for Elizabeth to maintain the loyalty of powerful men in England (for example, the sweet wine monopoly given to the Earl of Essex).
   - In 1571, an MP named Robert Bell criticised them as unfair. Other MPs joined him in calling for changes in their use. Elizabeth agreed to make a few changes but MPs pushed for more.
   - In 1601, she made a speech to Parliament in which she cleverly managed to give the impression that she was agreeing to make major changes to how monopolies worked without actually promising very much at all.

Question 7

How did Elizabeth manage Parliament?

Answer 7

• She made it clear that she was in charge through her words and actions, issuing regular statements about her authority and arresting MPs who went too far in criticising her.
• She had the ability to dismiss Parliament when she wished and could also appoint new members to the House of Lords.
• It was the duty of her privy councillors and nobles to manage Parliament and ensure that they were clear on her wishes.

Question 8

Explain the strength of Elizabeth’s authority and Essex’s rebellion

Answer 8

Elizabeth faced a number of rebellions and challenges to her authority during her reign.
Most were connected to religion. The final challenge, though, was all about power and influence. In 1601, the Earl of Essex led a rebellion against his queen.

1. Background
   • Essex had been a loyal subject throughout Elizabeth’s reign and was, for a time, one of her favourites. He became a privy councillor in 1595 and was awarded the monopoly on sweet wine in England.
   • During his time at court, Essex developed a rivalry with Robert Cecil, the son of the powerful William Cecil and an important and influential figure at court.
   • Essex pleased the queen when, in 1596, he successfully attacked the Spanish port of Cadiz.
2. Causes of the rebellion
   •Soon after his victory against the Spanish, Essex became involved in an argument with the queen during a Privy Council meeting. At one point, he turned his back on Elizabeth and she hit him on the side of the head. He nearly drew his sword but was stopped by other councillors just in time. Essex was placed under house arrest.
   • Later the queen sent him to Ireland to deal with a rebellion. He not only failed to defeat the rebels but agreed a truce with them - directly against the queen’s orders.
   • On his return to England, Essex rushed straight into the queen’s chambers and caught her without her wig!
   • After his failures in Ireland, Essex quickly fell from Elizabeth’s favour.
   She refused to renew his sweet wine monopoly. As a result, he lost much of his wealth and influence.
   • Angry, and with nothing left to lose, Essex began to gather supporters and plot a rebellion against the queen.
3. The rebellion
   • In February 1601, Essex took four privy councillors hostage and marched them to his London house, along with 200 supporters.
   • Robert Cecil, Essex’s great rival, responded by labelling him a traitor. Many of Essex’s supporters left, while others panicked and released the hostages without his permission.
   • Essex and his remaining followers were arrested.
4. Consequences
   • Essex was put on trial for treason and was sentenced to death.
   • During his interrogation, he agreed to name other rebels including his sister, Penelope.
   • He was executed in private on 25 February 1601. Some of his supporters were also put to death but most were just fined.
   • Elizabeth had made it clear, even late in her reign, that she would not tolerate challenges to her authority.