Queen, Government, and Religion (Section 1 of Elizabethan England) Flashcards
What year did Elizabeth become Queen?
1558
What’s a militia?
A force of ordinary people raised in emergency
What made up Elizabeth’s government?
The court, the Privy Council, Parliament, Justices of the Peaces (JPs), Lord Lieutenants
What was the Court made up of?
Noblemen
What did the Court do?
Advised Elizabeth and helped display her power and wealth
What could members of the Court become?
Members of the Privy Council
What was the Privy Council made up of?
Members of the nobility who helped govern the country
What did the Privy Council do? List 3 things.
- Monitor parliaments JP’s
- Oversaw law and order and security of England
What was the Justices of the Peaces (JP’s) made up of?
Made up of large landowners appointed by the government
What did the Justices of the Peaces (JP’s) do? List 2 things.
- Kept law and order locally
- Heard court cases
What was the Lord Lieutenants made up of?
Made up of noblemen appointed by government
What did the Lord Lieutenants do? List 2 things.
- Governed English countries
- Raised the local militia
What was Parliament made up of?
Made up of House of Commons and House of Lords
What did Parliament do? List 3 things.
- Passed laws
- Approved taxes
- Advised Elizabeth’s government
What was Elizabeth society like?
Very rigid, based on social hierarchy where everyone knew their place
What percentage of people lived in the countryside?
90%
What percentage of people lived in the towns?
10%
Who were at the top of the social hierarchy in the countryside?
Nobility - Major landowners, often dukes, earls, lords
Who were at the bottom of the social hierarchy in the countryside?
Homeless and vagrants - Moved from place to place looking for work
Who were at the top of the social hierarchy in the towns?
Merchants - Traders that were very wealthy
Who were at the bottom of the social hierarchy in the towns?
Unskilled labourers and the unemployed - Had no regular work and couldn’t provide for themselves or their families
In the Elizabeth social hierarchy society, what did people owe to those above them and to those below them?
To those above, they owed respect and obedience.
To those below, they owed a duty to care for them
What is legitimacy?
Whether a monarch is lawfully entitled to the throne
What problems did Elizabeth face when she became queen? List 7 things.
- Elizabeth was only 21, so she had little experience
- Her government needed money
- Her legitimacy was in doubt
- She was Protestant
- She was unmarried
- To pass laws, she needed support of Parliament