Situation At Start Of Elizabeth's Reign And Her Problems Flashcards
How did Elizabeth I rule?
As a monarch. Equality wasn’t important, no police, all relied on social structure
What was the Elizabethan social hierarchy?
Nobility, gentry, yeomen, tenant farmers, landless/labouring poor, vagrants
What was social hierarchy of nobility etc. based on?
How much land was owned
What is the social hierarchy of towns and what was it based on?
Merchants, professionals, business owners, skilled craftsmen, unskilled and unemployed. Based on wealth and occupation
What was Court mostly made up of?
Nobility
What was Court?
The body of people living near or with the monarch
What was Court needed for?
To entertain and advise the monarch, to publicly display power and courtiers had influence on monarch
What was the Privy Council?
Group of leading courtiers and advisers, as well as seniors like William Cecil.
How often did the Privy Council meet and what for?
At least 3x a week to debate issues, make sure decisions carried out, oversaw law and security of England, monitored JPs and monitored what parliament was doing
What was Parliament?
Made up of the House of Common and House of Lords, called and dismissed by the monarch
Why was Parliament there?
To offer advice to the monarch and grant extraordinary taxation
Why was there one Lord Luitenant per county?
To maintain power and defence in England, appointed by monarch
What did Lord Lueitenants do?
Oversaw county defences and enforced policies, as well as being part of the local government
Who were Justice of the Peace (JPs)?
Landowners who kept law and order locally, reporting things to the Privy Council
What did JPs do?
Made sure all policies were carried out, heard county court cases every 3 months for serious crimes and were part of the local government
What does it mean that the monarch was the divine right?
She could make government policy with the Privy council, could declare war and peace, could call and dismiss parliament, grant titles, land, money and jobs
What was an effective way of getting support for the monarch?
Patronage
What was the Secretary of State?
Leader of Privy council and closest to Queen
Who was thr Secretary of State until 1573?
Sir William Cecil
Why was parliament needed for the queen?
If she needed more money, extra taxation could be raised under parliaments agreement
What was the royal prerogative?
Areas only monarch could make decisions on
Which matters did Elizabeth use the roayl prerogative on?
Foreign policy, marriage, succession as she didn’t want these discussed in parliament
What could be enforced in law courts and what couldn’t?
Could: Acts of Parliament
Couldn’t: proclamations (orders)
Why was Elizabeth’s legitimacy questioned and why did it anger Catholics?
Her parents marriage was Henry’s second marriage (bastard). Angered Catholics as the second marriage wasn’t declared by the pope
Why was it a problem that Elizabeth was a woman?
Women were seen as too weak and feeble to rule
Why was it a problem that Elizabeth was childless and didn’t intend on having children?
Having an heir was vital
What had Henry VIII converted England to during his reign?
Protestantism
Why was it a problem that Catholics in England believed heavily in the pope?
Difficult to rule due to religious differences
How much was the crown in debt when Elizabeth came in?
£300,000. She needed money to look powerful
How was it difficult for Elizabeth to get money to look powerful?
She needed to get parliament to agree on raising taxes to get out of debt.
Which two countries were the most powerful in Europe?
France and Spain
Who did England lose a war to in 1557-59?
France
Who was France allied to and why was this an early threat to Elizabeth?
Allied to Scotland, which could easily attack an in-debt England
Why was it unusual for Christian women to be in power?
Christian religion taught women to be under authority of men
Did Elizabeth want to marry?
No
Why didn’t Mary I make women look good?
Burned 300 Protestants and during her reign there were awful harvests, leading to hunger and poverty
Why was Elizabeth ideal to be Queen?
Educated and intelligent. Understood dangerous world of court politics. Confident and charismatic
Why did many fear Elizabeth I?
She had a short temper
Why did the Privy council often get frustrated with Elizabeth?
She took ages to make decisions
What two things did monarchs need to rule successfully?
Money and support
How did Elizabeth raise money?
From rent and income of owned land, taxes from trade, subsidies, profits of justice, and loans
Why wasn’t the government rich during the start of Elizabeth’s reign?
England had fought costly wars
Why didn’t Elizabeth want to rely on Parliament for income?
Taxes were unpopular and parliament would disagree with extraordinary taxation
What was the name of the French and Scottish alliance?
The Auld Alliance
Why was MQS a threat?
Had a strong claim to the throne and was married to Francis (heir of French throne)
When did MQS become Mary queen consort of France?
1559
Who supported MQS as the legitimate monarch in England?
Catholics who didn’t accept Henry VIII’s marriage with Anne Boleyn
Who was ruling for MQS in France in 1558?
Mary of Guise (MQS mum)
Why did England have a military base in Calais?
As a trading post
What war happened in 1550s?
Spain attacked France but lost
What happened after Spanish loss to France in 1559?
Treaty of Cateu-Cambresis returned Calais to French rule
How did Elizabeth aim to get Calais back?
As part of her foreign policy
What was causing conflict in Europe?
Divisions between Protestants and Catholics
What seemed like a possible threat against England considering it was protestant?
That Catholic Spain and Catholic France would unite against England
