The Last Years of Elizabeth Flashcards
By the end of Elizabeth’s reign what was the religious situation?
E could look upon a religious situation which was favourable - There was a broad consensus surrounding the Church of England, which ensured a substantial degree of religious unity
What were the problems with Catholicism by the end of the reign?
Popular Catholicism had declined compared to the start of her reign
English Catholics were divided between a majority who tried to be loyal to both Crown and faith and a minority who sought Catholic Succession
Why was the Church of England/ Anglican Church more powerful by the end of the reign?
Most people could identify with/ accept the Anglican Church
Puritanism had faded; most puritans had become assimilated within the mainstream church
Separatism (never numerically strong) had virtually disappeared
What had England enjoyed during most of E’s reign and what changed in the 1590’s +why ? (Political)
Enjoyed a broadly effective government during most of E’s reign but there was a decline in royal authority and the quality of administration during the 1590’s
Reasons = anxieties over the succession, the queen’s ministers and problems in the Privy Council and between factions - the crisis involving the Earl of Essex leading to his execution for treason in 1601 is indicative of the difficulties which royal authority faced
Despite the Essex ‘rebellion’ what had been achieved by 1603 and what is the other side of this?
A broad political unity - all English people apart from a small minority of militant Catholics were broadly loyal to the crown
The Queen had however, reigned too long and her reputation had been tarnished by the events of the last years of her reign and she seemed out of touch with the aspirations of the younger generation who looked forward to the accession of a king
What did English society remain but what were in place?
A socially divided society with huge differences in living standards between the wealthy few and poor majority but there were restraints which prevented society breaking down completely
What could happen most of the time and what were the exceptions? (society)
Mostly the majority of the population could be fed - only one subsidence crisis in the 1590’s when it is known there were deaths from starvation
What did the harsh years of 1594-97 do? (society)
The poverty and harvest failure did help to shape the reform of the poor law enacted in 1598 and 1601 - these limited the worst effects of poverty, at least for the ‘deserving poor’
What had the economic situation been like the 16th century and what changed in he 17th century?
England had experienced considerable economic continuity but by the beginning of the 17th century it was clear that some of the economic circumstances which would later in the century lead to commercial domination were in place even if only in an early form e.g. setting up of trading companies to challenge the domination of the Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch and the beginnings of an interest in the Americas
What shouldn’t be overestimated and what was lacking ?
The importance of factors such as the establishment of trading companies, and the organisation of English capitalism in particular was unrefined compared to with the commercial sophistication of the Dutch
What did thrive economically but what must be remembered?
Cottage industries such as nail making, hosiery, soap manufacturing and brewing flourished and total production clearly rose substantially during the 16th century - suggesting domestic demand was thriving - but it was only through multiple employments, hard-work and using money carefully that many people were able to avoid poverty at the end of the 16th century
