Elizabeth

• Elizabeth ruled with support of Privy Council

  The privy council was a group of about 20 of the Queen's most trusted counsellors. Advised her on all aspects of government and ensured her wishes were carried out. Expected to obey her orders even if they disagreed

  Parliament made up of members of nobility and the gentry

  Queen needed Parliaments consent to pass new laws or raise taxes

  Parliament only met when the Queen summoned it and Elizabeth avoided using it - only called Parliament 13 times in 44 years

  Relied on members of nobility and gentry to enforce law and order across the country
• Local government posts like Justice of the Peace and sheriff were unpaid but many men volunteered in order to increase their local power and influence.

  Justices of the Peace were particularly important - they enforced the law, provided for the poor and ensured roads and bridges were maintained
• Social and economic divisions

  Population had been rising steadily since 1500

  Most people lived in rural areas but towns and cities were growing rapidly

  Economy was dominated by agriculture but farming practises were changing. The export of woollen cloth to Europe was very important to the economy but merchants were starting to explore trade with America and Asia

  Society dominated by a small land-owning aristocracy of nobility and gentry. Growing numbers of wealthy men who earned a living as lawyers or merchants

  Great inequality so the divide between rich and poor grew became a major problem
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Legitimacy

  Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry VIII an annulment from Catherine of Aragon in 1533. The Catholic Church believed Henrys marriage to Anne Boleyn wasn't granted. Since Elizabeth's parents' marriage had had been banned, Elizabeth was regarded as an illegitimate child by the Catholic Church and illegitimate children couldn't inherit the crown so Catholics thought she couldn't be queen

  When Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn dissolved and Anne was executed in 1536, Henry declared Elizabeth illegitimate. later he changed his mind about this.
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Legitimacy

  Serious - very little that Elizabeth could do to solve this problem. Was a long term problem which wasn't going away. Weakened her claim to the throne and allowed others like Mary Queen of Scots to claim they had more right to rule

  Not serious - only really an issue for Catholics. Once Elizabeth put her religious settlement in place only a minority of the English people were Catholics it wasn't a major issue for most people. Protestants were fine with it because the Archbishop of Canterbury(most senior priest in England) had approved it
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Councillors

  Elizabeth needed to create a council to advise her on how to run the country. This was a potential problem because her choice of councillors was bound to be controversial. It was a very tricky decision. She needed:

  To keep the most powerful nobles happy by picking them for key jobs

  To have loyal advisers who would stick by her

  Avoid offending people by showing favouritism or choosing unpopular people for top jobs

  Satisfy both Catholics and protestants by picking too many of one religion
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Councillors

  Serious - Elizabeth had to get rid of many of the previous councillors who had served under Mary I. This would make lots of powerful Catholics unhappy because they would have been sacked. Moreover it was difficult for Elizabeth to find people she knew who would be trustworthy (because she already knew them well) without creating the impression that she had favourites
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Councillors

  Not serious - only a short term issue and she dealt with it effectively by:

  Choosing her privy council very carefully

  Keeping the most powerful nobles in the Privy Council

  Appointing William Cecil as her Secretary of State (chief adviser) he was skilful and very loyal

  So although this was a big potential problem, it turned out not to be a major issue because of the way Elizabeth dealt with it
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - doubts about queens

  Women were regarded as inferior to men. The role of women in society was to look after children and the household not to lead or make tough decisions. When Elizabeth took over many doubted her ability to rule

  Serious - people were especially worried because Mary I's reign had been so disastrous. England was nearly bankrupt and had made more powerful enemies. Many people assumed that Mary's leadership was to blame because she had been a women
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - doubts about queens

  Not serious - the alternatives were worse. The only realistic alternative to Elizabeth was Mary Queen of Scots. For many people she was a terrible idea:

  She was married to the King of France;

  She was a Catholic;

  She was a women so it would not solve the issue.

  So although this was a problem people were willing to give Elizabeth a chance and when she turned out to be a good leader she was much loved
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Succession

  Elizabeth had no children and no heir. While Elizabeth had no children there would always be competition and hostility between the rivals to be the next monarch. This created uncertainity and questions. Her siblings had an average lifespan of just nineteen so this was a pressing issue
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Succession

  Serious - Elizabeth search for a husband was an impossible task with no obvious solution. If she chose an English nobleman this would almost certainly cause other nobles to become angry and jealous. If she picked a foreign prince this would certainly mean marrying a Catholic That would anger most Englishmen who were Protestants. Also she was reluctant to marry women had to obey their husbands so she would lose her power and freedom if she married. Major problem as there was no obvious solution
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Succession

  Not serious - this was not a particularly urgent issue. Although, most women were married by the age of 25, Elizabeth was able to put this off by allowing herself to be courted by potential husbands, without ever actually marrying any of them. So she appeared to be tackling the problem when she was younger. In her later years the lack of a successor was turned into a strength as her sacrifice in not having children could be seen as a sign of her dedication to England
• Problems Elizabeth faced in 1588 - Religion

  England use to be a Catholic country under Mary I

  Elizabeth's three predecessors had changed the official religious beliefs of the country:

  From Catholic to Protestant (Henry VIII)

  From Protestant to a more extreme version of Protestantism - almost Puritanism (Edward VI)

  From protestant to extreme Catholic (Mary I)
• Problems Elizabeth faced in 1588 - Religion

  Serious - there was no closed solution to this problem. The compromise which makes sense today was full of danger. A middle way between Protestantism and Catholicism would potentially please no one. Eventually would have something to be unhappy about. Moreover, this was an urgent issue. After Mary I's attack on Protestants people were eager to find out what Elizabeth was going to do. The Queen could not pretend that she did not care. Religion was the most important part of everyday life
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Religion

  Not serious - Although, this was a massive issue, Elizabeth herself was prepared to be flexible. This made the religious situation less problematic because she was not so blindly committed to one way of doing things that she would refuse to accept compromise. If she had opted for one of the extreme choices she was guaranteed to cause trouble. But by being prepared to accept compromise she gave herself the chance to keep on good terms with everyone
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Enemies abroad

  England faced the threat of attack from three different foreign countries

  France: In 1557 Mary I took England to war with France but the war was not a success as in January 1558, the French conquered Calais (England last remaining territory on the European mainland). This made it more difficult to control the Channel and increased the risk of French invasion. War cost huge amounts of money and the French had a stronger army than England
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Enemies abroad

  England faced the threat of attack from three different foreign countries

  Spain: England was fighting alongside Spain against France. So they were allies. But Spain was also very strongly Catholic. The Spanish would be extremely unhappy if Elizabeth made any move to restore Protestantism in England
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Enemies abroad

  England faced the threat of attack from three different foreign countries

  Scotland - Mary Queen of Scots was married to the French King (Francis II) . This increased the risk of the French invading England from Scotland and putting Mary on the throne.
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Enemies abroad

  serious - this was an urgent problem. England was spending huge amounts of money on the war with France. There seemed to be an imminent threat of invasion from France and Scotland. Elizabeth needed to act quickly in order to reduce the level of threat. It was potentially a long term problem. If Elizabeth was planning to make England into a Protestant country, then both France and Scotland were likely to be long term enemies
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - Enemies abroad

  Not Serious - There was an easy short term solution to this problem. Elizabeth signed a peace treaty with France at Cateau-Cambresis in January 1559. This meant that the threat from France was significantly reduced for the moment

  Although war was potentially dangerous it would often unite the English people. As Queen she was good at taking on foreign enemies.

  Spain actually wanted to stay on good terms with Britain as they were more worried about France than England and England was a useful ally to Spain
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - All about the money

  Elizabeth needed money in order to run the country. Unfortunately, England was in debt by £300,000 because Mary I had spent so much on the war with France. Elizabeth could of potentially asked Parliament for higher taxes but calling a meeting of Parliament was risky. Parliament could make big demands of the Queen if they knew she was that desperate for money.
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - All about the money

  Moreover, the Government was worried about levels of poverty. When the harvest were bad food prices rose fast. This happened in the 1550s under Mary I. Food shortages led to food riots. In times of shortage people were more likely to join rebellions. Since Elizabeth was already worried about the loyalty of her people for other reasons this was a major issue
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - All about the money

  Serious - The Government was in so much debt it was a problem that was going to continue for some time. It was made even worse by the fact that Elizabeth had to borrow £100,000 to resupply the army. This was to prepare England so that she could fight off their enemies

  There was no obvious way of dealing with poverty. If bad harvests happened or if there was a flu epidemic, the monarch had no way to control this.
• Problems faced by Elizabeth in 1558 - All about the money

  Not serious - not an urgent problem in some ways:

  Government finances: The Government was always able to borrow money in the short term. This is what Elizabeth did when she needed to re-stock the Army in 1558-1559

  Poverty - although the harvest of 1556 had been terrible, the harvest of 1557 was good and the harvest of 1558 was exceptional. So Elizabeth was under less pressure here. Better harvests also meant that the Crown was likely to receive more money in taxes and rent. The problem was gone for the time being
• Constant religious changes

  Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic church

  Until the 1530s England was a Catholic country and most people were Catholic. In the early 1530s, Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. The Pope refused to accept the divorce and so Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. He rejected the Pope's authority and made himself head of the Church of England. Henry did not support the Protestant Reformation so he didn't try to reform the English Church and make it Protestant so Catholic beliefs and practises remained largely unchanged
• Constant religious changes

  Edward VI tried to make England more Protestant

  He was a strong supporter of Protestantism and tried to reform the English Church

  He made churches and church services simpler. Statues and decorations were removed from the churches and priests were not allowed to wear elaborate Catholic vestments (robes that priest wear). A new Protestant prayer book was issued, and church services were held in English, not Latin.
• Constant religious changes

  Mary I restored Catholicism and persecuted Protestants

  Queen Mary I was a devout Catholic. She restored the Pope as head of the English Church, removed Edward's Protestant reforms and brought back Catholic beliefs and practises. Under Mary, Protestants were harshly persecuted. More than 280 people were executed for their beliefs and hundreds more (known as Marian exiles) fled to Protestant countries in Europe.
• Elizabeth I wanted to create religious stability
• In 1559 she passed the religious settlement it was a compromise between Protestant and Catholic beliefs
• Act of Supremacy gave Elizabeth control over the Church

  Henry VIII and Edward VI had used the title Supreme Head of the Church of England. In her Act of Supremacy (passed in 1559) Elizabeth altered this title to make herself the Supreme Governor of the English Church.

  The act required churchmen and people holding public office to swear the Oath of Supremacy. They had to recognise the Queen as Supreme Governor and promise to be loyal to her. Most parish priest took the Oath.
• The Act of Uniformity and the Royal injunctions both passed in 1559, imposed moderate Protestant reforms on the English Church but they also made some concessions to English Catholics:

  Reforms

  Going to Church was compulsory - there were fine for missing a church service

  A new Book of Common Prayer was issued, which had to be used in all churches

  All parishes had to have a copy of the Bible in English
• The Act of Uniformity and the Royal injunctions both passed in 1559, imposed moderate Protestant reforms on the English Church but they also made some concessions to English Catholics:

  Concessions

  The wording of the communion service was kept deliberately vague so that it would be accepted by both Protestants and Christians

  Churches were allowed to keep some decorations and priests had to wear certain Catholic vestments (robes)
• Religious settlement - features of Church of England Catholics accept

  Elizabeth was Supreme Governor of the Church of England

  Stained Glass windows and organs were kept as well as many crucifixes

  No punishment for celebrating Mass privately under Elizabeth I
• Religious settlement - features of Church of England Catholics not like

  Fines for people who did not attend Church called recusants

  No place for the Pope in the leadership of the Church of England

  Outfits worn by the Priests were often ornate gowns. They were not plain and black like the Puritans wanted but also less ornate than under Mary

  Though there was a vague 'communion' in the Book of Common Prayer, there was no mass

  Many Puritan priests removed the crucifix from their own churches but Elizabeth did not punish them
• Catholics oppose the religious settlement

  Opposition from ordinary Catholics

  Many quietly refused to follow the new Church of England. They could chose not to turn up to Church and pay a fine. These people were called recusants

  Celebrate Mass in private particularly after a Church of England service on a Sunday Morning. They would have a secret meeting place where they would hold this event

  Hide Catholic images and relics (statues) away from the eyes of Elizabeth's inspector
• Catholics oppose the religious settlement

  Opposition from ordinary Catholics SERIOUS

  Long term challenge to the Religious Settlement because Elizabeth was not prepared to punish recusants harshly, they continued to defy her. This defiance did not seem to be too much a problem initially. However, this was potentially very dangerous if there was a rebellion as these people might join the rebellion against Elizabeth
• Catholics oppose the religious settlement

  Opposition from ordinary Catholics NOT SERIOUS

  Most ordinary Catholics did not have much power or influence. If it was just ordinary people refusing to go to church, Elizabeth was happy to tolerate this. She knew that she would have made them more powerful by doing what Mary I had done and killing Protestants making them into martyrs
• Catholics oppose the religious settlement

  Opposition from Catholic nobles

  Catholics nobles would often celebrate Mass in private. They would gather together with other Catholics to have a secret Mass meeting with other like minded people

  Many of the oldest people and richest families in the north of England were recusants. This included the Earl of Northumberland and the Earl of Westmorland. In 1569, they led a rebellion against Elizabeth called the Revolt of the Northern Earls
• Catholics oppose the religious settlement

  Opposition from Catholic nobles SERIOUS

  These people had significant power and influence. People like the Earl of Westmorland and the Earl of Northumberland controlled huge areas of land, were very rich and could raise their own armies. They had an army of nearly 5,000 men in 1569