elizabeth gcse

• The Native American people were more hostile towards the English colonists than they had been led to believe.
• English fishing techniques did not work in Virginia.
• Most of the gunpowder on the ships was damaged, making it difficult to shoot animals for food.
• The belief that Virginia was a 'paradise' was not true, as the colonists felt they had been lied to by people like Walter Raleigh who sold them the idea of colonising Virginia.
• Forming friendly relationships with the natives was difficult due to their hostility towards the English colonists.
• The richer colonists simply believed that the Native American Indians would be willing to do all the hard physical work for them.
• When the colonists were promised exotic foods, they were forced to search for nuts and berries to eat in order to survive.
• In 1558, when Elizabeth became the Queen of England, life expectancy was between 28 and 41, people were expected to follow the official Christian religion of the monarch, England was a violent place with no police force or permanent army, 90% of the population were poor and lived in the countryside, the ownership of land was key to how rich or how powerful a person was, there were clear boundaries between rich and poor, nobody believed in equality and there was a strict social hierarchy with no social mobility, if a person was born poor, they would be expected to remain poor, Elizabethan gove
• Drake’s circumnavigation sent a powerful message to the Spanish about the quality of the English navigators at the time.
• The development of the printing press furthered the number of explorers able to use maps on their travels.
• Drake wanted revenge for a Spanish attack on his fleet in 1567.
• The Spanish attacked Drake and John Hawkins’ ships at a place called St Juan in the New World, killing 325 English sailors.
• The voyage made Drake’s investors very rich from the treasure and foreign goods which he brought back.
• Elizabeth I herself was willing to invest in Drake’s voyage in the knowledge that great wealth could be made for her country.
• Private investors, including Elizabeth I, funded new voyages of discovery, knowing the rewards could be enormous and wanting the power and glory that this gave.
• John Hawkins developed galleons which were much larger and more stable than previous ship designs, allowing them to hold more cargo and be better for longer journeys to the New World.
• Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 3 years, focusing on raiding Spanish colonies and ships in the New World.
• As maps were now printed and not hand copied, all maps were standardised, leading to more reliable journeys.
• Drake’s treasure haul was worth £500 million in today’s money.
• Help, called 'Poor Relief', was given out and paid for by a special local tax called the 'poor rate'.
• Monasteries used to help the poor were closed by the Statute of Artificers 1563.
• Elizabethans did not have sympathy when they believed beggars (vagabonds) were committing crimes.
• There was a more 'national' approach to how the poor were dealt with, who should be helped and who should be punished.
• The Vagabond Act 1572 aimed to stop criminals and vagabonds using harsh punishments.
• Charity existed before Elizabeth’s reign.
• People were worried about the cost of dealing with the poor.
• There was some help for the very poor in Elizabeth England, but the government had to respond to the increasing problem of poverty, vagrancy and vagabondage.
• Some Elizabethans also saw helping the poor as their Christian duty.
• The beliefs of Elizabethans about the poor led to harsh punishments such as imprisonment, publicly whipping through the streets, and hanging.
• Over the period, more help was offered for those in genuine need and the attitude towards some of the poor changed.
• The Poor Relief Act 1576 aimed to clear which people in genuine need and which people were the 'idle' poor.
• The Poor Rate existed before Elizabeth came to power and were allowed to continue during her reign.
• Elizabeth faced key threats from abroad, particularly from France, Scotland and Spain.
• People were worried that poverty in England would lead to disorder and more crime.
• The countries in the Auld Alliance were strict Catholic countries that sided against Elizabeth who was showing further support for the Protestant Church.
• People were sympathetic towards those who could not work because of genuine illness or disability.
• Many believed that if Elizabeth did not have children, there would be no heir to the throne for the Tudor family and she would be more vulnerable to attack and assassination.
• Elizabethans did not have sympathy when they believed the poor were fit to work but too lazy (called the 'idle poor')
• Other threats from abroad were linked to politics and power.
• People were worried as the poor were more visible around them, especially in towns and cities.