Elizabethan England

• Why was Elizabeth seen as illegitimate?

  Due to the unlawful marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII
• Lord Lieutenants:

  • Appointed by the queen
  • Responsible for running a particular area of the country
  • Responsible for raising a militia to fight for the queen if needed
  • Majority also served a part of Privy council
• Parliament:

  • Made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons
  • Had influence over tax and was responsible for passing laws.
  • The Queen could choose when to call parliament and was free to ignore their adivce
• Justices of the peace:

  • Several in every county
  • Responsible for maintaining order and enforcing law
• Privy Council:

  • Responsible for day to day running of country
  • Was full of the most powerful landowners in the country to prevent rebellion
  • If the council was united it was basically impossible for Elizabeth to go against wishes
  • Led by secretary of State
• How would Elizabeth control her public image with the help of the court?

  Elizabeth was able to use the court to control her public image. She would use portraits to put across the image of herself as a woman in control of her court and her country.
• William Cecil:

  • Elizabeth’s longest serving minster/advisor- Become Secretary of State in 1571.
  • Acted as Lord Treasure so was responsible for government money
  • Had considerable influence over Elizabeth’s decisions including the execution of Mary QoS and the war with Spain
  • Passionately defended the religious settlement and any attempts to undermine it.
• Robert Dudley:

  • A very close friend of the queen as she was growing up.
  • It was rumored he and the queen were lovers, reinforced by the unexplained death of his wife Amy.
  • His behavior caused scandals. He had affairs with Baroness Sheffield and Lettice Knollys, wife of the Earl of Essex, which led to children and him being banished from court
  • .He was a strong supporter of Protestantism in England and the Netherlands where he led military expeditions.
• Francis Walshingham:

  • A Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis before becoming the queen’s private secretary in 1573.
  • Closely involved with ensuring the queen’s safety and security.
  • Ran a network of spies and informers who uncovered plots against Elizabeth including the Babington and Throckmorton plots.
  • He used codes in all correspondence and developed ways of translating codes of those who plotted against the queen.
• Elizabeth's problem faced: Succession

  • Elizabeth was the last living child of Henry VII and she had no children of her own so it was unclear who would succeed her if she died producing an heir.
  • In 1562 she nearly died of smallpox , this drew attention to the uncertainty of England's future. As a result, senior figures were keen that she married as soon as possible
• Elizabeth's problem faced: Religion

  • The Tudor period has seen England's official religion change a number of times creating instability and violence
  • Many Catholics didn't trust Elizabeth and some claimed that she had no right to be queen
  • Puritanism ( extreme form of Protestanitism ) was also seen as a threat , there were numbers of Puritans who hoped to take control of Elizabeth's church and make it more extreme.
• Elizabeth's problem faced: Foreign Policy

  • Catholic countries like Spain and France wanted influence over England and had the support of the Pope in this Aim
  • One Key area of tension was the Netherlands , this is where Protestant population was in conflict with spanish rulers ( Phillip II of Spain ) , Elizabeth had to decide whether or whether not to get involved
• Elizabeth's problem faced: Taxation

  • The country was short of money and Elizabeth needed to raise taxes
  • Poverty was wide spread and raising taxes would be very unpopular
• Elizabeth's problem faced: Mary Queen of Scots

  • With no direct heir the next in line to the throne was Elizabeth's Catholic Cousin Mary , she was an alternative queen making her a threat to Elizabeth's reign
• Patronage: The practice of giving a person or group a position of power in return for their support.
• How did Elizabeth use patronage?

  Elizabeth would use a system of patronage in order to keep her advisors and court in order. This involved her showing favoritism by giving particular men important jobs. She would give male courtiers specific roles and made sure to give politicians places at court. She would also give monopolies out in order for support.
• What were Progresses?

  Royal tours by the English monarch to various parts of the country.
• How did Elizabeth use progresses?

  Elizabeth would usually travel with her full court procession of around 400 wagons.

  • Progresses also allowed Elizabeth to live a life of luxury at the expense of her noble subjects.

  • The nobility would try to impress her with extravagant and generous offerings, very useful as Henry and Mary had left her in such debt
• Arguements in favour of marriage:

  • Create an alliance with a foreign country or guarantee the loyalty of a powerful English family
  • Produce an heir to continue the Tudor line and stop Mary queen of Scots from become queen when Elizabeth dies.
• Arguements against marriage:

  • Loss of authority by not marrying Elizabeth and England kept their independence
  • Giving birth was very risk during the renaissance era
  • Her experience of marriage had been bad , her father was married six times and ordered her mother to be executed
  • Elizabeth was able to use the possibility of marriage to hear advantage when dealing with foreign leaders and important figures
• Francis Duke of Anjoi A potential suitor:

  • The french king's brother and heir to his throne
  • By the time marraige was proposed Elizabeth was 46 and probally beyond having children , A childless marriage could result in England falling under French control
  • He was Catholic
• King Phillip II of Spain: a potential suitor

  • One of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world
  • He had been married to Elizabeth's sister Queen Mary I
  • He was Catholic
• Robert Dudley: Earl Of Leicester: A potential suitor

  • Childhood friend of the queen and favorite of hers throughout the reign
  • A key figure in royal court
  • His wife died and rumours of his involvement within her death meaning they couldn't marry
• • Robert Devereux :
  • He was a politically ambitious courtier, professional soldier and favourite of Queen Elizabeth. However, by 1598 he had fallen out of favour with the queen after he distributed captured gold to his men rather than to the government. He had also failed to capture gold on the Spanish treasure fleet crossing from South America to Spain. • Essex was banished from court but was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and told to crush the Irish Rebellion led by Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone. However, he failed at this as well.
• Why did Essex Rebellion fail?

  Essex overestimated his support. Many of the nobility, even those who sympathised with him would not risk their position. • Government spies in Essex’s camp undermined the rebellion. For example, Ferdinando Gorges released Essex’s prisoners so he had no hostages. • As a result of this Essex’s support collapsed, he was executed for treason and Robert Cecil’s supporters dominated the court.
• Essex Rebellion Timeline:

  . Essex gathered 300 of his supporters at Essex house, which he had fortified.

  The Lord Chancellor and other royal officers visited Essex but he imprisoned them.

  Essex rode to London to gather support. This failed as the Mayor of London told people to remain in their houses.

  He returned to Essex House, where he was arrested and sent to trial at the Tower of London.
• Hierarchy in the countryside:

  Nobility

  Gentry

  Yeomen

  Tenant farmers

  Landless and working poor

  Homeless and beggars
• Hierarchy in towns:

  Merchants

  Professionals

  Business owners

  Skilled craftsmen

  Unskilled workers

  Unemployed
• What did the Sumptuary law state:

  The Sumptuary Laws (1574) stated that:

  • Only royalty could wear ermine • Only nobility could wear silk, sable fur, gold and silver fabric.

  • Only royalty, gentry and nobility could wear purple. •

  Ordinary people (merchants, professionals, business owners etc.) had to wear wool, linen or sheepskin, and were restricted to certain colors. • Breaking these laws could lead to fines, prison or even execution
• Elizabethan theatre:

  The structure of an Elizabethan theatre reflected the structure of English society. Ordinary people known as ‘groundlings’ watched the plays standing in a pit. Wealthier people sat in a stadium style seating arrangement around the stage. Members of the gentry and merchants sat in the galleries or on the stage on occasion with plays performed around them.
• Importance of theatre:

  Elizabethan plays reflected the society in which they were performed. • For examples Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus’ reflected a growing fascination with witchcraft. For others the play showed a dispute between predestination (God decides our lives for us) and free will. • Plays reflected the vulgar nature of Elizabethans with songs and dances referring to adulterous wives, milkmaids, prostitutes, thieves and muggers.
• Why was theatre popular?

  Theatre was popular in part because it was cheap. People could watch plays despite what they earned. It appealed to all social classes, even those who could not read or write were able to follow the plays
• Negative attitudes towards the theatre:

  Many Puritans disliked the theatre. They claimed it encouraged drunken behavior and sinful habits such as prostitution. Many of the players contained references to sex, drunkenness and witchcraft. This Puritan distaste for theatre was very prevalent among the merchants of London. Others disliked theatre as it caused large gatherings of the poor which some saw as a threat to public order
• Government attitudes towards the theatre:

  The government worried the content of plays may encourage rebellion. Political and religious subjects were forbidden on stage. From 1572 all plays required a license preventing political themes
• Reason for increase in poverty:

  Sheep farming.

  The growth of the wool trade after 1500 meant many farmers preferred to rise sheep rather than grow food. Enclosure encouraged this.
• Reason for increase in poverty:

  Growth of towns

  between 1500 and 1600, such as London and Norwich, drove up the cost of rents, while food prices rose as food had to be brought in from rural areas to be sold.
• Reason for increase in poverty:

  Bad Harvests (1562, 1565, 1573, 1586 and the 1590s) hit farmers hard reducing the supply of food and making food more expensive for the common people.
• Reason for increase in poverty:

  Increasing demand for lands.

  As the population increased more people needed land. His drove up rents and resulted in entry fees (money paid up front for land rental). Many people could not afford to pay these
• Reason for increase in poverty:

  Enclosure.

  From 1500 onwards land was divided up into fields by fencing for animal husbandry, arable farming or both. This denied people use of common land (
• Traditional attitudes towards poverty:

  It was felt that the poor should be given a chance to better themselves but if they chose not to they should be punished. Many remained suspicious of the poor and demonised them as criminals. Vagrants and vagabonds who deceived or threatened the public were dealt with severely. They could be whipped, imprisoned, enslaved or even hanged if caught begging.