General Elizabeth

• Elizabeth's birth was a disappointment to her father, Henry was desperate to have a son and heir and had gone to great lengths to make this happen.
• Henry had divorced his first wife Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn who gave birth to Elizabeth in 1533.
• Anne was accused of committing adultery with several men in court and was executed for treason in 1536, Elizabeth was two years old.
• For the rest of her father's reign, Elizabeth was well looked after and highly educated. She was being prepared for life as a member of royal court, the large group of advisors and other figures that surround the monarch.
• More than likely Elizabeth would be married off to an important foreign figure to help from an alliance. Like other women, Elizabeth would have no role in decision making.
• When her brother Edward became king at 9, Elizabeth went to live with her father's sixth wife, Katherine Parr and her new husband, Thomas Seymour, the king's uncle. After Katherine's death rumours circulated that Seymour and Elizabeth were to marry so he could gain influence over the young king. Despite Seymour being executed for treason, Elizabeth's loyalty remained under suspicion for a long time.
• When Mary became queen, she spent much of her reign feeling paranoid about threats and rebellions. She saw Elizabeth as a potential threat and imprisoned Elizabeth in the Tower of London in 1554 after she was accused of supporting the Wyatt rebellion.
• Many of Mary's enemies wanted Elizabeth to replace her sister on the throne. These 5 years gave Elizabeth time to grow as a leader by seeing the mistakes her sister made.
• When Elizabeth became Queen she needed to establish her authority. When she was crowned at 25, she had many enemies. She was also surrounded by men, many of whom had served the court of her father.
• Her childhood had been so difficult; her mother was executed, her stepmother died during childbirth, and then she spent years under suspicion. It seemed likely that these experiences would have had an impact later on when she mas decisions about marriage or how to deal with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots.
• People questioned Elizabeth's ability to rule because she was a woman, she was also young and inexperienced, people questioned her legitimacy and if they believed she should even be queen aswell.
• Another of Elizabeth's problems was that England was at war with France but had no allies, and her sister Mary had left England in huge debts.
• Some other problems Elizabeth faced was the fact that she was unmarried with no children and that many people living in poverty were liable to rebel against her.
• The role of the privy council in Elizabethan England was to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the country. It's members included Elizabeth's main advisers, they could be called upon at any time to deal with almost any issue, including military and foreign affairs, religion and the queen's security.
• If the privy council agreed on a particular issue, it was hard for Elizabeth to refuse it, luckily for her privy councillors rarely were united. The privy council was run by the secretary of state.
• The hierarchy goes:

  • God
  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Nobles and Lords
  • Gentry and Merchants
  • The Rest Of The Population
• Nobles and Lords:

  • Archbishops/Bishops
  • Judges - heard cases in main law courts
  • The court and the privy council
  • Parliament - house of commons and the house of lords
  • Quarter sessions - (this class and the gentry)
• Gentry and Merchants:

  • 900 parish priests
  • Local law courts
  • Lord lieutenants (very high up in this class)
  • Quarter sessions (mix between this class and nobility)
  • Justices of peace - town councils (mayors and elder man elected by wealthy citizens), local officials (constables oversaw taxes, arrested criminals, oversees the poor)
• The rest of the population:

  • Local law courts
  • Churchwardens
• Parliament = The nobility sat here in the Commons and Lords. Had influence over tax and responsible for passing laws.
• Privy Council = Took responsibility for the day to day running of the country. Members were Elizabeth's main advisers who dealt with any issues, including military and foreign affairs.
• Lord Lieutenants = Took responsibility for particular areas of the country. They settled disputes and collected taxes. Also raised militia to fight for the queen if needed.
• Justices of the Peace = Each country had several of these to ensure order was kept and ensure law is kept.
• Royal Court = Around 1000 people from the highest nobles to servants.
• William Cecil = Elizabeth's most trusted advisor
• Francis Walsingham = Known as Elizabeth's "spy master" who keeps Elizabeth's enemies under close surveillance
• Patronage = This means giving titles, power or other rewards to ensure individuals' support
• Militia = Army which was raised if the queen was threatened
• Secretary of State = Leader of the privy council - overall in charge
• King Phillip of Spain = Phillip was one of the most powerful men in the world, as well as one of the wealthiest, Spain's control of South America made the country very rich
• King Phillip of Spain = The biggest barrier between Elizabeth and Phillip was religion, Phillip was Catholic and Elizabeth was Protestant. This created many problems, such as what religion their child would be raised in.
• Charles of Austria = He is very powerful and wealthy, he however unlike Elizabeth is Catholic. If Elizabeth died childless Charles wanted to succeed her and become king.
• Robert Dudley = He was the queen's childhood friend, many assumed that they would marry. Dudley was a key figure in the royal court, as a privy councillor he wielded great power and influence in government.
• Robert Dudley = When his wife died after a fall he was free to marry once again, but the scandal of her death (some thought he killed her deliberately) meant that marriage became almost impossible.
• Duke of Alencon = Could lead to influence in France, as his brother was childless, he was the next heir to the throne.
• Duke of Alencon = By the time marriage was considered, Elizabeth was 46, and considered too old for children. If she died childless while married the the French heir, England could fall under French rule. Another difference was that Francis was Catholic whilst Elizabeth was protestant.
• None of Elizabeth's suitors were ever a serious consideration
• Earl Of Essex Pt1: Robert Deveraux was born in 1566 and became the Earl of Essex in 1573. When Essex's mother married the Ear of Leicester, he introduced Essex to the Queen. Although 30 years older, Elizabeth became very keen with him and soon made him a privy councillor.
• Earl of Essex Pt2: His power grew and grew when the Queen gave him a monopoly of sweet wine in England. This meant he was the only person in England to sell this and he soon became very rich. Essex became even more powerful when he defeated the Spanish in a battle in 1596. Essex soon fell out with Robert Cecil at court and they became enemies, Robert was the son of William Cecil - the Queen's closest adviser.
• Earl of Essex Pt3: Essex had an argument with the Queen during a privy council meeting, Essex turned his back on the Queen and she slapped him around the head. He nearly drew his sword but was stopped by the other privy councillors. Elizabeth took no further action and he did not even apologise.