Early Elizabethan England

• when did Elizabeth become queen

  1558
• elizabethan England 1558


  it was very hierarchical and everyone knew their place in society
• who was head of society and government

  the queen
• what was the centre of all political power during elizabeths reign

  the royal court
• privy council


  ' a committee of ministers Elizabeth appointed to advise her'

  
  

  they were a small group of leading nobles and they advised Elizabeth. they had great power and helped run the country
• how many people were on the privy council


  Elizabeth appointed 19 people to be on the privy council and they met several times a week
• nobles

  there were about 100 nobles and they were expected to deal with social unrest and crime in their lands. they would also be the army commanders in time of war
• who was in the gentry

  lesser nobles, knights and lawyers (they helped ruin local governments and acted as judges and sheriffs
• who else helped run the government

  the growing class of merchants
• yeomen and tenant farmers


  (large class)

  - they rented their land to others

  - if they could prove ownership to their land yeomen could vote in parliament
• when would Elizabeth call parliament

  when it was about finance. Elizabeth needed parliament to grant money from taxes to pay for the running and defence of the country
• how many times was parliament called between 1558-88

  9 times (all about finance and taxes)
• what was parliament consisted of

  the house of lords and house of commons

  - 100 bishops, lords and judges (HOL)

  -the lower house of parliament (HOC)

  - there were about 450 Mp's in the commons who were elected by wealthy landowners (mainly merchants, gentry, lawyers)
• who was at the base of the hierarchy

  labourers, serpents and poor
• elizabeths personal problems (4)

  - many Catholics believed she was illegitimate and therefore had no right to the throne

  
  

  - because she was married people believed that she would not be strong or effective enough and that being unmarried would deter foreign rulers. she appeared vulnerable and weak

  
  

  - marriage would hopefully lead to an heir and Elizabeth was not married so no heir could be produced - issue of succession

  
  

  - there was a fear Elizabeth would not choose her advisors wisely
• elizabeths strengths and character (4)

  - she was brought up as protestant

  - she was well educated and spoke many different languages

  - she endured the execution of her mother so was redeemed as strong as she was brought without a mother

  - she was cautious and perceived as politically intrigue for most of her life
• What were Tudor monarchs expected to pay for?


  Costs of running England

  and if they needed more money they had to call for parliament - so the monarchs did not like to do this
• in 1558 where was England likely to be invaded by


  france
• war against France

  1557

  meant Elizabeth inherited a loss of £300,000 and calais had just been lost which was a valuable port for England
• government spending when Elizabeth became queen

  government spending was high and despite her being in debt she spent £100,000 on arms and munitions
• exchequer


  A department or office of state in England charged with the collection and management of the royal revenue and judicial determination of all revenue causes
• challenges with the exchequer book

  royal land had not produced sufficient rent to keep the exchequer book balanced
• Mary QOS (challenge)


  many French believed Mary QOS should be ruler as she was catholic legitimate and had a heir and was married to the French kings son
• Mary I religion

  she had reintroduced roman catholicism which caused great resentment among protestants but pleased the catholics however Elizabeth was Protestant so it changed again
• Roman Catholics and protestants (5)

  - protestants had rebelled against Queen Mary's reintroduction of Catholicism. Mary had burnt 300 protestants at the stake

  - Mary was a protestant who sought to restore Protestantism, but was aware that forcing people to change could start a civil war

  - many of Elizabeth's newly appointed advisers were protestant

  - there were also puritans who caused controversy too
• Elizabeths religious settlement

  - tried to create a settlement which would satisfy all religious groups

  - acts of supremacy and uniformity

  - all government officials and clergy had to swear an oath to elizabeth

  - all church services had to be in english

  - the prayer book was to be used in english too

  - some catholic features were restored such as candles and vestments

  -services included prayers for the queen and priests were told what to say

  - clergy were allowed to marry

  - failure to attend church services meant a fine of on shilling - RECUSANCY FINES

  - the settlement did not cause any rebellions
• when was the fine introduced for catholics not attending church

  1559
• when was the religious settlement

  1559
• what was the act of supremacy

  the act that made elizabeth head of the church
• what was the act of uniformity


  the act specified the form of the church service which had to follow throughout england
• What were the Royal Injunctions?


  a set of instructions ordered by sir William Cecil on behalf of the queen for the clergy to follow
• clergy


  people who have been trained and approved for carrying out religious services in the church
• the church if england and ts role in society (4)

  - the vast majority of people went to church at least once a week

  - peoples lives revolved around the church

  - the church ran schools and organised social events for the parish

  - leading a good life with the church would lead to a good afterlife
• when did dissatisfaction grow with elizabeth and the religion of england

  after 1569
• the puritan challenge (6)

  - happy that that Protestantism was the official religion of england but they were frustrated that Elizabeth had introduced Catholic tendencies int the religion

  - in the communion services the puritans felt as though the presence of jesus was spiritual not physical

  - some puritans remained as bishops and with puritan MP's tried to persuade Elizabeth to a more puritan style - this evoked elizabeth making all puritan priests resign

  - some puritans felt as though Elizabeth should not have any bishops and only have enthusiastic priests

  -the puritans were only a minority so elizabeth had to take the rest of the country into consideration

  - elizabeth felt settled that the puritans would never plot with the catholic powers of france and spain
• when did Elizabeth make all puritan priests resign by

  1583
• the catholic challenge (6)

  - many catholics in the house of lords spoke against the settlement but they were unable to prevent the passing of the acts

  - catholics were upset that the settlement did not permit latin mass and therefore catholics often held masses in nobles houses

  - some catholics decided not to attend church and elizabeth didnt enforce he recusancy fines too heavily

  - the excommunication gave catholics justification for any rebellions against elizabeth and fro any foreign intervention to help Mary QOS

  -spain did not wish to challenge elizabeth incase mary QOS became queen and helped France, Spain's enemy

  - France was experiencing religious turmoil and did not wish to challenge elizabeth
• what did catholics do because they couldn't have latin mass


  they held mass in catholic nobles houses
• catholic threat (the papacy)


  - at first the papacy did not challenge the settlement because it was felt that Elizabeth may change her mind, but Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570. The excommunication encouraged encouraged catholics not to obey elizabeth and opened the way fro plots against her to get Mary QoS to the throne
• when did pope pius V excommunicate against elizabeth

  1570