Elizabethan England

• What problems does Elizabeth have at the start of their reign?


  Henry VII has done everything to ensure the Tudo reign but Mary, Edward VI and Elizabeth was childless

  In 1562, Elizabeth had small pox and nearly dies people

  Parliament wanted Elizabeth to marry
• Mary, Queen of Scots

  Next line in throne was Mary Queen of Scots

  1568, Mary was exiled and became a real threat
• Ireland

  Elizabeth believed she was Queen of England

  In 1559, in Northern Ireland there was an revolt

  Spend thousands of pounds and sent many of her best soldiers to fight rebellion
• Taxation

  Government needed money and got through taxation

  Unpopular due to a lot of pverty

  Raising taxes will be dangerous for new monarch
• Foreign policy

  Deal with powerful country who wanted to control England

  England was an Protestant country and was unpopular

  Netherlands was Protestant controlled by Catholic Spanish

  Elizabeth decide how to deal with concerns eventually
• Religion

  Henry VII and Edward VI began to establish the Protestant faith

  Mary came on throne began to establish the Catholic faith

  Elizabeth allowed Catholics to follow the faith privately

  Puritanism - began to grow which was extreme branch of Protestantism
• Arguments for marriage

  Create an alliance with a foreign country

  Elizabeth could produce and heir to succeed her and continue Tudor line

  Marriage and children would prevent Mary from ruling England after Elizabeth's death
• Arguments against marriage

  Marrying a foreign prince will lead to England failing under their control

  Marryin Englishman could create problems over who had authority

  Marriage in the 16th century meant husband would have authority over Elizabeth

  Giving birth was risky and could lead to death

  Mary I marriage to Spain was an disaster
• Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester

  As the queen's childhood friend and favourites throughout her reign

  His scandal of his wife's death meant marriage became impossible

  Dudley was an Privy Councillor and wielded great power and influence in government
• Francis, Duke of Anjou

  As French King's brother, England could influence in France

  He was heir ro the throne

  Elizabeth was 46, sho hard to have children

  England could lead to French control and Francis was Catholic
• King Phillip II of Spain


  Powerful and wealthiest man in the woeld

  Control of South America meant a lot of resources and made Spain rich

  Elizabeth's brother in law was him

  Biggest barrier was that he was an catholic
• Parliament and marriage

  1566, Parliament began to openly discuss potential matches, Elizabeth was furious and banned the discussion of marriage

  Peter Wentwoeth ignored and rest of Parliament had him arrested and placed in Tower of London

  This is an example of how parliament and the Queen clashed over what role Parliament should take

  Depsite best efforts, Elizabeth never married and many population delt that she was not fulfilling her duty
• Northern Rebellion


  1569
• Northern England

  • Retained their Catholic faith
  • Supported Mary, Queen of Scots
• Questioned Elizabeth's right to rule

  Elizabeth was aware
• Elizabeth

  • Kept Mary under a close watch to prevent an rebellion
  • Stopped Mary from marrying the Duke of Norfolk
  • Left royal court without permission
• Rebellion

  1. A group of Northern Lords led by Westmoreland and Northumberland began an rebellion against Elizabeth

  2. Took control of Durham Cathedral

  3. Celebrated illegal Catholic mass

  4. Began march 4,600 men
• Elizabeth struggled to gather arms

  To resist them
• Response to rebellion

  1. Earl of Sussex raised an army

  2. Rebels disbanded
• Leaders of rebellion fled to Scotland
• Northumberland was executed
• Westmoreland fled to France
• Ridolfi Plot, 1571


  Norfolk spent 10 months in Town in London

  Eventually released kept under house arrest

  Got involved in another plot with Roberto Ridolfi (banker)

  Ridolfi felt foreign support was needed

  1570 Pope commanded Catholics not to follow Elizabeth
• Ridolfi Plot 


  Ridolfi able to travel freely across Europe building support

  Plan for Netherlands to invade England at same time of Rebllion

  Elizabeth would be replaced by Mary, Queen of Sxors

  Elizabeth's network of spies proved too much for the plotters

  Coded letters was discovered on its way north

  Code was cracked with cipher key

  Norfolk confessed and was murdered on 2 June 1572
• Describe Robert Essex 


  Robert Debereux was born in 1566 and inherited title of Earl of Essex in 1569

  When Essex's mother remarried he was introduced to Queen in 1587

  In 1595 became privy councillor due to Elizabeth's favourtism

  Gave Essex monopoly of sweet wine in England and had to pay tax to Essex

  Made a lot of money and developed an rivalry to Robert Cecil

  Essex gained greater respect from Queen as he won against Spainish in 1596
• Robert Essex


  Essex returned to England a hero

  1598, an quarell between Queen about Ireland led Robert to be hit on head and sword to be bought out at Elizabeth

  Elizabeth put under house arrest and took no further action
• Essex and Ireland

  January 1599, Essex became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

  Reluctant to go as he didn't want to lose influence over Cecik

  Job to crush Irish rebellion

  Made truce Irish rebel leader s and knighted army leaders in Ireland which is forbidden

  Queen did not renew sweet wine monopoly and had large debts
• Essex Rebellion

  In February 1601, Essex took four of the queen's privy councillors hostage and with 200 followers marched to his London house with them

  Robert Cecil responded quickly he labelled Essex a traitor

  Essex returned to his house where he found that hostages released by supporters had abandoned his cause

  Essex and his remaining supporters were arrested

  26 February 1601, Cecil was executed in private
• What was The Great Chain of Being

  God is at top

  Followed by his angels and other residents of Heaven

  Human beings are beneath, followed by animals and plants
• What was The Great Chain of Being?

  God is at top

  Followed by his angels and other residents of Heaven

  Human beings are beneath, followed by animals and plants

  Humans:

  Monarch is a top

  Nobility

  Gentry

  Peasant

  Impossible to move
• Land


  Nobility and gentry would buy it

  Land could provide a source of income from rent or growing crops to eat or will to trade

  Land made miney and raised social status
• Nobility 


  Made up of most respected member of society before the queen

  Average income was £6000 and highest noble title was duke, earl and baron

  Nobles have special privileges and protected from treasons, public humiliation

  Richest in society and 14% of country's income went to over 1% of nobility
• Gentry

  Landlord of the countryside

  Lived on the rents of the tenants and did no manual labour

  Income between 10 to 200 pounds per year

  Had significant influence and power over lands many filling important roles such as JPs and Parliament
• Life of wealthy

  Often built fine houses

  Food was entirely made of meat and fine

  Banquets enabled people to show off people's produce
• Often built fine houses

  Food was entirely made of meat and fine Banquets enabled people to show off people's produce

  Women often paired fine clothes with whitened faces and used lead-based makeup

  Mens wore ruff around the neck during the Elizabeth's golden age
• Theatre's


  Huge appetite for plays and writers

  Playwrights produce plays every year

  Perfomance performed by Chamberlain's Men andd Admiral's Men

  Named after the patron

  Women were not allowed to act on stage

  Female roles performed by boys
• Theatre 


  Popular way to spend your afternoon

  Performances began at 3:30

  Prices varied depending where you sat and performance itself was like a circus

  Heckling and pushing was not uncommon

  Being a patron of theatre was an important way to show how cultured you were to theatre and was good way to please queen
• Opposition to theatre

  Theatre was sinful and dangerous

  Places where drunkeness, crime and other immoral behaviour took place

  Puritans wanted the theatres closed down completely as they were seen as an distraction

  Restrictions were taken place place but theatres popularity soared due to Elizabeth I'd enjoyment
• Why was illegitimacy a problem for Elizabeth?

  Henry had divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon prior to marrying Anne Boleyn, who was Elizabeth's mother. The Catholic Church didn't believe in divorce, so many people thought that his 2nd marriage wasn't valid, so Elizabeth was illegitimate. This called into question Elizabeth's claim to th throne.
• What were some strengths of England when Elizabeth came to the throne?

  - more peaceful after the war of the roses

  - King Henry VIII made himself head of the Church, giving the monarch more power than the pope

  - the printing press meant more people could read

  - Edward VI had become King at 9, and made all Churches strictly protestant