elizabethan england 1560s

• Treaty of Edinburgh


  1560
• Treaty of Edinburgh details

  *Ended French military presence in Scotland

  * Elizabeth I and Scottish Protestants signed the Treaty of Edinburgh

  * Ended French military presence in Scotland

  *Mary, Queen of Scots (still Queen of France) was forced to give up her claim to the English throne

  *Strengthened Protestantism in Scotland

  *Reduced French influence - major foreign policy success

  *But Mary never ratified the treaty, keeping tensions high
• The Religious Settlement begins to be enforced

  1560
• The Religious Settlement begins to be enforced details

  * The Elizabethan Religious Settlement (1559) was new, and 1560 saw its enforcement begin in earnest

  *Bishops and clergy had to swear loyalty to the Queen as Supreme Governor

  *Visitations began: commissioners checked churches and clergy for compliance

  *Protestantism became more publicly enforced

  *Some Catholics conformed outwardly but remained recusants privately
• Mary, Queen of Scots, returns to Scotland

  1561
• Mary, Queen of Scots, returns to Scotland details

  *Mary returned to Scotland after the death of her husband, Francis II of France

  *A Catholic queen now ruled over a Protestant nation

  *Elizabeth refused to name Mary her heir, increasing rivalry.

  *Mary's return became a major threat to Elizabeth's throne

  *Mary had a strong claim through her Tudor bloodline
• Edmund Campion execution


  1561
• Edmund Campion execution details

  *The Pope encouraged Catholic priests to undertake secret missionary work in England to convert people back to Roman Catholicism

  *If these men were discovered by Elizabeth's agents, they could be sentenced to death for treason, which is what happened to Edmund Campion
• Elizabeth catching smallpox


  1562
• Elizabeth catching smallpox details

  *Serious threat to her reign as this was life threatening

  *She recovered but it increased the pressure on her to marry and arrange an heir
• Elizabeth Supports Huguenots in France

  1562
• Elizabeth Supports Huguenots in France details

  *Event: Elizabeth sent troops to help French Protestants (Huguenots) in the French Wars of Religion

  *Aimed to regain Calais, lost under Mary I

  *This resulted in failure - English troops withdrew without success

  *Embarrassment for Elizabeth

  *Made her cautious in future foreign interventions
• Statute of Artificers


  1563
• Statute of Artificers


  *New law passed to regulate employment and wages

  *Attempt to deal with unemployment and poverty

  *Everyone had to have work, apprenticeships became compulsory for skilled trades

  *Resulted in government control over economy

  *Part of Elizabeth's 'Poor Laws' and domestic policy reforms
• Second Parliament of Elizabeth's reign

  1563
• Second Parliament of Elizabeth's reign details

  *Parliament met to deal with issues like the succession, religion, and the plague

  *Passed laws punishing recusancy (refusing to attend church)

  *Debates on marriage intensified

  *Showed growing tension between Elizabeth and Parliament
• Outbreak of the Plague

  1563
• Outbreak of the Plague details

  *A severe outbreak of the plague in London and other towns

  *Parliament was closed

  *Public gatherings banned

  *Highlighted poor sanitation and public health

  *Increased fear and social unrest
• Treaty of Troyes

  1564
• Treaty of Troyes details

  *Peace treaty with France after failure in helping Huguenots

  *Elizabeth officially gave up claim to Calais

  *Humiliation for England

  *Realised the limitations of foreign policy and intervention
• Parliament pushes Elizabeth to marry

  1566
• Parliament pushes Elizabeth to marry details


  *Concern over succession - fear of a civil war if Elizabeth died.

  *Elizabeth angrily dismissed them.

  *Reinforced Elizabeth's control over Parliament.

  *Created long-term political tension about succession.
• Vestiarian controversy begins

  1566
• Vestiarian controversy begins details

  *Puritan clergy refused to wear required vestments (robes)

  *They believed wearing elaborate clothing was too Catholic

  *Elizabeth demanded uniformity; Archbishop Parker issued "Advertisements" in 1566 to enforce it

  *Early sign of Puritan resistance

  *Revealed divisions within Protestantism
• Elizabeth considers marrying Archduke Charles of Austria

  1567
• Elizabeth considers marrying Archduke Charles of Austria details

  *Elizabeth considered marrying Archduke Charles of Austria but his Catholic faith meant there were the same religious differences as with King Philip of Spain

  *In the end there was no match.
• Mary, Queen of Scots' Crisis

  1567
• Mary, Queen of Scots' Crisis details

  *Mary married Lord Darnley, then he was murdered; she married Bothwell

  *Scandalous behaviour led to rebellion in Scotland

  *Mary was forced to abdicate and fled to England

  *Elizabeth now had Mary - a Catholic rival - in her custody

  *Led to further political pressure and plots
• Mary, Queen of Scots arrives in England

  1568
• Mary, Queen of Scots arrives in England details

  *Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth's cousin, so she had a dynastic claim to the line of succession to the English throne

  *However, Mary was a Catholic and also half-French, making her unsuitable as a monarch to the majority of English people

  *Mary's life had been filled with dramatic events: she had become Queen of Scotland in 1542 when she was just six days old; her first two husbands died and she was implicated in the second one's murder; she was forced to abdicate and was imprisoned; she managed to escape and fled to England where she sought refuge from Elizabeth in 1568

  *Mary's threat to Elizabeth suddenly became more immediate now that she was in the country

  *In the short term, Elizabeth allowed Mary to live in Carlisle Castle under house arrest for 19 years
• Genoese Loan incident


  1568
• Genoese Loan incident details

  *Elizabeth seized Spanish gold from ships sheltering in English ports

  *Gold was a loan from Italian bankers to Philip II of Spain

  *Outraged Spain - trade war began

  *Start of worsening Anglo-Spanish relations
• English Navy expands


  1568
• English Navy expands details

  *Elizabeth began funding naval expansion

  *Shipbuilding increased, privateering encouraged

  *Sir John Hawkins made early voyages in the slave trade (began 1562, but expanded in 1568)

  *Foundation for England's future naval dominance

  *First signs of growing economic interest in empire and colonisation
• Sir Francis Drake attacked by the Spanish

  1568
• Sir Francis Drake attacked by the Spanish details

  *Attacked by the Spanish at San Juan de Ulua in Mexico, losing four ships and over 300 men

  *He sought to take revenge on the Spanish after this
• The Northern Earls' Rebellion

  1569
• The Northern Earls' Rebellion details

  *The Catholic Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland hatched a plan to get Mary, Queen of Scots out of jail and on to the throne. They gathered an army of 6,000 soldiers in their attempt to return England to Catholicism

  *Elizabeth got wind of the plan and sent a huge army to crush the rebellion - she put 800 rebels to death and the two Earls fled to Scotland.

  *First major Catholic threat to Elizabeth's rule

  *Led to increased persecution of Catholics and stricter laws
• Publication of the "Bull of Excommunication" prepared

  1569 (released in 1570)
• Publication of the "Bull of Excommunication" prepared details

  * Though issued in 1570, it was drafted and prepared in late 1569

  *Reflects how seriously the Catholic world saw Elizabeth's Protestant rule

  *Fuelled Catholic rebellion and resistance across Europe