Elizabethan England

• when did elizabeth become queen

  1558

  • she took to the throne following bloody mary's death
• elizabeths family

  henry viii + anne boleyn

  • anne was beheaded as his 2nd wide for adultery

  bloody mary i

  • queen before mary
  • staunch catholic

  edward vi

  • extreme protestant
  • ruled before both of his older sisters
• mary + elizabeth

  • resented elizabeths genealogy + faith
  • both rode together following the defeat of lady jane grey
  • had to conform to catholic practise of communion during marys reign
  • 1554 : mary arrested elizabeth due to her trying to work with rebels against her
  • only declared elizabeth as her successor a few days before her death
• illegitimacy acts

  • 2nd Act of Succession -> declared elizabeth to be illegitimate + have no right to the throne
  • 3rd Act of Succession -> restored as an heir due to catherine paar (still last sibling to rule)
• childhood

  
  

  'her mind is free from female weakness' - roger ascham (tutor)

  • exiled from court
  • lived in various royal residences
  • had a fantastic education for a women sharing some of edwards tutors
  • accomplished linguist + has good memory and intellect
  • gained good reputation from her education
• opinions on predecessors

  henry viii

  • much admiration + love despite their distance

  edward vi

  • once was close with him
  • he soon became aloof + arrogant

  lady jane grey

  • rode against her with mary

  mary i

  • deep suspicion due to her staunch catholic beliefs
  • divided due to elizabeths mothers role
  • was arrested for plotting with rebels against mary
  • 2 allegations of treason during her reign
• elizabeths priorities for the future

  • faith -> moderate protestantism
  • successor -> struggled as she didnt wed or have kids
  • femininity -> had to prove her peers that she was worthy + legitimate ruler
  • rivals -> wars against rivals like france + spain were impending
  • advisors -> knew the importance of helpful council
  • poverty -> understood the risk of poor people rebelling
• how was elizabeths government structured

  • monarch -> privy council -> royal court

  privy council = parliament + justices of the peace + lord lieutenants

  royal court = government officials + ladies in waiting + servants
• what was elizabeths role as monarch in the government

  • declared war
  • call + dismissed parliament
  • appointed privy councillors
  • appointed lord lieutenants
• what was the privy councils role in the government

  • main advisors of fay to day running of the country
  • chosen by elizabeth + led by secretary of the state
  • ruled over law courts
  • mostly gentry members (middle class)
• what was parliaments in the government

  house of lords = nobility of bishops + lords

  house of commons = wealthy + educated people

  • passed laws
  • some influence over tax
  • controlled by elizabeth who decided when to call them
• what was the justices of the peace role in the government

  • several in each county
  • acted by the local gentry (rich landowners)
  • enforced the law
  • could send people to prison
• what was the lord lieutenants in the government

  • collected taxes
  • raised militia (soldiers) for the queen
• progresses

  travelling around the country to stay at the wealthy + nobles houses in summer

  • london stank + suffered from plague in summer so she wanted to leave
  • inherited large debt#s from marys reign
  • travelled with her entire household + royal court
  • hosting was an expensive honour
• william cecil

  • secretary of state + MP
  • elizabeths most trusted advisor
  • encouraged her to fight catholic rivals + control ireland
  • key in developing poor laws + religious policies
  • member of the gentry
  • protestant
• francis walsingham

  • secretary of state
  • in charge of foreign affairs
  • elizabeths spy master + had a network of informers
  • key in dealing with mary queen of scots
  • member of the gentry
  • puritan
• duke of norfolk

  • elizabeths 2nd cousin
  • richest + most powerful noble in england
  • lord lieutenant of the north
  • involved in plots against elizabeth
  • sympathised with catholics
• robert dudley

  • childhood friend
  • earl of leicester
  • master of the horse -> responsible for her personal safety
  • member of the privy council
  • puritan
• parliaments power

  could pressure elizabeth to accept policies she disliked

  • 1563 + 1566 -> marriage + the succession
  • 1571 -> religious reforms
  • 1581 -> anti catholic laws
  • 1586 -> mary queen of scots execution

  more confident to argue against elizabeth

  • they were better educated
  • supposed to have freedom of speech + freedom from arrest
• what are some facts about parliament

  • no. of sessions = 14
  • total no. of weeks in session = 140
  • average no. of weeks they met annually = 3
  • no. of years they didnt meet = 29
  • % of MPs who spoke in debates = 10%
  • average % of MPs who voted = 47%
  • total no. of acts passed = 434
• limits to parliaments powers

  • elizabeths councillors nominated MPs
  • elizabeth saw them as 'little boys' and did not take them seriously
  • members of the privy council sat in to manipulate parliament
  • elizabeth only attended in person when she needed a law passed
  • she appointed the speaker to control topics discussed
  • she imprisoned MPs who argued for freedom of speech (e.g. peter wentworth)
  • elizabeth could dissolve parliament whenever she wanted
• why should elizabeth have got married

  • men didnt trust women to rule alone
  • bloody mary had been an unpopular ruler
  • alliances with foreign countries
  • producing an heir to secure the throne
  • needed a king to lead england into battle
• why didnt elizabeth marry

  • keeping her independence
  • could die during childbirth
  • henry beheaded anne boleyn
  • bloody mary + philips marrige was disapproved + caused a rebellion
  • rhetoric that she was 'married to england'
  • imprisoned MP peter wentworth for questioning marriage + succession
  • kept everyone loyal by keeping people guessing and not hurting anyones feelings through her decisions
• who were the main proposals for marriage

  • robert dudley
  • king phillip ii of spain
  • francis duke of anjou
• problems of succession

  • 1562 : she nearly died of smallpox
  • was getting older + less likely to have kids (over 30)
  • having a certain heir would provide stability + prevent later fighting over the crown
• the suffolk claim

  • henry viiis ill said ,if his 3 children died childless, the throne would be passed to the descendants of his younger sister - mary , duchess of suffolk
  • 1553 : marys grandaughter ,lady jane grey, was executed for stealing the throne
  • lady jane greys 2 sisters (catherine + mary) ere all protestants and potential heirs
  • both catherine + marry married without elizabeths permission
  • elizabeth consequentially imprisoned them both + barred them from succession
• robert dudley in marriage

  • her childhood friend
  • disgraced as his father attempted to stop marys ascension + was executed
  • became a key member o the royal court
  • was married to amy dudley who died in mysterious circumstances : any relation with the queen became scandalous
  • eventually waited but married her cousin in 1978 ,the countess of essex,
  • made other nobles jealous + wasn't of royal nobility
• king philip ii of spain in marriage

  • one of the most powerful + rich men alive
  • controlled south america through spanish colonies
  • was married to bloody mary but was so unpopular there were rebellions against him
  • wanted to use british money + soldiers for spanish
  • was very insulted when rejected by elizabeth
• francis, duke of anjou in marriage

  • brother of the french king + heir to the throne
  • 20 years younger than elizabeth
  • was a catholic + physically deformed
  • her 'frog' -> genuinely fond of each
  • divided the privy council (cecil liked him / walsingham + dudley didnt)
  • 1572 St Bartholomew Day massacre -> murder of thousands of protestants made him ineligible and negotiations were called off
• the stuart claim

  • mary queen of scots claim as she was a descendant from margret - henry viiis sister who married into the scottish family
  • mary was raised in france as a catholic
  • elizabeth planned to control her by making her marry dudley
  • mary instead married her cousin lord darnely, who also had claims to the english + scottish throne
  • this strengthened her + her sons claims to the throne
• the earl of essex

  robert devereux

  • dudleys stepson
  • a young, attractive courtier in the privy council
  • angered elizabeth through his short temper + hubris
  • a rival of the cecils
  • monopoly of sweet wine
  • held military success against spanish in 1596
  • married walsinghams daughter without telling elizabeth
  • was banished from court multiple times
• essexs irish rebellion

  1598

  • elizabeth asked him to be lord lieutenant to defeat rebellion in ireland
  • he instead made a truce with the rebel leader (the earl of tyrone) + knighted some of his army leaders in ireland against elizabeths wishes
  • cecil was also promoted whilst he was away
  • upon return, he burst into her chamber when she was not gowned or wigged
  • has to stand before privy council + was banned from court + arrested
  • lots all his monopolies + got into debt
• the essex rebellion

  1601 - 12 hours

  • earl thought he needed to save the queen from council pollution
  • rounded up 200 supporters
  • fortified his home + held 4 privy councillors hostage
  • rebels who were offered pardons abandoned essex
  • his route to london was blocked
  • he returned home to forces at his home
  • he underestimated elizabeths government + overestimate his strength
• earl of essexs trial

  • he was put on trial for treason
  • he was found to be a traitor
  • was executed inside the tower of london on 25th feb 1601
  • executed in private showed elizabeth to lose her power
• how was the elizabethan era a golden age

  • BAT SLEEP

  Buildings -> stately homes built now

  Art -> new symbolic art produced creating cult of personality around 'gloriana'

  Theatre -> theatre is more societally accepted + celebrated through works of shakespeare

  Science -> improvements in navigation+ tech like the printing press

  Literature -> poetry and plays are widely written and performed now

  Education -> founded more grammar schools + less church run schools

  Exploration -> new lands found through colonies

  Power -> capitalism is thought of now + defeat of spanish armada
• how was the elizabethan era not a golden age

  torture

  • capital punishment still in practise

  poverty

  • the poor rebel as their lives dont improve

  medicine

  • low life expectancy + unreliable practises like alchemy till used

  sports

  • violent 'blood sports'' remain popular despite animal abuse

  propaganda

  • unrealistic image depiction of elizabeth
  • ageing queen added risks to the country
• significance of theatres

  cultural renaissance

  entertainments for all

  • division in seating showed societal divide

  economics

  • generated revenue through ticket sales + patronage
  • significant to elizabethan englands burgeoning (flourishing) economy

  political + societal commentary

  • resonated + intrigued contemporary audiences

  censorship

  • elizabeth appointed the master of revels
  • licenced + authorised plays to limit their influence

  propaganda

  • elizabeth used plays to convey messages
  • reinforced national identity + promoted loyalty to the crown through powerful historic figures in the tudor dynasty
• the nobility + theatre

  • paying for theatre companies (e.g. the kings men + admirals men) showed culture
  • pleased elizabeth
  • made people seem more respectable
• rich vs poor in theatre

  • prices vaied depending on whether viewers were seated or stood
  • refreshments were available for the rich
• opposition to theatre

  puritans

  • religious objectors saw plays as sinful
  • theatres were often built outside the walls of the south bank of the river thames (sharing in bad rep)

  1572 laws

  • all bands of actors had to be licensed
  • actually increased numbers of theatrical organisations + theatre building