BC -> Elizabethan England

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    • 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