History: elizabethan england

• Ann Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth


  1533
• Henry was desperate to have a son who could be a male heir and continue the Tudor line and had gone to great lengths to ensure this
• Ann Boleyn was executed for treason


  1536
• Henry had gone on to marry Jane Seymour who gave birth to Edward, the male heir that Henry wanted
• For the rest of her fathers reign she was looked after quite well and was prepared for life as a member of the Royal court
• Elizabeth would have no say in important decisions but would play a valuable role
• Henry VII dies, Edward became King


  1547
• Elizabeth went to live with Henry's 6th wife Katherine Parr
• After Katherine's death there were rumours that Seymour and Elizabeth would marry so he could gain influence over the King
• Seymour was executed for treason and Elizabeth's loyalty remained under suspicion throughout her brother and her sister's reign
• Edward died, Henrys eldest daughter, Mary, became queen


  1533
• Mary spent much of her reign worried about rebellions and threats
• She saw Elizabeth as a potential threat as a symbol of enemies and even had her imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1554 after she was accused of supporting a rebellion
• Due to religious differences many of Marys enemies wanted Elizabeth to take over her sister's reign
• Marys 5-year reign allowed Elizabeth to grow as a future leader
• Elizabeth became Queen


  1558
• Elizabeth needed to establish her authority as she already had many enemies
• She was also surrounded by men who had served her fathers court
• Elizabeth had a hard childhood with her mother being executed when she was a child, seeing her stepmother die in childbirth and had been under suspicion for a large period of her life
• These experiences would have had an impact on her reign and how she makes her decisions on things like being married or how to deal with her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots
• Elizabeth's Court


  Although she was Queen, she did not have complete freedom. Elizabeth's court of advisors and other figures had clear structure. The government was dominated by few powerful men who at times had great influence on the Queen.
• Main groups who had power

  • Parliament
  • Privy Council
  • Lord Lieutenants
  • Justices of Peace
• Parliament


  Made up of the House of Lords (those of nobility) and the House of Commons (commoners who we still wealthy and educated). It was much less powerful back then, but it had influence over taxes and was responsible for passing laws. The Queen decided when to call parliament and how much of their advice she should listen too.
• Privy Council


  Took responsibility for day to day running of the country. The members were made up of Elizabeths main advisors. Elizabeth could choose who was on the council but in reality, had to appoint the most powerful landowners to avoid the risk of rebellion. The council could be called on to deal with any issue, including military and foreign affairs, religion and the queen's security. If the Privy Council agreed on a particular issue, it was hard for Elizabeth to refuse it. Luckily the council's rarely agreed and it was led by the Secretary of the State.
• Lord Lieutenants


  Appointed by the queen to take responsibility for particular areas of the country. This involved settling disputes and collecting taxes. They were also responsible for the militia of the queen. Lord Lieutenants could also be a Privy Councillor. This position could bring great power and influence.
• Justices of Peace


  Each county had many JPs to ensure order was kept. There were selected from the local gentry and their main role was to ensure that laws passed by Parliament were properly enforced. A single JP had the power to put someone in prison, but many were required to enforce the death penalty. When taking this position JPs had to swear to treat everyone equally no matter if they were rich or poor.
• Royal Court


  Made up of government officials, ladies-in-waiting, servants and advisors. Elizabeth court consisted of around 1,000 people from the highest of nobles down to servants. The Privy Council was a key part of it but other positions like JPS were external. The real power was between the 12 close men of Elizabeth which could be described as the government.
• Throughout her reign, various men became influential in her court. They would usually serve in Parliament or the Privy Council or be a Lord Lieutenant but their relationship with Elizabeth was more important than the title they held.
• Patronage


  The queen could ensure loyalty by giving titles, powers or rewards to ensure individual support. Banishment from court was highly disgraced and patronage was desired.
• When Elizabeth was first crowned in 1558 most people believed a woman wasn't fit to rule the country successful so at the start of her reign she had to deal with the expectations of the people.
• She was surrounded by men. From the beginning of her reign, she faced challenges as a female ruler who was in a world that was ruled by men. She asserted her authority over Parliament and arrested those who disagreed.
• One big problem of hers was who was succeed her. Her heir was Mary, Queen of Scots. For many Englishmen the idea of a scottish, female, Catholic ruler who was once married to the King of France was something that was to be avoided. The way to avoid this was for Elizabeth to marry and give birth to a Protestant son who could succeed her.
• Other Problems included


  • Religion
  • Succession
  • Mary, Queen of Scots
  • Foreign policy
  • Ireland
  • Taxation
• Religion


  Elizabeths father had broken away from the Catholic Church in order to get a divorce. After his death, edward continued to establish the Protestant faith. When Mary came to throne, she tried to re-establish Catholicism. Elizabeth was Protestant but also practical. She allowed Catholic to follow their faith privately but many still remained unhappy and the thought she had no right to be queen as they didn't recognise Henry 2nd marriage. The growing popularity of Puritanism was also becoming a threat.
• Succession


  Henry VII had ensured a future for the Tudors by producing heirs like Edward and Mary but they both dies childless, and Elizabeth was yet to produce an heir. In 1562 Elizabeth almost dies of smallpox and they country was almost left an unsure future. Parliament had encouraged Elizabeth to have child as soon as possible.
• Mary, Queen of Scots


  Without a direct heir the next in line was Elizabeth Catholic cousin, Mary. In 1568 Mary was exiled from Scotland to England and became a threat to Elizabeths rule. Catholics had a queen to fight for.
• Foreign policy


  Elizabeth had to deal with powerful countries who wanted power over England such as spain and france who were both Catholic countries and had the support of the Pope. One major disagreement was the Netherlands who was mainly Protestant but was in conflict with Catholic Spanish who ruled over most of that area. Elizabeth would need to decide how to deal with this but her main priority was keeping England safe.
• Ireland


  Like her predecessors she considered herself Queen of Ireland but many of the Irish disagreed. A revolt in 1559 in Northern Ireland was the first of many of her reign. She spent thousands of pounds and sent many of her soldiers to limit the rebellion, but nothing worked in the long term.
• Taxation


  The government needed money and one way to get was in taxes but in great poverty taxes would be unpopular with the people and raising taxes would be dangerous for a new monarch.
• Arguments for marriage


  • Marriage could create an alliance with a foreign country or win the support of an important english family
  • By marrying, Elizabeth could produce and heir and carry on the Tudor line
  • Marriage and children would prevent Mary, Queen of Scots from ruling England after her death