Elizabethan england

• what were the features of Elizabeths goverment

  privy council, parliament, lord lieutenants, justices of the peace
• what did the court do


  made up of noble men, acted as advisers helped display her wealth and power
• what did the privy council do

  members of nobility, helped govern the country and parliament, oversaw security
• justices of the peace


  large landowners, kept law and order
• what did parliament do

  Advised Elizabeth's government, the passed laws and approved taxes
• when did Elizabeth become queen

  1558
• how many lived in the countryside

  90%
• who lived in the country

  - nobility -major land owners

  - gentry - small estates

  - farmers - owned or rented small land

  - laborer - had to work to provide for family

  - vagrants - moved from place to place
• who lived in the towns

  Merchants, - traders/wealthy

  professionals, - lawyers, doctors

  business owners, - highly skilled craftsmen

  craftsmen, - skilled employees apprentices

  unskilled labourers and unemployed - no regular work.
• what problems did Elizabeth face when she became queen

  - young and lacked experience

  - government needed money was in debt

  - Catholics refused to acknowledge Elizabeth's right on throne.

  - legitimacy

  - needed support from parliament

  - unmarried
• why did Catholics think Elizabeth question Elizabeth's legitimacy

  Pope refused to acknowledge her mother's marriage to Henry, due to the pope not acknowledging his previous divorce.
• problems if Elizabeth married

  - would reduce her power

  - if she married a protestant Catholics would be upset

  - if she married a Catholic it would upset protestants

  - could lead to wars damaging finance
• problem with Elizabeth never marrying

  she would have no heir to the throne could lead to civil war.
• problems faced with Elizabeth having little experience

  - needed support of the privy council and William Cecil

  - laws could only be passed through parliament
• Elizabeth's character strengths


  - Highly intelligent and well educated (she spoke Latin, Greek, French and Italian)

  - Understood the dangerous world of court politics as she had been imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1554 on suspicion of treason.

  - Confident and charismatic (able to make great speeches which won over her subjects, although she also had a temper people feared)
• how did Elizabeth remove gendered prejudice

  argued that she wasn't a normal women so therefore didn't need to marry and could rule England on her own
• what did propaganda of Elizabeth show

  she was happy to be portrayed as a virgin queen married to only England
• what were the financial weaknesses in 1558

  - crown was £300,000 in debt and had an average annual income of around £280,000

  - over £100,000 of crown debts were owed to foreign money lenders (the Antwerp Exchange) which charged a high interest rate of 14%.

  - Mary I had sold off crown lands to pay for the cost of wars with France so the crown had little rent income and was falling

  - Elizabeth needed money to remain secure on the throne, as she could use it to reward her supporters

  - since the 1540s, the Crown debased the coinage by reducing its silver and gold content, in order to make more money to fight wars against France. this resulted in inflation, as the value of the currency fell.
• what could Elizabeth solve her financial problem

  - she got place in additional taxes but this would be unpopular.

  - increase gold and silver content and new coinage however, people would struggle to trade old coins for new ones.
• what did Elizabeth do to solve financial crisis

  - did not raise taxes but hoarded her own income and cut her own household income

  - sold crowns land and raised £120,000
• when was the crown declared out of debt

  1574
• how did France threaten England in 1558


  France was wealthier than England

  - Mary qu Scots was married to heir to French throne

  - Mary had strong claim to English throne
• what was the Auld alliance


  An alliance between France and Scotland, french soldiers were kept in Scotland meaning they were ready to attack,
• what was the treaty of Cateau-Cambresis

  Signed April 1559. Ended war with France. Calais left to France for 8 years if peaceful. If wasn't returned £125,000 fine. Reduced tension and demonstrated her strength as queen.
• what was the impact of France ending their war with Spain

  reduced the strain on Frances army, war more likely with England
• How did Elizabeth deal with the challenges abroad

  Sought peace with France, 1564 Peace of Troyes which recognised French claim to Calais

  Mary QoS, who fled to England in 1568, imprisoned
• what was the Church divided between Catholics and protestants

  the reformation
• where did most Catholics live

  north England
• what did Catholics belive

  - pope head of church

  - priests can forgive sins

  - bread and wine actual body and blood

  - 7 sacraments

  - priests celibate
• what did Catholics practice

  - services in Latin

  - priests wear vestments

  - churches highly decorated
• what did Protestants belive

  - no pope bishops could be necessary

  - only God can forgive sins

  - bread and wine only represent body and blood

  - 2 sacraments

  - priests can marry
• what did protestants practice

  - services in English

  - priests were simple vestments

  - churches plain and simple
• what was the religious settlement


  Compromise between Catholics and Protestants, introduced the book of common prayer, high commission was established to keep disciplin
• when was the religious settlement


  1559
• what was the act of supremacy


  It made Elizabeth, not the pope, the official head of England's Church. supreme governor of church
• what was the act of uniformity


  It introduced a new book of common prayer, defined how churches should be decorated and replace altars with more Protestant communion tables, dress of priests was largely catholic.
• what were the aims of the religious settlement

  Elizabeth's religious settlement was inclusive and designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible. Therefore, the wording of the new Prayer Book could be understood to mean different things by Catholics and Protestants:

  - the Communion Sacrament referred to in the Book of Common Prayer could be interpreted as the body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation). this appealed to Catholics, whilst protestants could view it as an act of remembrance

  - Protestants would have approved of the ban on pilgrimages to 'fake' miracles, while Catholics would have approved of the possibility of 'real miracles'.

  - Catholics would also have approved of the use of candles, crosses and vestments in church services.
• how many of the clergymen accepted the settlement

  8000/10,000
• what were the clergy required to do

  - keep the bible in English

  - report those refusing to attend church

  - needed a licence to preach
• what was the role of the church in Elizabethan society

  - preach the governments message

  - provide guidance for communities

  - enforce the settlement

  - bishops carried out inspections of churches

  - legitimise Elizabeth's rule