Elizabethan england- Queen, government and religion

• When

  1558-1569
• who was Elizabeth?

  mum was Anne Bolelyn and her dad was Henry VIII
• Support of the privy council

  1. Elizabeth was the most powerful figure in Elizabeeth in England. Everybody was expected to be loyal and obey her.
  2. The privy council was a group of around 20 of the Queens most trusted counsellors. They advised her on all aspects of government and insured. All her wishes were carried out there expected to obey her orders, even if they disagreed with her
• support of the privy council

  3) Parliament was made up of members of the nobility, and the gentry, the Queen needed parliament’s consent to pass any new laws, or raise taxes.

  4) the Queen, relied on members of the nobility and gentry in force law and order throughout the country
• Social and economic divisions

  England’s population have been realising steadily since around 1500. Most people lived and worked in the countryside, but towns and cities were growing rapidly. London was by far the largest and most important city
• Social and economic divisions

  • The economy was dominated by agriculture, but farming practices were changing
  • elizabethan society was dominated by small landowning, aristocracy of nobility and gentry
  • The inequality and the divide between the rich, and the poor growing poverty became a major problem in Elizabethan England
• she was cautious, intelligent and powerful

  she was Henry the eighth, second child, the daughter of his second wife, Anne Bolelyn. She was 3rd in line to the throne so nobody thought she would become Queen
• she was cautious, intelligent and powerful

  • Elizabeth had a difficult upbringing. She even was accused of conspiring against her half-sister
  • Elizabeth was very cautious and only trusted a few close adviser. She was reluctant to make decisions
  • She was intelligent, confident and very well educated. Despite having had little training in how to govern, she became a powerful and effective leader.
• Illegitimate

  in 1533, Henry the eighth had divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and married Anne Bolelyn. Divorce was forbidden in the Catholic Church so many Catholics believed Henry’s marriage to Anne not valid and their daughter, Elizabeth, was illegitimate
• illegitimate

  When Henry VIII marriage to Anne has dissolved and Anne was executed. Henry declared Elizabeth illegitimate however he later changed his mind.
• She was a woman

  1. In the 16th century, most people believed the Monarch should be a man they thought that rule by a woman was unnatural.
  2. most people expected Elizabeth to act as a figurehead without any real power they thought she should let her male counsellors take control, or find a husband to govern for her
  3. Elizabeth was determined to rule in her own right and refused to let her counsellors to take over
• She didn’t want to marry

  1. Because people believed woman couldn’t rule effectively. There was pressure for Elizabeth to find a husband who could rule for her.
  2. there were also concerns about succession. If Elizabeth died without an heir there was risk of the civil war with different groups, competing for the throne, they needed her to produce an heir
• marriage

  she was reluctant to marry as she would then have to obey her husband so she would lose all her power and freedom. Because she never married she was known as the ‘Virgin Queen’
• Financial Difficulties

  Elizabeth inherited enormous debt when she became Queen

  To solve this she sold off large amounts of land. Also, the taxing system was ineffective as ordinary people faced high taxes and the nobility and gentry payed less than they should. England was also suffering from high levels of inflation. This meant that prices were rising, whilst wages stayed the same. The poor and those living in urban areas were hit hardest
• War with France

  1. England went to war with French previously and this was not a success .
  2. The French then conquered Calais, Englands last remaining territory. This increased the risk of a French invasion
  3. When Elizabeth became Queen she wanted to end war with France quickly
• French Threat in Scotland

  • Mary Queen of Scots married the heir to the French throne
  • The French royal family (Catholic) disliked Elizabeth as she was a protestant
  • The French wanted England to become Catholic
  • Mary’s marriage increased the risk of a French invasion from Scotland to try put Mary on the English throne
• French threat

  • there were many Catholics in England, who wanted to be ruled by catholic monarch. If the French invaded, there was a risk that a catholic would betray Queen Elizabeth and support the French.
• Protestants

  • they questioned the authority of the pope
  • They translated the latin bible into languages that ordinary people could understand
  • they thought churches should be plain and simple unlike highly decorated catholic churches
• Religious change

  1. until the early 1530s england had been a catholic county
  2. When Henry VIII divorced his 1st wife the pope refused to accept the divorce and so Henry broke away from the catholic church
  3. Henry VIII then made himself head of the Church of England
• Edward VI

  1. he was a supporter of the protestant religion and tried to reform the church
  2. he made churches simpler and removed decorations, priests weren’t allowed to wear their elaborate vestments and a new Protestant prayer book was issued along with church services being held in english, not Latin
• Mary I

  1. she restored catholicism
  2. she restored the Pope as head of the English Church
  3. she removed Edwards reforms and bought back Catholic beliefs and practises
  4. under Mary, Protestants were harshly persecuted. More than 280 people were executed for their beliefs and hundreds more fled to protestant countries in Europe
• Elizabeth religion

  1. she had been raised protestant, although she hid her believes during Mary’s reign to avoid being imprisoned
  2. She has witnessed the turmoil of Edwards protestant reforms and the violence of Mary I catholic restoration
  3. she wanted to end the constant religious changes by creating a stable and lasting religious settlement
• Act of Supremacy

  Henry VIII and Edward VI has used the tittle Head of the Church of England whereas Elizabeth altered this and made herself the Supreme governor.
• Act of Supremacy

  The act of supremacy required churchmen and people holding public office to swear the Oath of supremacy. They had to recognise the Queen as supreme governor and promise to be loyal to her.

  Most parish priest took the Oath however, most Catholic Bishops refused and lost their posts.
• Act of Uniformity

  passed in 1559 imposed to moderate Protestant reforms but also please English Catholics.
• Act of Uniformity

  Reforms

  • Going to church was compulsory - there were fines for missing service.
  • A new Book of Common Prayer was issued, which had to be used in all churches
  • All parishes had to have a copy of the Bible in English
• Act of Uniformity

  Concessions:

  • The wording of the Communion service (an important Christian ceremony) was kept deliberately vague so that it could be accepted by both protestants and Catholics.
  • Churches were allowed to keep some decorations and priests had to wear certain Catholic vestments (robes)
• Act of Uniformity

  Elizabeth wanted everyone to confirm to her religious settlement. Royal commissioners were ordered to visit churches throughout the country to insure the Acts were being enforced.
• Elizabeths religious settlement

  She made England a Protestant country, but allowed some elements of Catholic belief and practise to continue. This ‘middle way’ was designed to satisfy the majority of the population. She made a compromise for the sake of peace and stability.
• Puritans

  1. They were extreme protestants. They wanted Elizabeth to remove all traces of Catholicism
  2. The Vestment Controversy of the 1560s was a challenge as Puritan priests refused to wear the white vestment used by Catholics, which the government had made compulsory
  3. Elizabeth tolerated this at first but then ordered people to ensure all Priests wore the vestment. Puritans who still refused lost their jobs or were imprisoned
• Nobility still continued Catholicism

  1. a large population of the Nobility were still Catholic. The compromises in religious settlement won some of them around but some refused to attend church services.
  2. The Catholic nobles posed a potential threat as there was risk they might overthrow Elizabeth to restore Catholicism
• Nobility continued practising Catholicism

  to minimise the threat, Elizabeth didn’t force the nobles to attend Church services but as long as they didn’t make a public show of their beliefs, they could continue practising Catholicism
• The Puritans wanted to make the Church more protestant

  1. The puritans were extreme protestants. For them, they wanted Elizabeth to make further reforms to remove catholicism
• Vestment Controversy 


  Puritans priests refused to wear the surplice (a white vestments used by catholics) which elizabeth had made compulsory.
• Vestment controversy

  Elizabeth tolerated the puritans refusal to wear the vestment but in 1565 she ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to ensure that all priests wore the surplice. The puritans that still refused lost their jobs or were imprisoned
• France and Spain were distracted by domestic difficulties

  1. There was a risk that the Catholic rulers of France and Spain might try to reverse the religious settlement and replace Elizabeth with a catholic monarch. However neither country was in a position to challenge the religious settlement.
  2. The threat of a french invasion was serious
  3. Spain was facing a growing revolt in the Netherlands to prevent an alliance forming between England and Protestant netherlands, Spain tried to stay on good terms with Elizabeth and avoided challenge her religious settlement
• The Papacy lacked military support

  1. the pope had the power to excommunicate Elizabeth. This might encourage Catholic countries to invade England. It could also encourage rebellion at home
  2. however, neither France nor Spain had the military resources to invade England, and there was no clear support for a revolt against Elizabeth at home, so the pope didn’t take any action against her.
• Who was Mary, Queen of Scots

  Elizabeths cousin However, Elizabeth wasn’t too pleased when Mary arrived in England for an unexpected visit. In fact she was so unimpressed, she put Mary in prison
• Mary, Queen of Scots had a strong claim to the throne

  1. she was related to the Tudor family, because she was catholic her claim was supported by many english catholics
  2. When she was 15, she married the heir to the french throne. However, her husband died suddenly and Mary returned to Scotland.
• Mary fled to England

  1. Mary married the Scottish noblemen. The marriage was not a happy one and people were convinced the two were having an affair.
  2. Then, her husband was murdered and people thought she did it
  3. Mary then married a new man but the marriage was unpopular with the Scottish nobels who imprisoned her and forced her to abdicate.
  4. Mary escaped from prison and raised an army but they were defeated an fled to south to england