EE

• What was the social hierarchy?

  1-Nobility

  2-Gentry

  3-Yeomen

  4-Tennant farmers

  5-Landless/working poor

  6-Homeless and beggars
• What were key problems facing Elizabeth I?

  -Contemporary belief that women could not rule

  -Increasing poverty due to high taxation and poor harvests

  -Many (especially Catholics thought she was illegitimate

  -The crown was £300,000 in debt

  -Ongoing war with France
• What were the traits of Elizabeth I?

  -Self-confident

  -Indecisive

  -Protestant

  -Unmarried

  -Virgin Queen
• What was the role of the Monarch?

  Divine right to rule

  Absolute authority
• What was the role of Parliament?

  Made up of Lords and Commons

  Advised Elizabeths Gov
• What was the role of the Privy Council?


  Nobles chosen by Elizabeth to rule the country
• What was Elizabeths religious settlement?

  Attempt to quell religious tensions
• What was the Act of Supremacy?


  made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of Church of England, removing power from Catholic pope, clergy swore oath of allegiance to her.
• What was the act of uniformity?

  Made Protestantism England's official religion, set out rules for Churches, prayer book retained some Catholic traditions as a compromise
• What was the Oath of Supremacy?

  Oath of allegiance to the Queen.

  8,000/10,000 priests took the Oath of Supremacy and only one bishop who then had to appoint 27 more protestant bishops.
• What was religion like in England?

  -Church of England ,important part of life as they preached governments message, people paid 10% tax to the Church

  -England officially Catholic but people were heavily divided,Reformations questioned Church's teachings

  Huge tensions between the Catholics, Protestants and Puritans.
• What were the relations between Mary and Elizabeth?

  2 significant events

  -Casket Letter affair-letters found allegedly written by Mary which implicate her in her husbands murder-Ensured Elizabeths support for James VI rather than Mary

  -York conference (1569) Investigation of possible wrongdoing by Mary, used Casket letters as evidence.
• Who was Mary Queen of Scots?

  -Catholic Queen of Scotland

  -Elizabeths cousin who descended straight from Henry VIII's sister- no denying her legitimacy

  -Elizabeth sent money and troops to Protestant rebels in Scotland, rebellion ended with the the treaty of Edinburgh. where Mary ha to give up claim to English throne in 1560.

  -1568-Escaped prison and fled to England after suspicion of Marys involvement in her husbands death, forcing her to abdicate.
• What was the Puritans challange to the Religious settlement?

  1)Wanted a stricter Protestant Church

  2)Vestment Controversy-refused to wear the vestments, 37 priests resigned in 1566

  3)Crucifix controversy-refused to display Catholic Crucifixes in churches, not challenged by Elizabeth

  4)Extent of small change
• What was the Catholic challenge to the religious settlement?

  1)Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570, which encouraged foreign attacks

  2)European Catholic Church began 'Counter Reformation' against protestantism

  3)Political threat posed by catholic,France and Spain angered by Elizabeths support for Protestants in Frances religious war.

  4)1/3 nobility and gentry became recusants, refusing to attend Church, powerful threat compared to ordinary people.
• What was the Ridolfi plot?

  -Took place in 1571

  -Roberto Ridolphi (spy for pope) convinced pain to raise troops for invasion to crown Mary and marry duke of Norfolk.

  -Discovered by William Cecil,Norfolk executed but Spain and Catholicism still major threats to Elizabeth.
• What was the Throckmorton plot?

  -Took place in 1583

  -French Duke of Guise plotted to invade with Spanish and Papal support,Throckmorton passed letters between plotters and Mary but was discovered by Francis Walsingham.

  -11,000 Catholic sympathisers imprisoned.
• What was the babington plot?

  -Took plce in 1586

  Walsingham intercepted letters from Babington to Mary about Duke of Guise invasion

  Mary senteneced to death (OCT 1586)

  Catholic persecution is increased.
• What was the role of Sir Francis Walsingham?

  Walsingham used spies across the country, communicated in code and tortured people to ensure loyalty to Elizabeth.

  His evidence proved Mary was involved in treasonus plots,leading to her execution but angering philip II
• What was the revolt of the northern earls?

  Took place in 1569-70

  Catholicism strong in North,Earls resent loss of power in court

  Wanted to make Mary qeen,rebels marched but did not recieve support

  Mary moved away to Coventry

  Shows that Mary can not be trusted-led to Elizabeths excommunication
• What was Robert Dudleys involvement in the spanish war

  -Treaty of Nonsuch-Englandd finaced an army of 7,000 troops led by Rober Dudley for the Dutch Protestant rebels-England and Spain are now at war in Netherlands

  -Expedition on 1585 huge failure as force was poorly supplied

  -Dudley angered Elizabeth by taking title of 'Governor General
• What was Francis Drakes involvement in the spanish war?

  -Elizabeth ordered Drake to spy on Spanish naval activity

  -April 1587,Elizabeth ordered Drae to attack Spanish navy port at Cadiz,desroying 30 ships

  -Akkack known as 'singeing of the Kings beard' set Armada preperations back a year.
• What was the commercial rivalry between Spain and England?

  England and Spain are rivals in the New world,privateers raided Spanish colnies+ ships

  Spain controlled Netherlands- Englands main trade route to Europe

  1577-1580 Sir Francis Drake captured 400,000 of Spanish gold and silver
• What was the political and religios rivalry between Spain and England?

  Philip II involved in plots against Elizabeth

  Elizabth sent money to Spanish rebels combatting persection of Protetants

  Catholic Spain/England alance ended when England becaame protestant
• What did Prince Phillip plan in 1588?

  'The enterprise of England'

  To invade and overthrow Elizabeth-ordered 130 ship armada to transport Duke Parma's 27,000 troops from Netherlands to England.
• What were the reasons for English victory over the Armada?

  -Armada leaders (Duke of Parma and Duke of Medina Sidonia) unable to communicate.

  -Spanish low on food and canon supplies

  -Superior tactics by more experienced English leaders, chased into familiar territory (English Channel)

  -Battle of Gravelines (8th August 1588)-Drakes fireships destroyed Spanish ships and forced many to drift into the North Sea.

  -English ships faster, canons are fired more quickly
• What did the victory of the Armada mean for England/Elizabeth?

  -Victory commented Elizabeth's power + strength

  -Led to gradual decline of Spain's empire

  -England emerged as strong naval power

  -Seen as victory against Protestantism
• What did education mean and what was its significance in England?

  -Prepared people for life in their social class.

  -There was no compulsory schooling and very few attended.

  -Renaissance ideas changed attitudes, belief that society improved through education.

  -Protestantism-increased literary efforts, thought people should read Bible in English

  -Invention of the printing press made books far cheaper to produce and buy

  -Noble girls were educated at home and prepared for married life but noble boys could attend fee-paying grammar schools

  -2 universities set up, Oxford and Cambridge
• What were the sport, pastimes and theatre like from the years 1558-88?

  -Leisure activities varied by social class

  -Nobility-Intellectual pursuits, elitist culture, reading classics, music,hunting and hawking.

  -Working class-popular culture, escapism from poor living conditions, drinking and gambling in inns/taverns, cockfighting, bear baiting, dice, wrestling and football.

  -Theatre was popular with all classes,Globe and Rose theatres built, wealthy patrons sponsored actors, only men could act.
• Why was there a change in attitudes to poverty through the years 1558-88?

  Prompted by belief that growing number of vagabonds would lead to crime, disorder and even rebellion.
• What were the reasons for increase in poverty?

  -bad harvests in 1562,1565,1573,1586 meant less food and higher prices.

  -Price inflation cause fall in value of real wages.

  -Taxes raised for war with Spain

  -Population growth increased the demand for food and housing

  -Enclosure drove many off their lands-became vagrants/vagabonds
• What was the Statue of Artificies?

  In 1563, punished those who didn't pay poor relief, taxes raised at local level.
• What was the Vagabonds act?

  - the Act aimed to tackle the threat that parliament believed vagrants caused but help create work for the poor

  - vagrants were whipped ad a hole drilled through each ear,imprisoned and given the death penalty for a third offence

  - the act introduced a national poor rate which meant work and money was provided for the deserving/impotent poor
• What as the poor relief act?

  In 1576, distinguished between the deserving poor (couldn't work) and the idle/underserving poor (chose not to work).
• What was Drakes circumnavigation of the globe?

  -Dec 1577-Sep 1580

  -Wanted to attack Spanish colonies int he Pacific due to personal Puritanical beliefs and revenge for Spanish attack on his ships

  -Returned to England with huge amount of treasure

  -Encouraged further exploration, claimed Nova Albion for England which worsened the relations with Spain.
• What were the reasons for exploration from 1558-88?

  -New science of transatlantic navigation, which made sailing safer-maths, quadrants and astrolabes

  -Printing maps + use of longitude and latitude made navigation more reliable

  -New shipyards development of faster + more stable ships.

  -Need to compete with European powers in acquiring overseas possessions.

  -Expansion of trade routes, especially trade triangle
• What was the colonisation of Virginia?


  -In 1584,Walter Raleigh given royal charter to establish a colony in Roanoke,Virginia

  -Raleigh organised expedition + raised funds

  -First expedition group, had to leave after a year (1585-86), second group disappeared (1587)

  -Became known as the lost colony
• What were the reasons for the failure of the Roanoke colony?

  -Poor food supplies- damaged on voyage, wrong time of year for planting crops.

  -War with Spain meant few ships were available to send supplies

  -Inadequate planning and inexperience of the crew

  -Attacks from Native Americans-colonists had brought new diseases