Elizabeth

• Problems from 1558-66

  • Legitimacy
  • Gender and heir
  • Finances
  • French alliance with Scotland (Auld Alliance) and Mary Queen of Scots link to France (Half French and married to King of France)
  • Calais returned to France
  • Religious settlement
  • Puritan Challenge
  • Recusants fail to attend the new church. Worsens after 1566
  • Papacy's counter reformation/ Pope's Papal Bull for Catholics not to attend English Protestant churches
• Problems from 1566-88


  • Dutch rebelling against the Spanish (Dutch Revolt)
  • Dutch Rebelling and sheltering rebels (Sea Beggars)/Genoese Loan
  • Mary Queen of Scots in England
  • Revolt of the Northern Earls + Papal Bull
  • Further plots (Ridolfi 1571, Throckmorton Plot 1583, Babbington Plot 1586)
  • Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
  • Spain angered over Drake's piracy
  • England and Spain clash over Netherlands (non direct and direct action)
  • Spanish Armada attack
• Elizabethan timeline

  • 1558: Elizabeth crowned queen
  • 1559: Elizabeth's Religious settlement
  • 1563: Statute of Artificers
  • 1568: Mary Queen of Scots flees to England
  • 1569: Revolt of the Northern Earls
  • 1570: Pope excommunicates Elizabeth from Catholic Church
  • 1571: Ridolfi Plot
  • 1572: Vagabonds Act
  • 1576: Poor Relief Act
  • 1583: Throckmorton Plot
  • 1585: All Catholic priests ordered to leave country
  • 1586: Babington Plot
  • 1587: Mary Queen of Scots is executed
  • 1603: Death of Elizabeth
  • 1566: Dutch Revolt
  • 1568: Genoese Loan
  • 1576: Spanish Fury
  • 1576: Pacification of Ghent
  • 1577-80: Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe
  • 1580: Drake knighted
  • 1584: Treaty of Joinville
  • 1585: Treaty of Nonsuch
  • 1585: War begins with Spain
  • 1588: Spanish Armada attacks
  • 1601: Poor Law
• Elizabethan society


  • Clear social structure with nobility at the top, gentry, yeoman, tenant farmers, landless or labouring poor, and vagrants at the bottom
  • Importance of jobs in towns based on the wealth it created
• Elizabethan government


  • Monarch had divine right and could declare war, dismiss parliament, reject laws, and grant titles/positions
  • Secretary of State was Elizabeth's most trusted privy council member
  • Monarch and parliament - government could raise extraordinary taxes, some laws needed parliament approval, some things only monarch decided (Royal Prerogative)
• Elizabeth's character and strengths

  Intelligent with excellent grasp of politics, spoke multiple languages, understood court politics and betrayals, had a temper, persuasive and confident speaker, sometimes took a long time to make decisions
• Legitimacy


  To be a legitimate monarch, parents were expected to be married. Elizabeth's parents Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had been married, but Henry had divorced his first wife Catherine of Aragon, which many Catholics did not accept, so Elizabeth was seen as illegitimate.
• Gender and marriage


  It was unusual to have a queen rather than a king, and religion taught men should have authority over women. Elizabeth's sister Mary I had been hated by many, so many did not want another queen in charge.
• Finances


  Elizabeth could raise money through land rents, taxes, subsidies, fines, and loans, but England was still £300,000 in debt, defending England was costly, and relying on parliament to raise taxes was risky.
• France and Scotland


  England's enemy France had an alliance (Auld Alliance) with another enemy, Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth's cousin, had a claim to the English throne and was married to the French heir.
• France and Calais


  Elizabeth's sister Mary I had lost the port of Calais to the French, and Elizabeth wanted it back to demonstrate England's strength, but France and Spain were no longer at war and could potentially unite against England.
• Protestantism


  No Pope, Bible and church services in English, people have direct relationship with God, priests are not special and don't wear special robes, churches are plain
• Catholicism


  Pope is head of Church, Bible and services in Latin, need to talk to Church to have sins forgiven, priests are special and wear special robes, churches are highly decorated
• Religious division in England 1558

  Most of the country was Catholic, many Catholics wouldn't accept Elizabeth as queen as they saw her as illegitimate
• Clergy problem (Religious divide)


  Most bishops were Catholic and wouldn't want to change religion, many Catholic bishops were involved in parliament and would try to resist change
• Geographical divisions (religious divisions)


  The north of England was strongly Catholic, the south especially around London was Protestant
• Puritans (Religious divisions)


  Dedicated Protestants who wanted to purify religion and remove all traces of Catholicism, did not believe a monarch should be head of the Church
• Elizabeth's Religious Settlement 1559

  1. Act of Supremacy made Elizabeth head of the Church, clergy had to swear oath of loyalty

  2. Act of Uniformity ordered same appearance for all churches, everyone had to attend church, common prayer book in English, priests allowed to wear special clothing

  3. Royal injunctions set instructions on carrying out Acts, all clergy had to teach monarch was head of Church, no preaching without license, churches had to have English Bible, pilgrimages banned, priests wore vestments
• Impact of the Religious Settlement on the clergy

  8000 out of 10,000 priests took the Oath of Supremacy, but only 1 Catholic bishop out of 28 so they had to be replaced
• Impact of the Religious Settlement on the people

  Church provided guidance in hardships, enforced the Religious Settlement, dealt with moral issues and wills, most ordinary people accepted the Settlement, new prayer book helped keep both Catholics and Protestants happy, those who didn't attend were called Recusants
• Enforcing the Religious Settlement

  Protestant bishops visited churches ensuring Settlement was followed, first visits resulted in 400 clergy being fired, some inspectors destroyed Catholic decorations and statues, Elizabeth didn't want beliefs investigated too closely to avoid angering Catholics
• Crucifix controversy


  Puritans did not like the crucifix as it was an unneeded Catholic symbol, but Elizabeth gave in to the Puritans as the Puritan bishops threatened to resign and she couldn't replace them
• Puritans were angry at the Religious Settlement as it had Catholic parts to it
• Elizabeth's enthusiasm for the changes in the religious settlement and destroyed catholic statues of saints
• Enforcing the Religious Settlement


  1. Protestant bishops visited churches ensuring Settlement was followed

  2. First visits resulted in 400 clergy being fired as not following Settlement

  3. Some of those doing the inspection destroyed the Catholic decorations and statues that were actually allowed under the settlement

  4. Elizabeth was clear she did not want people's beliefs being investigated too closely however as she didn't want to cause the Catholics to get angry

  5. The visits check the preaching licenses of the clergy but also professionals
• Challenges to the Religious Settlement

  • Crucifix controversy
  • Vestment controversy
• Crucifix


  Symbol of the cross that Jesus died on
• Puritans did not like the cross as it was an unneeded object. Catholics would not want them removed
• Elizabeth gave into the Puritans as the Puritan bishops threatened to resign and she did couldn't replace them
• Vestments


  Fancy robes worn by priests
• Puritans believed priests shouldn't wear fancy robes
• Elizabeth didn't back down, the Book of Advertisements set out what priests must wear, and an exhibition was held in London to demonstrate what priests must wear, 37 refused to attend and lost their jobs
• The Papacy (The Pope) Encouraged Catholics to wage war against Protestants (Known as the Counter-Reformation) and instructed Catholics not to attend the Protestant Church services
• Elizabeth didn't punish harshly those Catholic Recusants who didn't attend, if she killed those who refused they could become martyrs and get sympathy
• Protestantism was trying to break out in France


  Elizabeth agreed to help the French rebels in the hope of gaining their support
• Elizabeth's hopes failed when the French Protestants and Catholics made peace
• Elizabeth now had to officially accept England had lost Calais (Treaty of Troyes) to avoid a backlash from Catholic France
• Elizabeth had now angered the King of Spain by supporting Protestant rebels
• Mary, Queen of Scots


  Had a strong claim to the English throne, was currently in France as she was married to the French king, Francis II
• Elizabeth's mum Mary of Guise had been ruling Scotland, but was overthrown by Scotland's Protestant lords who supported Elizabeth