History GCSE- Elizabethan Age

• Privy council - advisors who helped Elizabeth run the country. William Cecil was the longest serving member.
• parliament- Elizabeth needed parliament to pass laws and raise money. She only met with them 13 times.
• Elizabeth argued with parliamnet about freedom of speech and the succession.
• Justice of the Peace- used to keep law and order around the country. They would collect and distribute the poor rate.
• portraits- Elizabeth used portraits to spread messages to her people.
• progresses- she would travel around the country.
• patronage- she gave rewards to those who were loyal to her, such as land and money.
• Coronation- Elizabeth spent £16,000 on her coronation. There were colourful processions and a banquet.
• The rich would live in mansions in the shape of an E or H.
• The rich would have lots of windows and chimneys in their houses.
• The rich would wear silk clothes in bright colours.
• the poor would live in small cottages that had one small window.
• Rising population caused more demand for goods fo prices rose
• inflation happened as prices for goods rose, but wages fell as there were more people around to do the work.
• wars caused taxes to increase in order for compensation of the price of waging war.
• bad harvests during 1590s lead to an even higher demand and more rising prices.
• changes in farming as landlords decided to enclose their fields and keep sheep instead of growing crops which led to high unemployment.
• 1601 Poor Law:

  • brings together all poor laws
  • severe punishment for beggars such as whipping and sent away
  • alms-houses and houses of correcton were set up
  • re-orgainsed the collection of poor rate: anyone who refused to pay would be fined and imprisoned
  • one of the main aim was to deal with the idle poor, now they ere being punished and made an example of
  • the deserving poor were recieving some benefits
  • the poor law 1601 remained for 250 years
  • it did not solve the problem of poverty
• Cruel sports such as bear baiting and coockfighting were popular
• the rich enjoyed archery, music and hunting
• theatres opened in London. They were popular because they were cheap, and Elizabeth enjoyed plays
• plays were written by William Shakespeare
• some people were against theatres because they feared that it spread the plague and Catholic ideas and many crimes could be committed there
• puritans did not like the theatre because they thought that men dressing up as women was sacrilegious
• The Religious Settlement 1559: made England Protestant agian. It aimed to find a "middle way"
• The Act of Uniformity: this made Protestanism England's official faith and laso set out rules of religious practice and wroship in a revised prayer book. This retained some Catholic traditions which Elizabeth hoped would make a good compromise and keep her people happy
• The Act of Suermacy: made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church
• The 39 articles: set out beliefs of the church of england
• The Acts of Exchange: gave Elizabeth control of the church's wealth
• Papal Bull of Excommunication: the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth from the Chruch. He ordered Catholics not to obey her
• The Northern Rebellion: the Catholic Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland hatched a plan to get Mary Queen of Scots out of imprisonment and on the throne
• The Ridolfi Plot: Roberto Ridolfi, an Italian banker, planned to assassinate Elizabeth and make Mary Queen
• The Throckmorton plot: a young Catholic man, Francis Throckmorton, organised a plan for a French army to invade England and replace Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots
• The Babington plot: Sir Anthony Babington planned to rescue Mary, Queen of Scots from jail and murder Elizabeth
• All Catholic plots were discovered and failed
• Many people beilieved Elizabeth to be illegitimate and so felt she had no right to be on the throne
• Elizabeth had converted England's official religion to Protestanism, leaving many Catholics angry.
• Mary was a Caholic and many viewed her as their figurehead and rightful replacement to the throne.
• When Mary fled to England she was kept under house arrest for 19 years
• Mary was at the centre of all the Catholic plots