History - Elizabeth GOVERNMENT + PROBLEMS

• Elizabeth


  She reigned from 1558-1603 and was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, sister to Mary I and Edward VI and cousin to Mary, Queen of Scots
• Elizabethan society

  • Majority were labourers who didn't own their own land
  • Above them were tenant farmers who rented their farms
  • Then yeomen who owned some of their own land which they farmed
  • Above them were the richer people such as the gentry (less rich with less land) and the nobility (richest, granted the most land from the queen)
  • At the very bottom of society were the vagrants
  • In the towns they followed a similar structure according to people's skills and money
• Elizabethan government

  • Court - group of her closest advisors, servants and friends who entertained and advised the queen
  • Privy Council - group of leading noblemen and senior officials that met three times a week with the queen to debate, and monitor new laws
  • Parliament - elected officials called by the queen if she wanted to pass new laws or raise taxes
  • Lords Lieutenant - members of nobility in charge of local government and the militia (army) and enforce laws
  • Justices of the Peace - large landowners who kept order in their local areas
• Reasons for Elizabeth to get married


  • Create an alliance with a foreign country or guarantee the loyalty of a powerful English country
  • Produce an heir to continue the Tudor line and stop Mary, Queen of Scots from becoming queen when Elizabeth died
• Reasons against Elizabeth getting married

  • Loss of authority. By not marrying, Elizabeth and England kept their independence
  • Giving birth was risky
  • Elizabeth's experience of marriage had been bad
• Elizabeth was able to use the possibility of marriage to her advantage when dealing with foreign leaders and important figures in England
• Legitimacy


  Elizabeth's mother (Anne Boleyn) was her father's (Henry VIII) second wife after he divorced Catherine of Aragon. Catholics didn't believe in divorce. In their eyes Henry VIII had not legally married Anne Boleyn therefore their daughter was illegitimate (born to unmarried parents) and this meant she wasn't allowed to inherit the throne. Catholics could use this as a reason to rebel.
• Money


  Elizabeth's sister Mary I had spent a lot of money going to war with France and Elizabeth was £300,000 in debt. Elizabeth was forced to raise taxes to try and pay off her debt. This made the problems of poverty in her country much worse as they were already struggling financially due to low wages and high prices.
• Gender and marriage


  Women were seen as weaker and less intelligent than men. Her government was less likely to respect her opinions or obey her laws. She also had no heir if she wasn't married so there was a danger of a civil war in order to decide who should get the throne after her death
• France


  They were a Catholic country who had been at war with England for a long time. The king of France was married to Mary, Queen of Scots. France hated England becoming Protestant and had taken Calais away from England in the war. Mary, Queen of Scots was supported by the English Catholics in her bid to become queen after Elizabeth so France could support Mary and invade England to take the throne.
• Court?


  was the group of her closest advisors, servants and friends who entertained and advised the queen.
• Privy Council?

  was a group of leading noblemen and senior officials that met three times a week with the queen to debate, and monitor new laws.
• Parliament?


  was made up of elected officials called by the queen if she wanted to pass new laws or raise taxes.
• Lords Lieutenant?


  were member of mobility who were in charge of local government and the militia (army) and enforce laws.
• Justices of The Peace?

  were large landowners who kept order in their local areas. It was seen as a big status symbol to be chosen as they were allowed in the Privy Council and heard court cases in their localities.