elizabethan england

• Elizabeth's Background


  • Henry VIII's great matter
  • Married to Catherine of Aragon for 20 years
  • Divorce not approved by the Pope so he set up the Church of England
  • Married Anne Boleyn and had Elizabeth
  • Elizabeth was viewed as illegitimate
  • During her teenage years, she was brought up by Catherine Parr who influenced her protestant views
  • Mary I (bloody Mary) and Elizabeth were half-sisters
  • Mary had no children so Elizabeth became heir
  • Mary imprisoned her on suspicion of plotting against her but released due to a lack of evidence
  • Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth was crowned queen
• Main Advisors in Elizabeth's government

  • William Cecil
  • Francis Walsingham
  • Robert Dudley
  • Christopher Hatton
• William Cecil


  • Elizabeth appointed him Secretary of State in her Privy Council and he guided her wisely for 40 years
  • In 1571, he became Lord Burghley
  • He was protestant and loyal to Elizabeth
• Francis Walsingham


  • In charge of her secret service and advised on foreign affairs
  • In 1586 he uncovered the Babington Plot
  • He was protestant
• Robert Dudley


  • Earl of Leicester and trusted advisor till his death in 1588
  • Member of her royal court and responsible for her safety
  • He was puritan
• Christopher Hatton


  • Member of her privy council and captain of the queen's bodyguards
  • Made Lord Chancellor in 1587
  • Helped Elizabeth control her MPs
  • He was protestant but sympathised with Catholics
• Central Government


  • Elizabeth used patronage to award titles and maintain support
  • She could banish anyone from her court
• Privy Council


  • 19 members
  • They met every day
  • All noblemen appointed by Elizabeth that advised her on both domestic and foreign issues but didn't control her
  • They were powerful so that there would be less risk of a rebellion and Elizabeth trusted them so she didn't attend all meetings
• Parliament


  • They passed laws and were effective in admin
  • Elizabeth only called on them 13 times during her reign as she found them inconvenient
  • Their opinions didn't matter as Elizabeth had the overall final say
• Regional Government


  • Lord lieutenants
  • Justices of Peace
  • Council of the North
• Lord lieutenants


  • Made sure that all laws made by parliament passed on to local areas
  • They earnt lots of money
  • However, they were corrupt in tax collection, punished different religions and preferred the royal court so often excluded the local areas
• Justices of Peace


  • Job was to oversee law and order
  • Appointed every year to avoid corruption
  • Swore oath that everyone was equal, however they were easily bribed
• Council of the North

  • Nobles with power over local cases
  • However, their power depended on how motivated they were
• Benefits of marriage for Elizabeth

  • A male would strengthen her authority as queen
  • It would unite religious divide
  • She would have an heir to the throne
• Cons of marriage for Elizabeth

  • Her husband would have legal authority over her
  • She would be sharing her power
  • Marrying a foreign king could put England under another country's control
  • Giving birth was dangerous as there was a high death rate for the mother
• Succession crisis


  • She had pressure from her own court and parliament to marry
  • She had multiple suitors who wanted to marry her including Robert Dudley, Robert Devereux and Philip II of Spain
  • Pressure to marry was also due to attitudes about female inferiority to men
  • Her cousin Mary Queen of Scots was also a threat as she was heir to the throne since Elizabeth had no children
• Importance of Parliament


  • The House of Lords contained 90 of the most important people in the UK
  • The House of Commons contained 450 MPs, gentry and merchants voted in by wealthy male landowners
  • Parliament could pass laws with the queen's consent, collect boxes and grant wage to the Monarch
• However, they only met when Elizabeth called, which was only 13 times during her reign and she always made sure her privy council were present so she could use her royal veto. This showed that she valued her privy council more than her own parliament.
• Changes in parliament


  • MPs were better educated so they were more confident in arguing against the queen
  • They began to discuss personal issues like Elizabeth's marital status without her consent
  • Some members were puritans who were the main opposition which led to a loss of control during her reign
• Worries amongst parliament rose in the 1560s. Elizabeth almost died of smallpox in 1562. Parliament began to discuss potential matches. Elizabeth responded by banning parliament from further discussing her marital status.
• Peter Wentworth was an MP who argued for freedom of speech to discuss Elizabeth's personal problems. He was imprisoned in 1576 in the tower of london and died there.
• Why Elizabeth liked Essex

  • His father was a respected member of her royal court, so he inherited his wealth and title
  • In 1595, Essex was made a part of her privy council which meant that he had influence over her
  • He also had military success in 1596 against Spain
• How Essex upset Elizabeth

  • In 1598, he was put under house arrest after an argument during a privy council meeting about Ireland
  • However, Elizabeth did not punish him further
  • In 1599, she made him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and he went against her orders and instead, made a truce with the Irish rebel leader
  • Elizabeth did not renew his sweet wine monopoly, causing him large debts
  • Essex wanted rid of his rival Robert Cecil and in Feb 1601, he began to gather supporters to rebel
• When Henry VIII broke from Rome, he did not fully reform the churches, leaving England in a state of religious confusion.
• Edward VI was protestant and when Mary I was catholic so when Elizabeth came to the throne, England had a religious divide.
• Elizabeth was considered to be illegitimate due to her mother's marriage to Henry not being approved by the Pope.
• Elizabeth's privy council was largely protestant.
• France and Spain were strongly catholic and had the support if the Pope, unlike Elizabeth.
• Elizabeth's Religious Settlement 1559


  • Resolved religious divide and established Elizabeth's authority as Supreme Governor of the church
  • The settlement remained in place throughout her reign
  • Churches were allowed some decoration and priests could still wear elaborate garments
  • Priests can give sermons and marry
  • Catholic ornament like crosses and candles were allowed
  • The bible was in english so it was accessible to everyone
• Catholic Reaction


  • Many carried on their traditional beliefs in private (known as recusants)
  • Recusancy fines for catholics refusing to attend catholic services were low
  • In 1570 Elizabeth was excommunicated by the Pope which led to catholics starting to plot against her
  • Elizabeth responded by increasing recusancy fines
• The Threat of Puritans


  • During Mary I reign, many protestants were persecuted and fled to Geneva
  • They came back in the hope that Elizabeth would create strong protestant settlements
  • Puritans were extreme protestants who didn't like Elizabeth's middle wat church
  • They wanted a plain church and plain clothing
  • In the 1570s prophesying became popular involving members of the clergy criticising the new church
  • This was encouraged by the Archbishop of Cantenbury, Grindal
  • He was replaced and put under house arrest
  • Peter Wentworth argued the right to discuss any subject regarding Elizabeth and was sent to the Tower of London
  • A separation church was set up in 1580 and another in 1590 by puritans
  • The leaders were arrested and hung
  • In 1583, the new archbishop banned unlicensed preaching and enforced church attendance with fines
  • Elizabeth banned puritan printers
  • In 1593, The Act Against Seditions Secretaries allowed the execution of separationists
  • The most serious threats were from members of her own government which showed the weakness of her government
  • MP Grindal refused to stop holding puritan meetings
• Reactions abroad to her religious settlement

  • In 1580s, new laws forced Catholics to conform
  • Elizabeth was vulnerable as the Catholicism in Europe was determined to bring it back to England
  • France and Spain gave money to those wanting rid of Elizabeth
  • Many countries believed that her power could be limited by marrying Philip II
  • Edmund Campion led a Jesuit mission to England
  • Jesuits would disrupt her settlement and fuel catholic plots against her
  • Campion preached in disguise as a jewel merchant
  • He was arrested and questioned by the privy council and hung in December 1581 for treason
• Laws against Catholics


  • 1571- recusancy fines
  • 1581- fines increased and it became treason to convert to Catholicism
  • 1585- became legal to kill anyone who tried to kill the queen
  • 1593- 'Statue of Confinement' meant that Catholics needed permission to travel
• Why was Mary Queen of Scots a threat to Elizabeth?

  • Religion - Elizabeth viewed as illegitimate, but Mary was viewed by Catholics to be the legitimate heir
  • Foreign Policy - Mary was married to the French heir so could provide alliance with nations against Elizabeth
  • Succession - Elizabeth had no heir so Mary would be next in line and had a son James in 1567
  • Mary in England - Elizabeth put her under house arrest and kept her away from the coast to limit threats with other countries
  • Mary's presence started a Catholic Rebellion in 1569 (The Northern Rebellion)
  • This inspired other plots which pressured Elizabeth to kill her
  • From 1568, Mary was moved around the country as Elizabeth's prisoner for 19 years
  • Mary was executed after the Babington Plot was revealed in 1586
• Living standards


  • Obedience, care and conformity - In Elizabethan society you owed obedience and respect to those above you and had a duty of care to those below
  • For poor - population increased from 2.8 million in 1541 to 4.1 million in 1600, meaning the land per person fell, leading to more peasants having to live closer
  • Food prices rose - leading to inflation
  • Farms became larger - people began benefitting from 'economies of scale' of very large farms
  • Monasteries - Henry VIII dissolution of monasteries meant poorer people got less support from the church and couldn't benefit from it anymore
• Fashions


  • The Sumptuary Laws (1574) stated that: Only royalty could wear ermine, Only nobility could wear silk, sable fur, gold and silver fabric, Only royalty, gentry and nobility could wear purple, Ordinary people (merchants, professionals, business owners etc.) had to wear wool, linen or sheepskin, and were restricted to certain colours
  • Breaking these laws could lead to fines, prison or even execution
• The rise of the gentry


  • Who were the gentry - Made up of Knights, Esquires and gentlemen who lived in the countryside
  • Some gentry members (Raleigh, Walsingham and Drake) became more influential at court
  • This meant the influence of noble families declined
• Theatres


  • The structure of an Elizabethan theatre reflected the structure of English society
  • Ordinary people known as 'groundlings' watched the plays standing in a pit
  • Wealthier people sat in a stadium style seating arrangement around the stage
  • Members of the gentry and merchants sat in the galleries or on the stage on occasion with plays performed around them
  • Plays were performed in purpose built theatres such as the Globe or the Rose
  • Wealthy noblemen would sponsor acting companies
  • All social classes attended the theatre, so theatres had to be built to accommodate growing audiences
  • One of the most famous playwrights was William Shakespeare
  • Plays reflected the vulgar nature of Elizabethans with songs and dances referring to adulterous wives, milkmaids, prostitutes, thieves and muggers
• Attitudes towards theatre


  • Theatre was popular in part because it was cheap
  • People could watch plays despite what they earned
  • It appealed to all social classes, even those who could not read or write were able to follow the plays
  • Plays also came in a wide variety of styles such as history, comedies and tragedies
  • The main reason though for the increase in theatre popularity was that Elizabeth enjoyed acting and encouraged the development of it at court and elsewhere
  • Negative attitudes; Many Puritans disliked the theatre
  • They claimed it encouraged drunken behaviour and sinful habits such as prostitution
  • The government worried the content of plays may encourage rebellion
  • Political and religious subjects were forbidden on stage
  • From 1572 all plays required a license preventing political themes
  • By 1596 all theatre had been banned in London and had to move south of the River Thames
• Reasons for increase in poverty

  • Sheep farming - The growth of the wool trade after 1500 meant many farmers preferred to rise sheep rather than grow food
  • Bad Harvests (1562, 1565, 1573, 1586 and the 1590s) hit farmers hard reducing the supply of food and making food more expensive for the common people
  • Economic recessions in the 1580s caused by trade restrictions created unemployment and poverty
  • Enclosure - From 1500 onwards land was divided up into fields by fencing for animal husbandry, arable farming or both
  • This denied people use of common land (land that could be used by everyone) which meant they were unable to provide for their families
  • Increasing demand for lands - As the population increased more people needed land, which drove up rents and resulted in entry fees (money paid up front for land rental)