ELIZABETH

• When Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, she faced several key challenges, including religious conflict, foreign relations, legitimacy, gender, marriage, and finance/economy
• Religious conflict


  Europe was in the midst of the Reformation, with conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism. Henry VIII had broken from the Catholic Church, but the Church of England was not yet clearly Protestant or Catholic under his successors.
• 300 Protestants were burned at the stake by Queen Mary I before Elizabeth's reign
• Elizabeth's goal


  To create a "via media" or middle way to end the religious conflict and please both Catholics and Protestants
• The country was split, with the north and west being more Catholic, while the south and east were more Protestant
• Elizabeth faced the risk of rebellion from Catholic nobles and bishops who had influence in Parliament
• Elizabeth also faced foreign policy challenges, as she was surrounded by powerful Catholic countries like Spain, France, and Scotland
• Spain


  The most powerful and wealthy country in Europe, ruled by the fiercely Catholic King Philip II
• France


  England's traditional enemy, also a strongly Catholic country with a growing Protestant movement (the Huguenots)
• Scotland


  An independent country ruled by the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, who was allied with France
• Tensions between Spain and France prevented them from forming an alliance against England
• Elizabeth also faced challenges to her legitimacy, as Catholics believed she was an illegitimate ruler
• Legitimacy


  The issue of whether Elizabeth was the authentic and correct monarch, as Catholics believed her parents' marriage was not authorized by the Pope
• Gender


  Elizabeth was only the second crowned queen of England, and there were patriarchal and sexist views that women could not hold power or lead
• Marriage


  Elizabeth was expected to marry and have an heir, but this was problematic as it would require her to submit to a husband, conflicting with her role as monarch
• Finance and economy


  Elizabeth inherited substantial debt from the wars of her predecessor, Mary I, as well as high unemployment and poor harvests
• The key differences between Catholicism and Protestantism included the role of the Pope, the language of the Bible and services, church decorations, the role of priests, and the nature of communion
• Elizabeth's religious settlement in 1559

  1. Act of Supremacy

  2. Act of Uniformity

  3. Royal Injunctions
• Differences between Protestants and Catholics

  • Protestants:
  • Do not believe a priest is holy, just refer to them as clergy
  • Anyone can communicate with God, clergy do not need to wear special vestments
  • Communion bread and wine is symbolic, not the literal body and blood of Christ

  Catholics:

  • Believe in transubstantiation, where the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ during communion
• Via media


  Elizabeth's attempt to create a middle way between Protestant and Catholic beliefs
• Elizabeth's Religious Settlement (1559)

  Act of Supremacy - Elizabeth became supreme governor of the Church of England, the Pope's authority was rejected, and an oath of loyalty to Elizabeth was required

  2. Act of Uniformity - Enforced the use of the English Book of Common Prayer and English Bible, attendance at Church of England services was compulsory with fines for non-attendance

  3. Royal Injunctions - Catholic doctrine, pilgrimages, and saints were denounced, English Bibles, church decoration and vestments were allowed, royal supremacy was to be preached
• Elements of the Puritan Challenge

  • Strong:
  • Friends in high places - Puritan privy councillors and bishops
  • Crucifix controversy - Puritans forced Elizabeth to remove crucifixes from churches

  Weak:

  • Investment controversy - Puritans failed to force Elizabeth to change vestment requirements
  • Limited numbers and options - Puritans were a small, divided group with no clear leader
• Factors contributing to the Catholic Threat or Lack of Threat

  • Threat:
  • Papacy - Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570
  • English nobility - Around a third were Catholic recusants
  • Plots - Plots by Catholics involving Spain, France and the Pope

  Lack of Threat:

  • Papacy - Excommunication had little impact in England
  • English nobility - Only a few nobles rebelled, easily crushed
  • Spain and France - Too occupied with internal conflicts to aid English Catholics
  • Elizabeth's tolerance - She did not severely persecute Catholics
• Mary, Queen of Scots


  Elizabeth's cousin and Catholic heir, a threat due to her claim to the English throne
• Mary, Queen of Scots' Decline

  Husband Francis II of France dies, Mary returns to Scotland

  2. Scotland has become Protestant, Mary is unpopular as a Catholic queen

  3. Mary is forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in 1567

  4. Mary escapes and flees to England, asking Elizabeth for help

  5. Elizabeth imprisons Mary, who becomes a focus for Catholic plots against Elizabeth
• The 1569 Revolt of the Northern Earls


  Aimed to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots
• Families


  Very important north of England and basically ruled the north of England on behalf of the monarchy
• The families (earls of Northumberland, Westmoreland) were Catholics and lost their power under Elizabeth I, being replaced by Protestants
• The families wanted to rebel


  To try and get their power back
• Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived in 1569


  Gave the earls a figure to rally round
• The earls' rebellion


  1. Marched to Durham

  2. Held a Catholic mass in the cathedral

  3. Appealed to other Catholic nobles in England and foreign countries for help

  4. Expected Spanish troops to arrive at Harley Ball but they didn't appear

  5. Elizabeth moved Mary south out of the grasp of the rebels

  6. A royal army marched north and the earls fled

  7. 700 rebels were executed
• Elizabeth did not execute Mary, Queen of Scots, at this point as she did not want to execute another monarch and there was no evidence Mary knew about the rebellion
• The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in response to the executions, but this had limited impact as it was treasonous to share a copy of the excommunication
• After the rebellion, the next major threat to Elizabeth was the Ridolfi Plot of 1571
• The Ridolfi Plot led to the execution of the Duke of Norfolk, the most powerful nobleman in England, as he was involved in the plot and had converted to Catholicism
• After the Ridolfi Plot, more action was taken against Catholics, including making it treason for Catholic priests to be in England
• Elizabeth refused to execute Mary, Queen of Scots, even though her Privy Council pressured her to do so, as she believed monarchs were appointed by God and she did not want to set a dangerous precedent
• After the Throckmorton Plot in 1583, the Privy Council secretly agreed the Bond of Association, which said they would ensure Mary's death if there was any further plot against Elizabeth
• The Babington Plot


  1. Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster, discovered the plot but let it unravel until he found evidence that Mary was involved

  2. Parliament found Mary guilty and she was executed in 1587
• The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, marked the end of the threats to Elizabeth within England, but the start of the war with Spain