eliz history

• With communication being so difficult during the reign of Elizabeth, it was very difficult to govern such as large country and ensure that everyone was doing what they were supposed to
• As a result of this many people in the North of England were still Catholics
• Elizabeth as a Protestant promoted Protestants to key government positions of power
• Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569-1570)


  The Northern Earls had become enraged over a number of issues that led to the revolt
• Reasons for the Revolt of the Northern Earls

  • They wanted Catholicism restored in England, instead of the Protestant Church
  • They had lost a great deal of influence at Court
  • Elizabeth's lifestyle choices provoked the Earls as she refused to marry or to name and heir, leaving the future of the Kingdom in doubt
• Solution to the Earls' problems

  They had Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots as a figurehead who could replace Elizabeth
• Key figures in the plot

  • Thomas Percy, the Earl of Northumberland
  • Charles Neville, Earl of Westmorland
  • Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk
• Elizabeth appointed James Pilkington as Archbishop of Durham in 1561


  Pilkington was a Protestant and his appointment was supposed to stamp out Catholicism in northern England
• Pilkington was harsh in his methods


  Instead of turning the masses to Protestantism, the opposite occurred with many turning away from Protestantism and embracing Catholicism more fully
• Arguments for the causes of the Revolt

  • It was a religious dispute, as the Earls wanted the restoration of Catholicism in England
  • It was a political problem rather than a religious one, as many of the Earls had felt displaced at court and began to detest Elizabeth
• The Earls wanted to replace Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots


  Mary would marry the Duke of Norfolk and create an heir resulting in stability for England
• Elizabeth I is crowned Queen

  1558
• Elizabeth and the religious settlement

  • Act of Supremacy - stated that Elizabeth was Head of the Church
  • Act of Uniformity - set out expectations for church appearances and church services
  • Royal Injunctions - a set of instructions reinforcing the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity
• Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis


  1559
• The treaty ended the war inherited by Elizabeth from her half-sister Mary I, who went to war alongside her Spanish husband Philip II in 1557. Humiliatingly, Elizabeth had to confirm the loss of Calais, which had been an English possession since 1347.
• Treaty of Edinburgh


  1560
• The treaty established a new Anglo-Scottish peace and also reconfirmed the agreement at Cateau-Cambresis. Elizabeth was eager to nullify the threat of the Auld Alliance (Scotland and France), which had been further reinforced by the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and French King Francis II. The treaty also stated that Mary would give up her claim to the English throne, although this was not formally agreed by Mary.
• Statute of Artificers

  1563
• The statute aimed to ensure poor relief was collected. Anyone refusing to pay poor rates could be imprisoned and officials failing to organise poor relief could be fined.
• Dutch Revolt


  1566
• The Netherlands had been part of the Spanish empire since the 1550s. However, the Dutch had always governed themselves. Philip II's decision to reorganise the Dutch government and church angered both the Dutch Catholics and the Protestants. They began to revolt against the Spanish.
• Genoese Loan

  1568
• Italian bankers from Genoa had lent Philip II money to fund his campaign in the Netherlands (which was trying to put down the Dutch Revolt). Crucially, when the Spanish ships docked in English ports, the gold was seized by Elizabeth. This increased tension between England and Spain.
• Mary, Queen of Scots, flees from Scotland to England
• Mary was forced to flee following her unsuccessful attempt to win back her Scottish throne. She raised an army following her escape from prison but was defeated at Langside (Glasgow). The imprisonment owed to her likely involvement in the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley. Her first husband, Francis II, had died in December 1560.
• Revolt of the Northern Earls

  1569
• Two influential Catholic families – the Percys and the Nevilles – plotted alongside the Duke of Norfolk to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic, Mary, Queen of Scots (who now resided in England). Norfolk was also expected to marry Mary. Elizabeth sent an army of 14,000 men to crush the revolt, which lasted around a month (November to December).
• Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth from the Catholic Church


  1570
• This Papal Bull meant that the loyalty of English Catholics towards Elizabeth was now always in doubt and placed a wedge between the English Catholics' monarch and their faith.
• The Ridolfi Plot


  1571
• Roberto Ridolfi was a spy of the Pope. He plotted a Spanish invasion of England, which would involve the killing of Elizabeth and the placing of Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. As with the 1569 plot, she would marry the Duke of Norfolk. The plot was uncovered whilst Ridolfi was abroad (he never returned). Norfolk was killed in 1572. Mary was spared.
• Vagabonds Act

  1572
• To counter homelessness and the begging/criminal activity that sometimes accompanied this, a law was passed that stated that, if found, vagrants were: 1) to be whipped and have a hole drilled through each ear 2) if found a second time would be imprisoned 3) would be killed if found a third time. However, the Act also established a national poor rate, made JPs (Justices of the Peace) keep registers of the poor and gave towns and cities the responsibility to find work for the able-bodied poor.
• Catholic priests are first smuggled into England

  1574
• With the Pope's blessing, foreign Catholic priests were smuggled into England with the sole purpose of continuing recusancy amongst the English Catholics and undermining the influence of Protestantism.
• Poor Relief Act

  1576
• This focused on dividing the poor into the able-bodied and the impotent. JPs provided the able-bodied with raw materials (like wool) to make items to sell. Those who refused this were sent to prison.
• The Spanish Fury


  1576
• Spain's forces in the Netherlands mutinied (as they hadn't been paid by the now bankrupt Spanish government). This led to a rampage of Spanish soldiers and the sacking of Antwerp.
• The Pacification of Ghent - The Spanish Fury united both the Dutch Catholics and Protestants, who demanded in response to the violence: 1) the expulsion of all Spanish troops from the Netherlands 2) political freedom and 3) an end to religious hostility via the Spanish Inquisition.