Elizabeth & The Problem of Religion

• The Royal Progress was when Elizabeth and her court would travel around the country to visit the people.
• Elizabeth's procession and coronation set the tone for her reign and earned her public approval.
• The date chosen for Elizabeth's coronation was the 15th January 1559 and the festivities started with a procession the day before.
• The procession saw Elizabeth being taken through the streets on a golden litter. It consisted of 5 pageants in honor of the new Queen.
• The Pageants:

  FIRST:

  • Laid out Elizabeth's genealogy, expressing her 'Englishness'.
  • Presented her descent from Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (whose marriage put an end to years of civil war).
  • The performance implied that as the granddaughter of those who had ended the War of Roses, she would reunify England and bring peace.

  SECOND:

  • Showed the Queen's government characterised by the four virtues; True Religion, Love of Subjects, Wisdom and Justice.
  • Trampled their opposite vices; Superstition and Ignorance.
• The Pageants:

  THIRD:

  • The Lord Mayor presented Elizabeth with a gift of gold, symbolically demonstrating the interdependence of the City and the Crown.

  FOURTH:

  • Constrasted a decaying commonwealth (Mary) with a thriving one (Elizabeth).
  • Featured the Figure of Truth carrying an English Bible entitled the Word of Truth.
  • The Bible was presented to Elizabeth who kissed it and laid it on her breast.

  FIFTH:

  • Elizabeth was portrayed as Deborah, an Old Testament prophet who rescued the House of Israel and then ruled for 40 years.
• Elizabeth's pageants were a success and allowed the public to warm to her.
• Elizabeth's Pledge:

  "And whereas your request is that I should continue your good lady and be Queen, be ye ensured that I will be as good unto as ever Queen was unto her people. No will in me can lack, neither do I trust shall there lack any power. And persuade yourselves that for the safety and quietness of you all I will not spare if need be to spend my blood. God thank you all"
• Elizabeth's Coronation:

  • Took place in Westminster Abbey on Sunday 15 January 1559.
  • Compromise between existing Catholic practices and Protestant ones Elizabeth wanted to introduce.
  • Elizabeth was crowned in Latin by a Catholic bishop, but parts of the service were read twice - in English and Latin.
  • These changes foreshadowed Elizabeth's Religious Settlement.
  • Elizabeth emerged from the ceremony to greet her people, wearing her crown and carrying the orb and sceptre of her new office.
• How did Elizabeth use Propaganda?

  • Patronage
  • Portraits
  • (Royal) Progress
• Patronage is land or money offered by the monarch in return for loyalty and service.
• In Elizabethan England, there was a strict, structured social hierachy. This was called the feudal system.
• Elizabethan England Hierachy:

  • The Monarch
  • The Nobility (given titles from the monarch such as Earl)
  • Gentry (large landowners and the clergy)
  • Yeomen (smaller landowners)
  • Tenant Farmers (rented land from the gentry or yeomen to farm)
  • Labours (worked for any of the classes above them, didn't rent or own land)
  • Vagrants (homeless and unemployed)
• Elizabethan Town & City Hierachy:


  • The Monarch
  • Merchants (owned property and sold goods)
  • Professionals (lawyers, doctors and the clergy)
  • Highly Skilled Craftsmen (tailors or silversmiths, employed other craftsmen)
  • Skilled Craftsmen (blacksmiths, trained on an apprenticeship)
  • Unskilled Workers (employed but couldn't trade)
  • Vagrants (homeless and unemployed)
• Why was social hierarchy important?

  • It depended on giving and recieving
  • Those at the bottom respected those at the top
  • The rich needed the worker's services, meaning they paid the workers
  • It enforced law and order
  • Those at the top used their power and influence to maintain law and order
  • The monarch depended on the hierarchy to maintain control
  • Elizabethans worried for those at the bottom
  • Elizabethans ran their households in a hierarchy aswell to ensure authority and obedience
• Members of the Privy Council:

  • Secretary of State: The Queen's main advisor
  • Lord Treasurer: Controlled money and taxes
  • Lord High Admiral: Controlled the Navy
  • Controller of the Household: Looked after the Queen's money
  • Lord Chamberlain: Ran the royal household
  • Vice Chamberlain: Helped the Lord Chamberlain
  • Keeper of the Great Seal: Legalised government documents
  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Looked after property
• The Privy Council was made up of Elizabeth's closest advisors, nobles and courtiers.
• Role of the Privy Council:


  • Gave Elizabeth advice
  • Debated current issues
  • Monitored the other government organisations
  • Enacted Elizabeth's decisions
• Important members of the Privy Council:

  • William Cecil: Secretary of State (1558) & Lord Treasurer (1572)
  • Robert Dudley: Earl of Leicester (1562) & Commander of Army (1585)
  • Christopher Hatton: Vice Chamberlain (1557) & Lord Chancellor (1587)
  • Francis Walshingham: Ambassador to Paris (1570), Secretary of State & Spymaster
  • Robert Deveruex: Privy Councillor (1593), later excecuted for treason
  • Robert Cecil: Privy Councillor (1591)
• Significance of the Privy Council:

  • Elizabeth was protected from plots against her
  • They represented her and were able to act on her behalf
  • Provided stability needed from Mary I's reign
  • Provided a link between Elizabeth and Parliament, opening communication
  • Allowed Elizabeth to recover from the debt inherited from her father and reduce it
  • In 1574, Elizabeth was able to announce that she wasn't in debt
• Elizabethan Court was made up of Elizabeth's closest friends (nobles and ladies in waiting) and servants. They supported Elizabeth through entertainment.
• Role of Elizabethan Court:

  • Entertained Elizabeth through dances, plays, pagents, feasts, riding and hunting
  • Showcased their wealth and power
  • Controlled her lands
  • Informed her of the moods of people
  • Attempted to influence Elizabeth's views on certain issues
• Members of the court lived and worked near or inside the place Elizabeth was staying at.
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Legitmacy:


  • Catholics did not accept her father's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
  • This meant that his marriage to Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth's mother) wasn't legal
  • Elizabeth was known as a 'bastard child'
  • This meant that she had not legal right to the throne
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Marriage:


  • It was expected that as a Queen, Elizabeth should marry
  • However, she could only marry a man who was from an equal status (a prince or King)
  • Elizabeth was worried that this would put her under control of another country and be a threat to her power in England
  • She turned down the offer of marriage from Phillip II of Spain as she wanted to be 'married to her country'
  • She was under pressure from her parliament and Privy Council to marry. They worried that if she didn't, England would lack stability and face threats from abroad
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Economy:


  • Elizabeth could money by taxing people, but this was unpopular. She didn't want to do this as it would bring even more challenges towards her reign
  • She didn't have much money due to the costly wars fought previously
  • She was £300,000 in debt. The total she would earn yearly was less than this
  • Elizabeth needed to show her wealth to appear strong
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Her Personality:


  • Elizabeth was confident, educated, charismatic and intelligent
  • She was able to make speeches to win people over
  • However, her hesitation in desicision making frustrated many in her court, parliament and Privy Council
  • This supported beliefs about women not being able to rule
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Religion:


  • Catholics in England were angry at Henry VIII for the Reformation, which led to England becoming a Protestant country and for him starting his own Protestant Church
  • This brought challenge from the Pope as Elizabeth continued her father's Protestant faith
  • The Pope strongly influenced many Catholics to challenge Elizabeth's religious views
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Gender:


  • A Queen ruling instead of a King was unusal
  • Women were seen as inferior to men in society
  • It was believed that women should be under the full control of men
  • People did not trust Elizabeth to lead an army into battle during war
  • Women were not seen as strong enough (physically and mentally) to rule and make decisions about a country
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Children:


  • Elizabeth faced challenges from those who wanted her to have children
  • If she did not have children, there would be no heir to the throne
  • This would lead to her being more vunerable to attacks and assassinations
  • Without an heir the country would be unstable if Elizabeth died
  • Her Privy Council pressured her to have children at the start of her reign
• Challenges for Elizabeth at Home - Mary I:


  • People were worried that Elizabeth would be as evil and strict as her sister, Mary I
  • Mary I had executed over 300 Protestants for going against the Catholic Church
  • Mary caused poverty and hunger, lost a war against France and brought England into debt
  • Since Elizabeth was also a woman, it was feared that she would do the same
• The Threat from France:


  • France was wealthier than England and had a bigger population
  • France and England had fought against eachother throughout history
  • France and Scotland had an alliance called the Auld Alliance. Scotland was to the North of England and France was to the South
  • France was a Catholic country. It sided against Protestant England with Scotland
  • The French King Francis II was engaged to Mary Queen of Scots. This brought France and Scotland even closer
  • England had taken over Calais. This was important for England's trade but was under threat of being taken back by France
• The Threat from Scotland:


  • The Scottish Queen (Mary Queen of Scots) believed she was the legitimate heir to the English throne
  • She was heavily supported by Catholics in England, France and Spain
  • It was possible that she could try to become Queen of England
  • The border between England and Scotland was hard to defend. It was a long distance from London so Elizabeth's troops found it difficult to travel there
  • There were constant Scottish raids
  • Mary's mother (Mary of Guise) was French. She brought French troops to help fight England on the border
• The Threat from Rome:


  • The Pope had huge influence over Catholics in Europe
  • He used this to ask Catholics to challenge Elizabeth
  • He spoke about his dislike about the Refomation, and had argued with Henry VIII over religion
  • He wanted a Counter-Reformation
  • He was willing to offer support to Catholic countries such as France and Spain in their fight against England
  • He promised money and anyone who fought against the Protestant faith in England a place in Heaven
• The Threat from Spain:


  • Spain was a strict, powerful and wealthy Catholic country
  • It supported Mary Queen of Scot's claim to the throne
  • Elizabeth was worried that Spain would join forces with France and Scotland to become a bigger threat against her
  • The King of Spain, Phillip II had been married to Elizabeth's sister Mary I
  • Spain had the power and support to defeat Elizabeth
• Religious Divisions:

  • Countries such as Spain and France persecuted Protestants
  • Many fled to England and influenced Protestant changes
  • Some Protestants became more extreme. They were called Puritans (they wanted to purify Christainity from Catholic influence)
  • In the North of England (Yorkshire, Lancashire and Durham), people remained Catholic as they were influenced more by Scotland
  • In the South of England, people were more Protestant as they were closer to the Queen
  • Religion was divided between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church
  • Mary I influenced Catholic worshipping
• Elizabeth's religious beliefs:

  • Believed more in the Protestant faith
  • However, she wanted to be fair to both faiths
  • When she became Queen she did not punish Catholics for following their faith
  • Elizabeth could see the increasing tension and wanted to seek a compromise
• The Clergy:

  • Anyone who worked for the church, such as bishops, vicars and priests
  • When Elizabeth became Queen, most of the clergy was Catholic
  • Elizabeth used a new law called the Act of Parliament to offically change the religion of England to the Protestant faith
  • Many priests agreed to follow the Protestant religion to keep their jobs
  • However, more powerful members of the clergy such as bishops remained Catholic and were willing to challenge Elizabeth
  • They wanted Mary Queen of Scots to remove Elizabeth and become Queen
• Catholic Beliefs:

  • The Pope in Rome is the leader of the Churches across England
  • Many clergy such as cardinals, bishops and priests are needed and have huge power
  • During Mass, the bread and wine actually become the actual body and blood of Jesus. This is seen as a miracle
  • There are 7 sacraments
  • Priests cannot marry or have sexual relationships
  • There are Saints who can cause miracles
• Protestant Beliefs:

  • The monarch is the head of the Church
  • Fewer clergy are needed and they are equal to normal people
  • There are no miracles. The bread and wine are symbolic and mass is banned
  • There are only 2 sacraments
  • Priests can marry and have children
  • There are no Saints and no miracles