1 - Queen, gov and religion, 1558 -69

Question 1

Extraordinary taxation

Answer 1

Extra taxes required to pay for unexpected expenses, especially war

Question 2

Militia

Answer 2

A force of ordinary people (not professional soldiers) raised in an emergency

Question 3

What was the court like in Elizabeth’s gov in 1558?

Answer 3

• made up of noblemen who acted as the monarch’s advisers + friends
• they advised the monarch and helped display her wealth and power
• members of the court could also be members of the Privy council

Question 4

What were the Justices of the Peace like in Elizabeth’s gov in 1558?

Answer 4

• large landowners; appointed by gov
• kept law and order locally
• heard court cases

Question 5

What were the Lord Lieutenants like in Elizabeth’s gov in 1558?

Answer 5

• noblemen appointed by gov
• governed English counties
• raised the local militia

Question 6

What was the Privy Council like in Elizabeth’s gov in 1558?

Answer 6

• members of the nobility who helped govern the country
• they monitored parliament and the Justices of the Peace
• oversaw law and order and security of the country

Question 7

What was the Parliament like in Elizabeth’s gov in 1558?

Answer 7

• advised Elizabeth’s gov, made up of the House of Lords and House of Commons
• The House of Lords - made up of noblemen + bishops
• The House of Commons was elected, though very few people could vote
• Parliament passed laws and approved taxes (extraordinary taxation)
• Elizabeth didn’t possess complete power - she couldn’t pass laws or raise taxes without parliament’s approval

Question 8

Describe the social hierarchy of the countryside and what the people were like in this hierarchy

Answer 8

90% of population of Elizabethan England lived in the countryside

• The nobility - major landowners; often lords, dukes and earls
• The gentry - owned smaller estates
• The yeoman farmers - owned a small amount of land
• Tenant farmers - rented land from the yeoman farmers and gentry
• The landless and labouring poor - people who didn’t own/ rent land, and had to work/ labour to provide for themselves and their families
• Homeless and vagrants - moved from place to place looking for work

Question 9

Describe the social hierarchy of towns and what the people were like in this hierarchy

Answer 9

10% population of Elizabethan England lived in towns

• Merchants - traders who were very wealthy
• Professionals - lawyers, doctors and clergymen
• Business owners - often highly skilled craftsmen, such as silversmiths, glovers, carpenters or tailors
• Craftsmen - skilled employees, including apprentices
• Unskilled labours and the unemployed - people who had no regular work and couldn’t provide for themselves and their families

Question 10

What was the idea of obedience and care in the hierarchal society in 1558?

Answer 10

• where ever you were in society, you owed respect and obedience to those above you and had a duty of care to those below
• Landowners ran their estates according to these ideas - ideally they would take care of their tenants, especially during times of hardship
• Households were run along similar lines to society - the husband + father was had of the household and his wife, children and any servants were expected to be obedient to him

Question 11

What were the problems facing Elizabeth when she became Queen in 1958?

Answer 11

• she was young (21) and lacked experience
• to pas laws, she needed the support of parliament
• she was unmarried and it was unusual for a Queen to rule in her own right, as a Christian traditions suggested that women should follow men’s authority - many people disapproved of the idea of a queen regnant
• she was Protestant. Her predecessor, Mary, was Catholic - many Catholics, especially in the north disliked the way Henry ad taken over the Church in 1534 (the Act of Supremacy) and dissolved the monasteries. They questioned her legitimacy, claiming that she had no right to rule. They preferred a catholic monarch and there was a real risk of rebellion.
• Catholic’s refused to acknowledge Elizabeth’s right to rule England
• Elizabeth’s legitimacy was in doubt as the pope hd refused to recognise her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII - when Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, Henry excluded Elizabeth from the succession, although he reversed this decision before his death
• Elizabeth’s gov needed money

Question 12

What were the key issues facing Elizabeth in 1558?

Answer 12

• It was widely expected that she would marry. But, this would reduce her power, as her husband would be expected to govern the country and deal with parliament
• Her inexperience meant she needed support + advice of her Privy Council, especially her a Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil.
• She could issue royal proclamations and have prerogative powers, enabling her to govern without parliament’s consent, especially in foreign policy. But, laws could only be passed with parliament’s approval as Acts of Parliament

Question 13

What were the problems regarding Elizabeth’s marriage in 1958?

Answer 13

• if she married a Protestant, this would anger Catholics and vice versa
• marriage would involve England in expensive wars, damaging royal finances and requiring taxation. The Crown was already £300, 000 in debt
  Yet marriage was important, as Elizabeth needed an heir - if she died without an heir the throne would be vacant and this could lead to civil war

Question 14

Divine right

Answer 14

• idea that God alone appointed the monarch, meaning that to challenge the monarch was to challenge God
• successful monarchs claimed divine providence (Godly approval) of their actions, reinforcing their legitimacy whereas less successful monarchs could face charges of Godly disapproval and find their legitimacy undermined