elizabethan - chapter 1.1 Flashcards
(49 cards)
who was Henry VIII first wife and how long was he married to her for
the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon
married to her for 20 years
why did the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon fail
- failed to produce a surviving male heir
- a series of miscarriages, still births and infant deaths had left just one heir to the throne, Mary I
- a female heir did not bode well
-> the last time england had a female heir (Matilda, daughter of Henry I), when her father died her male cousin took over the throne, triggering civil wars - henry convinced himself his marriage to catherine was invalid and god had punished them for their sin by denying them any surviving sons
- henry had also become infatuated with another woman, Anne Boleyn
why did Henry want to marry Anne Boleyn
he saw her as the solution to all his problems, as he believed she could provide him with a son and heir
what led to Henry breaking with Rome
- the pope refused to grant henry the divorce from catherine he needed even after years and years of diplomatic pressure and bullying
- when anne fell pregnant, henry took the drastic step of breaking with rome
-> so he could divorce catherine, and marry anne to ensure the baby would be legitimate
who did anne boleyn give birth to
Elizabeth I
when was elizabeth born
7th september 1533
where was elizabeth born
Palace of Greenwich
what act was passed after elizabeth was born and what did it do
an act of succession
confirmed elizabeth as a new heir to the throne and declare Henry’s elder daughter, Mary, to be illegitimate
why did the marriage between henry and anne quickly unravel
due to the disappointment of a birth of another daughter
when was anne boleyn executed and what were her charges
may 1536
charged with treason, incest, adultery and witchcraft
what act was passed after anne boleyn was beheaded and what did it mean
a second act of succession
declared elizabeth illegitimate with no right to inherit the throne
what happened a year after elizabeth was declared illegitimate that seemed to relegate elizabeth to a position of political irrelevance
the birth of a male heir, from Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour
what happened as Henry VIII aged
- his style of government became more tyrannical
- in the late 1530s and early 1540s, many of Elizabeth’s remaining Yorkist cousins were arrested and executed
-> because the paranoid king felt his position and that of the dynasty be threatened
what did elizabeth feel towards her father as she was exiled from court
- she was lonely and isolated from her family
- she rarely saw her father and met him only a few times in her life
- however, this distance only served to strengthen the immense love and admiration she appears to have felt towards him
where did elizabeth live during her childhood
- she lived with her own household in various royal residences in the country
-> the most significant was Hatfield in Hertfordshire
what was elizabeth’s education like
- initially, she was taught by a governess, Kat Ashley, who became a lifelong friend
- later, despite being a woman, she was given a brilliant education
-> she was able to share some of the tutors employed to school her brother - she was an accomplished linguist
-> by 14 she was able to speak French, Italian, Spanish and Latin fluently, and could read Greek - she was good at history and enjoyed writing poetry
- however, she wasn’t just an intellectual, she was musical, athletic (an accomplished horsewoman and dancer), and was skilled at needlework too
who was undoubtedly the greatest intellectual influence on Elizabeth
- her tutor, the Cambridge scholar, Roger Ascham
-> he replaced her previous tutor, William Grindal, when he died of the plague - Ascham himself revelled in teaching such a conscientious and talented student as Elizabeth, and her love for learning gave her a reputation of seriousness
- she was taught to use the modern italic style of handwriting, as favoured by Ascham, that had been developed in Italy during the renaissance
-> it contrasted sharply with the ‘secretary hand’ used by most people in england at the time
-> it demonstrated how modern and advanced an education she had received
who acted as a mother figure to elizabeth during her teenage years
Henry’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr
how did Catherine Parr influence Elizabeth
- Catherine was a Protestant reformer
- she influenced Elizabeth’s protestant views and the direction of her education
during elizabeth’s teenage years how did her position in the family begin to improve
she visited court more often and lived with her siblings for some of the time
when was a third act of succession passed and what did it declare
passed in 1544
restored Elizabeth as an heir to the throne (although it didn’t technically make her legitimate), but stated she could only succeed after Edward and Mary
why was it expected that elizabeth would never become queen
- she could only succeed after Edward and Mary
- one or the other, or both, were expected to produce children of their own
when did Henry VIII die
January 1547
how old was Edward when he succeeded Henry
9
