Elizabethan England Flashcards
(36 cards)
What religion was Elizabeth?
Protestant
What were the name of the three social classes?
Nobility, Gentry and Peasantry
What group was Nobility?
Highest after the monarch (owned most of the land and given privileges)
What group was Gentry?
The middle group
What group was Peasantry?
The lowest group and its poorest
What was Parliament?
Parliament was made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons
What did Parliament do?
Parliament had influence over setting taxes and was responsible for passing laws.
(Queen decided when to call Parliament and when to listen to advice).
What was the House of Commons?
Section of parliament made up of ‘ordinary people’ (but members were educated or relatively wealthy)
What was the House of Lords?
Section of parliament made up of nobility
What was the Privy Council?
The most powerful men in the country appointed by Elizabeth to advise her (19 members)
What was the Secretary of State?
The most senior member of the Privy Council
Who was Secretary of State
William Cecil
What did The Privy Council do?
- Acted as Elizabeth’s main advisors from war to marriage
-Responsible for day-to-day running of the country
What are Lord Lieutenants?
- Appointed by Queen to take responsibility for an area of the country
What did Lord Lieutenants do?
Responsible for settling disputes, raising taxes and raising an army (should the Queen ask for one)
What are JP’s?
Selected from local gentry and responsible for enforcing whatever law parliament passed
What did JP’s do?
Appointed to ensure order was kept
One JP could send someone to prison but two could send someone to death
What problems did Elizabeth face on her accession?
Legitimacy - Elizabethans legitimacy was questioned as she was conceived while Henry VIII and Anne were not married
The French Threat - France and Spain were catholic countries so if Elizabeth did not please them there was the threat of war as Elizabeth was Protestant (France also allied with Scotland, traditional English enemy).
What does Puritan mean?
An extreme Protestant
The act of Supremacy
- This act made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church (title ‘supreme head’ was avoided as Elizabeth believed Christ remained Head of Church).
- This act was controversial as it made it clear the pope had no religious authority anymore
- It was considered treason to not consider Elizabeth ‘Supreme Governor of the Church’
The act of Uniformity
-This act made Protestantism the official faith in England
- Everyone had to go to Church every Sunday (or face a fine)
-The wording of the Church services were designed to appeal to both Protestants and Catholics (allowed to keep the religious ornaments and vestments, preferred by Catholics).
- Elizabeth knew it was important to keep Catholics happy
What was The Royal Injunctions?
The royal injunctions were a set of instructions - issued by William Cecil. They covered a wide range of issues to reinforce the Acts of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity.
What was in The Royal Injunctions?
- Included instructions on how people should worship God and the structure of the services
- Also stated no one could preach without a license from the government (to try and prevent Puritans from challenging the settlement)
- Pilgrimages and monuments were banned as seen as too catholic
- Clergy had to wear special clothes (vestments)
Why did Elizabeth need a ‘settlement’ for religion?
Because some people were catholic, some were Protestant, and this was causing huge problems
