Elizabethan England: Elizabeth and her Government

Question 1

What was England like when Elizabeth I came to power?

Answer 1

• The country had debts of around £300,000
• The Reformation had happened, breaking away from the Catholic Church. All monasteries had been dissolved, lowering the price of land and expanding the gentry.
• Woolen Cloth was England’s most important industry and export. Many English merchants sold their goods in the Spanish-owned Netherlands.
• 9/10 people lived in rural areas.
• There were a few towns.
• Communication was slow and awful, making some areas hard to govern, such as Wales and the North.

Question 2

What was Elizabeth’s childhood like?

Answer 2

• When Elizabeth was 2 in 1536, her mother was killed on trumped-up charges of treason and incest. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.
• Elizabeth lived with her own household in various royal residences in the country.
• She had a brilliant education and shared some of her brother’s tutors.
• She was taught to use modern Italic handwriting, could speak French, Italian, Spanish and Latin fluently by 14.
• The Protestant reformer Catherine Parr acted as a mother figure to her, She got on well with Parr. The third act of succession in 1544 restored her as a legitimate heir, but only after her half-brother Edward and her older half-sister Mary, and their children.

Question 3

When did Mary die? When was Elizabeth coronated?

Answer 3

• Mary died 17 November 1558.
• Elizabeth was coronated in Westminster Abbey on 16 January 1559. She spent £16,000 on a coronation, despite £300,000 national debt.

Question 4

What were royal progresses?

Answer 4

• Summer tours round the countryside, where the nobility would host her and her court. Helped her build relations with her people and secure the loyalty of the nobility.
• Also meant she could leave the capital during sweltering heat when plague was rife.

Question 5

What was the Privy Council?

Answer 5

• A group of close advisors to Elizabeth, that she appointed.
• Met almost daily, though Elizabeth did not attend all meetings.
• By Jan 1559, had 19 members. Mary’s council had 40 members, showing Elizabeth’s dedication to an efficient, close circle.

Question 6

Who was Sir William Cecil?

Answer 6

• Born 1520, a member of the Gentry.
• A moderate protestant. (E)
• Very intelligent and hard-working.
• A stabiliser who wanted to avoid war. (E)
• Spoke his mind, slow and conservative in decision making. (E)
• Trusted heavily by Elizabeth.

Points marked with (E) mean a trait was shared with Elizabeth.

Question 7

Who was Sir Francis Walsingham?

Answer 7

• Born 1932, gentry
• Fervent Puritan
• Fiercely loyal to Elizabeth
• Became an MP in 1558
• Skilled at languages (E) and had many foreign contacts, making him very useful to Elizabeth.
• Appointed to Privy Council in 1973. Secretary of State with a special position for foreign affairs
• Highly efficient spymaster.

Points marked with (E) mean a trait was shared with Elizabeth.

Question 8

Who was Robert Dudley?

Answer 8

• Earl of Leicester
• Spent some of Mary’s reign locked in the tower of London. (E)
• A childhood friend of Elizabeth, many rumours of romance.
• Personally responsible for Elizabeth’s safety
• Radical and Puritan, argued with Cecil over foreign policy and succession.

Points marked with (E) mean a trait was shared with Elizabeth.

Question 9

Why was Parliament under Elizabeth strong?

Answer 9

• Elizabeth relied on Parliamentary Subsidies (taxes) for funding.
• Needed to increase Elizabeth’s legitimacy and ensure stabilty (e.g she used them to restore royal supremacy over a Protestant CofE in 1559)
• MPs were self-confident in arguing against the Queen.
• MPs were well-educated, with half of them having been to University.

Question 10

Why was parliament under Elizabeth weak?

Answer 10

• Elizabeth had a veto on any Act of Parliament
• Summoned and dismissed by Elizabeth
• Elizabeth used speeches to pressure MPs
• Elizabeth appointed the speaker, allowing her to control debates.
• Elizabeth imprisoned difficult MPs, such as Peter Wentowrth in 1576, who argued for free speech.
• Privy council members also sat in both commons and lords.

Question 11

What was Parliament’s role?

Answer 11

Mostly used to bring in taxes, and for some religious reforms. (E.g Act of Supremacy and Uniformity, May 1559)

Question 12

Why was Marriage a Problem?

Answer 12

• Marriage may suggest allegiance to a certain religion, upsetting the careful balance that Elizabeth had created. Mary’s choice to marry Philip had caused rebellion.
• Marriage created ties to other regimes. For example, the 1572 St. Bartholomew’s day massacre in France instantly ruled out the Duke of Alencon.