Elizabethan Revision Flashcards
(93 cards)
1
Q
When was elizabeth crowned?
A
1558
2
Q
What was her religion?
A
Protestanr
3
Q
What was unusual about her?
A
She never married
4
Q
Why was she seen by some as an illegitimate ruler?
A
Her mother had been executed for treason
5
Q
Where did the royal court meet?
A
At one if the queens palaces
6
Q
Who was the court made up of?
A
Noblemen
7
Q
How many people were in the court?
A
Up to 2000 people
8
Q
What was patronage?
A
The queen would reward courtiers by giving them land, titles or money
9
Q
What was the royal court made of?
A
JPs, Parliament, privy council, lord lieutenants
10
Q
What was the privy council?
A
Members of the nobility that helped govern the country
11
Q
What did the Parliament do?
A
Advised the government
12
Q
How did the royal court help the queen?
A
They controlled her public image and helped her make decisions
13
Q
Who were Elizabeth’s key ministers?
A
William Cecil (lord burghley), robert Dudley (earl of Leicester), Francis walsingham
14
Q
How did Francis walsingham help the queen?
A
He was the queens private secretary from 1573, ran a network of spies who uncovered plots against her (babington, throckmorton)
15
Q
How did William Cecil help the queen?
A
He was her longest serving minister, Secretary of State from 1558, he was the lord treasurer (responsible for governments money) and had a large influence over Elizabeth
16
Q
Which ministers had rivalries?
A
William Cecil and Robert Dudley, and later william’s son Robert Cecil and Robert devereux the earl of Essex
17
Q
Why was Dudley banished from court?
A
Because of his numerous affairs with important courtiers wives that resulted in kids
18
Q
What were the rumours about Robert Dudley and elizabeth?
A
They were having an affair
19
Q
What issues were discussed in Parliament?
A
Religion, the poor, succession, parliamentary rights, taxes
20
Q
Why was Parliament important?
A
She couldn’t raise new taxes without them, the monarch had better authority if approved by Parliament, MPs and peers used Parliament to criticise the government and queen
21
Q
How was Parliament managed?
A
Privy councillors persuaded MPs to pass laws the queen required, PCs on key committees to speed up introduction of new laws, crown could bribe voters to influence who was elected to Parliament so they were more sympathetic to thr government and laws they wanted
22
Q
How was parliaments power limited?
A
Elizabeth didn’t call it very often and MPs didn’t want to challenge the government because it was time consuming and they could be punished
23
Q
Who succeeded elizabeth?
A
James VI of Scotland, MQOS son
24
Q
Who were Elizabeth’s suitors?
A
Robert Dudley, duke of anjou, king Phillip II of Spain, Charles IX, Eric of Sweden, duke of Alençon
25
Why were the suitors unsuitable?
Marrying Eric, Charles IX or the Duke of Anjou could leas to military alliances and expensive wars, Phillip was Catholic, Dudley was widely disliked and Protestants were massacred on St Bartholomew’s day in france where the duke of alençon was from
26
Why did government want elizabeth to marry?
So she’d have a male heir to strengthen the monarchy, female rulers were seen as weak and vulnerable, if she didn’t have an heir there were lots of other possible options which could lead to civil war
27
What were Elizabeth’s strengths at the end of her reign?
The Essex rebellion had been defeated, her authority was reinforced by military successes, she has no rivals to the throne and she was in good health until late in her reign
28
What were the weaknesses by the end of her reign?
Bad tempered poor judgement, key advisors were dying so her court was weakened, losing financial independence, courtiers began challenging her authority, food shortages tax increases and wage decreases undermined her popularity
29
When was the Essex rebellion?
1601
30
Why did Essex rebel?
He needed money after elizabeth didn’t renew his sweet wine monopoly, he was banned from court and put under house arrest after failing to stop a rebellion in Ireland, his rivalry with Robert Cecil
31
Did the Essex rebellion work?
No he went to london to gather support but the mayor had told everyone to stay inside so he went home with his supporters was arrested and later executed for treason
32
Why did Essex fall out of favour with the queen?
After am expedition to Cadiz he shared the gold and silver with his men instead of giving it to the government
33
What were the sumptuary laws (1574)?
They were laws stating what different groups of society could and couldn’t wear. Only royalty could wear ermine, only nobility could wear silk, sable fur and gold and silver fabrics and ordinary people were restricted to certain colours and materials such as sheepskin and cotton
34
What was the social hierarchy in the countryside?
Nobility, gentry, yeoman farmers, tenant farmers, landless and labouring poor, homeless and vagrants
35
What was the social hierarchy in towns?
Merchants, professionals, business owners, craftsmen, unemployed
36
What was Elizabethan society like socially?
Very rigid and quality of life depended on social class
37
What was expected of you (society)?
To respect those above you and care for those below you
38
What happened to the gentry during Elizabeth’s reign?
They became wealthier and more influential and grew in size
39
How did the nobility and gentry become more wealthy?
London became an important centre for trade and finance, growth in industries like tin iron and copper increased their wealth, privateering brought in gold and silver and with the new money they could buy more land and rent it
40
Who were the gentry?
Knights, esquires and gentlemen who lived in the country
41
Why was the theatre important?
The structure of the theatre represented the great chain of being and social classes in society, it was good for networking and was cheap entertainment
42
Who was the most celebrated actor if the time?
Charles Burbage
43
What was theatre like before permanent theatres?
Companies would travel around performing Mystery Plays in courtyards
44
What were mystery plays?
Religious plays popular with catholics
45
Why did puritans not like the theatre?
They thought it encouraged bad behaviour, lots of actors were disreputable, some plays mentioned immoral things such as sex or witchcraft, they believed people should be at home studying the bible and theatre would make people less likely to want to sit through a sermon
46
What are some famous Elizabethan theatres and when were they built?
Globe theatre 1599, the rose 1587
47
What did elizabeth think of theatre?
She enjoyed watching acting although she never went to the theatre and even sponsored some comedies
48
What did the government think about theatre?
They thought some of the content in plays could lead to rebellion, they passed laws banning religious and political matters in plays, 1596 all theatres were banned from the city of london and had to be built south of the Thames
49
Why did poverty increase in Elizabethan England?
Rent increased, harvests were bad, wool trade increased so farmers weren’t as interested in growing crops, population increased so demand for food was higher meaning prices were higher but wages dropped, more people needed land so rent increased
50
Why did the government take action against poverty?
Read that poverty = disorder and would lead to rebellion, the cost of dealing with the poor, population changes and enclosure meant it was an increasingly visible presence in England
51
How did they help the deserving poor?
1563 - statute of artificers if you didn’t pay the poor rate you would get imprisoned, 1576 - poor relief act, JPs had to give the poor wool and other raw materials to sell, 1601, Elizabethan poor laws, almshouses for the poor, poor kids became apprenticed, able poor sent to workhouses
52
What were the names of the Catholic plots to get rid of elizabeth?
Ridolfi, campions mission, throckmorton, babington
53
When was the Ridolfi plot?
1571, after the northern rebellion
54
When was campions mission?
1580
55
When was the throckmorton plot?
1583
56
When was the babington plot?
1586
57
Who led the ridolfi plot?
Roberto ridolfi, Italian banker worked as a spy for the pope
58
What happened in the Ridolfi plot?
Ridolfi was a spy for the pope and he planned to murder elizabeth put MQOS on the throne and have her marry Norfolk and make England Catholic again. He met with King Phillip, the pope and the duke of Alba with a signed letter from Norfolk saying he would lead the rebellion with support from the king and Phillip got Alba to get 10,000 troops to support Norfolk
59
Why did the Ridolfi plot not work?
William Cecil discovered if and by autumn 1571 Norfolk was on trial for high treason. He was executed in June 1572
60
What was campions mission?
To bring back Catholicism to England
61
Who were Jesuits?
A Catholic group from Spain that tried to make everyone catholic
62
Why didn’t elizabeth kill Mary after the Ridolfi plot?
She thought it would anger english catholics and unite france and spain
63
Who was the Jesuit missionaries lead by?
Edward campion and Robert persons
64
Why were the jesuits punished?
Campion insisted on recusancy (not attending Elizabeth’s church services) so 130 priests ended up being charged with treason. Campion was hung drawn and quartered in December 1581 and between 1581 and 1588 64 Catholic priests were executed.
65
When did the Jesuit’s arrive in Britain?
1580
66
Why did the treatment of catholics particularly Jesuit’s change after 1570?
Elizabeth realised they were still the biggest threat to the throne and needed to keep them in line
67
What year did MQOS die?
1587
68
Who was in charge of the throckmorton plot?
The Duke of Guise, cousin of MQOS, wanted to invade England, overthrow elizabeth, free mary and make England Catholic again
69
Who was francis throckmorton and what did he do?
He passed letters between the plotters and Mary who was imprisoned
70
How was the throckmorton plot foiled?
Francis walsingham, Elizabeth’s secretary of state discovered and deciphered the letters in may 1583
71
What happened in November 1583?
Spies found papers around throckmorton house revealing his part in the plot. He was arrested and tortured and executed in may 1584
72
Why was the throckmorton plot significant?
It showed how big the Catholic threat was from other countries, throckmorton papers had a list of Catholic sympathisers in England which meant catholics were treated with more suspicion
73
How was spain involved in the throckmorton plot?
Philip ll offered to pay for the revolt
74
Who suggested the babington plot?
Duke of Guise
75
What did the duke of guise want to do in the babington plot?
Kill elizabeth and put Mary on the throne
76
Who supported the babington plot?
Philip and the pope
77
Who wrote to mary about the conspiracy in July 1586?
Anthony babington
78
Who intercepted the letters from anthony babington?
Francis walsingham
79
What happened to babington and the rest of the plotters?
They were hung drawn and quartered
80
What happened to Mary when the babington plot was discovered?
She was sentenced to death in october 1586 but elizabeth delayed it. She signed her death warrant in February 1587
81
What were the consequences of the catholic plots?
Government were more suspicious of catholics, laws passed against catholics became stricter e.g. in 1581 helping catholics was punishable by death. Catholics became very secretive (priest holes)
82
What happened to catholics in 1585?
11,000 were put under house arrest
83
When was the Spanish Armada?
1588
84
Why were the English victorious in the Spanish Armada?
The weather sunk most of the Spanish ships, fire ships scared them and scattered the fleet, the English ships were better armed, Spanish ships lacked supplies, English tactics were better, the Spanish fleet never link up with the duke of parma
85
What were the consequences of the armadas?
Elizabeth reinforced her authority, England was seen as a strong naval power and the use of effective long range weapons were introduced into naval warfare
86
Why was Mary a threat to elizabeth?
Because she had a legitimate claim to the thrown, the catholics wanted her as their queen, she was involved in all the conspiracies against her
87
Who was Mary married to?
Francis ll king of france
88
Who were Mary’s parents?
Mary of guise and James V king of Scotland.
89
Who was Mary descended from?
Margaret Tudor
90
How did Mary’s arrival in England cause a problem for elizabeth?
Lots of English catholics wanted her on the throne and many Catholic nobles believed they could overthrow elizabeth. If elizabeth took action against Mary, an anointed monarch her enemies would have a reason to attack and her power and status would be reduced
91
When was Mary imprisoned in England.
1558
92
How did the government treat mary towards the 1580s?
They used a wait and see policy, they continued keeping her prisoner, sent out spies to find out about her involvement in plots and would do something when they had enough evidence
93
Why was there tension between spain and England?
By the 1570s, privateers were attacking spanish ships and stealing their money, spain was Catholic and had tried to overthrow elizabeth multiple times because she’s Protestant, there was political rivalry and commercial rivalry
