part 1 Elizabeth's court & parliament Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
between what years did Elizabeth reign
A
1558 - 1603
2
Q
Why did no one expect Elizabeth to become monarch?
A
-Her mother Anne Boleyn was executed for treason on the orders of her father Henry VIII.
3
Q
where was Elizabeth in Henry VIII family tree
A
- She was the middle child, mum was Anne Boleyn.
- First child was Mary I, mum was Catherine of Aragon.
- Third child was Edward, mum was Jane Seymour.
4
Q
What did Elizabeth need to do when she was crowned Queen?
A
- She was only 25 when she was crowned.
- She needed to establish her authority quickly.
- She could not do as she pleased as her government had a clear structure of advisors and powerful figures.
- Most of the power was held by a few trusted individuals.
-> Many of these were Privy councillors and the Queen could ensure support through patronage.
5
Q
What was patronage?
A
- An important way of ensuring loyalty from courtiers.
- Elizabeth could award titles, land, monopolies and other powerful positions and money making opportunities in exchange for obedience and support.
6
Q
What was Elizabeth’s court life like?
A
- The royal court and government were not the same thing.
- The court was made up of all the officials, servants and advisors that surrounded Elizabeth.
- The Court was the centre of power but also the source of the latest trends and fashion.
- It included the privy council, but JOP (Justices Of Peace) and parliament was not part of it.
- The government was made up of the Queen and her closest advisors, usually Privy Councillors, but always men whom she trusted.
7
Q
Who held power in Elizabethan England?
A
- Lord Lieutenants
- Parliament
- Justices of Peace (JOP)
- Privy council
8
Q
Who were the Lord Lieutenants?
A
- Appointed by the Queen.
- Responsible for running a particular area of the country.
- Responsible for raising a Militia to fight for the Queen if necessary.
- Many also served on the Privy council.
9
Q
Who were the Justices of Peace (JOP)?
A
- Several in every county.
- Responsible for maintaining order and enforcing the law.
10
Q
Who were the Parliament?
A
- Made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
- Had influence over tax and was responsible for passing laws.
- The Queen could choose when to call Parliament and was free to ignore their advise.
11
Q
Who were the Privy council?
A
- Responsible for the day to day running of the country, dealing with all policy areas.
- Although the Queen could technically appoint whoever she wished, in reality she had to appoint the most powerful landowners in the country to prevent rebellion.
- If the council was united, it was impossible for Elizabeth to go against it , however this was very rare.
- Led by the Secretary of State.
- William Cecil and Francis Walsingham were two significant and powerful figures who each served as Secretary of State -> Both had huge influence over Elizabeth.
12
Q
when Elizabeth came to the throne what 6 issues did she face
A
- Succession
- Religion
- Foreign policy
- Taxation
- Mary queen of Scots
- Ireland
13
Q
Describe how succession was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the throne.
A
- Elizabeth was the last living child of Henry VIII and she had no children of her own.
- It was unclear who would succeed her if she died before producing an heir.
- In past situations this had led to violent struggles for power.
- In 1562, she nearly died of smallpox.
- This drew uncertainty towards England’s future.
- Senior figures were eager that she marry as soon as possible.
14
Q
Describe how Religion was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the Throne.
A
- The Tudor period had seen England’s official religion change multiple times, this created instability and violence.
- Many Catholics did not trust Elizabeth and some claimed that she had no right to the throne ( they did not recognise Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn).
- Puritanism was also seen as a threat.
- There were a number of Puritans who had hoped to take control of Elizabeth’s church and make it more extreme
- > this could have damaged the whole religious settlement.
15
Q
Describe how foreign policy was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the throne.
A
- Catholic countries like Spain and France wanted influence over England and had the support of the pope in this aim
-> the threat of invasion was very real. - One key area of tension was the Netherlands, where the protestant population was in conflict with its Spanish rulers
- Elizabeth had to decide whether or not to become involved
16
Q
Describe how taxation was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the throne.
A
- The country was short of money and Elizabeth needed to raise taxes.
- Poverty was widespread and raising taxes would be very unpopular.
17
Q
describe how Mary queen of Scots was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the throne
A
- with no direct heir, the next inline to the throne was Mary
- many Catholics saw her as an alternative queen of England and this made her a serious threat to Elizabeth
18
Q
describe how Ireland was an issue that Elizabeth faced when she came to the throne
A
- like her predecessors, Elizabeth considered herself to be queen of Ireland
- in 1559 she faced a major revolt in Ireland
19
Q
what were the arguments in favour of marriage
A
- create an alliance with a foreign country or guarantee the loyalty of a powerful English family
- produce an heir to continue the Tudor line and stop Mary queen of Scots from becoming queen when Elizabeth dies
20
Q
what were the arguments against marriage
A
- loss of authority - either to a foreign ruler or Englishmen
- by not marrying England and Elizabeth kept their independence
- giving birth was very risky for the mother
- her experience of marriage had been bad, her father had married 6 times and ordered the death of her mother and her sisters marriage to Philip of Spain had been unhappy and did not produce an heir
- Elizabeth was able to use the possibility of marriage to her advantage when dealing with foreign leaders and important figures in England
21
Q
who were the 3 main suitors for Elizabeth
A
- Francis, duke of Anjou and Alencon
- king Philip of Spain
- Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
22
Q
who was Francis, duke of Anjou and Alencon
A
- the French kings brother and heir to the throne
- by the time marriage was proposed Elizabeth was 46 and probably beyond giving birth
- a childless marriage could result in England becoming under French control
- he was catholic and many important figures in Elizabeth’s court were against the marriage
23
Q
who was King Philip of Spain
A
- one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world
- had been married to Mary but had rarely visited England and the marriage had not produced an heir
- he was catholic
24
Q
who was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
A
- a childhood friend of the queen and a favourite of hers throughout her reign
- many assumed they were in love
- a key figure in the royal court and member of the privy council
- when his wife died he bema free to marry Elizabeth, but the scandal surrounding her death ( and rumours of his involvement) meant this was almost impossible
25
what was parliament
- consisted of lords, bishops and other nobles who sat in the house of lords and 'commoners' MPs who sat in the house of commons
- its role was to discuss issues and advise the queen
- responsible for passing laws and setting taxes
- although the queen could decide when to call parliament and did not have to listen to what they say, in practise she could not ignore it completely
- she needed to deal with parliament very carefully
26
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to marriage and succession
- many in parliament saw it as their duty to find Elizabeth a suitable husband
- by 1556 many began to discuss it openly
- angry at this interference she banned them from talking about it again
- Elizabeth saw marriage as a decision for her alone
27
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to religion
- it was the most divisive factor in Elizabethan society and parliament reflected this
- the majority of those in both houses in parliament were protestant and supported her religious settlement
- when Elizabeth wished to introduce a law that would make life hard for Catholics she found support from parliament
- they however did disagree about puritanism
- a number of powerful puritans in parliament tried unsuccessfully to introduce laws to change the church of England
28
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to freedom of speech
- an MP named Peter Wentworth was arrested 3 times during Elizabeth's reign for arguing that MPs should be allowed to speak on any matter that they choose
- Elizabeth disagreed
- some MPs supported him but others didn't
- one of his arrests was organised by other MPs to demonstrate their loyalty to Elizabeth
29
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to crime an poverty
- the issue of poverty was significant in Elizabethan England particularly when it led to crime
- many MPs recognised that simply punishing the poor did nit work and attempted to introduce new poor laws
- they were unsuccessful until 1601 when the poor law was finally passed
30
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to Mary queen of Scots
- the majority of those in parliament saw Mary, a catholic, as a clear threat to national security
- a significant number of them called for execution
- this pressure, and that of the privy council, may have swayed the hesitant Elizabeth into executing her cousin
31
how was parliament under Elizabeth related to monopolies
- the giving of monopolies was a way of Elizabeth to maintain loyalty of powerful men in Britain
- e.g. sweet wine monopoly given to Earl of Essex
- in 1571 an MP named Robert Bell criticised them as unfair
-> other MPs joined him in calling for changes in there use
- Elizabeth agreed to make a few changes however they wanted more
- in 1601 she gave a speech agreeing to make major changes however didn't do anything
32
how did Elizabeth manage parliament
- she made it clear that she was in charge through her words and actions
- she issued regular statements about her authority and arresting MPs who went to far in criticising her
- she had the ability to dismiss parliament when she wished and could also appoint new members to the house of lords
- it was the duty of her privy councillors and nobles to manage parliament and ensure that they were clear on her wishes
33
what was the background for Essex's rebellion towards Elizabeth
- Essex had been a loyal subject throughout Elizabeth's reign and was, for a time, one of her favourites
- he became a privy councillor in 1595 and was awarded the monopoly of sweet wine
- during his time in court he developed a rivalry with Robert Cecil the son of the powerful William Cecil and an important and influential figure in court
- Essex pleased the queen when, in 1596, he successfully attacked the Spanish port of Cadiz
34
what were the causes for Essex's rebellion
- after his victory against the Spanish Essex became involved in an argument with the queen during a privy council meeting
-> he turned his back to her and she hit him o the side of the head
-> he nearly drew his sword however was stopped by other privy councillors
- Essex was placed under house arrest
- later the queen sent him to Ireland to deal with a rebellion
- he failed to defeat them and called a truce which was directly against the queen orders
- when he returned he rushed into the queens chambers and caught her without her wig
- after his failures in Ireland Essex fell from Elizabeth's favourites
- she refused to renew his monopoly of sweet wine, losing Essex his wealth and influence
- angry, Essex began to gather supporters to rebel
35
describe what happened in Essex's rebellion
- February 1601, Essex took 4 privy councillors hostage and marched them to his London house along with 200 supporters
- Robert Cecil, his greatest rival, responded by labelling him a traitor
-> many of his supporters left, while other panicked and released the hostages without permission
- Essex and his remaining followers were arrested
36
what were the consequences of Essex's rebellion
- Essex was put on trial for treason and was sentenced to death
- during his interrogation he agreed to name any other rebels including his sister Penelope
- he was executed in private on 25 February 1601, some of his supporters were also put to death but most were just fined
- Elizabeth made it clear, even late in her reign that she would not tolerate challenges to her authority
