Edexcel GCSE 9-1 History

Early Elizabethan England 1558-88

Key Topic 1

Queen, Government and Religion, 1558-69

Name:

Keywords

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Keywords

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Keywords

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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The Elizabethan Era took place from 1558 to her death in 1603 and is considered by many historians to be the golden age in English History. During this time, England experienced peace and prosperity while the arts flourished. However, this wasn’t the case at the start of Elizabeth’s reign. Due to her father, Henry VIII, she inherited a country that was divided religiously between Catholics and Protestants. The nation was in heavy debt due to droughts and wars and Elizabeth was a female queen in a ‘mans’ world. When Elizabeth took the throne at the age of 25, her first task was to secure her position as queen. In order to understand this topic, we need to look at what life was like in Elizabethan England as it was drastically different to life today.

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TASK: What was England like in 1558? Read the statements and sort them under the following headings.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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Society and government in 1558

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Elizabethan England was often a violent and dangerous place. During this time, there was no permanent army and no police force. To make sure there was order, the queen and her government relied upon a clear social structure whereby everyone knew their place and had a role. Unlike today, equality was not something that was important to Elizabethans. In fact, society, government, and law and order were based on inequality.

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Society

Everybody in Elizabethan England had a clear understanding of where they belonged The monarch (king or queen) was at the top of the social scale as the most important member of the nobility. Below her, were the nobility, and gentry. Your place in the hierarchy was generally determined by how much land you had and whether you owned or rented it. Staggeringly, 90% of England’s population lived and worked in the countryside. Below them were Yeomen who were men who held a small amount of land or an estate – they were essentially lower gentry. Tenant farmers would farm rented land which would likely be owned by yeoman or the gentry. Then there was the landless or labouring poor and finally, at the bottom of the social hierarchy of Elizabethan England were vagrants/the homeless.

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Within towns, the hierarchy was based on wealth and occupation (jobs). Wealthy merchants (people who would buy and sell items) were at the top of this system. They were closely followed by professionals. Professionals were people that had varied but skilled jobs such as lawyers and doctors. Skilled craftsmen came next such as silversmiths, glovers and carpenters. They organised themselves into guilds, which were trade associations to monitor the standards, working conditions and who was allowed to practise the trade. Craftsman were skilled employees and also included apprentices. Finally, at the bottom of the hierarchy came unskilled labourers and the unemployed.

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Wherever you were in the hierarchy, you owed respect and obedience to those above you and had a duty of care to those below you. For example, landowners ran their estates according to these ideas and in practice, would take care of their tenants, especially during times of hardship Households were run along similar lines in society. The husband and father was head of the household. His wife, children and any servants were expected to be obedient to him.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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Nobility

TASK: Using the information on the previous page, place the different members of the social hierarchy in the correct section of the pyramid. The terms are in bold and one has been done for you.

Merchants

The social hierarchy of Elizabethan England

The social hierarchy of towns in Elizabethan England

TASK: If this is the answer what is the question?

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Unskilled workers and unemployed - ________________________________________________________________________________

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90% - ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Guilds - ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Farmed rented land - ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

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How much land you had - ______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

p.8

Government

Within the Elizabethan government there were many different organisations. Each had a varying role to keep Elizabethan England running smoothly.

TASK: Below are a list of statements regarding the role of government features. Next to the statement, you need to say whether it refers to: Court, Privy Council, Parliament, Lords Lieutenant or Justices of the Peace (JPs)

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1. Passed laws - __________________________
2. Debated current issues and advised the monarch on government policy - ____________________
3. In charge of raising and training the local militia and overseeing county defences - _____________________________
4. To make sure all social and economic policies were carried out - _________________________________________________
5. To entertain and advise the monarch - ______________________________________________________________________________
6. A public display of wealth and power - ______________________________________________________________________________
7. Made sure the monarch’s final decisions were carried out - _______________________________________________________
8. To grant extraordinary taxation - ____________________________________________________________________________________
9. Heard county court cases every three months for more serious crimes - _________________________________________

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TASK: Exam question – Describe two features of Elizabethan government (4 marks)

I’ve started one of the answers for you. For this 4 mark question, all you have to do is identify a feature and explain what it is.

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One feature of Elizabethan government was the Court. This was ________________________________________________________

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Another feature was _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabeth England in 1558: society and government.

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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TASK: Lets compare how England is governed in Elizabethan England and the 21^st century (now). Complete the table below using your understanding of the modern day and the information on the previous pages.

HOT: Using the table above, did Elizabethan England have more similarities or difference to the England of today?

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HOT: Was Elizabethan England more similar or more different to today? Explain below

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The Monarch

The government in Elizabethan England was centred on the monarch. In this period, as with years before, the people believed that monarchs had the right to rule ‘by the grace of God’. This was later known as divine right. This meant that a monarch was subject to no earthly authority and they got their right to rule directly from the will of God. Because of this, Elizabeth I had an extreme amount of control and importance over the running of the country, unlike today which is mainly done by parliament.

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Elizabeth therefore made all the important decisions with the advice of the Privy Council. She was also able to declare war and make peace with other countries. She could call and dismiss parliament, and agree to, or reject any laws they voted for. Furthermore, she could rule in some legal cases, for example, if the law was unclear or if people appealed a judgement. This is not to say that she would get involved in cases of petty theft or a dispute between two neighbours, it would be something far more serious. Finally, she was able to grant titles (Dukes/Sirs etc), lands, money and jobs.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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Patronage is the term for giving someone an important job or position. This could involve a grant of land, a title or championing a cause. Patronage is a great way for monarchs or people with power to gain support from people and a way of controlling them. What the queen gave, she could also take away if displeased. Giving patronage was not limited to the queen. Wealthy people could give patronage too, but the queen was the ultimate patron.

The Secretary of State

The most important member of the Privy Council was the Secretary of State. He was the person in government that was closest to the Queen and would advise her on matters important to the Crown. The most significant person to hold this position of Secretary of State was Sir William Cecil, who held the position until 1573. He was later raised to the nobility and became Lord Burghley.

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The Monarch and Parliament

It was not possible for the monarch to rule effectively without parliament. Parliament were the ones that could agree to, and enforce, extraordinary taxation. Even though the monarch had a regular income, there were often times that more was needed. Although the queen could issue direct orders (known as proclamations), they could not be enforced in England’s law courts. Acts of Parliament, on the other hand, could be enforced and so any really important policies would be presented to parliament for its approval. However, in theory, it was possible to vote

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

A. Elizabethan England in 1558: society and government.

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against what the monarch wanted, but this rarely happened. There were some areas that only the monarch had the right to decide upon. This was known as the royal prerogative. Elizabeth claimed it was her right as monarch to stop parliament from discussing any issues she didn’t want them to discuss. The most important of these included foreign policy, marriage and the succession (the issue of who was going to succeed the throne after the existing monarch died).

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TASK: Re read the information on the previous page and the top of this page and highlight 5 sentences that you feel is important information.

Once you have highlighted the information, rewrite sentences to form a coherent paragraph (you can use your own words in this you don’t have to simply chunk the words together).

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TASK: Answer the following questions.

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What does the term ‘divine right’ mean?: ________________________________________________________________________________

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What does the term ‘patronage’ mean? ____________________________________________________________________________________

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Why was the Secretary of State an important job? ______________________________________________________________________

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What makes a successful and powerful Monarch?

HOT: What is the most important attribute to possess as a leader?

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TASK: Think about life in Elizabethan England, create a mind map of what you think would make a successful and powerful monarch? What criteria would you judge a king or queen on?

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

B. The Virgin Queen: the problem of her legitimacy, gender, marriage. Her character and strengths.

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The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth’s Character and Strengths

Elizabeth was 25 years old when she became Queen. She already had many experiences that prepared her for tackling the problems she faced. Her character was also very important in helping her deal with the problems and crises. Below, you will read about what the situation was like for Elizabeth when she came to the throne.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

B. The Virgin Queen: the problem of her legitimacy, gender, marriage. Her character and strengths.

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Her Parents

Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded for treason in 1536. As a result of this, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and Henry, her father removed her from the line of succession. When her brother Edward was born, all chance of Elizabeth becoming queen seemed to have gone. She was only allowed to see her brother and father on special occasions. However, this changed when Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, who persuaded Henry to bring Elizabeth back to court.

Legitimacy

Legitimacy means justified. Catholics believed that Elizabeth was illegitimate and therefore had no right to rule for a couple of reasons. One was that her father removed her from the line of succession. Another was the fact that her mother was beheaded for treason and finally because the Catholic church doesn’t allow divorce. The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, refused to grant the divorce so Catholics refused to accept it.

Education + Personality

Elizabeth was brought up as a Protestant and learned Greek, Latin and Italian. She was incredibly smart and astute. She was taught Bible stories, dancing, riding and archery. She had a strong grasp of politics and an eye for detail. She was confident, charismatic and able to make great speeches to inspire people. However, she often took her time making decisions which would frustrate her advisors whilst also having a temper that people feared.

Danger

Elizabeth also spent time as a prisoner in the Tower of London. In 1554, Queen Mary I (Elizabeth's sister) suspected her of being involved in Wyatt’s Rebellion, a rebellion that aimed to overthrow Mary. As a result, Elizabeth was accused of treason, which carried the death penalty. Eventually, Mary was advised that there was not enough evidence to put Elizabeth on trial.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

B. The Virgin Queen: the problem of her legitimacy, gender, marriage. Her character and strengths.

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Gender and Marriage

Gender was a problem for Elizabeth. In the 16th century, it was unusual for a queen to rule in her own right as it seemed unnatural in society for women to rule on their own. Furthermore, the Christian religion taught that women should be under the authority of men. Additionally, monarchs were still expected to lead their armies in battles.

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It is true to say that life in Elizabethan England would be considered sexist. Women were not considered to be physically, mentally or emotionally capable of governing, and even the home was supposed to be under the authority of the husband or father. It was very rare and unusual in this time for a woman to be in a position of power.

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Many people, including Elizabeth’s advisors, thought that she should marry. There were a couple reasons for this. Primarily, a marriage would bring stability to the country. As Elizabeth was the last Tudor, it was essential for there to be an heir to the throne to make sure the succession ran smoothly. Furthermore, a marriage to a foreign prince or Duke would strengthen international relations and form a vital alliance. Despite there being eligible princes in Europe, including her own brother-in-law, Philip II of Spain, Eric the King of Sweden and the French heir to the throne, the Duke of Alencon, Elizabeth chose to remain single.

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Queen Mary’s reign saw a lot of turbulence and did nothing to show that women could rule successfully and actually encouraged more prejudice against female monarchs. For example, England allied with Spain in a war against France which was expensive and resulted in a loss leading to low morale. She spent too much money on the war and England’s finances were poor. There had been several bad harvests leading to disease, hunger and poverty. Finally, Mary burned almost 300 Protestants for their religious beliefs. Although most people were Catholic at that time, the burnings had not been popular.

Cons

Pros

TASK: What are some pros and cons of Elizabeth getting married, write a list in the thought bubbles below.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

B. The Virgin Queen: the problem of her legitimacy, gender, marriage. Her character and strengths.

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TASK: Answer the following questions.

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Identify two experiences when Elizabeth faced great stress and danger:

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Identify three personal qualities that would help her as Queen.

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Identify evidence that there were doubts that a woman could rule the county.

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HOT: Do you think that in 1558 Elizabeth:

1. Promised to be an excellent ruler?
2. Was potentially a good ruler, but that was uncertain?
3. Looked likely to be a failure?

Explain your choice:

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

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Problem 1: Choosing her councillors

As mentioned earlier, the Privy Council was the most important part of the Elizabethan government as they were responsible for the crown’s finances, gave advice to the queen and were responsible for administration. Choosing the Privy Councillors was a crucial task for Elizabeth. If she got it right, she would have a loyal team to help her run the country. But if she got it wrong, she would have alienated the most powerful men in the country.

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As soon as she became Queen, Elizabeth made William Cecil her Secretary of State the monarch’s principal advisor who supervised all government business. Within the first three months of her reign, Elizabeth had chosen her councillors. She reduced the number of councillors from the 50 that were present in Mary’s reign to 20. Lots of those that were on the council for Mary were Catholics, something that Elizabeth didn’t want though she made sure she thanked all the past councillors for their work, aiming to keep their support. She was sensitive with her choices and showed caution. She waited four years to make her close friend, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a councillor as she realised that it might cause jealousy.

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Elizabeth was also careful not to offend powerful men, and kept on the new Council about ten who had served under Mary, including high-ranking powerful nobles with considerable experience and influence, some of whom had also served her father and brother. In terms of who she chose, Elizabeth mainly chose those that were relatives and trusted colleagues, especially those that had supported her during Mary’s Catholic rule. The fact that Elizabeth dealt with the Privy Council so early in her reign showed how important it was for her to get it right. She acted cautiously and tactfully, but also decisively. She knew which type of Councillor she wanted and she achieved this, apparently without any great upset. It could have turned into a problem, but it was to become one of the successes of her reign.

Why was choosing the Privy Council important?

What would be a problem with having 50 members of the Privy Council?

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Why was it wise to keep some of Mary’s councillors?

What type of councillors did Elizabeth choose?

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Why might Elizabeth’s handling of the Privy C ouncil be considered a success?

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

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TASK: From the information on the previous page regarding choosing the Privy Council, complete the table below. Use the criteria below to make a judgement on how much of a problem it was.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

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Problem 2: Financial Weaknesses

In the 16^th century, the monarch was expected to pay for all the costs of running the country, including the court and royal households, out of their own sources of revenue. This income came from the rent or sale of the crown lands, fines given by judges, custom duties (taxes from trade) on imports and feudal dues. If the crown needed to raise extra money, usually to finance a war, they had to ask Parliament to approve taxation. This, however, was something monarchs didn’t want to do as it gave Parliament too much power as they could make demands.

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In 1559, the year Elizabeth was crowned, the royal finances were severely strained by the war with France and Elizabeth inherited a debt of £300,000 which is roughly £108 million in today’s money. In contrast, the total annual income of the Crown at that time was approximately £286,667. To be strong the queen needed to be wealthy. Most of the crown’s income came from land and the monarchy had suffered from the same problems as other land owners. The rise in prices made it difficult for the crown to increase its sources of revenue especially since the rents were at a fixed rate. However, Edward and Mary had both introduced reforms to improve the running of the Exchequer and Elizabeth was able to build on this.

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To strengthen the royal finances, Elizabeth substantially cut back government spending from the moment she became queen. She strictly monitored the costs of her household and gave the Exchequer official orders to balance the accounts. As a result, Crown lands were sold off throughout the next twenty years, bringing £600,000 into the Exchequer. This approach took time to work, but by 1585, Elizabeth had not only paid off Mary’s debt, but had built up a reserve of £300,000.

Where did the crowns income come from?

Why was being in debt a problem?

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How much debt did Elizabeth inherit?

How did Elizabeth solve the problem of financial weakness?

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

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TASK: From the information on the previous page regarding choosing the financial weakness, complete the table below. Use the criteria below to make a judgement on how much of a problem it was.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.21

Problem 3: Religious Division

A Puritan Church which is strongly Protestant?

A compromise?

A Catholic Church

The diagram above shows the choices facing Elizabeth in deciding which religion everyone would follow in 1558. Monarchs believed that everyone had to follow the same religion to make their country united. Differences in religion could lead to civil war and make a country too divided to fight back against a foreign invader.

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Warning from the past

Elizabeth had a great many issues to think about in deciding the country’s religion. She knew that previous religious changes had led to protests and rebellion. Henry VIII made himself head of the English Church. Some Catholics did not believe that Henry was able to replace the authority of the Pope, including his friend, Sir Thomas More, whom Henry executed. On top of this, Henry closed the monasteries and this resulted in a major rebellion in the north. Under Edward VI, Elizabeth’s half brother, the Church of England became strongly Protestant which caused outbreaks of violence across the country. Finally, Mary I married the Catholic Spanish King Philip and restored the the country to Catholicism. This led to another rebellion and Mary burnt 300 Protestants that refused to change their beliefs.

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Support for Catholicism

The majority of people in the country were traditional and did not like religious change. Religion was a huge part of peoples lives so the decision to change religion was major. These traditional viewing people of England were most likely to be Catholic and they preferred decorated churches, services to be in Latin and fancy priest gowns. To many people, the appearance of the Church was an important part of the Church doctrine. Most of the support for Catholicism came from Northern England. For Elizabeth, it would have been difficult to change the bishops and the Clergy (leaders of the church) to be all Protestant as Mary, when she reintroduced Catholicism to England, cemented the Catholic hold over the country. She also urged Catholics to resist Protestantism.

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.22

Support for Protestantism

Despite the country being Catholic under Mary, there was still support for Protestantism in England. The fact that Elizabeth herself was a Protestant was important, especially since this was an age when religion was so important. Elizabeth appointed advisors who were mainly Protestant and they accepted positions on the Council in the belief that the new Church would be Protestant. Furthermore, many devout English Protestants who had fled abroad during Mary’s reign were also returning home. Finally, Mary’s close associations with the Pope and the King of Spain and the burning of Protestants were really unpopular.

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The difficulty of a compromise

It may seem that a compromise was an obvious and easy solution. However, it was impossible for Elizabeth to please everyone. For example, as a Protestant, Elizabeth could not accept Catholic doctrine and belief, or accept that the Pope was the head of the Church of England. This was a problem because Elizabeth needed the loyalty of her subjects, if the Pope was the head of the church who would they be loyal too? The Pope or the queen?

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Catholics could not accept woman, even a queen, as head of the Church. Puritans did not want a Church which had any signs of Catholicism. Finding a compromise would not be easy,.

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Elizabeth’s early moves

For the first few months of Elizabeth’s reign, Elizabeth made few public pronouncements regarding religion. She continued to worship privately following her Protestant beliefs. Behind the scenes, Elizabeth and the Privy Council were drawing up a new Religious Settlement for the Church of England. Within four months, they were ready to call a meeting of Parliament to pass the laws that would establish the new religion.

TASK: In the table below, write a one sentence summary of each of the paragraphs regarding the problem of religion.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

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TASK: From the information on the previous page regarding choosing the Religious Division, complete the table below. Use the criteria below to make a judgement on how much of a problem it was.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.24

Problem 4 Foreign Threat

Elizabeth inherited a number of different problems from abroad. The country was financially weak and would have struggled to defend itself if war broke out. Below, is a flow chart of events that happened during Mary’s reign that caused problems for England and Elizabeth.

Mary I persuaded the Privy Council to commit English forces to the war her Spanish husband was fighting against France.

The French retaliated by strengthening their forces in Scotland along England’s vulnerable northern border.

In January 1558, Calais, the last English fortress in France, was captured by France. This was a national humiliation, but Mary’s government made no effort to win it back.

So, which countries were a threat to England in 1558?

Scotland

Scotland was being ruled by Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, when Elizabeth became queen in 1558. However, Mary, had been raised in France since the age of 5 and was married to the heir to the French throne. This strong link between France and Scotland, both Catholic countries, was a real threat to England. This is exemplified by the fact that French soldiers were stationed in Scotland, so, there was a real danger of a joint attack from across the Channel and the northern border.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.25

France

In 1558, France was at war with both England and Spain. Mary was married to the King of Spain, Philip, and had allied together due to this marriage. On top of this, France had a direct interest in the English Crown. Mary, Queen of Scots, was heir to the English throne as she was Elizabeth’s cousin. She was married to the eldest son of the French king. France was a Catholic country and many Catholics thought Mary should be Queen of England. This gave France a motive for invading England on her behalf.

Spain

Spain was a devoutly Catholic country, committed to preventing the spread of Protestantism. Also, during this time, they were the most powerful and wealthy country in Europe. The Spanish Empire was made up of territories in Europe and conquests in Central and South America. However, despite this, Spain and England had had been friendly for most of the Tudor period and King Philip II of Spain had married Queen Mary I, Elizabeth’s half-sister.

TASK: From what you have read, which country was the greatest threat to Elizabeth in 1558?

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HOT: What do you suggest Elizabeth does about these foreign threat?

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.26

The choices facing Elizabeth

A French invasion was the problem that Elizabeth had to deal with immediately. They were in a position to invade from the north and the south. She had two options: to continue the war with France or to make peace.

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TASK: Look at the card sort below, decide if they are arguments to continue the war or to make peace with France.

Continue the war

Make peace

TASK: If you were one of Elizabeth’s advisors, what would you suggest she did? Explain below showing that you have considered both sides of the argument.

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.27

The Decision

Elizabeth immediately signed a peace treaty with France in January 1559, just three months after she became Queen, in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, and Calais was lost forever.

How great was the problem?

It was clear that Elizabeth thought that this was a huge problem. She spent over £100,000 at the beginning of her reign on weapons and munitions such as guns, pike-heads, bows and gunpowder. Restocking the realm’s armouries required Elizabeth to take out massive loans.

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Despite the peace that Elizabeth forged with France, there was still a continued fear of invasion. When Elizabeth decided that England would have a Protestant Church, this increased the likelihood of a European crusade against England to restore Catholicism.

Despite this, Philip II, the King of Spain, was more worried about the growing influence of France than Elizabeth’s religion. This meant that he kept on good terms with Elizabeth even when she rejected his proposal of marriage. This did not however stop the English believing that an attack from Catholic Europe was imminent and inevitable.

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TASK: What does the speed with which Elizabeth made peace with France tell you?

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Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.28

TASK: From the information on the previous page regarding choosing the foreign threat , complete the table below. Use the criteria below to make a judgement on how much of a problem it was.

Key Topic 1.1 The situation on Elizabeth’s accession

C. Challenges at home and from abroad: the French threat, financial weaknesses

p.29

Exam Question

‘The problem with religion was the greatest problem Elizabeth had at the beginning of her reign’

How far do you agree? Explain your answer.

You may use the following in your answer:

• Choosing the Privy Council
• Financial weaknesses.

You must also use information of your own. 16 marks

Introduction

Make a judgement on the question. How far do you agree? You need to acknowledge the other factors that you are going to talk about.

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Paragraph 1

Point Evidence Explain paragraph on the topic of the question. Say why there is evidence that agrees with the statement and a little bit of knowledge to say why you don’t. This shows balance

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Paragraph 2+3

This is where you show the other arguments in the question. You need to make sure, again, to show balance. Say why the points agree and disagree with the statements. Always refer back to the question.

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Conclusion

Make a final judgement. You don’t need to include the new information, but you must say why it’s the most convincing argument.

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TASK: Consolidate your learning. Study the cards and sort them into the headings blow. Use the provided key to show each category.

Key Topic 1.1 Review

p.30

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

A. Religious divisions in England in 1558.

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The English Reformation

Religion was central to life in the 16^th century. During the middle ages, Catholicism dominated Western Europe. People had a genuine fear of going to hell and they believed in what the Catholic church said. Confession of sins and taking part in Mass were vital to keeping you safe from eternal damnation in hell and, even after you were dead, prayers from others could still help you on your way to heaven.

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The Reformation, which was a challenge to the teachings and power of the Roman Catholic Church and spawned Protestantism, began in Europe due to a number of people believing that the Roman Catholic Church had become corrupt, greedy and no longer represented a truly Christian life. The Reformation began in 1517 when the German priest wrote a 95 point thesis outlining aspects of the Catholic Church that he did not agree with. The Reformation spread to England in 1532, when Henry VIII created the Church of England. However, Henry was never a true Protestant – his changes came out of his desire to divorce his first wife.

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By 1558, the Reformation was tearing Europe apart. It is hard to appreciate the impact that this had on people at the time. Beliefs that had been held for centuries were challenged and this threatened to overturn established social and political hierarchies.

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Protestantism

The Catholic Church believed the Bible should be in Latin. This was a problem for most ordinary people as they could not read or write Latin and it meant that they had to accept whatever the Church told them about God’s will. Once the Bible was translated into English and different languages, people were able to understand and study the Bible for themselves. Some more extreme Protestants wanted to base their religion solely on what was in the Bible.

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Within the Bible, people realised that there was little mention of traditional church ceremonies, decorations or certain Church offices, such as bishops, so why were they needed? In short, Protestantism wanted a basic, less elaborate church whilst the Catholics liked grandeur. In the Catholic faith, the only person that was able to talk to God was the Pope unlike for Protestants, who believed that everyone could talk to God.

Roman Catholic

Protestant

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

A. Religious divisions in England in 1558.

p.32

TASK: Look at the statements below, decide whether they refer to the Catholic faith or the Protestant faith. Some have been done for you.

TASK: Look at your answers from the table above, what do you think were the two main differences between Catholicism and Protestantism.

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Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

A. Religious divisions in England in 1558.

p.33

Religious Divisions in England in 1558

Historians believe that most of England were Catholic when Elizabeth became queen in 1558. There was a great deal of religious conflict spreading through Europe as Roman Catholics and Protestants fought to establish their faith as the ‘true’ religion. Elizabeth feared that this conflict would spread to England especially since many Catholics believed that she was illegitimate and had no right to rule. They preferred an alternative for the English thrown, Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots.

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The Clergy

In order to change the religion of the country, Elizabeth needed an Act of Parliament. The House of Commons would be likely to agree with what Elizabeth wanted, but within the House of Lords, which was made up of lots of Catholic bishops and they may not agree to the change. Although priests changed their religion to keep their jobs, others were committed Catholics and would not agree to work in a Protestant Church.

Geographical divisions

There were areas within England that were more Catholic than others, meaning that people living in this area were less likely to accept Protestantism. Looking at the image to the left, the areas in the west like Lancashire, Cheshire and Strafford along with Durham in the North were strongly Catholic. Whilst parts of the north and diocese (areas looked after by a bishop) such as Lichfield were especially Catholic. The more remote a community, the more likely it was to be Catholic.

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London, East Anglia and the south-east tended to be more Protestant. Due to location and their ability to trade, these areas had been influenced by the Netherlands and German states, that were Protestant, whose boats would come to England.

Puritans

When Elizabeth came to the throne, many Protestants who had fled to Protestant countries, such as the Netherlands, during Mary’s reign returned. Radical Protestants were often referred to as Puritans because they wanted to ‘purify’ the Christian religion by getting rid of anything that wasn’t in the Bible. Puritans wanted to manage their own churches themselves, rather than bishops or the Pope choosing for them. They wanted very basic churches, without an altar or special clothes for priests, something that Elizabeth liked. Furthermore, under this system, there was no role for the monarch as head of the Church.

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

A. Religious divisions in England in 1558.

p.34

TASK: Answer the following questions regarding religious divisions in England.

HOT: What could Elizabeth do to ensure England’s religion could be changed without causing unrest or rebellion?

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TASK: How do these images relate to what you have just read about religious divisions in England.

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.35

Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement, 1559

Elizabeth wanted to find a compromise when it came to England’s religion. This meant establishing a form of Protestantism that Catholics could accept. Elizabeth was a Protestant, not Puritan. She did not want to alienate her Catholic subjects or annoy them by introducing Puritan aspects as they were too extreme for Catholics to accept. Furthermore, the Puritans wanted to develop their own Church, under their own leadership, which would have been a challenge to Elizabeth’s authority. It was important to get this settlement right. It was generally believed in the 16^th century that a successful government needed the country to follow the monarch’s religion. If they didn’t, who would people turn to as the ultimate source of authority: the monarch or the Church?

The religious settlement was designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible. It came in three parts and the key features are shown below in the mind map.

Features of the Religious Settlement

Act of Supremacy

Act of Uniformity

The Royal Injunctions

Made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her as the Head of the Church

Established the appearance of churches and the form of services they held.

A set of instructions set up by Sir William Cecil on behalf of the queen to the clergy, on a wide range of issues to reinforce the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity.

It included instructions on how people should worship God and the structure of services.

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.36

To make sure the the religious settlement was being enforced, the Ecclesiastical High Commission was set up under the Act of Supremacy. The purpose of this commission was to maintain discipline within the church and punishing the members of the clergy whose loyalty was in doubt.

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The Act of Uniformity introduced a set form of church service in the Book of Common Prayer to be used in all churches. The clergy had to use the wording of the Prayer Book when they were conducting service and anyone that was found not doing so would be punished. The wording of the service was deliberately vague and unclear so that both Catholics and Protestants could interpret it how they liked. For example, Catholics could take the meaning behind bread and wine becoming the body and blood of Christ literally, whilst Protestants could take it as simply an act of remembrance. It also made it clear that priests were to wear special clothing.

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The Act of Uniformity also ordered that everyone was to attend church on a Sunday and other holy days, such as Good Friday, or else be fined one shilling for every absence. Though this wasn’t a huge fine for the nobility, it represented a week’s pay for many people. There was 12 pence in a shilling and after 1563, labourers could earn one pence a day, skilled craftsmen four and servants between 8-9 a week. Missing church would seriously harm people financially.

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The Royal Injunctions were issued to help further establish the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity and they covered a range of issues. For example, it made sure that all clergy were to teach the Royal Supremacy and anyone who refuse to attend church was to be reported to the Privy Council. On top of this, it made sure that each parish had a copy of the Bible in English and no one was allowed to preach without a licence from the government. Finally, it made sure the clergy were wearing special vestments and enforced the banning of pilgrimages to ‘fake’ miracles.

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The banning of ‘fake’ miracles was also a way of pleasing both Catholics and Protestants. To Protestants, places where saints were buried or where miracles were supposed to have happened were all superstition whilst to Catholics, they were important parts of their religion. By referring to them as ‘fake’ implies that there might be real ones (although none had yet been found). The Royal Injunction also allowed images in churches which would help retain the familiar look for worshippers and make the changes less unsettling. Puritans, however, especially disliked people praying before saints’ statues as the Bible forbade worshipping idols. They believed people should only pray to the one true God, and that praying to idols was a sin.

TASK: Highlight the specific details of the Religious Settlement.

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.37

The Act of Supremacy

TASK: Using the information on the previous pages regarding the Religious Settlement, summarise each part using specific information.

The Act of Uniformity

The Royal Injunctions

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.38

TASK: Study the changes that Elizabeth introduced as part of her Religious Settlement. Decide in the last column of the table if each change would have pleased Protestants, Catholics or both.

TASK: Complete the sentence.

The religion that would be happiest following Elizabeth’s religious changes is ______________________________________

I think this because ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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EXAM QUESTION: Describe two features of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. 4 marks

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.39

The Impact of the Religious Settlement

Elizabeth wanted to keep a Catholic ‘feel’ to churches. She wanted a Protestant Church that Catholics could accept. She didn’t want Catholics to feel forced to choose between loyalty to their religion and their queen but ultimately, she simply want the Catholic faith to fade away in England as the old clergy died out.

The Clergy

As part of the Act of Supremacy, all members of the Church had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Queen in order to keep their posts and jobs. 8,000 priests and less important clergy did so out of approximately 10,000 parishes in England at the time. This shows that the religious settlement was largely successful and it meant that most people would go to their usual church on a Sunday and hear services conducted by the same member of the clergy as before.

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When it came to the bishops, however, only one agreed to take the oath. The others all had to step down and Elizabeth appointed 27 new bishops. This gave her the opportunity to put Protestants in place. She could not afford to lose the support of these new bishops, as there was a shortage of qualified Protestant clergy in England.

The People

The majority of ordinary people accepted Elizabeth’s religious settlement and attended the Church of England services, even though many of them held on to Catholic beliefs The wording for the new Prayer Book helped this because it could be understood to mean different things by Catholics and Protestants according to their beliefs.

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Some Parishes, where Catholics were in the majority, like Lancashire, were slow to change to the new services. However, Elizabeth made it clear that she did not want the settlement enforced too strongly, even if people were recusants (Catholics who were unwilling to attend church services).

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Mostly, the change of religion in England went smoothly. In some cases though, for example in London, Protestants welcomed the new religious settlement with sometimes violent enthusiasm where they destroyed church ornaments and statues of saints.

Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

B. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement (1559): its features and impact.

p.40

TASK: Look at the information on the previous page. Highlight one sentence in each paragraph that you think is the most important. Rewrite the sentences below to form a coherent paragraph that shows the impact of the Religious Settlement on the Clergy and the People.

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TASK: If this is the answer what is the question?

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A Protestant church that Catholics could accept - _______________________________________________________________________

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8000 - _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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27 - __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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The wording of the prayer book - _________________________________________________________________________________________

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Destroyed churches - ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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TASK: Create 2 questions from what you have just read

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Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

C. The Church of England: its role in society.

p.40

The role of the Church of England

The ________________ church was the central point of village life, and religion could have a massive impact upon people, stirring up great ______________________.

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Church Courts

Although Church courts mainly focused on ______________ matters, they did act in a range of minor disputes on moral issues. These moral issues included ___________________, for example, the courts would ensure that both bride and groom were marrying of their own free will, or at a suitable age. Moral issues also included sexual offences and slander which included false insults. They also dealt with wills and ____________________ and as a result, lawyers greatly resented the powers that the Church courts had.

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All other offences, such as civil cases, disputes over land, _____________________, fraud, rape and murder were dealt within the ordinary court system.

The role of the Church of England

It controlled what was preached.

Priests had to have a special licence from the government to preach. This way Elizabeth could control what message was being preached.

It gave guidance to communities

People turned to their parish church in times of hardship and uncertainty

It enforced the religious settlement

It legitimised power to the monarch

It ran the church courts

p.42

Enforcing the settlement

The Church was responsible for helping to enforce the Religious Settlement. Bishops would inspect the churches and clergy to ensure that everyone took the of supremacy and were following the terms of the religious settlement. The first visitations were in 1559 and resulted in up to 400 clergy being dismissed. In some places, those carrying out the visitation caused a great deal of destruction of decorations and statues in churches, which was more action than Elizabeth wanted. In addition, she made it clear that she did not want people’s religious beliefs investigated too closely.

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After 1559, visitations took place every three to four years. They were wide-ranging and did not just cover the Church. For example, midwives, surgeons teachers and physicians, along with the clergy, had to present their licences that allowed them to practice their jobs. In this way, the Church was able to monitor other professions for the government.

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TASK: Imagine you are a foreign diplomat in Elizabethan England. Write a report back to your boss about the role of the church. You need explain how it influences everyday life.

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Key Topic 1.2 The ‘settlement’ of religion

C. The Church of England: its role in society.

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

A. The nature and extent of the Puritan challenge

p.43

The Nature and extent of the Puritan challenge

The Puritans were pleased that the new Church was Protestant, but felt that it did not go far enough. They believed that it was too much of a compromise with the Catholics and wanted a more extreme form of Protestant service, along with churches that were plain and simple. The main challenge from the Puritans came from within the Church of England itself, and especially the bishops.

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Puritan clergymen began to disobey parts of the religious settlement soon after it was introduced. Elizabeth’s aim for uniformity in the conduct of Church services was not met: for example, should people kneel to receive communion? Some clergy wanted the abolition of organ music accompanying hymns and certain holy days, this would not please ordinary people, especially when the holy day was a holiday. This all represented a direct challenge to Elizabeth’s authority as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

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TASK: Using two different highlighters, read the following controversies and highlight what the problem was and how Elizabeth dealt with it.

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The Crucifix Controversy

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A crucifix is an image of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. The cross is the symbol of the Christian religion because Jesus was executed by crucifixion in about 33 CE.

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A controversy arose due to the Crucifix because Puritans believed that they represented idols. Elizabeth, however, liked them and also wanted churches to keep their familiar look and feel. This was an important part of the Religious Settlement because she didn’t want to anger her Catholic subjects by changing too much too soon. Elizabeth therefore demanded that each church should display a crucifix. When some Puritan bishops threatened to resign, the queen backed down.

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Elizabeth was unable to enforce her will in this instance, as she could not afford to ignore their concerns. There were a limited amount of Protestant clergymen to take the place of any bishops who were dismissed. Nevertheless, she insisted on keeping a crucifix in the Royal Chapel.

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The Vestment Controversy

What priests wore was another issue for Puritans. Some thought that they should not have special clothing at all whilst others believed that it should be very plain and simple. Extravagant vestments suggested that priests were set apart from ordinary people. In the Catholic faith they were special. Priests had the power to turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. They could also forgive sins. However, this is not what Protestants believed.

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

A. The nature and extent of the Puritan challenge

p.44

Elizabeth wanted the clergy to wear special vestments as set out in the Royal Injunctions. By 1565, it was clear and obvious that not all clergy were wearing what the queen had commanded. It was also evident that some of them were also not following instructions on how to conduct services properly. In 1566, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, issued further guidelines for priests in his ‘Book of Advertisements’. These followed Elizabeth’s commands. He also held a special exhibition in London to show priests what vestments they must wear and when. Of the 110 invited, 37 refused to attend and lost their posts. Unlike the crucifix controversy, the majority of priests consented to Elizabeth’s insistence that special vestments must be worn, despite some opposition.

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TASK: Explain it like I’m 5. What was the crucifix controversy and the vestments controversy?

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The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge

The Papacy

Although the Catholic Church was trying to tackle the spread of Protestantism by dealing with corruption and other problems throughout Europe, it was also leading an active fight back to strengthen Catholicism by supporting local communities, persecuting heretics and encouraging the waging of war against Protestants. The campaign against Protestantism was known as the Counter-Reformation.

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Although the papacy did not offer much leadership to English Catholics, in 1566 the Pope issued an instruction that they should not attend Church of England services.

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.45

Although there were penalties for those who did not conform to the religious settlement, they were generally not imposed. Punishments for repeat offenders included fines, imprisonment, or loss of property, job and even life, depending upon the crime. However, authorities were ordered not to investigate recusants too closely: Elizabeth did not want to create martyrs and preferred to ignore smaller examples of disobedience. As a result, England was stable in the first decade of her reign.

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TASK: Answer the following questions with regards to the papacy.

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1. What was the Catholic Church trying to achieve during this time? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the Counter-Reformation? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the Pope the Elizabeth and her religious settlement? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. HOT: Why do you think penalties were generally not imposed? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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TASK: Study Interpretation 1, what does it say with regards to how successful the Religious Settlement was?

From The Reign of Elizabeth: England 1558-1603, Barbara Mervyn talks about the effectiveness of Elizabeth’s religious policies (2001)

By 1568, Elizabeth’s policies seemed to be working. The early problems caused by the settlement seemed to be fading. The majority of Catholics outwardly conformed and, without any leadership from the Pope, were politically loyal.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.46

England’s nobility and the Catholic threat

It is difficult to determine how English Catholics really found the Elizabethan Church. It is estimated that one-third of the nobility and a sizeable number of the gentry were recusants with most being in the north-west of England where the Catholic faith was at it’s strongest. Those nobility who had remained Catholic tended to be from the ancient families such as the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland whom had been prosperous under Mary I. However, when Elizabeth became queen, they had found their influence at court greatly reduced. They disliked her favourites, such as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and Sir William Cecil as they tended to be Protestant and either from new noble families (Dudley) or not noble at all (Cecil).

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In November 1569, the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland led a rebellion in the North of England against Elizabeth known as the Revolt of the Northern Earls. Even though one of their key motivations for rebelling was the lack of political power and influence under Elizabeth, the Catholic religion brought many other northerners to their causes. The rebellion was successfully put down by royal troops though Elizabeth’s reaction showed how dangerous she perceived the threat was. Hundreds of rebels were executed in towns and cities across the north.

Westmorland

Northumberland

TASK: How do these images relate to this paragraph.

What was the main motivation for the Earls rebelling?

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What did Elizabeth’s reaction to the rebellion show?

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.47

Foreign powers

England wasn’t the only country in Europe where Protestantism was starting to grow. Scotland, France, parts of the Holy Roman Empire (large areas of central Europe) and even the Netherlands, which belonged to Catholic Spain, had growing Protestant populations. Despite this, Europe was dominated by Catholic powers determined to limit the spread of Protestantism. One of the greatest of these was the Habsburg family, who controlled both the Spanish and Austrian empires, and also the Holy Roman Empire, during Elizabeth’s reign.

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France

When religious war broke out in France in 1562, Elizabeth I was concerned about its potential to threaten her realm by encouraging religious conflict in England. She wrote to the King of Spain Philip on the matter explaining how ‘troubled and perplexed’ she was.

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Elizabeth had successfully helped the Scottish Protestant lords rebel against Catholic rule in 1560 and hoped to have similar success by supporting the French Protestants. She believed, by helping the French Protestants she may get back Calais. However, in 1562, the French Protestants made peace with the Catholics and in 1564, Elizabeth signed the Treaty of Troyes, confirming once and for all that Calais belonged to France. All she achieved by backing the French Protestant rebels was irritating Phillip II of Spain.

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Spain and the Spanish Netherlands

In the 16^th century, the Netherlands belonged to the Spanish king, Philip II. He was a strict Roman Catholic and did not look favourably upon Elizabeth’s support for Protestant rebels in Scotland and France. He believed that English merchants were encouraging the spread of Protestantism in the Netherlands so in 1563, he banned the import of English cloth. Elizabeth retaliated and ceased trading with the Netherlands. This trade embargo affected both countries economically and only lasted a year. For her part, Elizabeth was concerned that Spain and France might form an alliance against her especially since in the 1530s, Pope Paul II had excommunicated Henry VIII after the break from Rome and had then asked France and Spain to invade England and depose him.

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The Dutch Revolt

There had been growing unhappiness in the Netherlands about Spanish interference in Dutch affairs since the 1550s. Although the Netherlands belonged to Spain, they were used to governing themselves. When Philip II decided to reorganise the Dutch government and Church, he also brought the Spanish Inquisition. This was a political and religious body set up by Spain to keep territories true to the Catholic faith. Anyone could be tortured or burned alive in a public execution. These actions united both Catholics and Protestants against Spain, leading to the Dutch revolt, which broke out for the first time in 1566. In 1567, Philip sent the Duke of Alba with an army of 10,000 men to the Netherlands to put down the revolt. By 1568, it had been defeated.

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Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.48

Alba established a Council of Troubles in the Netherlands (nicknamed the Council of Blood) to enforce both Catholicism and obedience to the Spanish Crown. It was made up of loyal Dutch nobles and Spanish officials. It was controversial to say the least, as it ignored local law and legal processes, condemning thousands to death (mainly Protestants). Alba’s actions led to thousands of Dutch Protestants fleeing into exile, many to England.

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The presence of Alba in the Netherlands concerned Elizabeth for two reasons. Firstly, Alba had a large army with a mission to fight against Protestantism and secondly, Elizabeth did not want to become seen as Europe's’ leading Protestant monarch. She wished to avoid war and openly condemned the Dutch rebels.

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Many Protestants, including those in Elizabeth’s Privy Council, saw events overseas as part of an international struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism. Elizabeth was coming under increasing pressure to deal with the threat posed by Alba and his army as the Protestants in England saw Spain as the greatest threat, determined to destroy Protestantism. However, England did not have the resources to take on Spain – or worse, France and Spain together so Elizabeth wanted to avoid war at all costs. Furthermore, a war fought on religious grounds could lead to a civil war in England. Despite this, she was very aware of the dangers posed by Spain’s mission in the Netherlands.

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Some Dutch rebels fled by taking to the water. These were known as the Sea Beggars. They would attack Spanish ships in the English Channel that were carrying men and resources to Alba’s armies in the Netherlands. In 1567, Elizabeth began allowing the Sea Beggars to shelter in English harbours.

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In 1568, Spanish ships carrying gold to pay Alba’s troops in the Netherlands also took refuge in English ports – from the Sea Beggars. The money was a loan to Philip II from bankers in the Italian City of Genoa. Elizabeth decided to take the gold for herself, arguing that since it was a loan it didn’t belong to Spain but to the Italian bankers. This event is known as the Genoese Loan. Both the actions of the Sea Beggars and the Genoese Loan angered the Spanish greatly and led to a decline in relations.

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What was Elizabeth trying to achieve?

Elizabeth was trying to protect English interests without going to war. By making Spain’s task in the Netherlands as difficult as possible, she hoped to encourage Spanish forces to leave and allow the Dutch to continue governing themselves as before. Her strategy of harassing Spain was risky and became riskier still in 1568-69, when the Catholic threat from within England became more serious. Two main factors were the cause of this threat.

1. In 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots, fled to England from Scotland. She had a stronger claim to the throne than Elizabeth I from the point of view of many Catholics.
2. In 1569, the Revolt of the Northern Earls had taken place. This was revolt by senior Catholic English earls in the north. There had been hope that some of Alba’s troops would land in Hartlepool to support it.

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.49

TASK: Re-read the information regarding the foreign threats. Highlight, using two colours, examples of where Elizabeth’s actions caused tensions between foreign powers and actions that foreign countries did that caused tensions for Elizabeth. Once you have done this, place the information, in your own words, into the table below.

TASK: Overall, do you who do you think caused the most religious tension? Elizabeth or foreign countries?

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TASK: The following statements relate to the extent of the Catholic challenge but they are false. In the space provided, write a correct statement.

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.50

Key Topic 1.3 Challenge to the religious settlement

B. The nature and extent of the Catholic challenge, including the role of the nobility, Papacy and foreign powers.

p.51

TASK: Complete the table on the events that you have just read – one has been done for you.

EXAM QUESTION

Explain why there were clashes over religion from 1558-69.

In your answer you should refer to:

• Recusancy
• Vestments

You must also refer to information of your own. (12 marks)

Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

A. Mary, Queen of Scots: her claim to the English throne, her arrival in England in 1568.

p.52

Mary, Queen of Scots’ claim to the English throne.

As previously mentioned, Mary, Queen of Scots, was a Catholic with a strong claim to the English throne. Part of this claim came from the fact that she was Elizabeth’s second cousin as she was Henry VII’s great granddaughter and therefore their was no issue with her legitimacy. She became Queen of Scotland at just six days old when her father died. Her mother, Mary of Guise, was from a very powerful Catholic, French noble family.

The Treaty of Edinburgh, 1560

In 1560, Elizabeth I helped Scotland’s Protestant lords defeat Mary of Guise, who had been ruling Scotland for her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, whilst she was in France with her husband, King Francis II.

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The Protestant lords rebelled against Mary of Guise because they disliked the Catholic influence that she brought to Scotland. Although Elizabeth was wary of sending help to a rebellion which could see the deposing of an anointed monarch, she was also under constant threat: with French help, Mary, Queen of Scots could take her throne. With the encouragement of her advisers, Elizabeth secretly sent money to help the rebels, and eventually sent troops, too.

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The Treaty of Edinburgh was signed in 1560 after the rebellion ended. The treaty stated that Mary, Queen of Scots, would give up her claim to the English throne. Mary returned to Scotland in December 1560 after the unexpected death of her husband, King Francis II of France. Although she was queen, the Protestant lords controlled the Scottish government. However, Mary herself never approved the treaty, and maintained that she had a claim to the English throne. She wanted to be named as Elizabeth’s heir.

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Elizabeth had no intention of naming an heir, however, and choosing Mary would divide England: she would be popular with Catholics, but not Protestants. Divisions would damage the kingdom and weaken Elizabeth’s position.

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TASK: Answer the following questions:

1. How did Mary Queen of Scots have a claim to the English throne? ___________________________________________________
2. Who ran Scotland whilst Mary was living in France? _________________________________________________________________
3. Why did the Scottish Protestant Lords rebel? __________________________________________________________________________
4. What were the terms of the Treaty of Edinburgh? ____________________________________________________________________
5. Why did Elizabeth have no intention of naming Mary as her heir? __________________________________________________

Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

A. Mary, Queen of Scots: her claim to the English throne, her arrival in England in 1568.

p.53

Mary, Queen of Scots’ arrival in England 1568

After the death of her husband, the King of France, Mary returned to Scotland where she married her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565. She gave birth to their son, James in 1566. Both of these events caused concern for Elizabeth. Lord Darnley was a distant cousin and had a weak, but legitimate, claim to the English throne as he was also descended from King Henry VII and by having a child, there was a legitimate heir to the English throne. Something Elizabeth didn’t have. However, in 1567, scandal broke out in Scotland when Darnley was murdered, probably by the Earl of Bothwell and Mary was suspected of being involved. In fact, she married Bothwell soon after Darnley’s death, which many saw as an admission of guilt.

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The scandal led to the Protestant lords rebelling again. They forced Mary to abdicate in favour of her baby son, James. She was imprisoned in a castle on an island in the middle of a loch (lake), but escaped in 1568 and raised an army in an attempt to win back her throne. Mary’s forces were defeated at Langside, near Glasgow, and she fled to England, seeking Elizabeth’s help against the rebels.

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TASK: Rewrite the above two paragraphs in a way that a primary student could understand. Make sure that it has the main facts.

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A portrait of Lord Darnley and Mary.

Loch Levan, where Mary was imprisoned from 1567-68

Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

B. Relations between Elizabeth and Mary. 1568-69

p.54

Relations between Elizabeth and Mary, 1568-69

What were Elizabeth’s options?

Mary’s arrival in England in May 1569 was a huge problem for Elizabeth for which there was no good solution. Elizabeth did not approve of subjects overthrowing their rightful monarchs as it could set a bad precedent for her reign and the Catholics within the country. On top of this, she was very aware of the potential threat Mary posed to her throne. Mary was held in comfort, but under guard, until Elizabeth decided what to do with her. The options were:

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1. Help Mary to regain her throne
2. Hand Mary over to the Scottish lords
3. Allow Mary to go abroad
4. Keep Mary in England.

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The two queens never met, although they did exchange letters. Mary had asked for a meeting with Elizabeth to persuade her of her innocence in Darnley’s murder, but her request was refused.

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A court was convened to hear the case against her between October 1568 and January 1569. The Scottish lords brought letters with them apparently proving Mary’s guilt. Mary said that the court had no right try her because she was an anointed monarch and would not offer a plea unless Elizabeth guaranteed a verdict of innocent. Elizabeth refused.

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Guilty or not Guilty?

No verdict could solve the Mary, Queen of Scots problem. If found guilty, she would be returned to the rebel Scottish lords as their prisoner, and Elizabeth would have been supporting the deposing of an anointed monarch, who was also her cousin. If found innocent, Mary would be free to raise an army, possible with foreign Catholic support, which would pose too big a threat to Elizabeth's throne.

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The court did not reach any conclusions. Mary therefore stayed in England, in captivity. She remained a threat to Elizabeth throughout her life as she would always press her claim to the English throne. On top of this, she became a figure head for Catholics across England and Europe that could depose Elizabeth and bring back Catholicism.

TASK: What should Elizabeth do about Mary? Complete the table on the following page. One example has been done for you.

TASK: If you were Elizabeth, which option would you pick? Why?

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Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

B. Relations between Elizabeth and Mary. 1568-69

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TASK - Study the event cards. For each event you will need to decide on a score out of 10 for the level of threat Mary posed to Elizabeth and a brief explanation for your chosen score.

Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

B. Relations between Elizabeth and Mary. 1568-69

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Key Topic 1.4 The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots

B. Relations between Elizabeth and Mary. 1568-69

p.56

EXAM QUESTION

Explain why the Catholic threat to Elizabeth I increased after 1566.

You may use the following in your answer:

• The Dutch Revolt
• Mary Queen of Scots’ arrival in England in 1568

You must also use information of your own. 12 marks