ELIZABETH NOTE
The Elizabethan religious settlement and Church; Catholics and Puritans
- The settlement of 1559; development, defence and enforcemen
- The Elizabethan Church; Parker, Jewel and Whitgif
- The development of Puritanism and the extent of the challenge to the Elizabethan Churc
- The English Catholic communit
- The Catholic challenge; domestic and international; seminarist and Jesuit mission
The Elizabethan state: Council, Parliament and Government
- The Queen and personal monarch
- The Court; factions; political rol
- The Council; functions and relationship with the Crown; minister
- Parliament: composition; elections; functions; relationship with the Crown; parliamentary
managemen
- The localities; government of the boroughs and counties; sheriffs, JPs and lords
lieutenant; the militi
- Councils in the North and Marches of Wale
Elizabethan Foreign policy to 1588
- Main themes; English aims and interests; developments and change
- Relations with Habsburg Spain and the Netherland
- Franc
- Scotlan
- The road to war with Spai
The Elizabethan state at war 1558–1604
- The Armada; further Spanish invasion attempts; post-Armada naval warfar
- Intervention abroad; France and the Netherland
- The political and nancial consequences of war; Parliamen
- The domestic scene; disillusionment and discontent; in ation and famine; the Essex
rebellio
Social policy: the development of the Poor Law
- Explanations for social distres
- Government attitudes; measures to alleviate poverty and to impose social control;
vagabondag
- Local responses to the problems of poverty; the town
- Legislation; the development of the Elizabethan Poor Law; impact and effectivenes
Question
1) How far did the Elizabethan religious settlement re ect the aims and beliefs of the
Queen? (2010
2) How successfully did Mary Stuart deal with the problems facing her as Queen of
Scotland in the period 1560–68? (2010
3) ‘Cooperation and consent’ or ‘challenge and con ict’. Which of these descriptions better
ts the relationship between Elizabeth I and Parliament? (2010
4) With how much success did Tudor governments in the period 1547–1603 deal with the
problems of poverty and vagabondage? (2010
5) How is the decline of Catholicism in Elizabethan England best explained? (2011
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, 6) When did Mary Stuart prove the greater threat to Elizabeth I and her kingdom – before or
after her ight to England in 1568? (2011
7) How serious were the problems faced by the Elizabethan state in the period 1585–1603?
(2011
8) How effectively did Elizabeth I manage her parliaments? (2012
9) Who presented the greater threat to Elizabeth I: English Catholics or English Puritans?
(2012
10) Explain why successive governments met with only limited success in Ireland in the
period 1547-1603. (2012
11) How is support for, and opposition to, the Elizabethan Settlement in the years 1558–66
best explained? (2013
12) To what extent was Mary Stuart personally responsible for the problems she
encountered in Scotland in the years 1560–68? (2013
13) Assess the reasons for the deteriorating relationship between England and Spain in the
years 1568–1603. (2013
14) How effectively did Tudor governments in the second half of the sixteenth century deal
with the problems of poverty and social distress? (2013
15) Consider the view that Elizabeth I was ‘a superb manager of Parliament’. (2014
16) ‘English Puritans rather than English Catholics posed the greater threat to Elizabeth and
her government.’ Discuss. (2014
17) Assess the success of English rule in Ireland in the period 1547–1603. (2014
18) ‘Elizabeth I’s policies in the years 1558–63 were dictated by the mistakes of Mary
Tudor’s reign.’ Discuss. (2015
19) Why did Mary Stuart nd it so dif cult to rule Scotland? (2015
20) How important was religion in the shaping of Elizabethan foreign policy c. 1568 to 1603?
(2015
21) Why were Tudor governments in this period so concerned with problems of social
distress? (2015
22) Assess the view that, in the years 1559–1563, Elizabeth I got the religious settlement she
intended. (2016
23) How serious a threat did Mary Stuart pose to the Elizabethan regime in the years 1568–
1587? (2016
24) Were her parliaments more of a help or more of a hindrance to Elizabeth I? (2016
25) What best explains why England went to war with Spain in the mid-1580s? (2016
26) Why did English policies towards Ireland not meet with more success in this period?
(2016
The Elizabethan state: Council, Parliament and governmen
An image of Elizabeth has been created of her as a powerful monarch who inspired her people and
led them through one of the Golden Ages of English history
Elizabeth is contrasted against Mary’s less successful reign, especially because they went through
similar hardships before becoming monarchs (loss of their mothers, illegitimacy and personal
danger). The failures of the Stuarts after her also serve to improve her historical image
Problems facing England at the very start of the reign
- disputed succession - Mary Queen of Scots claimed the crown of England and was supported
by some Catholics
- unrest in Ireland
- threat of invasion from the Catholic Habsburg
- Elizabeth was an inexperienced woman
- England was religiously divided
Contro
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, The nobility “had come to be essential intermediaries; a county’s representative at court and the
court’s representative at county level” (Haigh). However, as court nobles became involved in
political debate, factions emerged. Elizabeth controlled patronage to ensure that she had the
support of the entire nobility
In recent years historians have played down the impacts of faction until the 1590s. Before that,
central government was successful and the Queen and her ministers provided rm direction.
Historians have increasingly criticised her use of patronage and faction to play rival courtiers off
against one another during the 1590s
Elizabeth’s court allowed her to control her nobles, as well as displaying the power of the
monarchy to impress foreign observers and to reinforce obedience at home
The Tudor system of government was personal. The key factor to determining an individual’s
in uence was the extent to which he had access to the Queen
The Privy Counci
The Privy Council was the chief administrative and executive body of the realm, advising Elizabeth
on policy, considering petitions from private individuals, and ensuring orderly government and the
security of the state
Elizabeth controlled the privy council by participating in discussions, promoting divisions among
her counsellors, encouraging them to compete for rewards, consulting with men outside the council
and displaying anger and affection. She also ultimately made all decisions
Elizabeth aimed to appoint a small privy council based on political competence and comprising
members who were dependent on her for reward. She opted for a balance between experience
(choosing some of Edward’s and Mary’s councillors) and new blood (Boleyn relatives and Cecil’s
suggestions)
The failure of the nobility to attend privy council meetings regularly meant that government was
carried out by a group of four or ve administrative professionals.
The increasing urgency of foreign and religious issues during the reign meant that dif cult
decisions which aroused strong feelings had to be made. By appointing councillors with opposing
viewpoints, such as Cecil and Dudley, Elizabeth was given a variety of advice.
Despite these differences, the council remained at the centre of government because it carried out
administrative tasks ef ciently and Elizabeth valued its advice. This was largely due to Cecil’s
competence
Despite her declining control over faction in the last decade of her reign, Elizabeth showed that an
unmarried female ruler could effectively manage ambitious male politicians and act in the national
interest
Ceci
William Cecil was the most important advisor and worked assiduously
Cecil recognised that it was his duty to speak his mind when he disagreed with Elizabeth, but also
understood that he had to enforce her decision regardless. He therefore developed strategies to
convince her that his policies were best
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, He was responsible for the two main decisions of the period - sending English troops to the
Netherlands and despatching Mary Queen of Scots' death warrant
Court rivalrie
William Cecil vs Robert Dudle
Cecil saw Dudley as a self-interested careerist. Dudley, Elizabeth’s favourite, wanted to champion
her as a Protestant heroine
1578: The issue of intervention in the Netherlands divided the council for 7 years. Leicester and
Walsingham advocated intervention, with Cecil against. Elizabeth only agreed to send troops to the
Netherlands in 1585 when Spanish conquest seemed inevitable
1579: Alençon (Catholic) marriage. Cecil advocated the match as better than no marriage, bringing
political advantages such as in uence over French policy in the Netherlands. Dudley whipped up
public opinion against the marriage with sermons and pamphlets. Haigh: “Leicester effectively
stopped an Alençon marriage in 1579, just as Cecil had stopped a Dudley marriage in 1560 to
1561”
Robert Cecil vs Robert Devereux (Essex
Cecil was a great administrator whose advancement was slowed by Essex. He exploited royal
patronage to reduce Essex’s in uence and increase his own. Essex was charming, greedy and
ambitious. He aggressively advocated action against Spain in council meetings
1593: Essex was admitted to the council and advocated an aggressive foreign policy. He secretly
negotiated with James VI of Scotland to form a Protestant coalition. His policies were contested by
Cecil’s faction, which is sought a maritime war policy
1601: Following failures in Ireland and the non-renewal of his patent of sweet wines, Essex
rebelled. Many members of his faction did not support him and he was executed, leaving Cecil
supreme
How effective was Parliament’s opposition to Elizabethan government
The partnership between monarch and Parliament, established in the 1530s, was recognised as
representing the supreme authority in England. Parliament’s control over taxation allowed it to
further its own interests at the expense of the monarchy. Elton: Tudor parliaments were “areas for
debate, argument, opposition and resistance to royal claims” (The Parliament of England,
1559-1581, 1986)
However, the monarch still decided how often and for how long Parliament should meet and policy-
making remained the monarch’s prerogative. Furthermore, Parliament could not make the granting
of taxation dependent on the withdrawal of unpopular royal policy
Elizabethan Parliament
- Parliament was summoned only 13 times in Elizabeth’s reign
- Only 10% of MPs spoke in debates and on average only 47% of MPs voted
- Taxation was asked for in 11 of the 13 sessions
- MPs were carefully vetted by the council. Local of cials supervised elections to ensure that
discreet, wise and well-disposed members were returned to Westminster. This, however,
strengthened the in uence of local patrons rather than the Queen. Burghley placed 26 MPs in
1584
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