A top grade synthesis of key information that students need to remember for their GCSE History Elizabethan England exams. Each topic has been divided into smaller chunks for spaced revision and optimum results.
,The Problem of Legitimacy, Gender and Marriage:
Legitimacy: the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was not accepted by the Catholic Church and, when he
married Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was considered to have been born out of wedlock - casting doubts on her legitimacy.
After Anne Boleyn’s execution in 1536, Henry VIII himself had declared Elizabeth illegitimate but later reversed this.
Nonetheless, many Catholics saw Elizabeth as illegitimate and hence, unfit to inherit the throne.
Gender: the strict gender roles in Elizabethan society imposed that women were physically, mentally and emotionally
weaker than men and therefore, unfit to govern. Queen Mary I, the first female monarch of England, had only
reinforced this view as her reign was marked by low morale and loss. Elizabeth being a young woman was seen as a
weak monarch and was doubted by many of her subjects, despite being popular.
Marriage: seeing a queen ruling without a King by her side was deemed unnatural by many during the era. Many of
Elizabeth’s subjects, including her trusted privy council, encouraged her to marry but Elizabeth refused to do so as she
was married to her country. Even though this left Elizabeth with undivided power and no foreign influence, she had no
heir - which was believed to pose the risk of civil war following her death.
,Early Challenges - France
● France and Scotland had a strong friendship and had formed the Auld Alliance as common enemies of
England - if one of either country were to be by England, the other would attack England.
● Once Elizabeth became queen, there was fear that France would support Mary Queen of Scots (who was
half French and previously married to the King of France) in a potential attempt to seize the English
throne.
● Now that the war between France and Spain had ended, Elizabeth became even more concerned. Despite
France and Spain being rivals, the two countries were Catholic and resented the Protestantism in
England. An alliance between France, Scotland and Spain posed a great threat to Elizabeth as England was
surrounded by Catholic powers and could be easily outnumbered.
, Early Challenges - Financial Weaknesses:
● When Elizabeth came to the throne, the costly war with France had left a grand debt of £300,000 (more
than the Crown’s annual income).
● This debt had to be covered. However, Elizabeth was hesitant to raise taxes and rents as this would make
the young queen unpopular with her subjects from the very inception of her reign.
● Poor harvests in earlier years coupled with Henry VIII’s debasement of the coin led to increased prices and
hunger in the country.
● This meant that England was left with little defence against the looming threat of Catholic powers, as
Elizabeth could not afford expensive army equipment and other defences. As Elizabeth had no choice but
to raise taxes, the rich and poor were upset.
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