History OCR School Study: Elizabethan England

GOVERNMENT, LIFE AND CULTURE IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND 1556 – 1603

 

 

What makes a perfect 20^th Century leader?

1.             Keeping the country united

2.             Protect your country from violence/attacks from other countries

a.             Leading an army to battle

b.            Prevent rebellions

3.             People believe you are appointed by God

4.             Having a child when the ruler dies, so they can pass it down the their heir

5.             Look after finances

6.            Granting honours and rewards to people by giving them medals or making them knights/Lords or Ladies

 

Who was the most successful leader?

 

Leader

Example of success

Example of fail

Rating

Henry VIII

Had children (1 boy, 2 girls)

- poverty grew

- people unemployed

- expensive wars

- changed religions

6

Edward

Stopped rebellions which shows strong leadership

- killed 5500 Catholics

- was very young

- left no money

3

Mary

Defeated a rebellion

Restored Catholic religion

- people didn’t like French/Catholic influence

- £250,000 debt

- killed protestants who didn’t agree

-lost control of Calais

- bad harvest, starvation

4

 

What was going well in the country?

1.             Mary strengthened the Navy to protect the coast

2.             ‘Liz was popular with the people (young, single, English blood)

3.             The harvest of 1558 was very good

4.             People were interested in learning new things (Renaissance was hitting England)

 

What was going wrong in the country?

1.             £250,000 debt

a.             Not enough money for full time army

b.            Unemployment was growing in lower classes

c.             Poverty was growing fast

2.             Woollen industry had gone under, losing out in trade/rents were rising/wages loosing value

3.             Many Catholics believe ‘Liz wasn’t rightful Queen of England

4.            People didn’t think she would be god, she was a woman and woman were inferior to men/she seemed weak/not in control

5.             PEOPLE WERE DIVIDED BY RELIGION (COULD LEAD TO CIVIL WAR?)

Green = social               red = religion                 yellow = economic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How good were Elizabeth’s chances of becoming a successful leader in 1558?

 

GOOD

NOT SO GOOD

- she was popular by the people (young, English blood)

- she was intelligent, strong willed and powerful woman

- seen as fresh start after difficult previous monarchs

- sense of Renaissance, people wanted to learn new things, more open to new ideas

- catholic/Protestant divide

- £250,000 debt

- not enough money for full time army

- she was a woman and daughter of Henry VIII

- Isolated Protestant surrounded by Caths

- Danger of Catholic plot eg. Queen Mary

- Poverty, economic hardship

 

Elizabeth’s Coronation

 

Day before she went on a progress through the city and people lined the streets cheering. She wore a blue cloth and people took some for mementos. She was followed by her Nobles and foreign visitors.

15 January 1559, Elizabeth was crowned at…