Elizabeth 1588-1603

1588-1603…read more

Religion
· Catholics: numbers dwindling, pursued relentlessly in years after the
Armada until they were perceived as less of a threat, recusancy couldn't
be stopped so it came to supplement crown income.
· Puritans- 1593 seditious sectaries- Barrow, Greenwood executed-
Separatism died with them. Courtly protectors of Puritanism like Leicester
and Walsingham had died. Marprelate tracts- counter productive,
asserting the Presbyterian case in such a scurrilous manner simply
alienated many of those among the godly whose support it was seeking to
achieve.
· 1595- Lambert Articles, reaffirmed Calvinist beliefs.
· 1593 recusants were required to stay within five miles of their homes
· Towards the end of her reign religion had been neutralised- Penry- `The
Church of England had won control of the commanding heights of society'
· All English people, apart from a small minority of militant Catholics, were
broadly loyal to the crown.…read more

Domestic Policy
· No attempt to revise Marian Book of rates- decline in customs revenue as
it was half a century out of date.
· Guy- Turmoil created by rising prices, bad harvests and outbreaks of
plague and influenza.
· Spanish war- financial drain.
· Poor law- 1598.
· Monopolies- extortionate, anti- competitive and inflationary- increase cost
reduce quality. Parliament were most fractious- Revoke unpopular ones in
1601 in order to save subsidy bill.
· Parliament- dying 11 councillors left by 1597, didn't immediately replace
them, replacements middle aged sons- less than impressive, lacked fathers
skills.
· Succession- this crown is not like to fall to the ground for want of heads
that claim to wear it but upon whose head it will fall is by many doubted.
· Factionalism- Essex and Cecil.
· Oxfordshire `rising'- prompted poor laws 1596.…read more

Foreign Policy
· Aims-
· National security
· War to pay for itself
· Not to be invade
· Protect Protestantism…read more

Spain
· win war
· not to be invaded,
· national security, autonomous Netherlands.
· did not want to invade Spain or bring down Empires-
suggestion that this was Elizabeth's policy as she was
always been cautious when it came to military
involvement.
· Defeating the Armada did not mean the end of the
war- could always send more- double subsidy granted.
· War = high cost unfortunately.
· Luck? 1596 Armada stopped because of bad weather…read more

Netherlands
· forged a positive working relationship with Dutch
leader Maurice of Nassau which enabled us to
gradually retake land taken by the Duke of Parma.
· Dutch paid for a share of the running cost.
· 1594- Spanish expelled.
· Certain level of independence- autonomy in the
south
· Aim to bring about independence and for no
foreign power to be entrenched in the
Netherlands.…read more