Queen, Government and religion (1558-69)

The court- Monarch advisers

The privy council- monitered parliament, JOP and oversaw law and order

Justices of Peace- Locally kept law and order

Lord lieutenants- governed English counties 

Parliament- passed laws and approved taxes

90% countryside                                                           10% towns

nobility                                                                               merchants

gentry                                                                                proffessionals 

yeomen farmers- owned small amount of land                    buissness owners

tenant farmers                                                                  craftsmen 

landless and labouring poor                                                   unkliled labourers and unemployed

homeless and vagrants      

Legitimacy- Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne boleyn and Pope refused to recognise the divorce. Also Henry excluded Liz from succession but reversed it before death, but Catholics refused to aknowledge her right to rule

Gender- female monarch, England continued to be seen as a week country

Marriage- needed to marry to secure succession but would reduce Liz's power ( unsusual to see Queen rule in her own right)

• French threat- wealthier and bigger than England, Auld Alliance (France and Scotland) and Mary QOS married french king, England lost calais to France.

Solution- peace treaty of Troyes (1564), recognised French claim to calais.Also Liz imprisoned Mary

• Financial weakness- 1558 crown in debt of £300,000, devalued coinage leading to inflation.

Solution- Liz hoarded her income, cut household spendings by half and sold crown lands raising £120,000.

1574- crown was out of debt

aimed to be accptable by both Catholics and Protestants:

Act of uniformity- everyone had to attend church and said how church must look like and how services must be held

Act of Supremacy- Liz supreme governor of the chuch of england and members had to swear an oath of alliegance to her

Royal injunctions- instructions reinforcing acts of U and S

The book of common prayer- set service and had to be followed

IMPACT:

8000/10,000 clergymen accepted

Many Catolic bishops opposed it, but they were replaced

enforced religious settlement

legitamised Elizabeth's rule as it encouraged loyalty

provided guidance for communities

vocal group and openly anti-catholic opposing bishops (John Field)

Demanded to reform the church of england but Government ignored them.

• crusifixes- liz demanded for it to be placed in all churches but Puritans opposed it and threatened to resign so Elizabeth backed down.

• vestments- Puritans refused to wear them, resulted in the resignation of 37 puritans.

AT HOME:

• Counter reformation
• 1/3 of nobility were recusants (secretly catholic)
• Nobility in the north were influential and enjoyed independance from the crown
• 1566- pope instructed catholics not to attend church of england services
• Papacy (1570)- pope excommunicated liz encouraging catholic powers to attack

ABROAD:

• France- (1562) Liz backed french protestants hoping to take Calais back- Failed increased threat
• Spain- Italy (Genoa) lent gold to Spain but England seized it (Genoese loan 1568), Mary QOS then encouraged Spain to plot against Liz, (1570) Spain ruled the netherlands the privy council feared that Spain would invade as N was near England

claim to the throne- Henry VII grandaughter, Catholic and married French king, Francis II

Scots rebbelled against her and she came to England to get help from Liz, who kept her under guard whilst deciding what to do. Taking action would reduce liz's power, status and authority.

Options:

• Help her regain her throne- anger Scotish nobility and Auld aliance could be revived to threaten her
• Hand Mary to Scotish lords- could provoke France to start an alliance with Spain leading to war with England
• Allow Mary to go abroad (france)- provoke French plot aiming to remove liz and replace her with Mary
• Keep Mary in England- Catholic plotters could try to overthrow liz and replace her with Mary