Elizabethan England 1558- 1603
Part one: Elizabeth's court and Parliament
● Elizabeth I and her court: background and character of Elizabeth I; court
life, including patronage; key ministers.
● The difficulties of a female ruler: relations with Parliament; the problem
of marriage and the succession; the strength of Elizabeth’s authority at
the end of her reign, including Essex’s rebellion in 1601.
Part two: Life in Elizabethan times
● A ‘Golden Age’: living standards and fashions; growing prosperity and
the rise of the gentry; the Elizabethan theatre and its achievements;
attitudes to the theatre.
● The poor: reasons for the increase in poverty; attitudes and responses
to poverty; the reasons for government action and the seriousness of
the problem.
● English sailors: Hawkins and Drake; circumnavigation 1577–1580,
voyages and trade; the role of Raleigh.
Part three: Troubles at home and abroad
● Religious matters: the question of religion, English Catholicism and
Protestantism; the Northern Rebellion; Elizabeth's excommunication; the
missionaries; Catholic plots and the threat to the Elizabethan
settlement; the nature and ideas of the Puritans and Puritanism;
Elizabeth and her government's responses and policies towards
religious matters.
● Mary Queen of Scots: background; Elizabeth and Parliament’s
treatment of Mary; the challenge posed by Mary; plots; execution and
its impact.
● Conflict with Spain: reasons; events; naval warfare, including tactics and
technology; the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Part four: The historic environment of Elizabethan England
,The study of a historic environment will focus on a particular site in its
historical context and should examine the relationship between a specific
place and associated historical events and developments.
Students will be expected to answer a question that draws on second order
concepts of change, continuity, causation and/or consequence, and to
explore them in the context of the specified site and wider events and
developments of the period studied.
The following aspects of the site should be considered:
● location
● function
● the structure
● people connected with the site eg the designer, originator and
occupants
● design
● how the design reflects the culture, values, fashions of the people at the
time
● how important events/developments from the depth study are
connected to the site.
Students will be expected to understand the ways in which key features and
other aspects of the site are representative of the period studied. In order to
do this, students will also need to be aware of how the key features and other
aspects of the site have changed from earlier periods.
Students will also be expected to understand how key features and other
aspects may have changed or stayed the same during the period.
Background information
Roger Ashcam Elizabeth’s tutor from 1548-50.
Taught her greek and Latin and had theories on
education
Taught the modern italic style of handwriting .
, By 14 Elizabeth could speak french Italian spanish
and latin
Elizabeth enjoyed translating latin and practising
handwriting style
Catherine Parr Was declared illegitimate after Edward was born but
returned to line of succession in 1542 thanks to
Catherine Parr
Married Thomas seymour after Henry’s death and
was a protestant reformer and mother figure to
Elizabeth
Started Elizabeth’s education and got on well with
her
In 1544 Elizabeth was restored to the throne
Catherine influenced Liz’s protestant views
Catherine died 1548
Thomas Seymour Brother to Jane Seymour
Married catherine parr
Lived in the same house and exhibited sexual
behaviour towards her.
This was a scandal and he was executed in 1549
Taught her lessons on politics when she managed to
convince investigators of her innocence (suggested
he wanted to overthrow edward and marry her)
Lady Jane Grey Great granddaughter of henry VIII
In June 1553 Edward nominated her as a devout
protestant
He wanted Jane to support the church of England
after his death
She was executed a year after she was proclaimed
queen by Edward after his death
Kat Ashley Tutor and lifelong friend
First to be concerned about thomas seymour’s
actions
Appointed first lady of the bedchamber when liz was
queen
Was one of Liz’s favourites and mourned after her
, death
Henry VIII had 72,000 people executed for opposing him
Mary I- Imprisoned her sister believing to be involved in Wyatt’s rebellion in
1554 taught Liz resilience when she was placed under house arrest for a year.
She avoided the death penalty due to lack of evidence
Mary also restored authority to the pope and burned 300 protestants at the
stake and lost Calais in 1558 against france
There was also massive inflation , two harvest failures and disease epidemics
during Mary's reign.
The Royal Court
Personal monarchy- people must be close to the queen to gain power. The
court had 500 residents
The Royal Court- a mobile operation run by lord chamberlain. The court was
located wherever the queen was. It consisted of the Queen’s household, 500
nobles, advisors, officials and servants who all lived with her (courtiers) They
became powerful by being close to the queen
At the Royal Court:
● Status was given based on clothes
● Fashion was more lavish
● Vibrant colours showed wealth
● Only aristocrats could wear gold or silver silk
● People were ridiculed for wearing clothes from a year ago
● Queen couldn’t be upstaged in the early part of her reign ( afterwards
she wore black to show purity and virginity)
● Must stay in the Queen's favour. This was done by:
○ Hosting her progresses
○ Involving themselves in patronage
Part one: Elizabeth's court and Parliament
● Elizabeth I and her court: background and character of Elizabeth I; court
life, including patronage; key ministers.
● The difficulties of a female ruler: relations with Parliament; the problem
of marriage and the succession; the strength of Elizabeth’s authority at
the end of her reign, including Essex’s rebellion in 1601.
Part two: Life in Elizabethan times
● A ‘Golden Age’: living standards and fashions; growing prosperity and
the rise of the gentry; the Elizabethan theatre and its achievements;
attitudes to the theatre.
● The poor: reasons for the increase in poverty; attitudes and responses
to poverty; the reasons for government action and the seriousness of
the problem.
● English sailors: Hawkins and Drake; circumnavigation 1577–1580,
voyages and trade; the role of Raleigh.
Part three: Troubles at home and abroad
● Religious matters: the question of religion, English Catholicism and
Protestantism; the Northern Rebellion; Elizabeth's excommunication; the
missionaries; Catholic plots and the threat to the Elizabethan
settlement; the nature and ideas of the Puritans and Puritanism;
Elizabeth and her government's responses and policies towards
religious matters.
● Mary Queen of Scots: background; Elizabeth and Parliament’s
treatment of Mary; the challenge posed by Mary; plots; execution and
its impact.
● Conflict with Spain: reasons; events; naval warfare, including tactics and
technology; the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Part four: The historic environment of Elizabethan England
,The study of a historic environment will focus on a particular site in its
historical context and should examine the relationship between a specific
place and associated historical events and developments.
Students will be expected to answer a question that draws on second order
concepts of change, continuity, causation and/or consequence, and to
explore them in the context of the specified site and wider events and
developments of the period studied.
The following aspects of the site should be considered:
● location
● function
● the structure
● people connected with the site eg the designer, originator and
occupants
● design
● how the design reflects the culture, values, fashions of the people at the
time
● how important events/developments from the depth study are
connected to the site.
Students will be expected to understand the ways in which key features and
other aspects of the site are representative of the period studied. In order to
do this, students will also need to be aware of how the key features and other
aspects of the site have changed from earlier periods.
Students will also be expected to understand how key features and other
aspects may have changed or stayed the same during the period.
Background information
Roger Ashcam Elizabeth’s tutor from 1548-50.
Taught her greek and Latin and had theories on
education
Taught the modern italic style of handwriting .
, By 14 Elizabeth could speak french Italian spanish
and latin
Elizabeth enjoyed translating latin and practising
handwriting style
Catherine Parr Was declared illegitimate after Edward was born but
returned to line of succession in 1542 thanks to
Catherine Parr
Married Thomas seymour after Henry’s death and
was a protestant reformer and mother figure to
Elizabeth
Started Elizabeth’s education and got on well with
her
In 1544 Elizabeth was restored to the throne
Catherine influenced Liz’s protestant views
Catherine died 1548
Thomas Seymour Brother to Jane Seymour
Married catherine parr
Lived in the same house and exhibited sexual
behaviour towards her.
This was a scandal and he was executed in 1549
Taught her lessons on politics when she managed to
convince investigators of her innocence (suggested
he wanted to overthrow edward and marry her)
Lady Jane Grey Great granddaughter of henry VIII
In June 1553 Edward nominated her as a devout
protestant
He wanted Jane to support the church of England
after his death
She was executed a year after she was proclaimed
queen by Edward after his death
Kat Ashley Tutor and lifelong friend
First to be concerned about thomas seymour’s
actions
Appointed first lady of the bedchamber when liz was
queen
Was one of Liz’s favourites and mourned after her
, death
Henry VIII had 72,000 people executed for opposing him
Mary I- Imprisoned her sister believing to be involved in Wyatt’s rebellion in
1554 taught Liz resilience when she was placed under house arrest for a year.
She avoided the death penalty due to lack of evidence
Mary also restored authority to the pope and burned 300 protestants at the
stake and lost Calais in 1558 against france
There was also massive inflation , two harvest failures and disease epidemics
during Mary's reign.
The Royal Court
Personal monarchy- people must be close to the queen to gain power. The
court had 500 residents
The Royal Court- a mobile operation run by lord chamberlain. The court was
located wherever the queen was. It consisted of the Queen’s household, 500
nobles, advisors, officials and servants who all lived with her (courtiers) They
became powerful by being close to the queen
At the Royal Court:
● Status was given based on clothes
● Fashion was more lavish
● Vibrant colours showed wealth
● Only aristocrats could wear gold or silver silk
● People were ridiculed for wearing clothes from a year ago
● Queen couldn’t be upstaged in the early part of her reign ( afterwards
she wore black to show purity and virginity)
● Must stay in the Queen's favour. This was done by:
○ Hosting her progresses
○ Involving themselves in patronage
