The Situation on Elizabeth’s Accession
Who were Elizabeth I’s parents?
• Henry VIII
• Anne Boleyn
Who was Edward VI in relations to Elizabeth I?
• Her half-brother
Who was Mary I in relations to Elizabeth I?
• Her half sister
What was the English Reformation?
• In 1533, Henry VII replaced the Pope with himself as Head of Church + set up Church of England
• Church remained catholic during his reign but this move encouraged English Protestants
• After Henry’s death in 1547, Edward VI made far more substancial changes to make the Church of
England truly Protestant.
• After Edward’s death in 1553, Mary I converted England back to Catholicism, but resisted fully
reuniting with Rome (due to lack of her ability to restore land Henry VIII had stripped from English
Catholic Church)
How long had England been catholic before the Church of England was set up?
• England had been catholic, under the authority of the Pope, for nearly 1000 yrs.
Who did Catholics, Protestants and puritans want as head of church?
• Catholics: Pope in Rome
• Protestants: King/Queen
• Puritans: No Head of Church, they wanted committees elected by churchgoers to make the rules
What was the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on having bishops and archbishops?
• Catholics: want cardinals, bishops and archbishops to help the Pope govern the church
• Protestants: archbishops and bishops to help the monarch
• Puritans: no archbishops or bishops
What are cardinals?
• bishops who elect the pope
What is the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on how churches should be decorated?
• Catholics: built to show glory and majesty of God, as elaborate and expensive as possible, stained-
glass windows, statures, murals, wood + marble carvings, huge altars, organs. Many people, not just
rich, left money in their wills for church decorations.
• Protestants: spending a lot of money on church decorations goes against teaching of Jesus. Less
images + decorations
• Puritans: Very plain church, as elaborate decorations were not based on the Bible, so not approved
by God.
,What is the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on the language the bible is written in?
• Catholics: bible in Latin that is read only by priests + Latin church services
• Protestants + Puritans: bible in English that everyone could read + church services in English
What was the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on mass?
• Catholics: miracle took place in mass - bread/body turned into blood/body of Jesus through powers
of the priest
• Protestants: bread/wine remained bread/wine, but also became the body/blood of Jesus.
• Puritans: breads/wine remained bread/wine, symbolic of Jesus’ blood/body. Jesus is spiritually, not
physically present.
What were the 7 classes of society of Elizabethan England in 1558?
• God
• The Monarch
• Nobles and Lords
• Gentry
• Wealthy Merchants
• Yeomen + Tenant farmers
• Craftspeople, labourers, servants, the poor
What was the role of the Monarch in Elizabethan society 1558?
• made all decisions but was advised by leading nobles
• enforced the law + punished criminals
• declared war + made peace
• call/dismiss parliament
• agree/reject any laws parliament votes for
• grant titles, lands, money and jobs
• reward people with land, title or Patronage (supporting their cause)
Who were nobles and lords in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Great landowners
How many nobles and lords were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 50 families
How many Gentry were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 10,000 families
Who were the gentry in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Lesser landowners (including lesser nobles, knights and lawyers)
What was the role of the nobles in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• had huge local influence
• were monarch’s leading advisers
• dealt with crime and social unrest locally
• were commanders in times of war
, • If the Monarch didn’t include them in these tasks, they could resent the Monarch having disastrous
consequences due to their huge local influence
What was the role of the gentry in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• the Monarch needed the gentry to keep the government running locally + to act as judges/sheriffs
How many wealthy merchants were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 30,000 families
What was the role of wealthy merchants in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• most mayors were merchants
What are yeomen?
• Farmers who own their own land
What are tenant farmers?
• Those who rent land from a landowner
How many yeomen + tenant farmers were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 100,000 families
What was the role of yeomen + tenant farmers in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• made money from sale of surplus farm produce
• many yeomen had servants
• those who owned the deeds to their land could vote
How many craftspeople, labourers, servants and poor were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 500,000 families
What was the role of craftspeople and labourers in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Labourers could easily become destitute and join the ranks of the poor as a result of bad harvests,
trading slumps or illness
• in towns they worked in trades (e.g. textiles and leather)
• in the countryside they were employed as agricultural workers, usually on a seasonal basis.
How many times was parliament in session in the years 1558-88?
• 9 times; in each session taxes were granted
What was the hierarchy of the church in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen (Head of Church)
• Archbishops + bishops
• 9000 Parish priests
• Church wardens
, Where did the wealth of the monarch come from?
• Her land + customs duties
Who became archbishops and bishops?
• Nobles + lords appointed by the Queen
Who became parish priests and churchwardens ?
• Gentry + merchants appointed by archbishops/bishops
What was the hierarchy of the law system in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen
• Judges
• Quarter sessions
• Local law courts
What was the hierarchy of the criminal system in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen
• Privy Council (in charge of the court)
• Lord Lieutenants (in charge of town councils)
• Justices of the Peace
• Constables and overseers of the poor
What was the court in the criminal system of Elizabethan England 1558?
• a body of people who lived in, or near, the same palace as the monarch
• made up of nobility
• attending court required the monarchs permission
What was the role for the court in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• The court consisted of the monarch;s key servants, advisers and friends
• entertained + advised the monarch
• public display of monarch’s wealth + power
• had influence with monarch (no real power)
What is the role of Lord Lieutenants?
• in charge of raising and training the local military
• oversaw county defences
• oversaw enforcement of policies
• part of local government
Who did the privy council consist of?
• leading courtiers + advisers, as well as nobles and very senior government officials.
How many members were on Elizabeth I’s privy council?
• 19 members
Who were Elizabeth I’s parents?
• Henry VIII
• Anne Boleyn
Who was Edward VI in relations to Elizabeth I?
• Her half-brother
Who was Mary I in relations to Elizabeth I?
• Her half sister
What was the English Reformation?
• In 1533, Henry VII replaced the Pope with himself as Head of Church + set up Church of England
• Church remained catholic during his reign but this move encouraged English Protestants
• After Henry’s death in 1547, Edward VI made far more substancial changes to make the Church of
England truly Protestant.
• After Edward’s death in 1553, Mary I converted England back to Catholicism, but resisted fully
reuniting with Rome (due to lack of her ability to restore land Henry VIII had stripped from English
Catholic Church)
How long had England been catholic before the Church of England was set up?
• England had been catholic, under the authority of the Pope, for nearly 1000 yrs.
Who did Catholics, Protestants and puritans want as head of church?
• Catholics: Pope in Rome
• Protestants: King/Queen
• Puritans: No Head of Church, they wanted committees elected by churchgoers to make the rules
What was the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on having bishops and archbishops?
• Catholics: want cardinals, bishops and archbishops to help the Pope govern the church
• Protestants: archbishops and bishops to help the monarch
• Puritans: no archbishops or bishops
What are cardinals?
• bishops who elect the pope
What is the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on how churches should be decorated?
• Catholics: built to show glory and majesty of God, as elaborate and expensive as possible, stained-
glass windows, statures, murals, wood + marble carvings, huge altars, organs. Many people, not just
rich, left money in their wills for church decorations.
• Protestants: spending a lot of money on church decorations goes against teaching of Jesus. Less
images + decorations
• Puritans: Very plain church, as elaborate decorations were not based on the Bible, so not approved
by God.
,What is the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on the language the bible is written in?
• Catholics: bible in Latin that is read only by priests + Latin church services
• Protestants + Puritans: bible in English that everyone could read + church services in English
What was the opinion of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans on mass?
• Catholics: miracle took place in mass - bread/body turned into blood/body of Jesus through powers
of the priest
• Protestants: bread/wine remained bread/wine, but also became the body/blood of Jesus.
• Puritans: breads/wine remained bread/wine, symbolic of Jesus’ blood/body. Jesus is spiritually, not
physically present.
What were the 7 classes of society of Elizabethan England in 1558?
• God
• The Monarch
• Nobles and Lords
• Gentry
• Wealthy Merchants
• Yeomen + Tenant farmers
• Craftspeople, labourers, servants, the poor
What was the role of the Monarch in Elizabethan society 1558?
• made all decisions but was advised by leading nobles
• enforced the law + punished criminals
• declared war + made peace
• call/dismiss parliament
• agree/reject any laws parliament votes for
• grant titles, lands, money and jobs
• reward people with land, title or Patronage (supporting their cause)
Who were nobles and lords in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Great landowners
How many nobles and lords were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 50 families
How many Gentry were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 10,000 families
Who were the gentry in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Lesser landowners (including lesser nobles, knights and lawyers)
What was the role of the nobles in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• had huge local influence
• were monarch’s leading advisers
• dealt with crime and social unrest locally
• were commanders in times of war
, • If the Monarch didn’t include them in these tasks, they could resent the Monarch having disastrous
consequences due to their huge local influence
What was the role of the gentry in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• the Monarch needed the gentry to keep the government running locally + to act as judges/sheriffs
How many wealthy merchants were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 30,000 families
What was the role of wealthy merchants in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• most mayors were merchants
What are yeomen?
• Farmers who own their own land
What are tenant farmers?
• Those who rent land from a landowner
How many yeomen + tenant farmers were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 100,000 families
What was the role of yeomen + tenant farmers in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• made money from sale of surplus farm produce
• many yeomen had servants
• those who owned the deeds to their land could vote
How many craftspeople, labourers, servants and poor were there in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• About 500,000 families
What was the role of craftspeople and labourers in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Labourers could easily become destitute and join the ranks of the poor as a result of bad harvests,
trading slumps or illness
• in towns they worked in trades (e.g. textiles and leather)
• in the countryside they were employed as agricultural workers, usually on a seasonal basis.
How many times was parliament in session in the years 1558-88?
• 9 times; in each session taxes were granted
What was the hierarchy of the church in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen (Head of Church)
• Archbishops + bishops
• 9000 Parish priests
• Church wardens
, Where did the wealth of the monarch come from?
• Her land + customs duties
Who became archbishops and bishops?
• Nobles + lords appointed by the Queen
Who became parish priests and churchwardens ?
• Gentry + merchants appointed by archbishops/bishops
What was the hierarchy of the law system in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen
• Judges
• Quarter sessions
• Local law courts
What was the hierarchy of the criminal system in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• Queen
• Privy Council (in charge of the court)
• Lord Lieutenants (in charge of town councils)
• Justices of the Peace
• Constables and overseers of the poor
What was the court in the criminal system of Elizabethan England 1558?
• a body of people who lived in, or near, the same palace as the monarch
• made up of nobility
• attending court required the monarchs permission
What was the role for the court in Elizabethan Society 1558?
• The court consisted of the monarch;s key servants, advisers and friends
• entertained + advised the monarch
• public display of monarch’s wealth + power
• had influence with monarch (no real power)
What is the role of Lord Lieutenants?
• in charge of raising and training the local military
• oversaw county defences
• oversaw enforcement of policies
• part of local government
Who did the privy council consist of?
• leading courtiers + advisers, as well as nobles and very senior government officials.
How many members were on Elizabeth I’s privy council?
• 19 members
