Her reign followed her sister Mary's who was a Catholic monarch
Elizabeth was a Protestant
James the IV of Scotland followed
Elizabeth as James the I of England
Elizabeth made skilled use of portraints and
speeches to show her reign as a golden age
Anderw Wilson in his book,The Elizabethans (2011) represents the age of Elizabeth as one of great change,with new schools,music and ships sailing off to new lands,
The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain by contrast states: 'Elizabeth has attained a
posthumous reputation far in excess of her actual achievements' citing hjer own
propaganda, her sheer longevity,the coincidence of the Shakespearian movement,and the
lucky defeat of the Armarda as the reasons for this
Not everyone enjoyed a good quality of life
The population increased by roughly 35%
Enclosure meant many farmers faced difficult times
Enclosure is when a large open field farmed by villagers is replaced
with smaller individual fields farmed by one person
1572 Vagabonds Act meant that any beggars or homeless
people should be punished,imprisoned or put to death
1601 Poor Act
It stated that a parish or town had to look
after its poor and beggars by providing food
and clothing or they could be sent to a
workhouse which was more common
Key cultural developments
The
development of
Grammar
schools meant
more children
went to school
than before
Literacy levels increased from 20% to
30% for men over the 1530's
The first theatres were
built
The first built was the Red Lion in Whitechapel in
1567
Shakespeare was the most
notable playwright and queues
of 2000 people might wait to see
a play
John Donne and Christopher Marlowe
were other notable writers
Sir Thomas Gresham established the first
stock exchange called the Royal Exchange in
1565
It was the first in
England and one of
the first in Europe
Religion was unsettled and much debated
In Mary's reign almost 300
people had been burned
for their beliefs
Elizabeth started her reign with religious stability with the
Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy
Everyone had
to attend
church on
Sunday and
Holy days or be
fined
1569 The revolt of the Northern Earls leads
rebels to take Durham Cathedral and
celebrate Mass
1570 The Pope excommunicates Elizabeth
1587 Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
1585 All Catholic priests are ordered to leave
the country
1586 The Babington Plot to assassinate Elizabeth
200 priests and laymen were executed under Elizabeth
Puritan style religion develops,focused on preaching,with less ceremony
Key Words
Enclosure
When a large open field
farmed by villagers is
replaced by smaller
individual fields farmed
by one person
Vagabond
Homeless
people
without
jobs
who
roamed
the
countryside
New World
North and South America which were only known
to Europeans after 1492
Puritan
Radical Protestants who wanted to purify religion
Ex-communication
A very severe punishment imposed by the
Pope expelling people from the Catholic
Church
Recusant
A Catholic who refused to attend a Protestant Church
Militia
A military force of ordinary people raised in an emergency
Triangle of Trade
Trade route from Britain to Africa and then to the Americas