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Elizabethan later years 1588-1603 - Coggle Diagram
Elizabethan later years 1588-1603
How successfully did Elizabeth defend the royal prerogative after 1558
there was a new generation of parliamentarians who we’re unhappy about some of her privileges
her control over religion, was more or less accepted but her use of purveyance and monopolies caused much friction
what pressure was put on the queen and how did she respond
in 1593, as a response to generous taxes, the House of Commons asked for the remedy of greivances over purveyance
Cecil responded that this was infringing on the royal prerogative and so could not be debated
the queen recognised there was a problem and agreed to investigate
another issue concerning the prerogative had been dealt with before the parliament met, Peter wentworth, had written a pamphlet “a pithy exhortation to her majesty for establishing her successor to the crown”, where he urged parliament to examine the rights of all claimants to the succession and decide what’s best
in 1593 he had been released and renewed his plans to get support, here he was breaking the law that parliamentary business could not be discussed outside the confines of the Palace
(In this instance, there was no need for Elizabeth to act, her prerogative was preserved)
in 1597 the focus was on monopolies
the constraints of war meant that Elizabeth could no longer afford to reward her servants, so she granted them with monopolies
Northamptonshire MP, Robert Wingfield raised the matter and asked for a committee to look into ‘sundry enormities and monopolies and he abuse of them’. Elizabeth saw this was an occasion to yield gracefully and agreed that monopolies which were especially bad should be cancelled
Lord keeper Thomas Everton, made it clear that the queens prerogative would not be compromised, the queen had promised redress of greivances, but foolishly only revoked a few
The Lord treasurer, Lord Buckhurst drew up a list of monopolies and told Robert Cecil they should be cancelled
no action was taken before 1601
monopolies were causing discontent
There was general agreement that monopolies were being abused, but less consensus about what to do
Francis bacon argued for the petition, as he felt we ‘ought not to deal or meddle with or judge the prerogative’
others thought a petition was not likely to be effective and did not see why a bill could be constructed as an attack on the prerogative
outside parliament, agitators even pressed petitions into the queen hand as she went to chapel
the continuing levying of taxes and the weak economy made this impact worse, Cecil did speak out about this
Elizabeth saw the danger, those against monopoles had protested that they were loyal to the monarchy but a few had blamed the queen for making them
she summoned the speaker and told him she would act at once, some of the most harmful monopolies were ended instantly
this prompt concession ended the fuoere and preserved the prerogative
golden speech
To what extent did relations with parliament decline after 1588
Elizabeth summoned 4 parliaments during this period, which was more then any firing her reign
the war with Spain required revenue beyond her ordinary income, initially in the first victory over Spanish Armada in 1599, parliament voted more generously, but heavy taxes ended became more onerous, later parliaments less ready with consent
the economic situation didnt help
many issued which had affected the relationship between the queen and her parliaments earlier in the reign were no longer e.g no more pressure for her to marry and James was assumed to be the successor
How easily was money raised for war?
1589 House of Commons set up committee to discuss the subsidy, its members were convinced by the arguments of the chancellor of the exchequer, that two subsidies and 4 tenths should be levied (2x amount of usual grant)
issue was that this increase might become the norm, and was agreed that the money be collected over 4 years so the amount paid per year by individuals would be the same as previous grants
when parliament met in 1593 the danger from enemies abroad hadn’t gone, John Pickering stressed the needs of the army and the navy in his opening speech
House of Commons agreed again to a double subsidy and 4 tenths and fifteenths
Cecil didnt think this was sufficient
House of Lords could only agree to the amount proposed by the commons or rescue it
Cecil held a conference between the houses, where he explained that the grant of 1589 had brought in £480,000 whereas the queen had spent over a million
commons feared that their privileges were being infringed by the Lords in the proposition that there should be an increase in the grant and made vigorous protest
they were unsure if tax payers would be able to afford heavy levies
Francis bacon wanted the grant spread over 6 years
the house agreed to three subsidies and 6 tenths and fifteenths, 2/3s to be paid over one year and the last third to be payed over two years as a concession
despite the threat of famine, the house responded to Lord keepers pleas
the final parliament of the reign met in 1601
largely cooperative with money, Cecil pointed out there was a defect of £140,000 so a grant of £300,000 essential
4 subsidies were agreed, Bacon and Raleigh tried to get some reduction of the burden on the poorest tax payers
as few local governemnt officials, landowners assessed themselves
Were other issues more contentious
in 1593 the governemnt put forward measures aimed at Roman Catholics and puritan Dissenters
Roman Catholics were ordered to remain within 5 miles of their homes so they didn’t join forces
puritans: law passed decreed that attandenace at unlawful assemblies and conventicles could be punished by imprisonment
in 1601 a bill passed to end priests holding benefited in plurality was proposed, but whitgift claimed it contravened the royal prerogative
in 1597 and 1601 social legislation was passed, this was not a prerogative issue for the queen so members could speak freely
How significant was the impact on England of the war with Spain
war dominated the last years of the reign
Elizabeth had managed to postpone a conflict man saw as inevitable for as long as possible, because she feared financial implications
war caused draining of men and money
How did the threat of the Spanish Armada affect England?
she had 25 galleons, John Hawkins had done much to eliminate corruption on the Board and had refitted ships while reducing costs
the ships were made to make them low in the water, with more room decked for artillery
the lords Lieutenant were ordered to review the local militias, train troops in the use of firearms, survey possible landing places for an invading fleet and build defences
artillery was to be made ready and carthorses put on standby
beacons were set up on hills to be lit if an invasion fleet was spotted and JPs were to see the beacons well guarded
some coastal towns were ordered to provide more shipping
an army of 12,500 men was assembled at Tilbury under the Earl of Leicester
Early In august 1588, by the time the Armada was defeated, Elizabeth declared her feeble woman speech
by the end of august 1588 her armies had been disbanded and her navy largely discharged to save money
the queen had needed to obtain loans, raising £75,000 abd borrowed £56,000 with 10% interest, so not able to alwasy pay sailors in full and their condition was bad due to disease
How much did continuing war affect England?
after defeat of Armada was anti-climax
Elizabeth not convinced Spains navy was wiped out
invasions scares continued through the 1590s
was difficult to repeat the success of 1588 and the naval war was waged without much clear strategy
capturing the treasure fleet bringing silver from America to Spain was difficult
Elizabeth licences some privateering
in 1592 when this happened after the capture of a merchant ship, Elizabeth took nearly half of remaining profits, she was only entitled to 20%
The war on land
land war concentrated in France and the Netherlands
Elizabeth concerned that the growth of Spanish power in these countries meant an invasion was to be feared
she sent 4000 men to France in 1590
over 6000 in 1591
4000 in 1594
there were heavy casualties and almost half didn’t return
in 1588 she sent Sir Francis Vere to the Netherlands and he worked with Maurice of Nassau, capturing Zutphen and Deventer
Elizabeths loans and he troops were just enough to give the Dutch superiority
by 1593-94 the Dutch had regained most northern Netherlands
when Phillip became bankrupt in 1596 Elizabeth felt she could reduce her support
How did the war affect politics
prosecution of war led to debate in privy council, a lot of the existing councillors had died, Robert Cecil was determined to keep the Netherlands secure and the king of France safe from Spanish control
he feared the loss of Brittany, many of the new councillors agreed with him
others wanted to war to be more then petty invasions and saw the best chances in naval attacks
Essex favoured action, any action as long as he cold win some glory
so in 1592 he saw his command of the expedition to relieve the siege of Rouen as an opportunity to defeat Spanish pretensions to global power with France as an area of war.
by later 1590s, the rivalry was so intense that every decision was affected, impossible to say neural in the Cecil-Essex Feuding
Elizabeth did not have any real policy or priority, she was exposed to persuasive courtiers which added to lack of coherence in state affairs
by 1597 privy council only had 11 members
the cost of war in men was over £100,000, their arms, clothing and food all had to be paid for
£4.5 million
£2 mullion was spent in Ireland
the £300,000 surplus was all spent
after Phillips death the Dutch won more battles and were less reliant on england
the queen cut down on court spending, especially patronage
she kept positions vacant to avoid salaries
impoverished more open to Bribery, more corruption at court
Succession to the throne
after execution of MQS James hoped to be heir
he gave no help to Spanish Armada
she appeared reluctant but wouldnt have him barred from succession
he was approached by Essex, asking for an army to support his rebellion
Essex managed to convince James that the Cecil’s were hostile towards him
Elizabeth granted him a pension but not paid regularly
after the fall of Essex, Cecil realised he could cultivate James and secure his own position
Roman catholics
some were ready to support Phillip
Cardinal William Allen (Jesuit) had been promised he would be Archbishop of Canterbury if Phillip was victorious
urged the English to join the Spanish army when it invaded as Elizabeth was a heretic usurper
his admonition to the people and nobility was suppressed as treasonous
there were Roman Catholic sympathisers at court such as lord Buckhurst
division among Catholics weakened their position, after Allen’s death, it was decided to send George Blackwell to England as an arch priest
he was to be in charge of all preists in England
he was given wide-reaching powers by Rome and came to be much resented by preists who were not jesuits
in 1601 Robert Cecil found a preist who was willing to betray what he knew about Jesuit plots which discredited the catholic cause
Dr Lopez
1549 suspected plot, in league with Spain
had been detected by Essex, he was executed
he was one of her physicians
his deat shows how hostility to foreigners could arise in war time
How serious were social and economic problems in the 1590s
some poor harvests in the later 1580s which had led to an increase in the price of wheat
in the 1590s a run of disastrorous harvests from 1594-1598 made this worse
by 1596 the average price had doubled
severe outbreak of the plague
malnutrition, less plague resistance
every town was affected by plague deaths in 1596-1597
Cecil sent out books of orders to localities trying to enforce quarantine on plague victims, often their sympathetic neighbours defied instruction
those who suffered most were bound to be people living close to subsistence levels
dairy products less affected as livestock survived wet conditions but crops didnt
poor communications made it difficult to move food from areas where there was a surplus
in three Kent parishes nearly 12% of the people of couldnt support themselves
deaths from malnutrition were recorded in Newcastle
death rate increased by 50%
increase in vagrancy
in oxford 67 vagabonds were punished compared to norm of 12
in London 555 were punished in 1600-01
legislation passed in the parliaments of the period were a response to these issues
How much unrest was there in the 1590s
regular reports of low level unrest, e.g refusal to pay ship money and complaints about monopolies
the governemnt had to abandon its attempt to collect ship tax in 1596
the raising of troops was disliked, and there were frequent desertions and a few minor mutinies
there were food riots in Kent in 1596 and in Sussex and Somerset
apprenticies rioted regularly in London, Feltmakers in 1592, and in Bow so that the goosefair was cancelled
Oxfordshire rising in November 1596, supposedly against enclosures
lord Norris, young man movement
taking longer for young couples to earn and become independent
the 5 ringleaders were taken to London and charged with treason
1571 treason act to prosecute
despite this being mild, it was a strong reaction
the meeting on Enslow hill planned for 21 November attracted only 4 people
the tillage act was passed to reverse enclosure carried out since 1588, showing official recognition of the issue
Unrest in Ireland
O’Neill, earl of Tyrone
constant fear that discontented Irishmen would allow Spanish troops to land so they could invade England
In 1598 Tyrone captured a key fort on the River Blackwater, guarding a main entry to Ulster
he defeated and killed the english commander at the battle of yellow ford in 1598 and only half the English troops returned safely to their base
he was able to seize Munster and drive out English settlers and take control of most of England - a real threat and prevented any further action against Spain
Tyrone had rich ulster resources to supply his troops
his native soldiers were well trained, had help from Scottish mercenaries
she sent Essex with 16,000 men
he wasted time and troops
when he marched north to Tyrone he only took 4000 men
he met Tyrone alone, then came home
she was very annoyed, and replaced Essex
Mountjoy, very effective
landing of Spanish troops at Kinsale in 1601 was overcome
Tyrone surrendered a few days after her death
greatest threat to the tudors in Ireland and only overcome by heavy spending and Mountjoy
Essex rebellion
over optimistic of his abilities
his rival with the Cecil’s weakened him
he couldnt decide if he wanted to be a soldier or politician
he had some bad luck, 1597 islands voyage bad weather
reacted badly when he failed to get his own way, Ireland
returning early from Ireland early without royal permission
what was at stake in the rebellion
After his return from Ireland, Essex had built up a party at court, he had support from the city of London which alarmed the governemnt
Elizabeth showed her concern in having the lord keeper defend her treatment of Essex in public in an address to the JPs
political agitators were blamed for the unrest and Essex criticised for his failure to bring Tyrone to Battle
she refused to renew his patent for sweet wines, which was the main source of his income, and left him under pressure from his creditors
Essex then tried to persuade mountjoy to return from Ireland with an army to support him and made approaches to to James in Scotland, suggesting that Cecil planned to install Spanish infanta as ruler
Essex commissioned a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard II at the globe, a clear reference to himself
Essex was driven to despair and insanity, so his rebellion not a direct threat to the queen
had had no feudal retainers that he cou,ld rely on, his attempts to recruit in England failed
he had massively overestimated his level of political support
Essex did have useful supporters such as the Earl of Southampton
he had support outside of London, notably in wales
Essex and Southampton were tried in Westminster, Essex was executed on 25 February
for the rest of her reign, her governemnt was to rely on single faction for the first time
To what extent did Elizabeths popularity decline in the 1590s
outwardly the queen remained popular
at court the accession day Tilts were held each year on 17 November, George Clifford
plays and pageants extolled the queens virtues
a series of scandals undermined her authority at court
Raleigh was disgraced for making Bess Throckmorton pregnant
The earl of Southampton had to leave when his affair with Elizabeth vernon came out
The virgin queen lost some of her reputation
increase in criticism of the queen, economic crisis of the 1590s made this less convincing
Elizabeth was said to have had three children by different noblemen, or several children all murdered by Leicester
attendance fell at court and in 1600 the aristocracy was reluctant to accompany Elizabeth on progress to the Earl of Hertfordshire estate
her temper became shorter, harder to please
the queens appearance was wrinkled, and she had lost of some teeth
a formalised version of her face was produced by a miniturist, to be inserted into different paintings
This pattern showed the queen looking radiant , with smooth skin
weren’t very convincing
in the final years the queen went on to progress
in 1603 she welcomed an Italian envoy from Venice, who recorded the number of jewels she wore
the queens final illness was short, 1603, suffering from tonsillitis and influenza
on 24 march, Robert Carey, claimed she have. Sign that James should succeed her