- The Church of England, as it emerged under Elizabeth, was an expression of her views- moderate, conservative, and tolerant.
- Elizabeth’s
personal religion was a simple, rational belief that did not go to either
Catholic of Protestant extremes. Because she was neither a strong Catholic, nor
a strong Protestant, she implemented religious changes that allowed both
religions to be worshipped.
- One of
Elizabeth’s main goals was to unite England through religion, so made church
attendance compulsory under the Act of Uniformity introduced in 1559.
Elizabeth’s desire was, in the words of the Lord Keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon,
“to secure and unite the people of the realm in one uniform order to the glory
of God and to general tranquillity”.
- Act of
Uniformity was intended to make church services the same throughout the
country, as Elizabeth wished to see her people join together as one.
- Elizabeth
strived for peace and harmony within her nation. Through introducing
legislation that appealed to both Catholic and Puritans, she limited the amount
of rebellion from either. This allowed stability in the church.
- Conformity and
obedience were two qualities that Elizabeth regarded highly important in a
person. She used her instatement of the
‘Act of Uniformity’ and the ‘Act of Supremacy’ in 1559 as tools to drill
these values into the English people.
- Elizabeth held
the values of a true Erastian, someone who believed in government of the Church
and State by one person, the monarch. This means that religion and politics
went hand-in-hand to Elizabeth. This can be seen through her Act of Supremacy
in 1559, where those holding church or government official positions, were
required to swear complete loyalty to the Queen.
- Elizabeth
appointed a new Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, to impose order on
the people. This way her wish to run a structured church of England was made
possible.
- The Act of
Supremacy passed in 1559 required all church and government officials to swear,
hand on bible, absolute loyalty to Elizabeth as Supreme Governor of the Church.
- Those who
refused to take the oath were deprived of their offices, although most accepted
the settlement, showing that she had support behind her from the start of her
reign. The threat of taking away offices from those who refused encouraged the
people to be loyal to her.
- Oath of
Supremacy stated, “that the Queen’s Highness is the only supreme governor of
this realm”. This ensures that her people will follow her and no one else.
- Oath also
stated, “do promise that from henceforth I shall bear faith and true allegiance
to the Queen’s Highness, her heirs and lawful successors”.
- By making
churchmen and royal officials take this oath, other members of society would be
encouraged to take on the same belief, as they were the role models in society.
- Elizabeth used
her position as supreme governor of the Church to strengthen her position as
head of state. By introducing the Act of Supremacy Elizabeth strengthened her
support system across England, as people were forced to abide by her beliefs.
- The Act put
Elizabeth in control, pleasing the Protestants. She also dropped the Pope’s
title, ‘Supreme Head’, offering some consolation to the Catholics. This allowed
her bishops to still deal with matters of religious doctrine, although she
still compelled her bishops to adopt her beliefs. The Act of Supremacy was
clever in the way in that even though she gave the bishops some control, the
new legislation meant that everyone had to abide to her authority over the
church.
- ‘Out of 9400
clergy in England only 192 refused the oath of supremacy’.
- Elizabeth
reissued a second Edwardian prayer book, altering it so that it appealed to
both Catholic’s and Protestants. This meant that there was not as a strict
influence on one religion, as in Mary’s time, who only tolerated those of
Catholic faith.
- Mary Tudor was
known as ‘Bloody Mary’, for her hobby for executing Protestants. She executed
287 Protestants during her reign and even tried to execute Elizabeth when she
fell ill and learnt that her half-sister was next in line to the throne.
Elizabeth did not embody such discrimination against either religion, allowing
room for people to incorporate aspects of both religions into their worship.
- As long as
people conformed outwardly, they could believe in the Protestant Church as much
as they wanted to. Elizabeth came close to saying that a different form of
worship was not necessarily evil, showing that she was more accepting of other
faiths than Mary and other rulers in Europe. She was open-minded and set fewer
restrictions on religion, acknowledging that people might still be good
Christians although their beliefs differed slightly from those of their
neighbours.
- The English
Bible had been banned by Mary, but Elizabeth permitted it, not only in
churches, but in homes too.
- Rowse wrote
that the Elizabeth Settlement provided “the maximum amount of unity for the
English people that could be combined with probably the greatest amount of
liberty of opinion that was possible under the circumstances”. This permitted a
range of beliefs and greater freedom for people to think and believe for
themselves.
- Rather than
adhering to Mary’s policy of burning many heretics at the stake, Elizabeth
aimed to create an ecclesiastical polity that was inclusive. She wanted the church to be open to all
so that she could accommodate for everyone’s desires and therefore gain support
and loyalty from them in return. She created a “church for all the people of
England”, permitting the Gospel and Epistle to be read in English in mass to
keep aspects of the Catholic faith alive amongst the new Protestant ways.
- Introduced
aspects to the church that encompassed both Catholic and Protestant traditions
to appeal to both faiths. The church in its prayers, feasts and liturgy
maintained the old Catholic calendar, but its 39 articles were Protestant.
- Catholicism
found it could survive, under the Protestant dispensation of the Elizabethan
Church.
- Due to her
determination the Church of England remained sufficiently flexible and
moderate. Elizabethan parishioners could take communion standing, sitting or
kneeling, depending on the preferences of the community and its minister.
Several positive outcomes
resulted from Elizabeth’s constant refusal to marry or name a successor.
- Although members of parliament and the Privy Council
continuously encouraged Elizabeth to marry and name a successor, Elizabeth was
adamant that she would be doing no such thing.
- In 1559
Elizabeth told the House of Commons, “I will be Queen of England so long as I
live; after my death let them succeed to whom in right it shall appertain if
that be your Queen”.
- Her one love
would be for her country, there was no room for another, “I have
already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England”.
This showed her dedication to her country and proved that she had no intention
on transferring this love into a man. She would be forever focused and devoted
to England and her people.
- She
was able to remain at the centre of the government and focus entirely on the
well being of her nation.
- Showed people
that a woman was more than capable of successfully ruling a nation without a
man by her side. This filled people with a new appreciation for women and hope
that women would one day be seen as equals to men. Women were inspired by her
strength and saw her as a role model.
- An image of the
Virgin Queen was created, encouraging patriotism and loyalty to England. Strategically
aligning herself with the catholic figure the Virgin Mary, Elizabeth secured a
shift of power through her embodiment of symbolic virginity.
France was not in favour of
the religious changes Elizabeth set in place. However, she used this antipathy
as a tool to strengthen her authority.
- France was in
favour of Mary Queen of Scots, as wished to see England return to a Catholic
state.
- France stated
that Mary Queen of Scots was the rightful Queen of England.
- Elizabeth had a
success against the French when they announced their intention to help the
Scots defeat the revolt of the Lords of the Congregation. This painted
Elizabeth in a positive light, as it showed the strength of her power from the
very start of her reign.
- Because of
France’s intervention in Scotland, Elizabeth had the chance to draw up the
Treaty of Edinburgh on July 6th 1560, declaring that all French and
English troops would retreat from Scotland and that Mary would renounce her
title of England. In the end the interference of the French only helped
Elizabeth in her attempts to keep Mary at bay. Mary relied on French support,
so by cutting off the twos connections, Mary was greatly weakened, but
Elizabeth grew stronger.
- Treaty meant
that all men of war were removed from Scotland, drastically decreasing the
accessibility of French assistance to Mary. It stated that no troops were to be
sent from France to England, Scotland or Ireland, securing Elizabeth’s crown as
none of the above were permitted to attack England. It also ensured that Mary
did not have the right to use the coat of arms or title of England. This was to
be Elizabeth’s right only. This strengthened Elizabeth’s authority.
- Elizabeth used
the inner turmoil in France to re-introduce an English presence there, but was
unsuccessful.
Elizabeth’s decision to
execute Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 was necessary to safeguard her crown and
her country from a Catholic overthrow.
- People lived in
fear that Mary Queen of Scots would replace Elizabeth, as she had the best
claim to the English throne should Elizabeth die. Several plots were formed by
Mary and her supporters to assassinate Elizabeth. If Mary were to wear the
crown, she would undoubtedly return England to the Catholic faith. Her
execution was the only way to prevent this from happening, to secure
Elizabeth’s safety so she could keep building her monarchy.
- Mary had known
of several plots to assassinate Elizabeth to place Mary on the throne. She even
had people personally offer to do it for her, like Anthony Babington who also
offered to kill 6 of Elizabeth’s associates. She gave her blessing to him go
forward with the plot. With schemes like theses constantly being brewed,
Elizabeth was not safe. Babington Plot of 1586.
- Mary was sure
that a collection of Elizabeth’s council members would join her in the event of
a counter-revolution. If this were to happen it would mean that Elizabeth would
lose support from those closest to her. If Mary had gotten to council members,
they may well have encouraged others to go against Elizabeth too. Elizabeth was
looking to expand her support base, not decrease it.
- When Elizabeth
announced the execution of Mary, celebration broke out all over England. This
proves that Mary’s death increased Elizabeth’s fan-base and people were
ecstatic about her decision to execute the woman who brought great threat to
their nation.
- It was a clever
move by Elizabeth to finally agree to Mary’s execution. It eased the country’s
trepidation of a Catholic takeover and assassination of their Queen.
- There was a
collection of people that were prepared to take extreme measures against
Elizabeth to promote Mary to Queen of England. However, if Mary were no longer
around, such action would not be needed to be taken (at least not for the same
reasons). Mary’s execution gave Elizabeth an opportunity to reach out to those
uncertain of her and perhaps win over their approval without Mary standing as
an obstacle between them and pushing people away from Elizabeth.
- Mary driving
force behind internal Catholic opposition. Rodolfi Plot of 1571 against
Elizabeth’s life was linked back to Mary.
- Mary had a
strong connection with the Roman Catholic Church and by ending Mary, this
connection the Pope had with England would be weakened.
- In 1571 Charles
IX said of Mary, “the poor fool will never cease until she lose her head”.
- Mary sent
letters out to people in the hope of gaining their support, and in doing so,
turning them against Elizabeth. If she had not been executed, Mary would have
only built up her followers and Elizabeth would lose many in favour of Mary.
- Elizabeth’s
ministers were desperate to execute Mary, which caused much internal conflict
between Elizabeth and her royal advisors. When she finally signed the death
warrant, her council were extremely happy with her, strengthening Elizabeth’s
relationship with her council.
The Spanish Amada gave
Elizabeth the opportunity to highlight her prominent qualities as a leader.
- “Parliament was a most useful means of
applying pressure on the Queen to accept policies she disliked”. Elizabeth knew
this, hence her decision to call parliament infrequently so she would not be
put in such a position.
Here is a link to the podcast I have made about this topic:
- Due to
England’s involvements in the Netherlands in 1585 and then the execution of
Mary Queen of Scots in 1587, King Philip II of Spain was not in favour of
Elizabeth. This antipathy led Philip II to send an Armada to England in 1588.
However, this was all in Elizabeth’s favour. She led a great victory against
the Armada, winning over the hearts of her people and strengthening her
relationship with them.
- Elizabeth’s
famous speech at Tilbury in preparation for battle, stirred national pride and
confidence within the English people, proving that she was a capable,
determined, loyal queen.
- Through the
Armada Elizabeth was able to relate to her people and show her qualities of
empathy as she understand England’s fears. “Spain is our mortal enemy and must
be resisted”. This empathy was important for creating a trusting relationship
between England and Elizabeth.
- “Signal fires
must be laid upon the hilltops and made ready for lighting when the Armada is
sighted”. This quote from Elizabeth represents her initiative and involvement
in the takedown of the Armada. Her people were able to see her in a positive
way through showing tremendous leadership skills, delegation and intelligence.
- Through the Armada
Elizabeth was able to capture the hearts and imaginations of her people.
- Elizabeth
proved that she was incredibly courageous (important quality for a leader),
when she rode among thousands of her men towards the Armada.
- Quotes from her
famous speech at Tilbury in 1588:
“I do not desire
to live to distrust my faithful and loving people”.
“I am come… to
live and die amongst you all”.
“I have the heart
and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too”.
“I myself will be
your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field”.
“We shall shortly
have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my
people”.
This speech shows
that she trusts and respects her people. She is loyal and dedicated to them and
wants them to see her as a friend, a companion. She provides England with hope
and determination to take down the Spanish, motivating them to fight until the
very end and be proud of themselves. A good leader wants the best for their
people and for them to be happy. Elizabeth epitomizes this in this speech. It
allowed her to share a sacred moment with her people.
- The victory of
the Armada restored confidence and hope in many aspects of English society.
Industries blossomed all over England and the people branched out to explore
how far life could really take them. For this, they had Elizabeth to thank. She
had inspired them and lead the way to a more fulfilling life.
- The English
defeat of the Armada was due to the time and effort Elizabeth put into safe
guarding her people. She had authorized sufficient funds to maintain a fleet of
her own, showing that she was intelligent and could be depended on to protect
England. She showed initiative.
- England was
blown away by Elizabeth’s defeat of the Spanish. They looked up to what they
believed to be an extraordinary woman. The Armada painted Elizabeth in an
inspiration and courageous light, making her a leader deserving great
admiration.
- After the
Armada the English called Elizabeth, “Gloriana” and the “Faery Queen” saying
that she was their “God on earth”. She developed immense respect from her
people, an important virtue for a leader to hold.
Elizabeth’s personal desire
to rule lead to her keeping a tight rein on parliament.
- Elizabeth preferred
short sessions, as Parliaments often put her on the defence. Her replies were
normally vague and she closed Parliament before the MPs could disagree with her
decisions.
- She could it
infrequently, only when it was desperately needed. It only met thirteen times
during her 45-year reign. She would only call it to approve taxes, as they
could only be collected if Parliament agreed to them, to help pass ‘Acts of
Parliament’ and to provide her with support and advice.
- She kept strict
control over what her MPs were allowed to talk about. Certain issues like
Elizabeth’s personal affairs, religion or policy, were not to be discussed.
Angered Elizabeth when they mentioned these subjects and, like in 1566, 1571,
1584, 1589. She regarded many subjects of national importance as prerogative
matters.
- Made sure that
several of her Privy Councillors sat in the House of Lords or were elected to
the Commons, so that they could help her win support for government measures.
http://soundcloud.com/kate-shorter-1/audio-recording-on-wednesday-1
