Elizabethan England, c1568–c1603
What's covered
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Key facts
Elizabeth's court and parliament
The Act of Supremacy (1559) declared Elizabeth I "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" — softer than her father's title "Supreme Head" to make it more palatable to Catholics.
Edward VI and Protestant Reform
Under Edward VI (1547–1553) religious change went full Protestant — English Prayer Books (1549, 1552), dissolution of chantries, the Mass abolished.
Life in Elizabethan times
Main causes of Elizabethan poverty were enclosures, population growth, harvest failures, and the dissolution of the monasteries.
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603
The Globe Theatre was built in London in 1599.
Troubles at home and abroad
The Spanish Armada attempted to invade England in 1588.
Extended Response Practice
Mary Queen of Scots was Elizabeth's Catholic cousin with a strong dynastic claim — Catholics across Europe saw her as the rightful queen of England.
Elizabeth's court and parliament
The Act of Uniformity (1559) required every parish church in England to use the Book of Common Prayer.
Edward VI and Protestant Reform
The Great Debasement (1544-1551) under Henry VIII and Edward VI cut the gold and silver in coins to raise money for the Crown; prices rose sharply, by about three-quarters between the years before it and 1551-55, cutting the buying power of people on wages and fixed incomes.
Life in Elizabethan times
Elizabethan poor laws distinguished the "deserving poor" (unable to work) from the "idle poor" (refusing to work).
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603
The Poor Law of 1601 made parishes legally responsible for their local poor — the first national system of poor relief.
Sample questions
A taste of the 77 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Who governed England as Lord Protector during Edward VI's minority from 1547?
- •Archbishop Cranmer, who as Edward's godfather was appointed regent by Henry VIII's final will and testament
- ✓Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, until he was overthrown in 1549 and replaced by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland
- •Mary Tudor, Edward's elder half-sister, who acted as regent because Edward was too young to sign state documents
- •Thomas Cromwell, who had served Henry VIII and remained the power behind the throne throughout Edward's reign
What problems did Elizabeth I face when she became Queen in 1558?
- •Elizabeth inherited a prosperous, peaceful, and united kingdom
- ✓Financial weakness, loss of Calais, religious division, and a female ruler
- •Parliament refused to recognise her as legitimate because of her parents' marriage
- •The main challenge was a Scottish invasion — Mary Queen of Scots attacked immediately
What did Elizabeth I's 1559 Religious Settlement establish?
- •A Catholic England under the Pope, reconciling with Rome after the break made by Henry VIII
- ✓A Protestant Church of England with Elizabeth as Supreme Governor, via the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity
- •Complete religious freedom, allowing Catholics, Protestants and Puritans to worship openly
- •Full Calvinist Presbyterianism with no bishops and elected church councils in every parish
Why did Lady Jane Grey's attempt to take the throne in 1553 fail?
- •Jane refused to convert from Protestantism to Catholicism as Mary demanded, making compromise impossible
- •Jane voluntarily abdicated after nine days to spare England a civil war, accepting Mary's succession peacefully
- •Northumberland's army was defeated at the Battle of Framlingham by a Spanish force sent by Philip II
- ✓Popular support swung decisively to Mary Tudor as Henry VIII's legitimate daughter; Jane's own councillors abandoned her within days
Why was poverty such a problem in Elizabethan England and how was it dealt with?
- •Elizabeth solved poverty by giving all the poor work in American colonies
- ✓Population growth, enclosures, and dissolved monasteries; the 1601 Poor Law responded
- •Poverty was not a serious problem — the economy was growing and wages were high
- •The Dissolution reduced poverty — it freed up land for poor farmers
Why was the loss of Calais in 1558 so significant for England?
- ✓Calais was England's last territory in France, held for over 200 years — its loss ended English ambitions on the continent and humiliated Mary's reign
- •Calais was England's main military base in Europe; its fall left England defenceless against a French invasion of the south coast
- •Calais was England's only major port at the time — its loss destroyed the wool trade and caused an immediate economic depression
- •Mary had promised Philip II that Calais would remain English as a condition of their marriage; its loss ended the Spanish alliance
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