The Difficulties of a Female Ruler Flashcards
All 16 cards in this deck
Give one problem Elizabeth faced because of her gender and marital status.
As an unmarried woman, many people felt she was not capable of ruling the country.
Why was Elizabeth titled 'Supreme Governor' of the Church of England rather than 'Supreme Head'?
Because many people thought it wrong for a woman to be head of the Church.
What did Elizabeth believe Parliament's main job was?
To vote her money and then leave her to run the country. Parliament met only 13 times in her 44-year reign.
Give one reason Elizabeth did not marry a foreign Catholic prince such as Philip II of Spain or the Duke of Anjou.
A Catholic husband was unacceptable to the English nobility and risked putting England under foreign control.
What was Essex's rebellion (1601)?
The Earl of Essex marched into London with about 200 followers to seize power from Elizabeth's councillors; Londoners did not join him and he was executed for treason.
Who was Peter Wentworth?
A Puritan MP who demanded freedom of speech in Parliament, including on religion and the succession. He was imprisoned in the Tower in 1576 and again later, and died there in 1597.
Give one way Elizabeth controlled Parliament.
Any one: only she could call or dissolve it; she chose the Speaker, who controlled what was debated; she could veto bills; Privy Councillors sat in both Houses to manage business.
Which subjects did Elizabeth insist MPs could not debate without her permission?
Matters of her royal prerogative, especially her marriage, the succession and religion. MPs who pressed them could be silenced or imprisoned.
What happened over monopolies in the Parliament of 1601?
MPs fiercely attacked the monopolies granted to courtiers for raising prices. Elizabeth backed down, promising to cancel the worst of them, and won back goodwill with her 'Golden Speech' in November 1601.
Why could Elizabeth not realistically marry Robert Dudley?
His wife, Amy Robsart, was found dead with a broken neck at the bottom of the stairs in 1560. Rumours that Dudley or the Queen had arranged it meant a marriage between them would have been a scandal.
Who was Elizabeth's last serious suitor?
The French Catholic Duke of Alençon (Duke of Anjou from 1576), about 22 years younger than her. Talks ran from the late 1570s until 1581–82, when opposition from councillors and the public ended them.
Why did Elizabeth refuse to name an heir?
She feared that a named successor would become a rallying point for plotters and discontented nobles, threatening her own safety and authority.
How was the succession settled in 1603?
Robert Cecil secretly wrote to James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, from 1601. When Elizabeth died in March 1603, James succeeded peacefully as James I of England.
What did Essex do in Ireland in 1599?
Sent to defeat the Earl of Tyrone's rebellion, he made a truce with Tyrone against orders and came back to court without permission. He was then stripped of his offices and placed under house arrest.
Why did losing his sweet wines monopoly in 1600 matter to Essex?
It was his main source of income. When Elizabeth refused to renew it he faced financial ruin, which helped drive him to rebel in 1601.
Which of Elizabeth's leading ministers died between 1588 and 1598?
Leicester (1588), Walsingham (1590), Hatton (1591) and William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1598), leaving her dependent on a younger and more divided generation of courtiers.