The Elizabethan Age 1558–1603

Elizabeth I and the Religious Settlement

Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 after the turbulent reigns of Edward VI (Protestant) and Mary I (Catholic). England was religiously divided, and Elizabeth had to find a workable solution.

The Religious Settlement (1559):

• Act of Supremacy: Elizabeth became Supreme Governor of the Church of England (not "Head" — a compromise to avoid offending those who thought a woman couldn't lead the Church).
• Act of Uniformity: The revised Book of Common Prayer was made compulsory; fines for non-attendance at church (recusancy fines).
• The Elizabethan Church was Protestant in doctrine but retained some Catholic forms (vestments, hierarchical structure) — a "middle way" (via media) designed to satisfy the moderate majority.

Threats to the settlement:

• Catholic plots (especially from Philip II of Spain and the Pope)
• Puritan pressure to remove remaining "Catholic" elements from the Church
• Mary Queen of Scots — a Catholic rival for the throne who fled to England in 1568 and became a focus for plots until her execution in 1587

Mary Queen of Scots

Mary's presence in England was a constant problem. She was the Catholic heir presumptive; several plots to put her on the throne were uncovered:

• Ridolfi Plot (1571): Plot to marry Mary to the Duke of Norfolk; both implicated. Norfolk executed.
• Throckmorton Plot (1583): Supported by Spain and France; to depose Elizabeth.
• Babington Plot (1586): Mary's own letters implicated her in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. This gave the Privy Council the evidence needed. Mary was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, 8 February 1587.

Elizabeth hesitated for years to execute a fellow monarch — "the murder of princes" set a dangerous precedent. But Mary's persistent plotting left her no choice.

The Spanish Armada (1588)

Philip II of Spain launched his "invincible" Armada of 130 ships to invade England — motivated by England's support for Dutch Protestant rebels, English privateers (Drake) raiding Spanish ships, and Mary's execution.

Why did the Armada fail?

• English tactics: fire ships sent into the Armada at Gravelines scattered the fleet
• English ships were more manoeuvrable and had superior long-range gunpowder weaponry
• The "Protestant wind" — storms in the North Sea and around Scotland and Ireland wrecked many Spanish ships
• The plan relied on Parma's army embarking from the Netherlands — this never happened (Dutch blocked the harbours)
• Around 63 of 130 ships were lost; Spain's naval power was damaged but not destroyed

Significance: The Armada's failure was celebrated as a providential Protestant victory and boosted Elizabeth's popularity and image as a Protestant champion.

Exploration and Society

Voyages of exploration: Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe (1577–80); Walter Raleigh attempted to colonise Virginia (Roanoke Colony, 1584–87 — the "Lost Colony"); John Hawkins developed the slave trade. England was becoming a maritime power.

Elizabethan society: A largely rural society with a rigid social hierarchy (Great Chain of Being). A growing middle class of merchants and professionals in towns. Theatre (Shakespeare, Marlowe) flourished under royal patronage. The poor laws (1597, 1601) attempted to deal with increasing vagrancy and poverty caused by population growth and enclosure of common land.

The "Golden Age": Elizabeth's court was noted for cultural patronage — poetry, music, painting. But this masked poverty, religious tension and a succession crisis (Elizabeth never married or named an heir).

WJEC Exam Technique

Source questions often feature Elizabethan portraits, propaganda maps, or contemporary texts. Always consider the purpose of glorifying Elizabeth. Essay questions frequently ask about the degree of religious settlement success or the main threat to Elizabeth's reign.