Elizabeth Timeline

ENGLAND UNDER ELIZABETH 1558 - 1603

Outline of Key Dates Events in England…

1536 1. The Pilgrimage of Grace
1543
- Scots forced to accept the Treaty of Greenwich
1541
- Henry VIII declared King of Ireland by Act of Parliament
1547
- Henry VIII died: Ascension of Edward VI - Lord Somerset becomes Lord Protector
1549
- First Act of Uniformity 2. Kett Rebellion 3. The Prayer Book Rebellion - Somerset overthrown as Lord Protector; Warwick, later Northumberland, takes role
1552
- Second Act of Uniformity
1553
- Edward VI dies; - Nine day reign of Lady Jane Grey - Ascension of Mary I
1554
- London four times the next largest city 4. Wyatt Uprising
1558
- Mary I dies with the royal treasury left in a debt of £227,000 - Elizabeth I takes the throne; crowned on the 15th January of the following year; keeps William Paulet First Lord Treasurer
1559
First Parliament 25th January - 8th May 1559 I. Act of Uniformity - Book of Common Prayer and obligation to attend church II. Act of Supremacy - Oath imposed on clergy; Elizabeth Supreme Governor III. Act of Exchange - Injunctions and Visitations
1560
Treaty of Berwick Treaty of Edinburgh
1561
Re-coinage Completed under Paulet, Treasurer
1562
Treaty of Hampton Court - Elizabeth nearly succumbs to small pox
1563
Second Parliament 12th January - 10th April 1563 - Thirty Nine Article Drafted IV. Statute of Artificers Passed V. Act for Maintaining Tillage VI. Act for the Maintenance of the Navy VII. Poor Law

1564 Treaty of Troyes
1565

1566 - The Vesterian Controversy
1567
Third Parliament 30th September 1566 - 2nd January 1567

1568 - England seizes Philip II’s Genoese bullion - Trade is suspended with Spain - Mary, Queen of Scots flees to England
1569
7. Northern Rebellion
1570
- Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth I (Papal Bull)
1571
Fourth Parliament 2nd April - 29th May 1571called for financing of foreign policy against France and Scotland, in return Elizabeth promised to marry, banning the subject.
Parliament prorogued. 9. Ridolfi Plot - Thirty Nine Articles approved by Parliament - Sir William Cecil becomes Lord Burghley
1572
Treaty of Blois - Lord Burghley replaces Paulet as First Lord Treasurer - Marriage negotiations; Elizabeth I, Duke of Alençon
Fifth Parliament 8th May - 30th June 1572 X. Act of Rebellion XI. Act Against the Poor
1573
Treaty of Nymegen
1574
Treaty of Nymegen formalised through Treaty of Bristol
1576
Sixth Parliament 8th February - 15th March 1576 Peter Wentworth calls for freedom of speech XII. Poor Law
1577
- Archbishop of Canterbury, Grindal refuses to suppress prophesying and is suspended
1578

1579

1580 - First Jesuits arrive (Campion / Pearson)
1581
Seventh Parliament 16th January - 18th March 1581 - Elizabeth funds the Anjou against the Spanish
1583
- Thirty Nine Articles rectified by Whitgift under advice from the Privy Council before being passed 11. Throckmorton Plot
1584
Turner’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
1585
- Treaty of Nonsuch - Lord Lieutenant made a permanent role Eighth Parliament 23rd November 1584 - 29th March 1585 calls for the ‘book and bill’ religious system to be replaced by the Calvinist system.
1586
12. Babington Plot - Food riots in Hampshire, Ipswich and Gloucestershire caused by shortages and trade recession
1587
Cope’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
Ninth Parliament 29 October 1586 - 23 March 1587 Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
1588
- Defeat of the First Spanish Armada
1589
Tenth Parliament 4th February - 29th March 1589
1590
Riots in London against foreign artisans
1592
XV. Statute Regarding exportation of Corn
1593
- A period of good harvests stretching from 1587 to 1593 mean no extra crop land is needed.
Eleventh 19th February - 10th April 1593 XVI. Act for Maintaining of Tillage Repealed
1594

- Netherlands divided; Protestants keep North, Spanish keep South as barrier to French 1595 Lambeth Articles - Food riots in London
1596
14. Oxfordshire Uprising (Anti-econlosure) - Triple Alliance of England, Dutch and English against Spanish - Food riots in Somerset, Sussex and Kent till next year
1597
- Golden Speech diverts anger at monopolies crises
1598
Twelfth Parliament 24th October 1597 - 9th February 1598 XVII. Act Against the Rogues XVIII. Act Against the Engrossing of Farms XIX. Act Against Conversion to Pasture Land

1599

1600

1601
Thirteenth Parliament 27th October - 19th December 1601 XX. Poor Law 15. Essex’s Rebellion
1603 - House of Lords reduced to 55; Death of Elizabeth Ist
REVISION LISTS
1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace
1549
Kett’s Rebellion
1549
Prayer Book Rebellion
1554
Wyatt’s Rebellion
1559; 1560
Revolt of the Lords of the Congregation,
Scotland
1567
Shane O’Neil Rebellion, Ireland
1569; 1570
Northern Rebellion
1569; 1573
First Desmond Rebellion, Ireland
1571
Ridolfi Plot
1579; 1583
Second Desmond Rebellion, Ireland
1583
Throckmorton Plot
1586
Babington Plot
Riots; Ipswich Trade Recession and food shortages
1594; 1603
Nine Year War, O’Neil, Ireland
1595
Food riots in London
1596
Oxfordshire Uprising
1601
Essex’s Rebellion

EXPLANATION OF THE REBELLIONS

The Pilgrimage of Grace (1536)
This rebellion occurred in November 1536 in the north of England; it was a result of King Henry VIII's religious changes. Northern England was always more conservative and Catholic than the rest of the country. When their monasteries were destroyed and the lands and money seized by Henry's prominent noblemen, the northerners rebelled. There were roughly 30,000 people involved, a mix of lords, middle-class laborers, and peasants. They called themselves 'pilgrims' and were led by an attorney named Robert Aske. They chose the five wounds of Christ as their symbol. They did not specifically rebel against King Henry VIII, but rather his councilors such as Thomas Cromwell. The king promised clemency if the rebels dispersed but eventually executed about 100 rebels.
Prayer Book Rebellion (1549)
Despite the actions of Henry VIII and his first Act of Supremacy (1534) there were many people in England who did not like the religious change sweeping the country. As a result, when a new prayer book was introduced it was seen as an attack on the Catholic Church – together with economic pressures – two key catholic areas of Devon and Cornwall revolted. An army had to be mobilised to meet them.
Kett's Rebellion (1549)
In 1549, King Edward VI ruled England, though the government was under control of the Protestant Lord Protector Somerset. In East Anglia, a Norfolk gentleman named Robert Kett led a rebellion against the king's religious policies, the dissolution of the monasteries, and the very unpopular enclosure of common lands by greedy noblemen. The rebels were defeated at Norwich by an English army supported by foreign mercenaries.
Wyatt's Rebellion (1554)
In spring 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt led a rebellion against Queen Mary I's proposed marriage to King Philip II of Spain. Despite an army of 3,000 men, Wyatt was unable to enter London. He was executed on 11 April 1554, after explicitly denying that Princess Elizabeth was involved in the rebellion. Nonetheless, Elizabeth is temporarily imprisoned in the Tower of London and Lady Jane Grey is executed.

Revolt of the Lords of the Congregation (1559 - 1560)
The Lords that would later form the Congregation were not happy for Mary to marry the Dauphine of France as they saw it as an extension of Mary Guise’s reign and Scotland being used solely as a launching point for attacks on England. Mary of Guise, regent of Scotland was increasingly unpopular as her regency progressed. Desire for a reformation in the Church to place it more in line with Protestantism; this was originally seen in their declaration of their intent, yet whilst Mary had originally been very open minded about religious questions in Scotland, and as such was in a strong position, however, her decision to launch an attack on England saw the Lords revolt against her decision and make a stand.
Led first to the Treaty of Berwick in 1560 which was an attempt by the Lords of the Congregation to defeat the Franco-Scot forces significantly. Later in 1560 led to the Treaty of Edinburgh which saw the French pledge to never again place their troops on the border between Scotland and England. The Scottish Reformation occurs in August within the Scottish Parliament as a result.
Rebellion of Shane O’Neil (1567)
The imposition of English culture on the Irish meant that many there detested the English; this was especially true since nobles only saw it as a place to get rich quick, meaning they sacrificed the change of improving the lot of the Irish in return for money and profit. Failure of the twin policies of colonisation and plantation as they were seen as a way for the English to control the Irish. The Pope’s authority was seen to be being overthrown by that of Elizabeth’s; to the deeply religious Irish demographic, this was highly unacceptable. Shane O’Neil railed against the English custom of passing titles down through the primogeniture – he believed that only if the chieftain were elected should he lead; as a result he had his elder brother and his son, killed. Only Hugh O’Neil survived for he had been take to court to be raised with English traditions; thus it was that Shane had himself elected as ‘The O’Neil’.
Shane exploited his status amongst the Irish and caused war in Ulster, the lands controlled by the O’Neils. The rebellion disintegrated with infighting and O’Neil was slain by his former allies, the MacDonnells either by accident or design.
First Desmond Rebellion (1569 - 73)
The attempt to expand English rule – through Lord Sidney’s ‘lord presidencies’ was seen as impinging on local authority and the preferment of some families, notably Ormonde over FitzGerald in their dispute, caused deep seated unrest. Fitzmaurice launched his rebellion by attacking the English colony at Kerrycurihy south of Cork city in June 1569 before attacking Cork. Some 1000 English troops were mobilised by Ormonde, Sidney and Humphrey Gilbert, appointed as governor of Munster, began devastating the lands of Fitzmaurice's allies retired to defend their own territories. Sidney forced Fitzmaurice into the mountains of Kerry, from where he launched hit and run attacks on the English and their allies. By 1570, most of Fitzmaurice's allies had submitted to Sidney. Fitzmaurice finally submitted on February 23, 1573, having negotiated a pardon for his life. Gerald FitzGerald, Earl of Desmond, and his brother John were released from prison to stabilise the situation and to reconstruct their shattered territory. Under a new settlement imposed after the horsemen and their tenants made to pay rent to them rather supply military service or to quarter their soldiers. Perhaps the biggest winner of the first Desmond Rebellion was the Earl of Ormonde, who established himself as loyal to the English Crown and as the most powerful lord in the south of Ireland.
The Northern Rebellion (1569 - 70)
In 1569, the north of England again rebels against the Tudor monarchy, this time inspired by the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots and Catholic discontent. The rebels are led by the earls of Westmorland and Northumberland and the duke of Norfolk; they choose the five wounds of Christ as their symbol, as had the Pilgrimage of Grace rebels. Elizabeth’s stripping of ancestral rights. Increase in taxes for the lords. The overall movement of the country’s policies to Protestantism. Mary’s being handled in an entirely – they believed – unfair way by Elizabeth also was part of the anger of the Earls.
Impact was limited. Even the recruiters who were sent out to gather men to Northumberland found men afraid to commit to either side. This was true of the Earls as well, who did not want to fight but instead wished to change the political leaning of the country. Failed in their attempt to place Mary Tudor on the throne.
A well equipped, professional army under Lord Essex was dispatched immediately to deal with the uprising. Northumberland is captured and beheaded. Westmorland, who is another prominent figure, flees. The Northern Rebellion and the Desmond Rebellion together caused the Pope to issue "Regnans in Excelsis", excommunciating Elizabeth, in early 1570. Thereafter, Elizabeth's previous acceptance of Roman Catholic worship in private turned into a more active suppression of organised Catholic services.
Ridolfi Plot (1571)
Pope Pius V’s Papal Bull Regnans in Excelsis – excommunicating Elizabeth from the 25th February 1570 – Roebrt di Ridolfi tried to organise those who wanted Mary to become Queen became more active, especially since Elizabeth became a lot harder on Catholics as a result. di Ridolfi was an international banker and his wide travelling meant that he could travel between Brussels, Madrid and Rome to gather support for such a coup.
However, this was a flawed plot; Elizabeth was ably informed by her spy network and acted decisively: di Ridolfi’s messenger was captured and under tortured revealed the intent to have the Duke of Alba land with an army of 10,000 and ferment revolt, then have Elizabeth killed and Mary and the Duke of Norfolk marry. Despite the evidence against Mary, Elizabeth refused to have her killed, a courtesy which she did not extend to the Duke who was executed on the 2nd of June 1572.rebellion, known as "composition", the Desmond’s military forces were limited by law to just 20.

Second Desmond Rebellion (1579 - 83)
Lingering resentment had been the legacy of the first Desmond Rebellion; amongst the Irish mercenaries the gallowglass, who had rallied to Fitzmaurice, had been treated brutally - around 700 of them in the years after the rebellion were executed. Gaelic customs such as Brehon Laws, Irish dress, bardic poetry and the maintaining of private armies were again outlawed with the final point being that Irish landowners were now continual to be threat by the arrival of English colonists. All of these factors meant that, when Fitzmaurice returned from continental Europe to start a new rebellion, there were plenty of discontented people in Munster waiting to join him.
Desmond, Fitzmaurice launched an invasion of Munster in 1579 after having reinvented himself as a soldier of the counter-reformation during his exile. Since the ‘Regnans in Excelsis’ he argued Irish Catholics no longer owed loyalty to a heretic monarch, this, together with the Pope granting Fitzmaurice an ‘indulgence’ supplying him with troops and money. Fitzmaurice landed at Smerwick, near Dingle (on July 18th, 1579 with a small force of Spanish and Italian troops. He was joined in rebellion on August 1 by John of Desmond, a brother of the Earl, who had a large following among his kinsmen. Although initial fighting went against the English, despite the death of Fitzmaurice early on in the campaign, by relentless scorched-earth tactics, the English broke the momentum of the rebellion by mid 1581. By May 1581, most of the minor rebels and FitzGerald allies in Munster and Leinster had accepted Elizabeth I's offer of a general pardon. John of Desmond, in many ways the main leader of the rebellion, was killed north of Cork in early 1582.
For the Geraldine Earl however there could be no second pardon, and he was pursued by crown forces until the end. From 1581 to 1583, the war dragged on, with his supporters evading capture in the mountains of Kerry. The rebellion was finally ended on 2 November 1583 when the earl was hunted down and killed near Tralee in Kerry by the local clan O'Moriarty. The clan chief, Maurice, received 1000 pounds of silver from the English government for Desmond's head, which was sent to Queen Elizabeth.
The Throckmorton Plot (1583)
This was the second plot to free Mary, queen of Scots. In 1583, Sir Francis Throckmorton, a Catholic nobleman, works with the Spanish ambassador to use Spanish troops to depose Queen Elizabeth I and free Mary. He was arrested in November 1583 and later executed.
The Babington Plot (1586)
This was the third and final plot to free Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1586, Sir Anthony Babington, a Catholic nobleman, conspired with a Catholic priest and others to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and proclaim Mary queen of England. The plot is discovered by the secretary of state Sir Francis Walsingham and Babington and Mary are executed.
Nine Years War, Hugh O’Neil in Ireland (1494 - 1603)
The imposition of English culture on the Irish meant that many there detested the English; this was especially true since nobles only saw it as a place to get rich quick, meaning they sacrificed the change of improving the lot of the Irish in return for money and profit. Failure of the twin policies of colonisation and plantation as they were seen as a way for the English to control the Irish. The Pope’s authority was seen to be being overthrown by that of Elizabeth’s; to the deeply religious Irish demographic, this was highly unacceptable. In Hugh O’Neil, the uniting of the Irish title of ‘The O’Neil’ and of the English ‘Earl of Tyrone’ created a figure around which many could rally, thus increasing his standing in Ireland.
Initial victories against the English, notably at the Battle of Yellowford, came to nothing. The Irish chieftains were eventually defeated even if Yellowford convinced many to rise against the English, the Pale remained loyal throughout. O’Neil and his ally, O’Donnell wrote to Philip II of Spain asking for aid in return for there being a Spanish regent over Ireland; although they received his well wishes, they received little concrete aid, the armada which he sent to help them being repulsed by the elements in 1596. The 2nd Earl of Essex was first sent to engage with the rebels with 17,000 men but his command proved disastrous – after returning to court he attempted a putsch yet failed and was executed. This led to Lord Mountjoy taking over the war against O’Neil.
Under Mountjoy the rebels were defeated; he correctly recognised the fact that they could not live without crops and his perusal of a scorched earth policy starved the Irish forces and forced them to negotiate a surrender thanks to the Battle of Kinsale. Although some 1,000 Spanish troops had arrived they had been besieged by Mountjoy's force and after the latter’s subsequent victory had surrendered, thereby ending Irish hopes. The Treaty (or Articles) of Mellifont were very generous surrender terms which essentially pardoned Hugh O’Neil, signed on the, 31st March a week after Elizabeth’s death on the 24th March.
The Oxfordshire Uprising (1596)
The Oxfordshire Uprising took place in one of the harshest periods of Elizabeth's reign. bad harvests and a poor economic situation meant that discontentment was sweeping the country. This, together with disease sweeping the country served to disillusionise so amongst the poorest classes; it is important to remember that of those living in rural areas, as many as 20% were considered poor. Only four rebels actually appeared on Enslow Hill, and they were duly arrested. However, the events served to illustrate a need for the passing of laws, and indeed, a series of poor laws were passed in the subsequent years.
Essex’s Rebellion (1601)
Robert Devereux, the earl of Essex, was a great favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, but he was also arrogant and ambitious. Disgraced and sent from court on numerous occasions, he attempted to lead a rebellion against the Queen on the 8th February 1601.
Having failed in Ireland to subdue The O’Neil, and also having tried to treaty with him, Essex returned to England, believing the Queen would want to hear from him; this was not the case and general anger was leveled at him. Elizabeth refused to renew his £50,000 patent on sweet wines and kept it for herself, and this angered Essex who drew his sword on the Queen; though Essex protested that he did not intend to harm the Queen and sought only to free her from the influence of the Cecil family he was nevertheless cast form the court and retired to his house. After a year under house arrest, Essex decided to call other lords who had been angered with the Queen and marched with 300 men on London hoping to draw more to his side; when this was not the case he fled to his country house which he quit after the threat of cannon; he was later executed.

EXPLANATION OF THE LEGISLATION
1559
I. Act of Uniformity
The order of prayer to be used in the English Book of Common Prayer. Every man had to go to church once a week or be fined 12 pence II. Act of Supremacy
Elizabeth declared herself Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and instituted an Oath of Supremacy, requiring anyone taking public or church office to swear allegiance to the monarch as head of the Church and state. Anyone refusing to take the Oath could be charged with treason. The use of the term Supreme Governor as opposed to Supreme Head pacified Catholics and those Protestants concerned about a female leader of the Church of England. III. Act of Exchange Allowed Elizabeth to manipulate the Church into acquiring more land for the Crown.
1563
IV. Statute of Artificers
Regulated the supply and conduct of labour. In particular it set wages of certain classes of worker, it regulated the quality of people entering certain professions by laying down rules for apprenticeships and it restricted the free movement of workers. Also fixed a maximum wage limit. V. Act for Maintaining Tillage
Less money was being made through growing crops; however, this caused a shortage in crops produce. The government passed a law which meant all land currently used to grow crops must remain so VI. Act for the Maintenance of the Navy
Raised maximum price grain could be sold at to expand food supple after several good harvests.
VII. Poor Law
Defined who was a deserving and who was a non-deserving beggar.
1570
VIII. Treason Act Redefines what is treason in Tudor England; anything which threatens Queen Elizabeth I.
1571
IX. Pro forma Bill Gave parliament the right to organise its own affairs, notably in administration.
1572
X. Act of Rebellion
If any person was convicted of conspiring to seize or destroy any castle or fortification held or garrisoned by the Queen's forces, then they and any associates were to be judged felons and suffer death, without any protection even if they were a member of the clergy. XI. Act Against the Poor Local pay had to levy a tax to aid the poor - the Justice for the Peace collected the Poor Rate.
1576
XII. Poor Law
Each town needs to provide work for the poor.
1583
XIII. Whitgift’s Thirty Nine Articles passed A series of Articles detailing new practices for the Church of England in terms of faith.
1584
XIV. Bond of Association Burghley and Walsingham passed a law saying any implicated in a threat to the Queen would be killed.
1592
XV. Statue Regarding the Exportation of Corn A price limit on the exportation of corn was set and if the corn fell below this, they would not sell.
1593
XVI. Act for the Maintenance of Tillage Repealed Repealing of the 1563 law.
1597
XVII Poor Law
Created a new role, ‘Overseer of the Poor’ to raise more funds for the poor.
1598
XVII. Act Against the Rogues Focused on punishing any undeserving poor who continued to tax towns. XVIII. Act Against the Engrossing of Farms Acts to prevent further conversion to tillage. XIX. Act Against the Conversion of Pastureland Acts to prevent further conversion to tillage.
1601
XX. Poor Law Formalised a national system rather than a town system to pay for the poor.

EXPLANATION OF THE TREATIES
1559 - Peace Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis
The Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed between Elizabeth I of England and Henry II of France on April 2nd ( and later between Henry II and Philip II of Spain) France gained Calais from the English, whilst the Spanish vastly increased their control of Italy Ultimately, the treaty ended the 60 year, Habsburg Valois war.
1560 - Treaty of Berwick
The purpose was to agree the terms under which an English fleet and army would come to Scotland to expel the French troops who were defending the Regency of Mary of Guise against the Revolt of the Lords of the Congregation. The proclamation stressed that England was not at war with France or Scotland, although Elizabeth had been forced to "put in order, to her great charges, certain forces both by sea and land."
1560 - Treaty of Edinburgh
Treaty of Edinburgh between England, France and Scotland. The French withdraw from Scotland and recognise Elizabeth I of England.
1562 - Treaty of Hampton Court
Based on the terms of the accord, 3000 English troops were summoned to occupy Le Havre and Dieppe. Moreover, Queen Elizabeth promised to provide economic aid to the Huguenots.
1564 - Treaty of Troyes
Officially ended the English involvement in the First French War of Religion (1562-63). Elizabeth I had agreed to provide troops and money to support the Huguenot cause. England receives monetary compensation for renouncing its claims to Calais, 120,000 gold crowns - of the 8 million demanded by the
1570 - Treaty of Blois
Signed on April 19, 1572 in Blois between Queen Elizabeth of England and Catherine de' Medici of France. Based on the terms of the treaty, France and England relinquished their historic rivalry and established an alliance against Spain. Elizabeth expected the defensive treaty to isolate Spain and prevent France from invading Flanders.
1573 - Treaty of Nymegen
The Convention of Nymegen was a treaty signed between England and Spain in 1573. The English government would cease support raids on Spanish shipping in West Indies and Caribbean by English privateers, Drake.
1574 - Treaty of Nymegen - formalised through the Treaty of Bristol
Settles commercial disputes with Spain.
1576 - Catholic League formed
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576. The League intended the eradication of Protestants—also known as Calvinists or Huguenots—out of Catholic France during the Protestant Reformation. Pope Sixtus V, Philip II of Spain, and the Jesuits were all supporters of this Catholic party.
1576 - Pacification of Ghent
The Pacification of Ghent, signed on November 8, 1576, was an alliance of the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands for the purpose of driving mutinying Spanish mercenary troops from the country, and at the same time a peace treaty with the rebelling provinces Holland and Zeeland.
1577 - Perpetual Edict (never implemented)
Signed by the new Spanish governor-general of the Habsburg Netherlands, Don John of Austria. This accord provided for the removal of Spanish forces from the Netherlands. Moreover, the edict agreed to uphold the tenets of the Pacification of Ghent. However, in July 1577, Don John began plans for a new campaign against the Dutch rebels. Elizabeth I approved of both the Pacification of Ghent and the Edict of 1577, therefore offering loans and military aid to the Dutch. When it became clear that John would go back on his agreement, Elizabeth planned to defend the provinces with aid of £100,000 and troops against John if he attacked.
1584 - Turner’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
A further attempt to impose the Calvinist system on the English religious system.
1585 - Treaty of Nonsuch
Elizabeth concedes to the wishes of her councillors, Walsingham and Leicester to provide a military force to support the Netherland rebels against the Spanish, also done as a reaction to more pressure from Spain.
1586 - Treaty of Berwick
Agreement of amity between Elizabeth and King James IV of Scotland
1587 - Cope’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
An ongoing attack in the Protestant-Catholic debate.
1587 - Trade Embargo between Spain and England
Due to conflict in the Netherlands.
1595 - Lambeth Articles
Nine doctrinal statements by Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift order to define Calvinist doctrine to predestination and justification.
1598 - Treaty Ratifying that of Cateau-Cambrésis
1598 - Edict of Nantes
Henry IV of France gives Protestant Huguenots substantial rights in a nation which is mostly Catholic.
1598 - Peace of Vervins
Despite the Edict of Nantes, Philip II removes troops form France and recognises its King thereby weakening the Catholic League.
1604 - Treaty of London Concluded the nineteen year Anglo-Spanish War.
PARLEMENTS

I. 25th January - 8th May 1559
The chief business of the 1559 Parliament was the religious settlement. General revulsion at the burning of heretics under Mary, the return of Marian exiles, and Elizabeth's known Protestant sympathies combined to produce a distinctly Protestant House of Commons. (Marian Catholic bishops in the House of Lords were rapidly replaced). The Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy undid Mary's return to the Papal fold, and proclaimed Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Prayer Book approved in Parliament in 1559 was based on that of Edward VI.
II 12th January - 10th April 1563
III. 30th September 1566 - 2nd January 1567
Both sessions were dominated by questions of succession and marriage. Lords and Commons alike wanted to gain some assurance of future stability by persuading the the Queen to marry and to declare firmly the succession. She refused to do either.
There were also attempts to bring about some reform in the Church. These efforts, led by Thomas Norton (a client of Cecil) had the backing of other Privy Councilors and some of the Bishops, but failed. Elizabeth never supported Parliament interfering with her ecclesiastical prerogatives.
IV. 2nd April - 29th May 1571
The major legislation of the 1571 Parliament was aimed against the Catholic threat following the pope's deposition of Elizabeth. (Later Parliaments extended and intensified the measures against Roman Catholics).
V. 8th May - 30th June 1572
In this session, the Commons demanded the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots following the exposure of the Ridolfi plot. The government attempted to deal with English social problems by passing legislation against vagabonds and requiring every parish to provide for the sick and aged poor.
VI. 8th February - 15th March 1576
In this session, Peter Wentworth made outspoken demands for free speech in Parliament. The House of Commons itself imprisoned Wentworth, believing that he had overstepped the line; most members accepted that they should not discuss matters such as foreign policy without the Queen's permission.
VII. 16th January - 18th March 1581
Tougher laws against Catholics were passed: recusancy fines (given to those who refused to attend Anglican services, and thus named ‘recusants’) were increased and it was made high treason to convert to Catholicism.
VIII. 23rd November 1584 - 29th March 1585
This Parliament saw more anti-Catholic legislation. Sir Anthony Cope (1548-1614) attempted to introduce Presbyterian system into the English Church and revise the Prayer Book in a puritan direction. Wentworth supported him by agitating again for more free speech. Most members ignored their agitation, and both Wentworth and Cope were sent to the Tower of London for interference with the queen's ecclesiastical prerogative.
IX. 29 October 1586 - 23 March 1587
This Parliament was mostly concerned with the debate over whether to execute Mary, Queen of Scots.
X. 4th February - 29th March 1589
This short session passed only sixteen laws - all (apart from the taxation bills) on minor matters such as horse stealing.
XI.19th February - 10th April 1593
The main work of the session was severe legislation against anyone (puritan or Catholic) who refused to attend church.
XII. 24th October 1597 - 9th February 1598
Elizabeth called this parliament to recoup the immense expenditures involved in the war with Spain. It was called at a time of poor harvests and scarcity, so social legislation was also important.
XIII. 27th October - 19th December 1601
An obstreperous House of Commons complained volubly about monopolies. Elizabeth gave her 'Golden Speech' promising reform in general terms.

|[pic] |I |
|Parliament was an important institution, but its sessions |25 January - |
|were occasional not continual. It sat for about three of |8 May 1559 |
|Elizabeth's forty-five years. In many years, Parliament did | |
|not meet, and it usually sat for only about three months |II |
|when it did meet. |III |
| |12 January - |
|[pic] |10 April 1563 |
|Elizabeth decided when to summon Parliament and when to |30 September 1566 - 2 January 1567 |
|dismiss it. She could veto any law, for law required the | |
|crown's consent as well as that of the two Houses. |IV |
| |2 April - |
|[pic] |29 May 1571 |
|The three functions of Parliament, yet only two were primary| |
|- legislation and taxation - for, though theoretically | |
|parliament advised the monarch on policy, Elizabeth never |V |
|paid much attention to its advice. | |
| |VI |
|[pic] | |
|There were fifty-seven male peers when Elizabeth acceded. |VII |
|Along with them in the House of Lords sat twenty-three | |
|bishops. |8 May - |
| |30 June 1572 |
|[pic] |8 February - |
|In 1547, 343 MPs were returned to the House of Commons. By |15 March 1576 |
|1601, that number had increased to 462. Each English county |16 January - |
|elected two members, and each Welsh county sent one. The |18 March 1581 |
|remainder sat for boroughs - the crown increased the number | |
|of borough seats and filled them with its own servants. |VIII |
| |23 November 1584 - 29 March 1585 |
| | |
| |IX |
| |29 October1586 - |
| |23 March 1587 |
| | |
| |X |
| |4 February - |
| |29 March 1589 |
| | |
| |XI |
| |19 February - |
| |10 April 1593 |
| | |
| |XII |
| |24 October 1597 - |
| |9 February 1598 |
| | |
| |XIII |
| |27 October - |
| |19 December 1601 |
| | |

England Under Elizabeth 1558 - 1603

ALL information in this document is Heavily Referenced from: http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20252%20parliament.htm http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-16.htm

Parliament • Parliament had three main functions - legislation, advice, and taxation - and was behold unto the monarch, who had the power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament. Whilst in the modern era, the English Parliament is virtually in continuous session during the reign of Elizabeth it sat for less than three years of her forty-five year reign. • The first of these, legislation, required the consent of Queen, Lords, and Commons. Every law began as a bill - bills on money matters had to be introduced in the House of Commons; bills affecting the nobility had to begin in the House of Lords. After it had been read and approved three times in both houses, the bill was sent to the Queen for her assent. If she agreed, it then became an Act of Parliament (or statute). Acts of Parliament were either public (applying to the whole realm) or private (applying only to certain localities or individuals). Public legislation was often (but not always) introduced by the government. • Many members found private legislation extremely useful - it performed such functions as allowing a town to hold a market, or securing an individual's title to land. Only another Parliament could overturn a statute. • 438 Public and Private Acts were passed by Elizabeth's parliaments.

The House of Commons • Although the Crown created borough seats and obtained places for royal servants, no direct attempt to interfere in the composition of the Commons was made. Members of the House of Commons were elected by shires and boroughs • The Commons saw considerable turnover in its members. 60% of the Members of the 1586 parliament had not sat in 1584, and this proportion is barely average, with certain estimations being higher. • Nevertheless, the Commons did begin to establish an "institutional memory"; procedures and privileges gradually became firmly established. • Continuity and sophistication were fostered by the increasing educational standards of MPs. Of the 420 MPs in 1563, 139 (33%) had attended university and/or the Inns of Court (effectively, had studied law). By the 1584 parliament, the figure was 219 out of 460 (47%), and in 1593 this increased to 252 (55%). •
The House of Lords
• The number of peers remained roughly constant throughout Elizabeth's reign: 57 at her accession; 55 at her death. In 1558, these consisted of one duke, one marquis, 15 earls, two viscounts and 38 barons; in 1603, of one marquis, 16 earls, two viscounts and 36 barons.
• 14 noble families died out for lack of a male heir, and six noblemen were attainted, but Elizabeth created a few new titles to make up the numbers.
• The House of Lords was generally pliable to the royal will, but occasionally they took a stand. In 1563 and 1566, the Lords spearheaded attempts to insist that Elizabeth marry and establish the succession.
• Twenty-three bishops also sat in the House of Lords. Because, bishops were royal appointees (dependent on the queen for future career advancement), they tended to vote as the queen wished. There were occasional exceptions: for example, in 1566-67 Elizabeth was infuriated by the protest of two archbishops and 13 bishops when she ordered a church reformation bill stopped in the Lords.

Relations with parliament • Parliament had been little more than a rubber stamp in the first half of the sixteenth century. During Elizabeth's reign, the House of Commons became increasingly confident and assertive. • The belief was widespread that the crown should finance ordinary expenses from permanent revenue sources (chiefly, customs and rents from royal lands.) Direct taxation by parliamentary subsidies was seen as an emergency measure. Parliament did vote taxation to cover war - against Spain and in Ireland - but the proceeds were inadequate. Elizabeth was forced to sell crown land, thereby decreasing ordinary revenue. Receipts from land were falling, as inflation outpaced rent increases, for land was generally let on long leases. • These schemes produced political problems - the most notable being the Monopolies Debate of 1601, where there was significant opposition to royal policies in parliament. • On many issues, however, royal policy was largely in accord with public sentiment. Measures against religious dissent, the Catholic threat, vagabonds, and so on passed easily through parliament because generally popular with the political nation. • Elizabeth turned to various (dubiously legal) means to increase revenue; e.g. leaving bishoprics vacant so she could pocket episcopal income, and licensing privateers to rob the Spaniards in exchange for a cut of the profits. Issuing monopolies was another attempt to increase revenue - one person would be given the sole right to sell or manufacture a particular commodity provided he paid for the privilege. Playing cards and dice were two of the commodities on which Elizabeth issued a monopoly, but others were on more necessary items such as vinegar, starch, sweet wines and salt.
|[pic] |Crown revenue did increase during|
| |Elizabeth's reign (although not |
| |as much as inflation). |
| |However, she failed to increase |
| |feudal dues or customs, and she |
| |made sales of royal land. |
| |This meant that the crown became |
| |increasingly dependent on direct |
| |taxation (parliamentary subsidies|
| |and forced loans). |

Economy and Society

• During Elizabeth’s reign, there was population growth. • More people meant more demand, and food prices rose about 75%, while the prices manufactured of goods increased about 45% - 3 million in 1558, it rose to 4.2 million in 1603 - an increase of about forty percent. • The recoinage of 1560-61 slowed inflation, but the English population continued to rise. • The government tried ineffectually to preserve social stability. The Statue of Artificers (1563) attempted to make men stay in the locality where they were born and to do the same work as their fathers. Apprenticeships were to last seven years. Justices of the Peace were to fix wages. It was reasonably effective (by early-modern standards) at regulating industrial labor, but had little effect on poverty and vagrancy. • Acts were passed throughout the reign (especially 1572 and 1597) and consolidated in the Poor Law of 1601. • Elizabethan poor relief legislation distinguished the able-bodied (who could work but did not) from the 'impotent poor' (those too old or sick to provide for themselves). • The second group - the deserving poor, impoverished by misfortune and sickness - were to be given support and materials for a productive activity (usually spinning or weaving). Overseers of the poor in each parish were authorized to levy a 'poor rate' on all the householders to cover the costs. • The resources of the English government were inadequate when facing the social and economic that arose, and generally, living standards decreased by 1603 though stability was maintained. Even the dire harvests of the 1590s did not produce the rebellions and unrest of 1549.

The Church

• Under Elizabeth, the English Church assumed many of the characteristics that were to typify it until the middle of the seventeenth century. In particular, the Queen used the church as a source of patronage and revenue - Elizabeth did have some religious beliefs but not ones that clashed with using the revenues from church land and offices to support secular ends. • Elizabeth often bullied her deans and bishops into exchanging good church land for the bad landholdings of her favourites. She regularly left bishoprics vacant so that the Crown could collect episcopal rents. • Elizabeth's father (Henry VIII) and sister (Mary I), like most medieval monarchs had promoted clerics (Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Bishop Stephen Gardiner) to positions of great power, but Elizabeth's senior advisors were all laymen. John Whitgift (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583-1604) was the only clergyman Elizabeth appointed to her Privy Council (1586). • In post-Reformation England, the power of clergymen was entirely dependent on the state, and Elizabeth did little to support clerical power or prestige. Notoriously, clerics came a poor second to gentlemen under Elizabeth. Only in the later years of her reign did she support and promote a few clergy - i.e. those who shared her hostility to Presbyterians. • Many of the Protestants who returned to England after the Marian exiles (some 800 Protestants who fled England under Mary I and settled in Protestant countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerlad) took their beliefs from the 'thoroughly-reformed' churches of Germany and Switzerland, and had no taste for the ceremonies of the English church. Some even had their doubts about government of the church by bishops. They saw the retention of 'papist' symbols as a stop-gap measure, intended to keep the mass of the population happy until the Continental Catholic threat was defeated. • However, by the later years of Elizabeth's reign, a generation had grown up knowing no other way of doing things. These Anglicans were less defensive about the English Church and began to argue that it was superior to both Rome and Geneva because it preserved the best of both. John Jewel's Apologia pro Ecclesia Anglicana (1562) was aimed primarily against Roman Catholic arguments; Richard Hooker's Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593) also took on puritan objections. Both insisted that 'the English Church' and 'the English state' were just different names for the same English people regarded either as Christians or as subjects, consequently their governor - Elizabeth - could legitimately determine indifferent religious matters ("adiaphora"). • Since the Church of England's doctrine and worship developed piecemeal - the personal preferences of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I; the need to persuade Parliament to approve changing legislation; and fear of outraging the population at large - the two theorists attempted to produce a coherent intellectual justification of the end result - John Jewel and Richard Hooker.

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Outline of Key Foreign Dates…

- Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, April
- Death of Henry II of France; Ascension of Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots
- Philip II of Spain protects Elizabeth from excommunication.

5. Revolt of the Lords of the Congregation, Scotland

- Death of Francis II, France

- Mary, Queen of Scots returns to Scotland

- Massacre of Huguenots at Vassy begins French Wars of Religion

- Mary, Queen of Scots marries Lord Darnley, Scotland

- Rebellion against Spain, Netherlands

- Darnley is killed; Mary marries Bothwell
- Mary renounces the throne in favour of James, later James VI, Scotland

6. Shane O’Neil Rebellion

8. First Desmond Rebellion

- St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, France

- Dutch rebels capture Brielle, providing a base of operations for the Sea Beggars.

End of First Desmond Rebellion

- Failure of Smith’s Ulster Plantation, Ireland

- Sack of Antwerp, Netherlands
- Pacification of Ghent
- Catholic League formed

- Perpetual Edict (n. implemented)

- Parma’s victory at the Battle of Gembloux, Netherlands

10. Second Desmond Rebellion

- Famine in Spanish army due to poor harvests and Dutch blockade of Channel, Netherlands

- Henry of Navarre becomes King Henry III of France; born Catholic, turned Protestant has to abjure his faith to gain the throne.

13. Hugh O’Neil, as Earl of Tyrone and The O’Neil Rebels, Ireland

- English troops removed from France

- English troops return to France, Successive Spanish Armadas for Ireland scattered by wind

- Treaty Ratifying that of Cateau-Cambrésis between French and Spanish.
- Death of Philip II of Spain
- Edict of Nantes ends war Massacre at Vassy

- Battle of Yellowford; English loss with Munster Plantations destroyed, Ireland

- Essex (17,000) Lord Lieutenant in Ireland; returns to England after signing an unauthorised truce with the O’Neil.

- Lord Mountjoy, new Lord Lieutenant pursues scorched earth policy

- Mountjoy forces O’Neil back, even after Spanish troops land at Kinsale.

- O’Neil signs generous surrender terms with Mountjoy, shortly after Elizabeth’s death.

1559
1559
I. Act of Uniformity II. Act of Supremacy III. Act of Exchange
1563
IV. Statute of Artificers V. Act for Maintaining Tillage VI. Act for the Maintenance of the Navy VII. Poor Law
1570
VIII. Treason Act
1571
IX. Pro forma Bill
1572
X. Act of Rebellion XI. Act Against the Poor
1576
XII. Poor Law
1583
XIII. Whitgift’s Thirty Nine Articles passed
1584
XIV. Bond of Association
1592
XV. Statue Regarding the Exportation of Corn
1593
XVI. Act for the Maintenance of Tillage Repealed
1597
XVII Poor Law
1598
XVII. Act Against the Rogues XVIII. Act Against the Engrossing of Farms XIX. Act Against the Conversion of Pastureland
1601
XX. Poor Law

1559 - Peace Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis
1560 - Treaty of Berwick
1560 - Treaty of Edinburgh
1562 - Treaty of Hampton Court
1564 - Treaty of Troyes
1572 - Treaty of Blois
1573 - Treaty of Nymegen
1574 - Treaty of Nymegen
- formalised through the Treaty of Bristol
1576 - Catholic League formed
1576 - Pacification of Ghent
1577 - Perpetual Edict (never implemented)
1584 - Turner’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
1585 - Treaty of Nonsuch
1587 - Cope’s pro-Presbyterian Bill
1587 - Trade Embargo between Spain and England
1595 - Lambeth Articles
1598 - Treaty Ratifying that of Cateau-Cambrésis
1598 - Edict of Nantes
1598 - Peace of Vervins

1562; 1598.
The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars which resulted in the Edicts of Nantes, a progressive statute which saw wide spread recognition of the Huguenots, who otherwise had been persecuted, by Henry II. England supported France and the Huguenot cause financially, as well as holding Le Havre (according to the terms of the Treaty of Hampton Court (1562) but which she was forced to give up during the ‘Armed Peace’ of 1563-7).
1566 - 1585; 1598 - 1648.
England became militarily involved in the Dutch Revolt in 1585 by sending a expedition under Lord Leicester; initially facing defeat, the rebels’ fortunes changed in the 1572 capture of Brielle, persuading the Northern most of the 17 provinces to join the rebels, led in their quest by William of Orange, and successors, eventually leading to being ceeded to Isabella (Philip II’s daughter) and her husband, the Duke of Austria.
1569;1573. 1579; 1583
The First and Second Desmond rebellions evidence the Irish desire to liberate themselves from the Anglican Ascendency, and though they were also supported by Spain, they were defeated and Elizabeth retained control of Ireland.
1585; 1604.
Never officially declared, the Anglo-Spanish War centred on proxies, as the English interfered in the Netherlands, to which the Spanish responded with the Armada of 1588 - although more were sent, all were destroyed by the weather. Spain would later interfere in Ireland as vengeance, in 1604, a peace would be established, though limited resumption took place.
1594; 1603.
The Nine Years War sees the attempt of Hugh O’Neil, Earl of Tyrone to throw off the growing English power and the threat they pose to Ulster. Though scoring an impressive victory at Yellow Ford in 1598, and against Essex, Lord Mountjoy’s arrival eventually causes defeat, when Lord Mountjoy sent against the Irish Chief 17,000 men and pursued a scorched earth policy, from 1600, although it took him three years to achieve a surrender (albeit one favourable for O’Neil) on the 30th of March, 1603.
Costs of Wars
French, in the Wars of Religion; (1562 - 1598) £1 million
Netherlands, Dutch Revolt; (1585 - 1598) £2 million
The Spanish Armada; (1588) £161,000, worse for Spain, who mercenaries in the Netherlands would rebel 40 times between 1570 - 1607
Ireland, Nine Years War; (1594 - 1603) £2 million

I. 25th January - 8th May 1559
II 12th January - 10th April 1563
III. 30th September 1566 - 2nd January 1567
IV. 2nd April - 29th May 1571
V. 8th May - 30th June 1572
VI. 8th February - 15th March 1576
VII. 16th January - 18th March 1581
VIII. 23rd November 1584 - 29th March 1585
IX. 29 October 1586 - 23 March 1587
X. 4th February - 29th March 1589
XI.19th February - 10th April 1593
XII. 24th October 1597 - 9th February 1598
XIII. 27th October - 19th December 1601