1. How successful were Elizabeth’s later years?
1588: Defeat of Spanish Armada
1589: Drake’s expedition to Portugal
1591: Sir Robert Cecil becomes a Privy councillor
1593: Wentworth presses for settlement of the succession
Essex becomes a privy Councillor
Plague in London – fairs closed down (economic impact of locals)
1595: Riots by apprentices and others in London
1596: Drake dies and is buried at sea
Cecil made principal private secretary to the queen
Very poor harvest – food riots in Kent
Oxfordshire rising
1598: Burghley dies
Tyrone defeats English troops at the battle of Yellow Ford
1599: Essex to Ireland
Sept: Essex back from Ireland without permission
1600: Mountjoy to Ireland
1601: Essex’s rebellion. Essex executed
Monopolies debate in parliament
1603: Tyrone surrenders
Elizabeth dies

2. How successful were Elizabeth’s later years?
To describe events of the 1590s.
To explain examples of Elizabeth losing and retaining control of her Privy Council.
To assess how far she retained control.
‘Elizabeth retained control in the 1590s’. How far do you agree with this statement?
Find examples which can be used to agree and disagree with the statement.

3. Elizabeth’s prerogatives – Money and religion
Problems:
1589: criticism of harsh treatment of Puritans
1589: only a small issue, it was made clear these subsidies were not to become common
1593: subsidies for ongoing wars debated in Parliament rather than just awarded.
1591: Peter Wentworth – MP urging Queen to name successor. Infringed on royal prerogative and pressured Elizabeth.
1593: Measure put forward against Roman Catholics and Puritan dissenters. Attempts to enforce harsher laws on Puritans foundered.
1597: (i) subsidies debated and criticised in House of Commons due to famine caused by run of poor harvests (ii) Constraints of monopolies used as patronage had caused inflation and were hugely unpopular in a time of high taxation.
1601: Subsidies requested, mainly to deal with the deficit.
Positives/solutions:
1589: Whitgift and Bancroft continued their campaign against radicals
1589: subsidy agreed for war expenses
1593: Leading Privy Councillors ensured these were passed, matter no longer debated in Parliament, but Elizabeth acknowledged there were concerns and investigated.
1591: Arrested and imprisoned in tower, no support from other MPs.
1593: One law passed stating attendance at unlawful assemblies was punishable by death.
1597: (i) subsidies granted (ii) Elizabeth listened to concerns, and after a loud debate in Parliament and public outcry at monopolies, she ended a number of them to ease economic tension (the MPs were right to criticise and Elizabeth listened, making a well-advised change).
1601: Subsidy granted

4. War with Spain Positives/solutions:
Problems:
Not convinced the Spanish navy had been wiped out by the defeat of the Armada. Invasion scares persisted throughout the 1590s.
The war was fought on land in the Netherlands, France and Ireland, and proving difficult to repeat the successes of 1588 naval war was waged with little clear strategy.
Capturing the treasure fleet brining silver from the Americas to Spain proved difficult, in fact after huge preparation by Hawkins, in 1590 the Spanish didn’t even sail. Elizabeth’s licensed private individuals to prey and raid Spanish treasure ships did not always give the reward they had promised her.
War on land in Netherlands and France consumed money, but she was concerned with Spanish growth in these areas and feared invasion. She sent troops to France but over half did not return. She loaned money to France, but did not get it back.
She went against her own values and continued to heavily support and arm Dutch rebels.
Privy Council rifts over amount of support in Netherlands and France- any urging caution, some strongly urging action, mainly Essex.
Cost of the wars was huge – Total expenditure was £4.5 million, £2million of which was spent in Ireland. But less than half met through subsidies. By Elizabeth was selling crown lands to meet her bills and even talked about selling jewellery.
Expenditure at court therefore fell which led to more corruption and bribery in particular.
Positives/solutions:
In 1592, Elizabeth took over half of the profits after a private merchant raided a Spanish treasure ship as they had previously not paid the reward due to her.
Support sent to France stopped a successful Spanish invasion, so stopping Spanish dominance in France. Henry VI became powerful enough and stopped needing English money and troops.
In Netherlands, Elizabeth sent Sir Francis Vere. The rebels gained land and achieved dominance in Northen Netherlands, due to English money and troops. After 1596, Philip II became bankrupt and English support for Netherlands rebels could stop.
Essex success in Rouen made him a hero and therefore was a success in helping to stop Spanish dominance in France.

5. Succession to the throne
Problems:
Huge debate over succession as Elizabeth did not name her successor.
James used the English war with Spain as a means to keep pressure on her to remain friendly by keeping in tough with the pope, Spain and Irish rebels.
Positives/solutions:
When Essex approached James for support in his rebellion, he declined, believing he could lose the right to be King of England at all if it failed.
Robert Cecil cultivated James and his relationship with him, securing his own position.
Roman Catholics
Problems:
Cardinal William Allen urged the English to join the Spanish if they invaded.
There were some Roman catholic sympathisers at court.
Positives/solutions:
Majority of Roman Catholics were loyal to the Queen and did not want Philip II of Spain as their King, anymore than protestants did.
Willaim Allen’s proclamations were unpopular and few took any note of them.
Many English Roman Catholics were loyal to Elizabeth and hoped for the successor to be James of Scotland.
The divisions between Catholics weakened their position.

6. Social and economic Problems:
Poor harvests in late 1580s caused problems.
saw a run of 4 bad harvests – virtually unheard of but which made the price of wheat double.
Malnutrition or debilitated by service in army or navy meant many had less resistance to the plague. In 1596 and 1597 parish records suggest every town in England suffered deaths from the plague.
Burghley sent out Books or Orders, ordering quarantine areas, but they were largely defied.
Inflation hit alternative grains after poor wheat harvests so the poor found it hard to find any food.
(In 3 north Kent parishes, 12% of people could not support themselves by 1598 – similar situations found around the country). Starvation grew and saw death rate increase by 50%. More people were being arrested for vagrancy (made illegal in the Poor Law). 67 punished in Oxford, 555 in London by Theft increased.
Privy Council orders were inadequate. But given the debilitating war, the PC could do very little.
Positives/solutions:
Privy Council put some order in place to help solve problems eg. Forbade export of grain and gentlemen ordered to keep fewer dogs, cattle not to be fed peas.
1598 onwards saw better harvests and economic recovery was rapid.

7. Rebellion – problems and Oxfordshire Rising
Concerns due to poor economic state – in London the government had to abandon attempts to collect Ship Money.
Raising of troops became more difficult with more desertions, a mutiny in in Gloucester in 1602 and troops who did enlist were poor and often ill or untrusted.
Food riots in Kent in 1595 along with in Sussex and Somerset before Apprentices rioted in London; feltmakers in Southwark and in Bow in 1593 the goose fair was cancelled. In 1595 on Tower Hill, the youths involved in this riot were hanged.
Oxfordshire Rising in November 1596: protest against enclosures. There had been a demonstration previous asking for help for poor and starving, but this was reported as about enclosures. The plan was to throw down enclosures, seize guns and march to London. Mainly young men hit hard by economic downturn. The plot was betrayed by someone approached to join it. Government saw it as a serious threat. The 5 ringleaders were charged with treason. 2 were hanged drawn and quartered, the others dies in prison.
Positives/solutions:
Despite government reaction, the Oxfordshire rising was hardly a serious threat. It was very small, with many refusing to join. Only 4 people turned up for the meeting in Oxfordshire, the leaders lacked status in their community.
Official recognition of the problem of enclosure shown with the Tillage Act of 1597, reversing enclosure carried out since 1588.

8. Rebellion – Ireland Positives/solutions:
Problems:
The rebellion led by Tyrone was serious. Fear was that discontented by Irishmen would allow Spanish troops to land and pave way for an invasion of England.
1598 – Tyrone captured a key fort on River Blackwater – guarding a main entrance into Ulster. At Yellow Ford Tyrone defeated and killed the English commander – only half English troops returned. He was in a position to take control of most of Ireland and drive out the English settlers. Tyrone’s troops were well trained and often led by captains from the English army who had defected. He had mercenaries from Scotland.
Elizabeth send Essex with men – the largest army sent to Ireland. Essex had argued his way into the expedition and did not meet the challenge, wasting time on needless manoeuvres. When he finally let Tyrone he took only 4000 men and secretly met with him, making a deal, expressly against the orders of the Queen. He marched home, against order, burst into the royal bedchamber. This eventually led to his downfall.
Positives/solutions:
Elizabeth saw the threat of Tyrone and sent Essex with a large army.
When Essex failed, she acted quickly replacing him with Mountjoy and sending another large army. Mountjoy was successful at conciliating and winning over the native Irish who were tiring of Tyrone’s rule. He even defeated the Spanish troops who landed in 1602.
Tyrone was forced to surrender in 1603.

9. Rebellion – Essex Rebellion
Step-son of Leicester and hugely charismatic, charmed his way into the confidence of Elizabeth, becoming a flattering favourite. He was extremely politically astute and proved himself a naval expedition hero in Cadiz in 1596.
However Elizabeth was aware of his over-confidence and his over-optimistic view of his own capabilities. Elizabeth sought to control him by refusing to award high ranking positions to members of his faction or recommendations, rending to favour Robert Cecil’s faction instead. Although less liked by Elizabeth personally she could see the dangers of Essex and appreciated the control and steadiness of Robert Cecil.
Following the disgrace of marching into Elizabeth’s bedchamber after his return from Ireland, Essex was placed under house arrest. He attempted to gain support to march to Westminster and replace Elizabeth’s wicked Privy Council (ie Robert Cecil). The government took note as he was very popular in London and he even contacted James in Scotland for support and tried to convince Mountjoy (his replacement in Ireland) to march back to London and support him. He did have support in Wales but that support was too far away and not organised enough to help. Essex received very little support in reality from Londoners and many of his factional followers tuned, with one giving him up before his arrest, and the final trial and execution.
Following his execution, the Privy Council saw only one faction until the end of the reign.

10. Elizabeth’s popularity
Problems:
A number of scandals at court meant she lost some of her reputations eg. Raleigh was disgraced for making Beth Throckmorton pregnant.
Increased criticism of the Queen, mainly due to the economic crises which hit. Her title of ‘loving mother of her children’ became less convincing.
Attendance at court fell and in 1600 aristrocracy were reluctant to go on progress. Following Essex’s rebellion she appeared depressed and spent more time with her ladies-in-waiting.
She was reported as looking ‘old and ill’ in She was taken ill during a ride in Richmond and those waiting to see her were disappointed. He tempter became even shorter. She had lost teeth and some found it difficult to understand her. Her red wig was mocked by younger courtiers.
Positives/solutions:
Outwardly good – Accession Days always popular, with play and pageants extolling the Queen’s virtues.
‘Unseemly and improper’ portraits were banned in Approved portraits showed her as ‘beautiful and magnanimous’. Eg. The Rainbow portrait.
She continued to go on progress. She went hunting and hawking. Although seen as not as physically strong, her mind was seen as a ‘fine and vigorous composition’.
1601 her last Parliament ended in a flurry of praise after the ‘Golden Speech’.
1603 a Venetian envoy saw her with jewels and stated ‘the safety of her reign is secure’.