Religion was the biggest problem Eliza
‘Religion was the biggest problem Elizabeth faced in 1558’ Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer (8)
Undoubtedly religion was a huge problem Elizabeth faced in 1558 as English society had been divided by frequent changes from the Roman Catholic Church to being Protestant following each succession leading to Elizabeth’s succession in 1558. Furthermore, puritans posed a huge threat to Elizabeth because in their eyes a monarch was to be a man – as a woman in Elizabethan society was seen to be inferior and not capable of running the country and therefore posed the threat of causing a rebellion to oppose Elizabeth’s succession of her sister Mary. In addition to this, puritans also did not like to have a head of church, as they believed they were the people of the church and nobody was needed to run the church but the puritans. However, Elizabeth announced herself to be the supreme governor of the church of England meaning this would agitated the puritans and they may have started a rebellion to dethrone Elizabeth to remove her from her status in the church. Also because of the extremism of the puritans there hatred for Catholics would have created a greater division in Elizabethan society meaning it would be harder for Elizabeth to establish her authority on the country.
However, Elizabeth also faced the rising factor of poverty as soldiers returned from wars to find no work and as frequently bad harvests and the collapse of the cloth trade in Norwich and Ipswich had led people resorting to theft in order to get by. Furthermore, the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII meant there was no way to support the poor meaning Elizabeth could not combat this rising statistic through the use of the monasteries. In addition to this, another Elizabeth faced was she had to marry soon and produce an heir to the throne. However, if Elizabeth was to choose one noble the other in the hand of marriage this would create division in the Privy Council and make
Undoubtedly religion was a huge problem Elizabeth faced in 1558 as English society had been divided by frequent changes from the Roman Catholic Church to being Protestant following each succession leading to Elizabeth’s succession in 1558. Furthermore, puritans posed a huge threat to Elizabeth because in their eyes a monarch was to be a man – as a woman in Elizabethan society was seen to be inferior and not capable of running the country and therefore posed the threat of causing a rebellion to oppose Elizabeth’s succession of her sister Mary. In addition to this, puritans also did not like to have a head of church, as they believed they were the people of the church and nobody was needed to run the church but the puritans. However, Elizabeth announced herself to be the supreme governor of the church of England meaning this would agitated the puritans and they may have started a rebellion to dethrone Elizabeth to remove her from her status in the church. Also because of the extremism of the puritans there hatred for Catholics would have created a greater division in Elizabethan society meaning it would be harder for Elizabeth to establish her authority on the country.
However, Elizabeth also faced the rising factor of poverty as soldiers returned from wars to find no work and as frequently bad harvests and the collapse of the cloth trade in Norwich and Ipswich had led people resorting to theft in order to get by. Furthermore, the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII meant there was no way to support the poor meaning Elizabeth could not combat this rising statistic through the use of the monasteries. In addition to this, another Elizabeth faced was she had to marry soon and produce an heir to the throne. However, if Elizabeth was to choose one noble the other in the hand of marriage this would create division in the Privy Council and make