What Problems Did Elizabeth I Have When She Came to the Throne?
When Elizabeth I took the crown in 1558 she was faced with many dilemmas - England was a country in religious turmoil; not only had it just been ruled by three monarchs in under a decade, but it had been ruled by different religions. After the death of Henry VII, who had created the Act of Supremacy declaring the Monarch the sole Head of the Church of England and therefore undermining the power of the Pope, Edward VI took the crown and England was converted into a Protestant country. There were rebellions during Edward’s reign dividing the nation, and after his death Edward’s eldest sister Mary I became Queen. Being a strict Catholic, England was converted back to Catholicism and it seemed the masses were welcoming this religion back. However, groups of Protestants were unhappy and Mary took strong actions; burning heretics and martyrs. So, when Elizabeth (who is believed to be Protestant) took the thrown, she had a divided nation, with the welfare of her subjects in the balance.
One of the problems Elizabeth had when she came to the thrown was cultural development. The idea of the Renaissance had come to Britain in the sixteenth century and people were becoming more interested in ancient ways of life. Not only that, but a new interest and developments in science and machinery (such as the printing press) meant these ideas could be spread quickly.
This was a problem for Elizabeth because she was less able to control what people would think; for example, the belief of a monarchy chosen by God could be questioned if science was to deplete religious beliefs; people would become more educated, learn to think for themselves and there would be more views contradicting the monarchy. This was also a problem when migration followed: new ideas were being bought over, but citizens of England could migrate themselves and leave their new Queen.
Although cultural developments are a problem for Elizabeth, these do not seem to be the most pressing issue at the time.
One of the problems Elizabeth had when she came to the thrown was cultural development. The idea of the Renaissance had come to Britain in the sixteenth century and people were becoming more interested in ancient ways of life. Not only that, but a new interest and developments in science and machinery (such as the printing press) meant these ideas could be spread quickly.
This was a problem for Elizabeth because she was less able to control what people would think; for example, the belief of a monarchy chosen by God could be questioned if science was to deplete religious beliefs; people would become more educated, learn to think for themselves and there would be more views contradicting the monarchy. This was also a problem when migration followed: new ideas were being bought over, but citizens of England could migrate themselves and leave their new Queen.
Although cultural developments are a problem for Elizabeth, these do not seem to be the most pressing issue at the time.