GCSE History (Pearson IGCSE)

Elizabethan England Topic Summaries

Elizabeth’s accession

Challenges at home and abroad

  • Financial weakness:
    • Elizabeth inherited debt from Mary I.
    • War was expensive, especially in Ireland and against Spain.
  • Religious divisions:
    • Catholics opposed the Protestant settlement, and Mary, Queen of Scots, became a focal point for Catholic plots.
    • The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570.
    • Protestant Puritans wanted stricter reforms.
  • The French threat:
    • France and Spain were major Catholic powers.
    • England supported Protestant rebels in Europe. 
    • French influence in Scotland threatened English security.
  • Strength of Elizabeth’s authority by 1603:
    • Elizabeth maintained authority through careful management of advisors, balancing factions at court and ensuring the Privy Council remained loyal.
    • The Elizabethan Religious Settlement largely endured, and Catholic resistance declined after 1587.
    • She remained a popular monarch whose long reign provided stability and a ‘Golden Age’ of culture and progress.

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