Elizabeth I & Parliament (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Elizabeth had enormous personal power, but it wasn't without limits. If she wanted to raise new taxes or introduce new laws, she needed the permission of Parliament. This did not pose many problems for Elizabeth and she usually found a way to get what she needed.

However, Parliament also gave people a platform to criticise the Queen. Most of the MPs who were critical of Elizabeth were strict Protestants known as Puritans. These angered Elizabeth but fell short of open rebellion against her rule.

Elizabeth's parliaments

• Elizabeth mostly ruled England through Royal Proclamations

  • However, she still needed to maintain a good relationship with Parliament

  • If Elizabeth wanted to introduce new laws or new taxes, Parliament had to agree to them

• Parliament was made up of:

  • The House of Lords, which contained nobles and bishops

  • The House of Commons, which contained members of the gentry

• Elizabeth did her best to control what Members of Parliament (MPs) could discuss

  • It was not allowed to discuss any possible marriage for her or her succession

  • Parliament was also not allowed to discuss religion or England's foreign policy

Closing parliament

• Elizabeth was queen for almost 45 years

• In that time, Parliament spent just 35 months open and in debate

  • If MPs refused to do as Elizabeth wished, she would often close parliament

  • In most cases, a compromise with MPs was reached so that the new laws or taxes were introduced and the MPs got what they wanted too

Criticism from MPs

• Some members of the nobility and gentry who had fallen out of favour at Court used Parliament as an opportunity to criticise the Queen

  • This meant that religion and Elizabeth's possible husbands were discussed in Parliament, even though this was not supposed to be allowed

Opposition from Puritans

• Puritans were strict Protestants

• They gained the name ‘Puritans’ because they wanted to ‘purify’ Christianity

  • They believed in removing features that were not written in the Bible from Christianity

• Some MPs were Puritans

• They used Parliament to criticise the Queen and make demands for change

• These included:

  • Demanding the abolition of bishops in the Church of England because there is no mention of bishops in the Bible

  • Demanding assurances that Elizabeth's successor would be a Protestant

  • Criticising Elizabeth for granting monopolies to her favoured courtiers

To what extent were the Puritans a threat?

• The Puritans greatly angered and infuriated Elizabeth

  • She dealt with some individuals very harshly

  • Some Puritan MPs were imprisoned

  • Other Puritans had their hands chopped off or were hanged

• But, unlike Catholics, the Puritans never openly demanded Elizabeth be removed from the Throne or plotted against her

  • This meant they never committed treason and were seen as more of an annoyance than a threat