Over her reign, Elizabeth faced many different threats towards both her life and her authority as Queen of England. Among these, prominent threats included the Catholics, the Puritans, and Mary Queen of Scots. Each faction posed dangers towards Elizabeth's authority, life and the stability of her reign. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the three different threats towards Elizabeth 1st and conclude which was the largest threat towards her rule. The Catholics were an immense threat to Elizabeth’s rule through their involvement in a range of plots and conspiracies and their support from European powers such as Spain, France and the Papal. The Catholics posed a threat to both Elizabeth’s life and also her overall authority, with both external and domestic threats. …show more content…
A key example of Catholic threat towards Elizabeth’s rule was the Ridolfi Plot of 1571, which was orchestrated by Roberto Ridolfi and was supported by Spanish and Papal powers. The plot sought to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic, Mary Queen of Scots. Ridolfi planned for the Duke of Alba to invade from the Netherlands with an army of 10,000 men, forge a rebellion within the Northern English nobility to further fuel support of the plot and increase their arms and ultimately murder Elizabeth resulting in the placing of Mary on the English throne. This plot is a key example of Catholic threat as it is clear Elizabeth felt threatened following the plot, as we can identify this clearly in her actions that came after the foiling of the plot. In 1581, following the increased presence and risk that Catholicism posed to Elizabeth and her rule, her parliament released two anti-catholic laws which included
The Arguments For and Against the Claim that the Puritans Presented a Challenge in the Elizabethan House of Commons
E: Mary, Queen of Scots, has been found guilty of plotting to usurp Her Majesty the Queen and has been sentenced to death. … I suppose it was only a matter of time. In all the nineteen years she’s been imprisoned, she never once relented on the opinion that she should be Queen. I had hoped she wouldn’t have stooped as low as to actually attempt to overthrow me though. What did she think would happen were she to ascend the throne anyhow? That the public would welcome her with open arms? They have not forgotten the bloody persecution she wielded against them. The Catholic Church may prefer her as ruler, but my Church would not stand for her injustice. … Even though she desires to see me disposed, I do not wish her dead. Despite our differences
Individual free will allows for a variety of different beliefs to be cultivated. Unfortunately, people do not always accept a variety of ideas. One area in the human experience that has long been disputed is religion. Religion is such a controversial topic that it has been the cause of many wars such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years’ War. The people involved in these wars felt a responsibility to uphold and preserve their faith. In England, the Anglican Church and the Puritans in the first half of the 17th century are another example of peoples with religious problems. Although religion did not directly lead to a physical war, religious conflicts caused a good deal of frustration. Under James I, Charles I, and the Anglican Church, Puritans did not have complete religious autonomy because their beliefs often conflicted with those of the Anglican Church. Consequently, the Puritans felt a responsibility to uphold their practices.
Her first order of business was to eliminate religious unrest. Elizabeth lacked the fanaticism of her siblings, Edward VI favored Protestant radicalism, Mary I, conservative Catholicism, which enabled her to devise a compromise that,basically, reinstated Henrician reforms. She was, however, compelled to take a stronger Protestant stance for two reasons: the machinations of Mary Queen of Scots and persecution of continental Protestants by the two strongholds of Orthodox Catholicism, Spain and France. The situation with Mary Queen of Scots was most vexing to Elizabeth. Mary, in Elizabeth's custody beginning in 1568 (for her own protection from radical Protestants and disgruntled Scots), gain...
People believed that Queen Elizabeth would restore the protestant faith after her sister, Mary destroyed it by persecuting all protestant people. The queen wished to follow this request, as she had grown up protestant and was raised to stay true to the lord. Although, she was dedicated to reestablishing her own beliefs, Elizabeth decided it was best to let Catholicism die out naturally rather than getting involved with the head of the church. Eventually, she succeeded, the majority of England’s population turned to Protestantism leaving very few Catholics. Despite the fact that Elizabeth wanted all of England to become followers of the protestant religion, she was extremely tolerant of all faiths and thought nobody deserved to be persecuted unless they were disturbing England’s peace. Queen Elizabeth I proclaimed the following, "There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith" she exclaimed later in her reign, "all else is a dispute over trifles." She believed that as long as her fellow citizens followed the laws of the lord, they were allowed to practice whatever belief felt right to them. Elizabeth did not want the church to become a place of violence and disagreement, instead she ensured the church was welcoming to both Catholics and Protestants. People were willing to agree with the queen’s beliefs because she recognized that she was not a perfect protestant; however, Elizabeth prayed everyday hoping she would become a better follower of God. She shared her personal experiences with others, proving to them that she too was a normal person and made mistakes often. Overall, Queen Elizabeth I shaped the face of religion for England by allowing the people to follow the faith of their choosing and reestablishing Protestant
In the 1600s, the New England colonies were quickly developing because of the Puritans. Many great ideas and ethics were brought to the New World from England in a short amount of time. There was always a sense of order in their society, which was spread throughout the colonies. The importance of unity, education, and money greatly shaped the systematic life of Puritans.
In the year 1630 during the reign of King Charles the first, Puritans came to the New World. The first group of Puritans to land in New England, led by John Winthrop, traveled overseas to form a new, pure church and have religious freedom their way. The Puritans started out with just nine hundred people, but quickly grew to over twenty thousand. They began by settling in Boston, Massachusetts, forming the Massachusetts Bay Colony, an economically successful colony. They soon spread to form and settle Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Their religious beliefs had an extreme influence on the development of New England and played its part in creating one of the first forms of democracy in the New World. John Winthrop wanted himself
Upon the death of her sister--in November of 1558--Elizabeth ascended to the thrown of England. Until Mary’s rule, no woman--apart from the unrecognized rule of Matilda, daughter of Henry I--had ruled England of her own right1. Much like her sister, Elizabeth began her rule widely accepted and welcomed2. There were, however, still many who felt that women were unable to rule, being that women were said to be the weaker sex. John Knox argued that, “God by the order of his creation hath spoiled women of authority and dominion, [and] also that man hath seen, proved and pronounced just causes why that it so should be.”3 Women had always been no more then property, first to their fathers and then their husbands. If a women were to be the anointed queen of a realm of her own right and then marry, whom was beholden to whom? A woman was to do as instructed by her husband in all things, yet a sovereign was to be under the command of God only.
in the 17th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. Among these were the Pilgrims, who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Bay Company, the first major Puritan migration to New England took place. The Puritans brought strong religious impulses to bear in all colonies north of Virginia, but New England was their stronghold, and the Congregationalist churches established there were able to perpetuate their viewpoint about a Christian society for more than 200 years.
Mary went on to re-implement the Catholic faith in England, however not the Catholic faith before her father broke with Rome. Mary was attempting to go along with the Counter Reformation happening on the continent. This showed great th...
After Elizabeth took the throne and became the ruling monarch of England she wanted to relieve the tension between the Protestants and the Catholics. Elizabeth decided on a compromise between the two religions, one that would have characteristics of both, this new religion was called Anglicanism. The factors that caused Elizabeth to make this decision were her personal religious preferences, the views of the Marian Bishops and the opinions given to her by the parliament. However this compromise did have consequences. These include the dissatisfaction from both Protestants and Catholics, The Vestiarian Controversy and the Catholic opposition the settlement.
In 1553, Elizabeth’s half brother, Edward, died at the age of nine. Shortly after, Elizabeth’s half sister took the throne. Her name was Mary. Mary caused many problems for England. Mary believed that England should follow one religion and anyone who did not follow this religion would be executed. Mary was Catholic. She later got the nickname “bloody Mary” because she killed so many Protestants. This caused a problem for Elizabeth because she was Protestant. Many people who did not believe the Catholic faith thought that Elizabeth was the rightful ruler and plotted against Mary. The leader of this plot was named Thomas Wyatt. He was organizing a rebellion and soon Mary found out of this plan. She then had Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower of London. Elizabeth told her sister she had no idea of the plot but her sister would not believe her. When soldiers came to get Elizabeth and take her to the Tower, she was so scared Elizabeth literally would not move.
The Elizabethan Era is often referred to as the Golden Age of England (A Changing View...). The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, was a time of change and discovery (Elizabethan Superstitions). Elizabeth ruled in a time of religious turmoil; both the Catholics and Protestants fought to be the official religion of England. (Elizabethan World View). Many people throughout England struggled to find the “correct” religion (Elizabethan World View). Religion was changing and so did science. During the late 1500’s science began to evolve; new ideas, concepts, and beliefs were starting to emerge (A Changing View). Magic was considered to be very similar to science in this era. The belief in magical creatures served as the roots for many superstitions.
Two years after Elizabeth’s birth her mother was executed by her father accused of being unfaithful, she was then declared illegitimate (Hilliam 10). Although Elizabeth was declared illegitimate by Parliament she was still raised in the royal household (Gale 1). Elizabeth spoke five languages fluently, including Italian, French German, Latin, Greek, and of course English; she was very sharp (Hilliam 10). Elizabeth developed a great relationship with her half brother Edward VI; they became even closer when he became king. Their strong relationship came to an end when Edward died at age fifteen due to a fatal lung disease, and tuberculosis (Hilliam 15). Her half sister Mary I, the daughter of Henry’s first wife Catherine of Aragon then took the throne (Bush 28). Mary I was often called “Bloody Mary” because of the number of people she had killed while trying to reconvert England to Catholicism. Mary felt threatened by the fact that Elizabeth was Protestant, and supported by the people of England (Gale 1). Mary thought Elizabeth was plotting to overthrow her, although Elizabeth was innocent and ill she was still sent to the Tower of London. Although Mary still was n...
The second problem that she encountered was that of gender. She was a female ruler I a society that had the idea that it was very wrong for any woman to exercise authority over a man. The society ha a mentality that a father was to be the head of household, and a King was to head a Nation. The emergence of a female ruler to a monarch seemed bizarre. Thus, many people choose to undermine her rule claiming that the natural order was broken. John Knox claimed “a woman promoted … to reign over a man is a monster in nature”. The fact that her predecessor was a woman made the situation even worse for Elizabeth I.