GCSE History podcasts - Elizabeth I

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Anouska: Hello, and welcome to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast.

Alice: This is the series designed to help you tackle your History GCSE. I'm Alice Loxton, author and historian.

Anouska: And I'm Anouska Lewis, history podcaster.

Alice: We’re here to help you dive a little deeper into Elizabeth I.

Anouska: Every episode, we’ll explore the key events, people and concepts for your exam, as well as some exam skills. We’ll be using actors to read historical sources and imagined conversations between historical figures.

Alice: And at the end of every episode we’ll do a quick quiz to make sure you’ve caught all the key details.

Anouska: Oooh, I’m excited for that.

Alice: Me too.

Anouska: There’s absolutely loads to get stuck into. The Elizabethan period was a busy time.

Alice: It sure was. And if you want to hear all the episodes in this podcast, and the other History series, make sure you download the BBC Sounds app. So, before we can get really stuck into Elizabeth I, we need to look at what led her to the throne. Her Dad was a pretty well known and powerful guy.

Anouska: Oh that guy… in the big sleeves… and the six wives.

Alice: That’s the one - Henry VIII! His first wife was Katherine of Aragon and they had a daughter Mary in the year 1516. But at that time, like a lot of people, Henry believed it was unnatural for a woman to reign and so a male heir would be a stronger successor to his throne.

Anouska: So, a little bit of context here…in the previous century, England had been ravaged by a series of civil wars called The Wars of The Roses. So Henry really wanted the crown to be in good and stable hands when he died.

Alice: And he thought the key to this was having a male heir. So, the big question is - did Katherine have a son?

Anouska: Well, Katherine had six children, but only Mary, their daughter, survived. Henry wanted to find another wife to have a son with.

Alice: But in order to end his marriage to Katherine, Henry needed permission from the Catholic Pope to divorce her.

Anouska: He did indeed, but the Pope refused to give permission. So Henry did something pretty radical.

Alice: Yes…he broke with Rome, took over the Church in England, called himself the Supreme Head and granted himself a divorce.

Anouska: Problem solved I guess? So what happened next Alice?

Alice: Well, next, he marries Anne Boleyn. Together they have a daughter, Elizabeth.

Anouska: I bet Henry wasn’t exactly happy about that.

Alice: Hmmm… not really….he still didn’t have a son, which he desperately wanted. So, Anne had to go as well.

Anouska: Anne was accused of high treason and beheaded. Henry then married Jane Seymour and they had a son together, Edward.

Alice: So finally he got what he wanted, a son!

Anouska: When Henry VIII died, he became King, making him King Edward VI. But, Edward died after just six years on the throne. He was only 14.

Alice: He was replaced by his half sister Mary I, and when she died Elizabeth became Queen. The year was 1558 and Elizabeth was 25 years old.

Anouska: 25? That’s basically my age! Being Queen now would be so hard, I can hardly do my own laundry.

Alice: I know, but Elizabeth was ready! She’d spent 25 years preparing and a lot of people saw Elizabeth’s reign as a fresh start. She was young…

Anouska: oooooh.

Alice: She was single…

Anouska: yaaaaaaas.

Alice: …and unlike her half-sister Mary, who’s mother was Spanish, both Elizabeth’s parents were English. It was felt she’d be loyal to the English people, not to foreign powers.

Anouska: She was also really clever! Let’s hear a primary source from Elizabeth’s tutor, Roger Ascham, published in 1570. This is a real source read by an actor.

Roger: Apart from her abilities in Latin, Italian, French and Spanish, she also reads more Greek every day than some churchmen read Latin in a whole week. Most impressively, working within her own private chambers she has developed the same ability to learn, understand, speak and write that which only one or two university students could achieve in many years.

Anouska: Wow, pretty impressive… We can infer from that, that she was a well-educated monarch. And we know Elizabeth had some fans early on. But…not everyone was happy.

Alice: No they weren’t. Many Catholics believed that her parent’s marriage was illegal because Henry had divorced his first wife to marry her mum. So therefore they thought that Elizabeth was illegitimate and that she had no claim to the throne.

Anouska: That is not exactly ideal for her.

Alice: Going to cause a few problems certainly.

Anouska: Okay you might want to write this next bit down…grab a pen and a piece of paper… Elizabeth had been raised a Protestant. Her half-sister Mary I, who had been Queen before her, was extremely Catholic and had made England a Catholic country again.

Alice: And during Mary’s reign, there were concerns that Elizabeth would be used as a figurehead for Protestant rebellions.

Anouska: So Elizabeth was imprisoned by her own sister before she became Queen herself.

Alice: So as you are beginning to see, religious tensions were a theme throughout this period and we’ll talk a bit more about that in a later episode. But Anouska, what other problems faced Elizabeth once she became Queen?

Anouska: Well….some people were worried about her ability to rule because she was a woman.

Alice: The Christian religion taught that women should be under the authority of men. The word ‘Queen’ actually comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘wife of a King. So basically, women were only thought of in relation to men.

Anouska: Some people thought Elizabeth couldn’t be a strong, effective monarch by herself, and would make England look weak.

Alice: Hang on a sec… Mary I had come before her so weren’t people used to a female ruler?

Anouska: You’re right, but things didn't exactly go very well for Mary. England was pretty unstable and as a consequence, people associated poor ruling with female rulers. So with that in mind, some Members of Parliament wanted Elizabeth to get married and produce an heir.

Alice: Ok, well let’s hear from Elizabeth I herself on this one. This is what she had to say to Parliament in 1566. It’s read by an actor.

Elizabeth: At present it is not convenient; nor never shall be without some peril unto you and certain danger unto me.

Anouska: So, although Queen Elizabeth was single, she was clearly not ready to mingle.

Alice: No she wasn’t. She was very clear that this was her private business and she would only marry when and if it was convenient.

Anouska: She was basically telling Parliament to back off and stop asking her about marriage, which I think is fair enough.

Alice: Me too. Elizabeth is the only English queen who never married and that’s why she earnt the name ‘The Virgin Queen’. She never shared exactly why she didn’t want to marry but some historians think it was to protect England’s security; if she had a foreign husband, perhaps a King from France or Spain, he would then have power in England.

Anouska: Equally, if Elizabeth were to marry an English nobleman, it could cause arguments amongst the rest of England’s nobility.

Alice: Hmm… I can see why that could be tricky.

Anouska: But… that doesn’t mean she was short of admirers.

Alice: Absolutely not, she had plenty of men lining up for a chance to marry her…from English noblemen to foreign royalty.

Anouska: And by not choosing anyone, she kept her options open. If they all thought they had a chance, she could even play countries off against each other.

Alice: Clever, now let’s whistle through her potential suitors. It might be a good idea to grab a notebook and write these ones down.

Anouska: Welcome to Keen for a Queen! It’s the brand new dating show where noblemen and foreign royalty fight for a chance to marry The English Queen!

Alice: Bachelor number 1 is entering the castle. It’s the very dashing, the very charming Robert Dudley!

Anouska: Woo.

Alice: Robert Dudley, The Earl of Leicester is an ambitious, good looking guy and there are rumours that he and Elizabeth are in love, but there’s a catch… he’s already married.

Anouska: Booo.

Alice: And scandal strikes when his wife is found dead.

Anouska: Did he do it?

Alice: Well people suspect he might have, so that he could be with Elizabeth. But that’s not the kind of attention the Queen wants and so she pulls away from him to protect her reputation.

Anouska: Next up, we have Bachelor number 2, King Philip of Spain!

Alice: The guy with a lovely moustache… and what’s more… he’s a King!

Anouska: A King for a Queen…What could go wrong?

Alice: Well there is a slight hitch… first up, he’s a Catholic, but secondly he’s been married before.

Anouska: Okay, who was he married to?

Alice: Well…it was actually Mary I, Elizabeth’s sister.

Anouska: Her sister!

Alice: Her sister. So it’s no surprise people thought that this was a bit of a dodgy option and politically it was a problem too. MPs were not a fan. They didn’t want to encourage any more religious tensions by having a Catholic King in England, and they didn’t want Spain to have influence within England’s government. So, Elizabeth played hard to get, she kept him waiting and then cautiously rejected his offer.

Anouska: Finally getting down on one knee it’s Bachelor number 3.

Alice: Francis Duke of Alencon was the heir to the French throne. Elizabeth strung him along for nearly a decade but there were positives to marrying him.

Anouska: Well yes, she’d have influence in France, but Francis was Catholic, and it was too risky to have French influence in England. So they never ended up tying the knot.

Alice: A string of rejected proposals later, and Elizabeth had made it clear she would never marry. If you’d like to get to know Elizabeth’s suitors, or see what they looked like make sure to head to the BBC Bitesize website.

Alice: OK Anouska, shall we finish up with a quiz?

Anouska: Yes, let’s do it. Feel free to grab a pen to write down your answers.

Alice: First question. Who broke with Rome and took control of the Church in England? The answer is Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII. He did this to grant himself permission to divorce his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.

Anouska: Next question. Elizabeth had two siblings who ruled before her, who were they? It’s her half brother Edward VI and her half sister Mary I. Edward died young, and Mary imprisoned Elizabeth for her Protestant beliefs.

Alice: Hmmm… lovely sisterly behaviour…Okay, next one. What is Elizabeth’s nickname… a little hint, it has something to do with her decision around marriage. The answer is The Virgin Queen. Elizabeth decided not to marry and she didn’t have any children, so that’s where that name comes from.

Anouska: Last question. Which King’s proposal did Elizabeth reject? It was King Phillip of Spain. Remember Phillip was married to Elizabeth’s half sister Mary before she died and he was keen to marry Elizabeth too, buuuut… she wasn’t interested.

Alice: Thank you for listening to episode one of the Bitesize History podcast and for joining us as we explored Elizabeth’s journey to the throne.

Anouska: There’s lots more information on the BBC Bitesize website and you can listen to the rest of the episodes on BBC Sounds.

Alice: Next time, we'll be looking at Elizabeth I’s government and meeting some of the key members of her Royal Court.

Anouska: And because you’ve listened to this entire episode, you are now part of our Lizzie Legends crew.

Alice: Yes, we are all Lizzie Legends here. See you next time!

Anouska: Bye.

Announcer: BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Alice: Hello and welcome to the Bitesize History podcast. This is the series designed to help you tackle your History GCSE.

Anouska: We explore the key facts, events, people and concepts to help you in your exam.

Alice: And you can use this podcast in lots of different ways. That might be listening whilst you are on the bus or writing notes as you go, use it in whatever way works best for you.

Anouska: I'm Anouska Lewis a history podcaster.

Alice: And I’m Alice Loxton a historian and author and in this series, we’re diving into all things Elizabeth I.

Anouska: Last episode, we discussed Elizabeth’s journey to the throne and in this episode, we’re looking at her government.

Alice: I have to say, the way the government worked in the 1500s was a little to different to how our government works today. Alright Anouska, shall we run through it?

Anouska: Let’s get going. I recommend grabbing a piece of paper and making some notes as we go. Queen Elizabeth was surrounded by lots of people during her reign, including government officials, servants (that’s people like ladies in waiting), and advisers.

Alice: Together, this group was known as the Royal Court and was made up of about 1000 people!

Anouska: All the noble families would be represented there and the Court was the source of trends and fashions for the country.

Anouska: It was also the centre of political power. So, if you were a wealthy and ambitious person, you’d probably go there to try and get noticed by the Queen.

Alice: If you could impress her, she might give you an important job in government which would bring you even more power and influence.

Anouska: Speaking of the government, who was it making decisions in the Elizabethan era?

Alice: Well…Queen Elizabeth I was sovereign of England - that meant she had the most authority out of anyone. But she still needed a team - a loyal group of advisors who each had their own connections and expertise.

Anouska: Like all the top football teams have a head coach, an assistant coach, a nutritionist, a physio….

Alice: That’s it, exactly. And these advisors were known as the Privy Council. They guided The Queen when she needed to make decisions, a bit like your football coach.

Anouska: The Privy Council advised Elizabeth on important decisions like marriage, religion, war and relations with other countries.

Alice: And Elizabeth could choose the members of her Privy Council, but in reality she kind of had to choose the most powerful landowners otherwise she might have a rebellion on her hands.

Anouska: She chose 19 noblemen - that’s quite a small group, but it meant there was a smaller chance of them disagreeing.

Alice: And if she really wanted to, she could overrule the Council’s decisions, but it would be very difficult to do this if all the members were in agreement.

Anouska: Yeah, imagine if all those coaches on your football team wanted to do one thing, and you were the only one who disagreed. It would be hard wouldn’t it?

Alice: Hmmm… could be a bit awkward.

Anouska: Luckily for Elizabeth, this didn’t happen very often.

Alice: The Privy council initially met three times a week but as their influence grew they would meet every single day.

Anouska: Wow that’s a lot.

Alice: It would certainly keep them busy!

Anouska: Who were some of her most trusted advisors?

Alice: Well, first up we have William Cecil. He was Elizabeth’s Secretary of State from 1558, and he guided her for 40 years.

Anouska: Okay, William Cecil. Who else?

Alice: Well, there was also Robert Dudley.

Male actor: Hello, remember me?

Anouska: Oh alright Robert! We spoke about you last episode. Robert was one of Elizabeth’s suitors.

Alice: He was and he was also Earl of Leicester and a trusted advisor to Elizabeth until he died in 1588. Sir Francis Walsingham was another one…

Anouska: Ah yeah, he was in charge of Elizabeth’s secret service and advised her on foreign affairs. He was super important because in 1586 he worked out that there was a plot to overthrow Elizabeth. His discovery led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

Alice: Which is pretty dramatic stuff and we’ll hear all about that plot, and others, in a later episode.

Anouska: In 1571 The Spanish Ambassador, De Spes, wrote to King Phillip II of Spain to tell him about Elizabeth’s advisors…let’s hear what he thought of them. This is voiced by an actor.

De Spes: William Cecil manages most of the business on the Council, and by means of his craftiness, seeks to outwit other ministers. Next after him, the man who has most to do with affairs is Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He is not fit for such work, but is held in great favour by the Queen. There are others of less authority and some are creatures of Cecil, who only repeat what he says.

Alice: Harsh words! And there’s a really useful breakdown of Elizabeth’s key ministers on the BBC Bitesize website. Just head over to the GCSE History page.

Anouska: Although incredibly powerful, the Privy Council didn’t have total control over how England was governed. Grab a pen and some paper if you haven’t already because we’re covering some key terms here. Elizabeth gave important roles to those who showed her the most loyalty. This was called patronage.

Alice: Now patronage basically meant giving someone an important job and Elizabeth did it lots because it meant that she could control people. If she could give someone a job, she could also take it away… if they didn’t do what she wanted.

Anouska: Being kicked out of Court was considered a disgrace so patronage was highly desired. Roles she gave out through this included Lord Lieutenants. They were responsible for particular areas of the country, making sure everything was running as it should be and informing the Privy Council of any unrest.

Alice: There were also Justices of the Peace and they were appointed by the Queen to enforce law and order in their areas. There were about one thousand five hundred across the country.

Anouska: And then we have the Members of Parliament. This Parliament was far less powerful than the one we have today. There was no Prime Minister, and no political parties.

Alice: The Members of Parliament, aka MPs, were all men, and they were all voted in by wealthy landowners.

Anouska: Elizabeth only called Parliament to meet when she needed them - usually when she was short on money.

Alice: And only Parliament had the power to raise money through taxes and then give it to the Queen. These taxes were an essential boost to her income.

Anouska: She’d also meet them when she needed to make laws by passing Acts of Parliament and when she needed MP’s support and advice on important issues.

Alice: But, she didn’t want Parliament becoming too powerful, so she put some very strict limits on them. They could only meet if Elizabeth called it, and she set the agenda.

Anouska: They could only talk about what Elizabeth allowed them to discuss and she could close Parliament at any time - we call that prorogue. Elizabeth reigned for 45 years. In those years, Alice, how many times do you think Parliament was called?

Alice: Ok… I’m thinking once, twice a year something like that?

Anouska: Nope… Parliament only met thirteen times in 45 years.

Alice: Only thirteen times! So MPs didn’t have much power at all. But, they were keen to get more influence and they did challenge Elizabeth on quite a few things during her time as Queen. We discussed one of them last episode?

Anouska: We did! Marriage! MPs wanted Elizabeth to get married and produce an heir. Elizabeth’s response was that it was her private business and they shouldn’t get a say in the decision.

Elizabeth: At present it is not convenient; nor never shall be without some peril unto you and certain danger unto me.

Alice: Yeah, back off! Okay, we should probably talk about monopolies next.

Anouska: The board game?

Alice: Hmm… no, not quite. It might be a good idea to get that pen out again and make some notes on this section.

Anouska: Pen at the ready!

Alice: In the Elizabethan era, monopolies gave individual nobles and merchants the sole right to make or sell certain things. So monopolies could make or break someone. They could be the key to your success but if Elizabeth decided not to renew your monopoly, that would be really bad news for your business.

Anouska: Oooh, that’s a good link to the patronage concept we were talking about earlier isn’t it? It was a way for her to control people and maintain their loyalty. But was there a financial reason for monopolies too?

Alice: Absolutely, Elizabeth intended for monopolies to promote business and boost the economy, but because one person now controlled the entire supply of a particular product it also meant that prices began to rise.

Anouska: It’s also worth saying that Elizabeth made money from granting these monopoly licences, didn’t she?

Alice: Yes that’s right. Towards the end of Elizabeth’s reign some MPs felt monopolies were unfair. They protested against them in the late 1500s and wouldn’t grant taxes until she’d got rid of them.

Anouska: Here’s what Francis Moore, an MP, had to say during a debate in Parliament. This is voiced by an actor. The year was 1601.

Francis: I cannot utter with my tongue, or conceive with my heart, the great grievances that the town and country for which I serve suffer by some of these monopolies. It bringeth the general profit into a private hand, and the end of all is beggar and bondage to the subject.

Alice: Well…that didn’t really make Elizabeth look amazing, so in the end she compromised and removed some monopolies.

Anouska: Right Alice, it’s rebellion time. It’s time to meet Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex. Now the Earl of Essex had been granted a monopoly, like the ones we were just talking about, but bad news, the Queen decided not to renew it and it was from here that his dramatic downfall began.

Anouska: Spoiler alert!

Alice: Sorry! So Essex became a member of Elizabeth’s Privy Council in 1593, and the two of them were close, until…

Anouska: Oh no, I hate a friendship breakup, what happened?

Alice: Well the two of them had, let’s say, a complicated friendship, which ended when he was sent to Ireland to defeat a rebellion. But whilst he was over there he went against Elizabeth’s orders. Instead of defeating the rebellion, he made peace with the rebels.

Anouska: Ooooh drama!

Alice: Just a bit. He was banned from court and financially ruined.

Anouska: In his desperation, he attempted to gather the people of London to start a rebellion and overthrow the government, but that didn’t really work and he was executed for treason in 1601.

Alice: There’s a lot of treason going around in the Elizabethan era! Shall we test our knowledge of this topic then?

Anouska: Grab a pen and paper and write down your answers. Question number 1. In her 45 year reign, how many times did Parliament meet? Thirteen times. Elizabeth put strong limits on Parliament so they wouldn’t get too powerful.

Alice: Ok, next up, what was the name of Elizabeth’s group of advisors? The Privy Council. They advised Elizabeth on important issues like marriage, religion and war.

Anouska: And lastly, which Earl launched a rebellion against Elizabeth in 1601? It was the Earl of Essex. He was one of Elizabeth’s privy councillors and he launched The Essex Rebellion after discontent with the Queen.

Alice: So a bit of a troublemaker. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bitesize GCSE History podcast. And for joining us as we explored Elizabeth’s Government.

Anouska: There’s still a lot more to learn. So go and take a listen to the rest of the episodes on BBC Sounds to find out more.

Alice: Next episode we'll be looking at the religious tensions in the Elizabethan era.

Anouska: Remember you’re our Lizzie Legends and we'll see you next time.

Alice: Bye.

Announcer: BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Alice: Hello and welcome to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast where we take a closer look at Elizabeth I.

Anouska: I'm Anouska Lewis, podcaster and historian.

Alice: And I'm Alice Loxton, historian and author. In this episode we’re exploring the religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants during Elizabeth’s reign. Now a little heads up, we know that this is a bit complicated in places, there’s quite a lot of terminology but don’t worry, stick with us and we’ll guide you through it.

Anouska: It might even be worth listening to this a couple of times. In this episode you’ll hear actors reading historical sources and imagined conversations between historical figures.

Alice: And you’ll hear one of those imagined conversations right now where we think about what Elizabeth might have been feeling after hearing the momentous news, that she was to become Queen of England.

Elizabeth: My Dad, Henry, took over the Church in England and made himself the Head of it. The Pope was not happy and neither were other Catholic nations like France and Spain. My half brother Edward carried this on and led the country towards Protestantism. But then my sister Mary had to be different. She was extremely Catholic and turned the country back towards Catholicism…she is just so annoying…because now it’s my turn, and I am left with this mess. Oh what should I do?

Anouska: Mmm… quite a predicament. As Elizabeth said there, at the start of the 16th century almost everyone in Wales and England were Catholic.

Alice: However, scholars abroad were beginning to argue that the Catholic Church was too wealthy, too corrupt and had moved too far away from the Bible.

Anouska: This was the start of the Protestant Reformation which soon spread across Europe.

Alice: Wales and England didn’t begin to embrace Protestant ideas until Edward VI was King, remember he was Elizabeth’s half brother.

Anouska: But, when he died after only 6 years on the throne, Mary I returned the country to being Catholic. She persecuted and burned over 280 Protestant people over her short reign.

Alice: Mary I had only ruled for five years so when Elizabeth was declared Queen, there was a real desire for stability. Both Protestants and Catholics were eager to see what religion she would follow and whether religious persecution would continue to take place.

Anouska: And it was something Elizabeth needed to address straight away if she wanted to remain Queen, and if she wanted to keep stability in her country.

Elizabeth: Umm hello….I said what should I do?

Anouska: Ooops sorry Elizabeth! Well, we can’t tell you what to do. But we are recording this 400 years after you died so we can actually tell you what you did!

Elizabeth: That would be great, thank you.

Alice: Well, Elizabeth’s solution was kind of in between Catholicism and Protestantism. Probably good to grab a pen and paper here and make some notes.

Anouska: She tried to find a way of appeasing both groups to ease the tension. So she came up with ‘The Religious Settlement’, also known as the middle way.

Alice: Which makes sense - it was in the middle! So let’s look at three examples of where things changed. Priests, mass and language.

Anouska: OK, example number one. Protestant Priests were not supposed to be special. They couldn’t wear clothing that made them look different to ordinary people but they could get married. Catholic priests wore bright robes but they couldn’t get married.

Alice: Under the new changes made by Elizabeth, priests were allowed to marry, but there were special clothing, or vestments, that they had to wear. So, sort of a middle way. Sort of a compromise.

Anouska: Example number two - mass. Mass is the main ceremony that happens during a Catholic service. Catholics viewed mass as very important, whereas Protestants didn’t have mass at all.

Anouska: Instead of mass, the Middle Way created a holy communion service. That wording was chosen very carefully so it didn’t annoy Catholics - another compromise. What about language Alice?

Alice: Well, Catholics believed that services and Prayer Books should be in Latin. Whereas Protestants believed services and Prayer Books should be in the country’s native language, so in England they should be in English.

Anouska: The middle way declared that they would be in English. So Catholics would now hear and see those big changes every time they went to church. Now that’s quite a lot of information to take on, feel free to rewind to go over it again.

Alice: In 1559 Parliament passed two laws to put all of these changes in place. ‘The Act of Supremacy’ made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the church. This was to stop any confusion about who was in charge.

Anouska: Catholics saw the Pope as the head of the church, so by calling Elizabeth the 'Supreme Governor' they could still accept her as being in charge whilst not being 'the head.'

Alice: All clergymen and government officers had to take an Oath of Supremacy. If they refused to do so three times, they could be executed.

Anouska: ‘The Act of Uniformity’ made Protestantism England’s official religion and set out some rules for practising it. This would stop any variations in faith, everyone would be uniform in what they were doing.

Alice: For example, people who refused to attend Church of England services had to pay a shilling for every absence.

Anouska: These rules did keep some Catholic traditions though, which Elizabeth hoped would be a good compromise and keep people happy. There’s a great explanation of the Religious Settlement on the BBC Bitesize website just head to the GCSE History pages.

Alice: But the big question, what did people think of the middle way?

Anouska: Overall this compromise did bring stability to the country. But, as I’m sure you can guess, not everyone was happy. Whilst her sister Mary was queen, Catholics had enjoyed religious freedom. But now, under Elizabeth, they were being forced to change their beliefs.

Alice: Catholic plots were a real threat to Elizabeth. Catholic leaders wanted her GONE.

Anouska: This was a counter-reformation, and Elizabeth was seen as a target because she was a leading Protestant monarch.

Alice: One of the threats came from the Jesuits. Now the Jesuits were Catholics who were actively trying to convert people back to Catholicism, away from Protestantism.

Anouska: Around this time, Jesuit priests were sent to England and in 1570 the Pope declared Elizabeth a heretic.

Alice: Which sounds pretty serious and indeed it was. He issued a Papal Bull of Excommunication against her and this was hugely significant because if Elizabeth was excommunicated, it meant she was officially an enemy of the Catholic church.

Anouska: It meant that loyal Catholics shouldn't listen to her and they should actively try to bring her down, or in the most extreme cases, kill her – her life was in danger.

Alice: So you can see why this was of great concern to Elizabeth’s rule. Throughout the 1570s and the 1580s Elizabeth faced several Catholic plots against her, all of which had the aim of putting Mary Queen of Scots on the throne and returning England to Catholicism. We’ll hear much more about Mary and these plots in a later episode.

Anouska: So, that’s the Catholic threat. But what about the Protestants?

Alice: So strict Protestants were known as Puritans, and they weren’t happy with Elizabeth’s compromise either. They wanted to purify the Church and get rid of all traces of the Catholic faith.

Anouska: Oh Puritans, purify…

Alice: That’s it – it’s a good way to remember the name.

Anouska: Some Puritans started organising campaigns to make the country more Protestant. They didn’t plan any plots to overthrow Elizabeth, but there were Puritan MPs and members of the Privy Council who pressured her to be harsher on Catholics, a lot of p’s there.

Alice: So, although they were seen as a lesser threat, compared to the Catholics, Elizabeth still didn’t appreciate these Puritan challenges to her authority.

Anouska: Let’s hear an extract from a letter written by the Spanish Ambassador to King Philip II of Spain in 1583. It’s voiced by an actor.

Spanish Ambassador: The sect of Puritans is increasing here and many of the leading people belong to it. Some have considered taking up arms against the Queen to depose her since she will not reform religion here by killing all Catholics. Some members of the Council were in favour of punishing them, but as Leicester and Walsingham are friendly with their leaders, they prevented it.

Anouska: Very interesting. This source suggests that Puritans might have been a bigger threat than Elizabeth thought - they were thinking about removing her from the throne.

Alice: Probably time to grab that pen again and jot down some notes here. Now do you remember that the Act of Uniformity had made it law for priests to wear special clothes, or vestments, which were typically worn by Catholic priests?

Anouska: Yes…

Alice: Well, Puritan priests started refusing to wear them, which became known as the Vestment Controversy.

Anouska: I actually have a really good way of remembering that, so it’s vest – clothes, Vestment Controversy.

Alice: I like that – that’s neat!

Anouska: The Queen was not happy with this controversy. The Archbishop of Canterbury even held a special exhibition in London to show priests what vestments they should be wearing and when.

Alice: Hmm… sounds quite fun!

Anouska: Yeah, well, fun, but not actually full. Of the 110 priests invited, 37 refused to attend. Those who didn’t turn up, were sacked. But this wasn’t the end of the Puritan threat.

Alice: No it wasn’t. In 1571, Walter Strickland, leader of the Puritan group in Parliament, wanted to reform Elizabeth’s new Prayer Book. Elizabeth took action and closed Parliament so that his ideas could not be discussed.

Anouska: Guess that’s one way to do it. Elizabeth firmly resisted the Puritan attempts to get him to change the Religious Settlement and the movement lost momentum towards the end of her reign as one by one, the old Puritan leaders died out.

Alice: So by 1590, most people accepted the Church of England as the national Church. So if there’s a key message to take away from this episode here it is: Edward VI favoured Protestantism, Mary I favoured Catholicism, whereas Elizabeth compromised with something in the middle. She had a middle way.

Anouska: And if you need to hear any of that again, rewind this episode and make some notes whilst you listen. I think it’s quiz time! Question number one. What was Elizabeth’s solution to the religious tensions that faced her when she became Queen? We were just talking about it, the Religious Settlement - the middle way. This was supposed to satisfy both Catholics and Protestants.

Alice: Next. What were the two laws she passed as part of the religious settlement? The answer is The Act of Uniformity and The Act of Supremacy. These were passed in 1559.

Anouska: Last question, what would we call a strict follower of Protestantism? It’s another P- word, a Puritan. Puritans wanted to remove all traces of the Catholic faith.

Alice: Lizzie Legends, you’ve made it to the end of another episode of the Bitesize GCSE History podcast and it was a whopper!

Anouska: Thank you for joining us as we explored religious tensions during Elizabeth I’s reign.

Alice: Take a listen to the rest of the episodes on BBC Sounds.

Anouska: In the next episode we'll be taking a look at portraiture and propaganda.

Alice: Sounds exciting, see you then!

Anouska: Bye!

Announcer: BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Anouska: Hello and welcome to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast. This is the series designed to help you tackle your History GCSE. I'm Anouska Lewis.

Alice: And I'm Alice Loxton and in this podcast we will take a dive deep into the world of Elizabeth I.

Anouska: So far we’ve looked at Elizabeth’s journey to the throne, how her Government worked, and the religious tensions she was trying to sort out.

Alice: It was really important that Elizabeth had the support of the people around her, and that her subjects respected her. So in this episode we’re exploring Elizabeth’s image and how she controlled the way in which people viewed her.

Anouska: Let’s look back quickly and go over some of the problems Elizabeth faced whilst she was Queen.

Alice: When Elizabeth became Queen in 1558, people talked. They said that women were weak and that Elizabeth wouldn’t be a strong ruler because she was a woman.

Anouska: Which, as we all know…is simply not true. What else were people saying about her Alice?

Alice: Well, they said that her government had run out of money, which to be fair, was true. Mary I had left Elizabeth with a debt of £250,000, which is about 120 million pounds today.

Anouska: Ooh, that must have stung. Some people were also claiming that she had no right to be queen because her parent’s wedding was illegal.

Alice: So Anouska, the bottom line is, Elizabeth had a bit of work to do in order to gain respect and trust from her country, didn’t she?

Anouska: Clearly she did, but she also understood the need to create the right image, and she had some ideas of how she could present herself as a strong monarch and win people over. The first step was her coronation…which took place in London on the 15 January 1559. Elizabeth really wanted to hit the ground running, and create a strong first impression.

Alice: This would’ve been the very first time people saw her as Queen, right?

Anouska: Exactly and you only have one chance at a first impression. So the coronation was a lavish, grand affair. She travelled by boat along the River Thames, and two days later, there was a procession through the streets of London and a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Alice: Pretty impressive. And despite having that huge debt, the coronation cost a whopping £16,000 which would have been about 7 million pounds today.

Anouska: Yeesh!

Alice: So that really just shows just how much she wanted to impress people and look really powerful.

Anouska: We would call this an act of propaganda - she was putting out a very considered image of herself, in order to gain support.

Alice: Right, now propaganda is a really important term for this topic, so you might want to pause and write that one down.

Anouska: I’m think we should write a definition for it too?

Alice: Good idea so here we go, pens at the ready. Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience.

Anouska: And there was one method of propaganda that Queen Elizabeth I was particularly known for.

Alice: If you’ve ever gone to a museum…you’ve probably noticed those big old paintings of important people hanging on the walls, aka portraits. And Queen Elizabeth I loved them.

Anouska: Sounds a bit like me with my selfies!

Alice: Well you might have more in common with Elizabeth than you think! Tell me Anouska, why is it that you post your selfies?

Anouska: Erm… I guess other than it being a bit of fun, I kind of want to show people my hottest self, so they’ll think the best of me?

Alice: Well, you’ve hit the nail on the head there, it was exactly the same for Elizabeth. She used her portraits to show everyone that she was a strong and powerful queen.

Anouska: I guess you could say that people use selfies today to build a brand too, Elizabeth I was kind of like an influencer. The details in her portraits fed into the brand of Elizabeth I and the legacy that she wanted to leave.

Alice: I wonder what a conversation between Elizabeth I and one of her royal portrait artists would have been like?

Anouska: Yeah, I bet she had a lot of ideas - let’s hear an imagined conversation now.

Alice: And it’s worth having a search online for some of Elizabeth’s portraits whilst you listen. Her most famous paintings include the Armada Portrait, the Coronation Portrait and my favourite one, the Rainbow Portrait.

Elizabeth: Okay, sit down. We have some important things to discuss.

Artist: Yes your majesty.

Elizabeth: People are saying a lot of things about me, and I need to prove them wrong. Firstly, I’ve inherited some debt, so you need to make me look like a rich ruler.

Artist: Yes Marm, I can include rubies, diamonds and pearls in your hair.

Elizabeth: Good, good.

Artist: Your dress will look splendid - people will know it’s made of silk. And I’ll include expensive items like feathers from a foreign bird, or a jewelled crown on the table beside you.

Elizabeth: Ah, perfect! A lot of people are underestimating me because I’m a woman. So it’s also extremely important that you make me look like a strong ruler.

Artist: Absolutely. We could include some globes in the image, maybe showing a map of Tudor Britain. And you’ll look very serious, so people know you’re in control.

Elizabeth: Brilliant! That way we show England is an important nation and I am the one ruling it.

Artist: How about I add a crown, and a sceptre - a gold stick that tells people you have the right to rule as queen. And we’ll dress you in royal robes to remind people you are royalty by blood.

Elizabeth: Oooh this is going to be good!

Alice: It might be a good idea to rewind that fictionalised conversation between Elizabeth and her artist. And whilst listening, it’s worth picking out some of those key elements in her real portraits.

Anouska: Yep, good idea Alice. Analysing sources, like Elizabeth’s portraits, is a key skill at GCSE. There will be things that we didn’t include, so use your own analysis skills as well.

Alice: When analysing portraits and their accuracy, we need to remember that the Queen had a bit of an agenda here. She wanted people to see her in a certain way. It’s a bit like the way that we use filters today – perhaps you might touch up your photos.

Anouska: Exactly, if a portrait was created in 1600, we know Elizabeth would have been in her 60s, does she look like that in her picture?

Alice: Well, if she doesn’t, it’s probably because she wants to look like a strong female ruler, and maintain her image as the pure Virgin Queen. And looking younger than her actual age, for the Tudors, would have achieved that.

Anouska: Elizabeth had the power to reject portraits if she didn’t like them, and there’s evidence of her privy council destroying unflattering pictures, so artists were inclined to make her look as good as possible.

Alice: Were there any other ways that Elizabeth used propaganda during her reign?

Anouska: Yes there were. The queen and her Royal Court would go on tours of the country every year, usually in the summer. These were called Royal Progresses. So she’d turn up to the houses of wealthy nobles, alongside her entire Royal Court, and expect to be entertained.

Alice: Wow – that’s a lot of pressure. It’s like forcing someone to host a massive party or a festival. Presumably all of this was pretty expensive?

Anouska: Exactly, these nobles would have to provide top notch hospitality for the queen. This was their chance to impress her. We’re talking full-on banquets every night, as well as entertainment. They’d be expected to provide gifts for her as well.

Alice: And I guess these nobles would need big houses to host all of these people?

Anouska: Definitely. These progresses encouraged nobles to build grand stately homes. Imagine, they’d need to host the entire Royal court, which was a thousand people, as well as hundreds of wagons filled with Elizabeth's belongings.

Alice: All of this was considered a great honour, but it was also a bit of a hindrance - the hosts would often go into debt with the expense of the trip.

Anouska: So why did Elizabeth bother with these progresses?

Alice: Well, they were important. They allowed her to be seen by the people of England. Rather than always staying in her palace and making decisions behind closed doors, she was out and about, building relationships with her people and winning their loyalty.

Anouska: Ooh that’s so clever! I imagine it saved her some money too if everything was paid for by hosts?

Alice: That’s true. She didn’t have to pay for feeding and housing her court whilst staying with the others. But it also helped prevent rebellions. When she visited a certain area, or a noble’s house, it was a great honour for them and reminded them that they should be loyal to her.

Anouska: Elizabeth also controlled her image through speeches. In 1601, she made a speech to Parliament, later named her ‘Golden speech’ in which she showed just how much she loved her people. Let’s have a little listen, this one is voiced by an actor.

Elizabeth: It is not my desire to live or reign longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had, and may have, many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, yet you never had, nor shall have, any that will love you better.

Alice: All of this fed into the cult of Gloriana, a movement that elevated Queen Elizabeth to the virgin goddess status.

Anouska: The name Gloriana comes from a poem called the ‘The Fairie Queene’ that was written in Elizabeth's honour to flatter her. It's one of her other nicknames.

Alice: Artists, like the ones who created her portraits, as well as musicians and authors, all contributed to this Gloriana status. And we’ll talk much more about that in a later episode.

Anouska: As always Alice, I think we should end this episode with a quiz.

Alice: Great idea. Ger ready to write down you answers. First question. Portraits were used as a tool by Elizabeth to promote the best version of herself. What’s another word for this? I’ll give you a hint here, it begins with a P. The answer is propaganda. Elizabeth was putting out a very carefully considered image of herself, even if it wasn’t completely accurate, so that people would remain loyal to her.

Anouska: Question two. What do we call the summer tours Elizabeth went on with her Royal Court? The answer is, the Royal Progresses. Members of the nobility would host, feed, and entertain Elizabeth as well as the many members of her court.

Alice: And finally, what’s the name of the famous speech Elizabeth gave to Parliament in 1601? The answer is, the Golden Speech. In it, she was extremely complimentary of Parliament and her subjects. This was another way she could gain people’s loyalty. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bitesize History podcast.

Anouska: I loved diving into Elizabeth’s use of portraiture and propaganda. But there’s still so much to more to come!

Alice: Next episode, we’ll look at life in Elizabethan England. And you can listen to all the episodes of the Elizabeth I series, and the other History series, by searching for Bitesize on BBC Sounds.

Anouska: But for now, bye Lizzie Legends!

Alice: See you next time.

Announcer: BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Alice: Hello and welcome to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast.

Anouska: In this series, we look at some of the key facts and exam skills for your History GCSE on Elizabeth I.

Alice: I'm Alice Loxton

Anouska: And I'm Anouska Lewis… Right Alice, let’s transport ourselves to Elizabethan England - what was daily life like for people back then?

Alice: So, we spoke last episode about the lavish gatherings called Royal Progresses which were thrown for Elizabeth and her Court, and all the expensive materials she would wear in her portraits.

Anouska: She lived a life of wealth and luxury. Historians have called this period a ‘Golden Age.’

Alice: But life was not like this for most people in the 1500s. It was during Elizabeth’s reign that England became involved in the transatlantic slave trade which was the forced enslavement and movement of people from Africa to the Americas.

Anouska: The slave trade continued for centuries and by 1870 it’s estimated that British ships transported 3.4 million people from Africa of whom 2.6 million survived the journey and were enslaved. Head to the BBC Bitesize website to learn more.

Alice: In England, the number of people living in poverty increased during Elizabeth’s reign. And there was no welfare system or support like we might see today.

Anouska: Poverty was mostly considered your own fault in Elizabethan times and it was difficult to find help from the government.

Alice: A lot of poorer people worked as labourers and tenant farmers - meaning they lived and worked on the land that they rented, they didn’t own it.

Anouska: And they worked really long days, from about 5am-5pm.

Alice: So 12 hours of manual labour, that’s really tough. And life expectancy was low at just 35 years old. Many children didn’t live past the age of five. So, the big question, why was poverty on the rise during the Elizabethan period? Grab a pen and paper and jot down some notes, we’re gonna throw quite a few stats at you now.

Anouska: So, stat number one, there were simply more people. The population rose by over one million during Elizabeth’s reign, from 2.8 million to 4 million.

Alice: About 90% of England's population lived and worked in the countryside, but a significant number headed to the towns and cities to try and find work.

Anouska: London’s population alone increased from around 60,000 in 1500, to over 200,000 by 1600.

Alice: But since there were more people, there weren’t enough jobs to go around, and unemployment rose.

Anouska: It also meant there was more demand for goods. Prices then rose and fewer people could afford what they needed.

Alice: Combine that with a string of particularly bad harvests in the 1590s, unemployment increased again, and demand for food was even higher so prices continued to rise. And so we had inflation. Prices rose, but wages fell.

Anouska: And on top of all of that, Parliament had to raise taxes to fund a series of wars that England was waging. For the wealthy, life was just getting better. The nobility had the highest social ranking, and their social position was often set by birth. But there was a rising social class just below this, called the gentry.

Alice: And wealthy people were pretty eager to show off their higher status in this period. Remember last episode we talked about the nobility needing to build grand houses in order to host the Queen’s progresses? Well this is all connected.

Anouska: We call this time ‘the age of the great rebuilding.’ Houses were decorated really beautifully.

Alice: People liked to build houses in the shape of a capital letter E or H because these shapes were visually pleasing and symmetrical.

Alice: Did you know that windows were a luxury? Glass was really expensive, so the more windows you had, the richer you seemed. And a great example of this is at Hardwick Hall which was the house of Bess of Hardwick. She had so many windows in her house a famous rhyme developed which goes, Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall.

Anouska: Ooh I love that!

Alice: So we know that there was an increase in unemployment, but what we haven’t mentioned yet is the increase in begging, or ‘the vagabonds’ as the Tudors called them.

Anouska: Before the Reformation, which took place during Henry VIII’s reign, monasteries used to look after the poor. These were religious buildings where monks lived.

Alice: Now monasteries provided charity and shelter for poor people. But Henry VIII closed the monasteries in England during his reign and so without them, the poor had nowhere to go.

Anouska: So now, the poor visibly wandered from town to town, so even though there might not have been a huge difference in the number of poor people, it felt and it looked like there was.

Alice: And this was a real source of concern for the elite members of society. Let’s hear a real primary source now from a wealthy man who was writing at the time.

Anouska: This source comes from Sir Edward Hex, who was a landowner and Justice of the Peace. He was writing to Lord Burghley, the Queen’s chief minister. He wrote this in 1596 and it’s voiced by an actor.

Edward: Poverty is the fault of the poor themselves. The country cannot bear the cost of the large number of idle, wandering people and robbers. These refuse to work; they prefer to lie idly in ale-houses day and night, eating and drinking excessively. The most dangerous are the wandering unemployed soldiers. There are many thousands in the country.

Alice: So what was it that people were so scared of? We’ll use some direct quotes from that source to support our points here. And this is a great thing to do in your exams.

Anouska: Sir Edward calls beggars ‘dangerous’ and describes them as ‘robbers.’ So crime was a common fear.

Alice: There was no national police force at this time so it was Justices of the Peace who were in charge of keeping crime rates low and they saw beggars as a serious threat to their authority.

Anouska: Another theme that really comes through in his account is that beggars were lazy. Sir Edward calls them ‘idle, wandering people’ and says that they ‘prefer to lie idly in ale-houses day and night, eating and drinking.’ We’re also getting an idea of where the blame for poverty was put. Sir Edward says that ‘poverty is the fault of the poor themselves.’ So he thinks that their own behaviour was the reason for their situation.

Alice: We know that there were different categories of poor people according to people like Sir Edward, those who deserved help and those who didn’t. The deserving poor were categorised as people who were poor because of circumstances outside of their control. So maybe they were sick, or old, or orphans. Therefore they deserved help.

Anouska: But according to Tudors, the undeserving poor were beggars who couldn’t be bothered to find work and therefore it was assumed that the situation they found themselves in was their fault.

Alice: This undeserving poor, or vagabonds, were a big problem according to Elizabeth’s Government and they really felt something needed to be done.

Anouska: Several acts of law were passed during Elizabeth’s reign that put some responsibility on the Government to support the poor. I’d really recommend having your pen and paper handy and writing some notes, there’s quite a lot to remember.

Alice: The 1572 Vagabonds Act meant that people had to pay ‘a poor rate’ in their local areas. So this was essentially a tax, used to support the poor.

Anouska: But that was only for the deserving poor.

Alice: That’s right. The solution for begging, or the so-called ‘undeserving poor’ was more severe. The Vagabonds Act reintroduced the death penalty, so people could actually be killed if they were repeatedly caught begging.

Anouska: Here’s an extract from the Middlesex County Records, read by an actor. The date is the 29th March 1574.

Actor: John Allen, Elizabeth Turner, Humphrey Foxe, Henry Bower and Agnes Wort, being over 14 years and having no lawful means of livelihood, were declared vagabonds and sentenced to be flogged severely and burnt on the right ear.

Alice: So you can see there, punishment was really harsh! A number of Acts followed later, and in 1601 The Elizabethan Poor Law was introduced.

Anouska: This actually stayed in place for about 200 years, but what did it do?

Alice: It essentially combined all of the previous acts into one legal framework. The Poor Rate system became compulsory across the whole nation, and if you didn’t contribute you could go to jail.

Anouska: It made dealing with the poor a government issue. It wasn't just left to local people or charitable noblemen, it was accepted that the government would help the most in need.

Alice: Begging was officially banned and charitable houses, called alms houses, were built.

Anouska: These were supported by private donations and aimed at those they considered ‘deserving’.

Alice: So the big question here is, did the 1601 Poor Law solve the problem?

Anouska: Well….in some ways yes, and in some ways no. Actually it seems that the gap between the rich and poor increased during Elizabeth’s time as Queen, and there were more beggars at the end of her reign.

Alice: So, punishing people for begging didn’t really address the causes of poverty.

Anouska: Clearly not, but there were some changes in attitudes towards the poor. Elizabeth and her Government started to take responsibility for those who weren’t able to support themselves.

Alice: And the introduction of these laws may well have prevented people from begging. But, judgement over the types of people who deserved help did still remain. Shall we test our knowledge of this topic then?

Anouska: Yes. It’s my favourite time, it’s Quiz time! Grab a pen and paper and write down your answers.

Alice: So first question, what was another word that the Tudors used to describe beggars? The answer is Vagabonds. Tudor people were really concerned about the rising number of vagabonds walking through towns and the countryside searching for work.

Anouska: Next question. There were two categories of poor people according to Elizabethans, what were they? The answer is, the deserving poor and the undeserving poor. The belief was that the deserving poor needed help but the undeserving poor, mostly beggars, had caused their own circumstance and should therefore be punished.

Alice: So next question, let’s think about an exam scenario here. You might be asked to write an essay about why poverty increased. What three reasons might you give? And I’ll give you a bit more time for this one, you might even want to pause the episode whilst you write. Let’s have a look at three reasons you could choose and you’d write a paragraph on each of these. Number 1 - The population rose and so there were fewer jobs available.

Anouska: Number 2 – There were bad harvests. A series of bad harvests increased demands for limited goods.

Alice: And Number 3 - War. To fund the wars that England was waging, Parliament had to raise taxes, which made poor people suffer even more.

Anouska: So we’ve made it to the end of another brilliant episode, Alice.

Alice: We have! Thank you so much for listening. Next time we’re meeting a fascinating character - Mary, Queen of Scots.

Anouska: Ooh I’m buzzing for that one! You can listen to all episodes of the Elizabeth I series on the BBC Sounds website.

Alice: And if you want to listen on the go, we really recommend downloading the BBC Sounds app. See you next time Lizzie Legends!

Anouska: Bye!

Announcer: BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

Anouska: Hiya! You’re listening to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast.

Alice: In this series, we go over the key facts and exam skills for your History GCSE on Elizabeth I.

Anouska: I'm Anouska Lewis.

Alice: and I'm Alice Loxton. So far we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know one very special lady, haven’t we?

Anouska: We have indeed, we’ve been talking all things Queen Elizabeth I. But now…there’s a new girl in town.

Alice: This episode is all about Mary, Queen of Scots and to tell the story we’re using actors to read out historical sources from the time as well as fictional imagined conversations between historical figures.

Anouska: There’s so much to get into. But first, let’s set the scene. Waaaaay back in episode 1 we talked about Elizabeth’s decision not to marry or have children.

Alice: One of the big disadvantages was that she didn’t have an heir and this generated uncertainty over who would inherit the throne.

Anouska: If you need to catch up on that episode, or any others, don’t worry. Pause this one and come back later.

Alice: In an earlier episode we also talked about the religious tensions. England was officially a Protestant country but Elizabeth came up with The Religious Settlement, her middle way.

Anouska: Puritans were angry that this allowed too many Catholic traditions, and Catholics were angry because they couldn’t practise their religion freely.

Alice: Some of these people were so angry they took action. There were four major Catholic plots, all of which wanted to remove Elizabeth as Queen, and replace her with a Catholic queen - Mary Queen of Scots.

Anouska: We’re going to cover each of these plots, but first, there’s an important question we need to ask.

Both: Who was Mary Queen of Scots?

Anouska: Grab a pen and paper here and make some notes - there’s quite a lot of names to remember.

Alice: Mary was Elizabeth’s cousin, not to be confused with Mary I who was Elizabeth’s sister.

Anouska: Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth both descended from Henry VII, the former King of England.

Alice: This all meant that if Elizabeth didn’t have any children of her own, Mary, who was a Catholic, would be next in line to the English throne.

Anouska: Wwwwait, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here.

Alice: OK, let’s rewind a bit.

Anouska: Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father, James V, died. The United Kingdom, as we know it today, didn’t exist then. Scotland was separate and had its own monarchy.

Alice: Mary became Queen in 1542 when she was just six days old. So she was an infant queen.

Anouska: But it wasn’t smooth sailing for her. She was married to Francis II, the King of France.

Alice: When he died in 1561, she returned to Scotland.

Anouska: She then married Lord Darnley in 1565 but their marriage was an unhappy one. He treated Mary poorly and was even involved in the murder of her secretary, whom he was jealous of.

Alice: So in 1567, when Darnley was murdered, people thought Mary was responsible.

Anouska: She was forced to abdicate, and she was replaced by her son, James, who was just a baby.

Alice: So there’s a lot going on there. Feel free to rewind that section if you need to hear it again. There’s also some really useful pages on the BBC Bitesize website just head to the GCSE History content.

Anouska: Mary was forced to leave Scotland. But where could she go? Let’s hear what she might have been thinking. This isn’t a real source, it’s fiction and it’s voiced by an actor.

Mary: I can’t stay here, it’s too dangerous. I must escape. The most logical place for me to go is England. My cousin Elizabeth is there and she can understand more than anyone the struggles of being a female ruler.

Alice: So when Mary arrived in England in 1568 she wasn’t met with a particularly warm welcome.

Anouska: No, she posed a real threat to Elizabeth. Some Catholics wanted Mary to replace her as Queen so she could restore the Catholic church in England. In the end Elizabeth decided to let Mary stay in England. But that didn’t mean that she could just go about life as usual.

Alice: Definitely not. She was kept as a royal prisoner. She might have been treated with respect, she was a queen afterall, but essentially she was in prison.

Anouska: So Mary had arrived in England in 1568 and the first of these four major Catholic plots against Elizabeth took place in the following year, 1569. The first one was called ‘The Northern Earls’ Revolt.

Alice: The Northern Earls were a powerful group of Catholic nobles from Northern England. And they weren’t the biggest fans of Elizabeth for quite a few reasons.

Anouska: So when Mary Queen of Scots arrived, they were ready to rebel. Their plan was to break Mary out of jail and put her on the throne.

Alice: They were led by Charles Neville and Thomas Percy who gathered an army of over 4,000 men.

Anouska: The Duke of Norfolk was also involved. He wasn’t a Northerner, but he was the highest ranking Catholic noble in England, he was also Elizabeth’s cousin.

Alice: Now he was crucial to the plan, because as well as putting Mary on the throne, she was going to marry the Duke of Norfolk. This would give her a more solid link to the English nobility.

Anouska: Oooh drama, how did Elizabeth react?

Alice: Well, she was not happy. But, she quickly made a plan. She was very decisive and sent an army of her own.

Anouska: In contrast, the Northern Earls had a pretty poor plan and most of the rebels retreated when they heard that thousands of soldiers were coming their way.

Alice: In the end, Elizabeth executed over 800 of them. It was a warning to other rebels. ‘This is what will happen if you ever try to over throw me.’

Anouska: That is terrifying. The Duke of Norfolk was imprisoned, but we'll be seeing him again.

Alice: And this was not the end of Catholic plots against Elizabeth. It’s now 1571 and Roberto Ridolfi, an Italian Catholic banker, is hatching a plan.

Anouska: Ridolfi wanted English Catholics to overthrow Elizabeth, and for Mary to marry The Duke of Norfolk, who we met earlier, so that England could return to Catholicism.

Alice: He was backed by King Phillip II of Spain as well as Mary Queen of Scots herself.

Anouska: Wait, Mary was in on it?

Alice: Apparently, she was. But it was never proved so they couldn’t take any action against her other than making her imprisonment more severe.

Anouska: When Elizabeth’s advisor, William Cecil, uncovered the plot, Ridolfi was thrown out of England and the Duke of Norfolk was executed.

Alice: Make sure to keep writing down some notes, there’s a couple more plots to discuss. Fast forward please!

Anouska: OK, now it’s 1583, 12 years after the Ridolfi plot.

Alice: Enter, Francis Throckmorton. He’s a young Catholic man and he’s got a cunning plan. For the French army to invade England and replace Elizabeth with… any guesses?

Anouska: I’m gonna go for Mary Queen of Scots?

Alice: Correct. This one is known as the Throckmorton plot.

Anouska: What happened with this one then?

Alice: Well, another of Elizabeth’s advisors, Francis Walsingham, heard rumours of this plan. Walsingham actually had a network of spies who were tracking the plots and when this one was discovered, Throckmorton was arrested and executed. But Elizabeth still needed to do something about Mary. She continued to be at the centre of plots against her.

Anouska: So Mary was moved to Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire. She was held in isolation, she was guarded, and she was no longer allowed visitors.

Alice: Another one?

Anouska: One more…keep going.

Anouska: OK, we’ve made it to 1586 and the plot which leads to Mary’s downfall, the Babington plot.

Alice: Sir Anthony Babington was an English gentleman who planned to rescue Mary and murder Elizabeth.

Anouska: However, coded letters were discovered between Babington and Mary. The letters described his plan which included six other men and Mary was replying.

Alice: So let’s hear a section from The Gallows Letter, this is a real letter which Mary wrote to Babington from her cell. It’s voiced by an actor.

Mary: Set the six gentlemen to work. But if you fail, Elizabeth will catch me again, enclose me forever in some hole, from which I should never escape, if not even worse.

Anouska: This was the proof Walsingham, Elizabeth’s advisor, needed to show once and for all that Mary was guilty.

Alice: Babington was arrested and whilst being tortured, confessed to the plot. He was executed alongside six other plotters.

Anouska: Mary was ultimately found guilty of treason and executed on the 8th February 1587. The executioner held up her severed head and shouted “God save the Queen.” Right, that was quite a lot of information. Let’s test ourselves – it’s Quiz Time. Number 1. Was Mary Queen of Scots Elizabeth's sister or her cousin? She was Elizabeth’s cousin. Mary I was her sister.

Alice: Next question. Which was the first major Catholic plot against Elizabeth? The answer is the Northern Earls revolt. It ended with 800 rebels executed and a decisive victory for Elizabeth. And which plot ultimately led to Mary Queen of Scot’s execution? It was the Babington Plot. Mary was put on trial and found guilty. She was eventually executed.

Anouska: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Bitesize History podcast. Next time we’re exploring troubles abroad.

Alice: Yep there’ll be lots to cover in that one. See you next time.

Anouska: Bye Lizzie Legends!

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Alice: Hello and welcome back to the Bitesize GCSE History podcast.

Anouska: In this series, we go over some of the key facts and exam skills for your History GCSE on Elizabeth I. I’m Anouska Lewis

Alice: And I'm Alice Loxton. In this episode we’re going to be looking slightly further afield.

Anouska: When Elizabeth became Queen, England’s religion was Protestant, and Spain’s religion was Catholic. But despite this, the two countries were on okay terms.

Alice: At the time, Spain was the most powerful country in the world. They had an enormous navy of large ships. So it was important to keep the relationship friendly.

Anouska: But over time, tensions built up which led to Spain invading England. Spoiler alert, this story ends with a war.

Alice: It does indeed, but the big question is how did we get there? The most obvious tension between Spain and England was religion.

Anouska: And there was evidence that Spain had been involved in plots to overthrow Elizabeth, which we explored last episode.

Alice: Head to the BBC Sounds App and search for the Bitesize History podcast. So, why else might Spain have wanted to start a war with England?

Anouska: Well, there was that failed marriage proposal.

Alice: Ah yes, King Phillip II of Spain had really wanted to marry Elizabeth. Even though he had been already married to Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I.

Anouska: Yikes. Elizabeth had said no to his proposal though.

Alice: And Philip was also pretty annoyed about all the… well, piracy.

Anouska: oooh-arghhh.

Alice: There were plenty of English pirates would sail around the world, stealing from Spanish ships and plundering their treasures.

Anouska: Elizabeth was all for it. She believed that it could open up trade routes for England and she openly encouraged it.

Alice: And one of the most famous examples was Sir Francis Drake. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world.

Anouska: Elizabeth had a soft spot for him. He brought her back gold, silver and jewels from his travels.

Alice: And all of this loot was stolen from Spanish Ships, so you can probably understand why King Phillip would have been quite so angry. Traditionally, Spain and England had maintained an alliance and so they united together against their common enemy - France.

Anouska: However, France was preoccupied, it was busy dealing with a civil war at home and so it was unlikely to invade anyone else

Alice: So Spain had less need for this friendship, for this alliance with England. And then it gets worse, the Spanish controlled a country called The Netherlands, whose people are Dutch and in 1566 groups of Dutch protestants began the Dutch revolt which was a great rebellion against Spanish control.

Anouska: The Netherlands was a vital country for English trade, so when the revolt started in the 1560s, Elizabeth was alarmed.

Alice: She agreed to send English troops to the Netherlands to fight against the Spanish, although they didn’t achieve much.

Anouska: But it did mean that now, for the first time, English and Spanish armies were fighting each other.

Alice: It might be a good idea to rewind that section and listen again if you need to because there’d plenty of drama to come.

Anouska: Let me set the scene, it’s now the 29th of July, 1588.

Alice: An English Captain has just spotted a fleet of armed ships in the distance.

Anouska: They’re sailing towards England. And they look like they’re sailing in a crescent formation.

Alice: Perhaps like a crescent moon, or a delicious croissant.

Anouska: Hmmm… tasty. King Phillip of Spain had decided to invade England, and try to overthrow Elizabeth. It’s the beginning of the Spanish Armada, which was the name of Spain’s fleet of ships sent into battle. England knew the attack was coming and they needed to prepare. Elizabeth appointed Robert Dudley to be in charge of their land army. He arranged for Elizabeth to come to Tilbury, a town in Essex on the Thames, to announce his appointment and rally the troops.

Alice: It was the 9th of August 1588, and Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech to her troops which would go down in history.

Anouska: Let’s hear an extract from her Tilbury speech read by an actor.

Elizabeth: I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any Prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.

Alice: Hmmm… it’s an interesting speech. I mean, what do you make of her calling herself a weak and feeble woman?

Anouska: Yeah that bit really stood out to me. I’m not sure I’d describe her that way. Especially based on what we’ve learnt about her so far.

Alice: I think perhaps what’s going on here is that she’s proving to people that she can be both the pure and feminine Queen they expect her to be but also the strong ruler that they need her to be at this dramatic moment.

Anouska: So what actually happened during the Spanish Armada?

Alice: Well, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the Spanish, let’s put it that way. They left Lisbon on 28th May 1588 but immediately they hit storms.

Anouska: They had to repair their ships and ended up sailing for England on the 21st of July.

Alice: So it’s not a great start and the English spotted them early on.

Anouska: As the Armada sailed through the English channel, they were chased by English ships. But their crescent formation gave them quite a strong defence.

Alice: The Armada then anchors near Calais, their aim being to pick up some more Spanish troops from the Netherlands, before setting sail again for England. But this wasn’t the best idea.

Anouska: Let’s hear a first hand account from a Spanish sailor, reporting on what happened. It’s the 7th August 1588 and this is voiced by an actor.

Sailor: During the night the eight ships filled with fire advanced in line. They came drifting towards our fleet with the most terrible flames that may be imagined. The English had succeeded in breaking up our formation. Shortly afterwards the terrible battle began.

Alice: It all sounds pretty terrifying. Clearly the English were using tactics to create fear, which led to all of this chaos and damage.

Anouska: As that sailor said, the English sent in fire ships to attack the Armada - these were wooden ships. They were filled with tar, gunpowder and loaded cannon. They were set ablaze and then sent to drift towards the Spanish ships.

Alice: And all of this was a surprise, the Spanish weren’t expecting it. Chaos ensued and they scattered out of their crescent formation.

Anouska: Weather was also not on the Spanish fleet’s side. Wind blew them towards dangerous sandbanks where the English continued to attack, causing significant damage.

Alice: Following this chaos, the depleted Armada headed back to Spain. But trapped by the English, who began to chase them, they were forced to sail around the north coast of Scotland. And it was only when the English supplies ran out that they stopped pursuing their enemy.

Anouska: Left alone in the rough Scottish seas, the Spanish met even more storms. Thousands of sailors drowned. For a useful breakdown of the Spanish journey, head to GCSE History on the BBC Bitesize website.

Alice: It was a disaster for the Spanish. They lost about 20,000 men and 51 ships in total, that’s almost half of the ships they started with.

Anouska: By comparison, England lost 100 men, although thousands more did die from illness in the weeks following.

Alice: So a pretty bad result for the Spanish. And let’s have a little think the reasons for Spain’s defeat. It might be worth grabbing that pen and paper again, and let’s tick these off together.

Anouska: Number one, leadership. Spain had a poor commander. It was the Duke of Medina Sidonia who led the Spanish fleet. He was inexperienced in naval battle and he made some fatal errors in his planning and tactics.

Alice: Number two, planning. Their plan relied on picking up lots of extra soldiers, but in practise, this never even happened.

Anouska: Number three, Spanish tactics. The Spanish were more prepared for land battles than naval ones. The Spanish ships were very large (ideal for carrying men) but not very quick or nimble.

Alice: Number four, English tactics. The use of fire ships and cannons was suitable for naval warfare and the English ships were smaller and faster.

Anouska: And number five, the weather. The storms wrecked lots of Spanish ships. People at the time thought that the windy weather was a sign that God was on Elizabeth’s side.

Alice: I see. Well, modern Historians have argued we can’t even really call this event a great English victory because only about five Spanish ships were actually sunk by English action.

Anouska: But whatever you think, we can’t deny that England had won and Spain had lost.

Alice: So England’s victory strengthened Elizabeth I’s position as Queen of England. We know she had faced questions over her legitimacy and there were plots to overthrow her, so this victory improved her reputation as a strong ruler.

Anouska: It also strengthened Protestant rule. Catholic Spain had been defeated by a strong Protestant English navy.

Alice: Right Anouska, I think it’s time to test ourselves with a quick quiz!

Anouska: You know I love a quiz!

Alice: First up, who was the English explorer who stole expensive goods from the Spanish? The answer is of course Sir Francis Drake. His travels were encouraged by Queen Elizabeth but he greatly angered King Phillip II of Spain and this was one of the motives for the Spanish Armada.

Anouska: Next question, what’s the name of the famous speech Queen Elizabeth delivered to her troops before they set sail? It was the Tilbury speech. In it she instilled confidence in her troops, at a time of great worry and upheaval for England.

Alice: And finally, what did the English victory do for Elizabeth’s reputation? It strengthened her position as a Queen. She seemed like a strong ruler and it improved the legitimacy of her religion, Protestantism.

Anouska: Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bitesize History podcast.

Alice: There’s loads of other History GCSE series which you can find by searching for Bitesize on BBC Sounds.

Anouska: Next time, we’re exploring Elizabethan culture and the ‘Golden Age’

Alice: Can’t wait.

Anouska: See you next time, Lizzie Legends.

Alice: Bye!

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Anouska: Hi! This is the Bitesize GCSE History podcast. I’m Anouska Lewis.

Alice: And I’m Alice Loxton. Throughout this series, we’ve been exploring the key facts and exam skills to help you with your History GCSE on Elizabeth I.

Anouska: It’s never too late to go back and listen to earlier episodes. In this one, we’re looking at Elizabethan culture and the Golden Age and we’re using actors to read historical sources throughout.

Alice: The Elizabethan Age is known by some as England’s Golden Age because it was a prosperous time. It’s also known for its developments in culture. Things like theatre, art and architecture.

Anouska: But before we get going, I want to know Alice, what’s your favourite way to relax?

Alice: OK, well I suppose I might read a good book, or if I’ve had a really long day I’d probably go out with my friends and have a good chat.

Anouska: Ooh, well that means you’re not a million miles away from being an Elizabethan then. Popular activities were things like going to the theatre, singing, dancing, and watching blood sports, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Alice: But there were still huge inequalities in Tudor England. The rich had more free time and money to spend, so their leisure activities looked very different to poorer members of society.

Anouska: The printing press had been invented so books were now being widely shared amongst wealthy people who enjoyed studying music and reading.

Alice: There was lots of new literature written during this period. A lot were history books, but there were also ones written about travel and discovery.

Anouska: The most popular forms of creative writing were poetry and plays and the wealthiest families would also entertain in their own homes. They’d have grand banquets followed by private performances.

Alice: Pretty glitzy. In contrast, poorer members of society might spend their free time playing cards or perhaps watching sports.

Anouska: Let’s hear from Thomas Platter. He was a tourist from Germany who visited London in 1599. Here he is writing about what he saw. This is voiced by an actor.

Thomas: In London, cock-fights are held throughout the year in a place which is built like a theatre. In the centre on the floor stands a circular table covered with straw where the birds are teased and encouraged to fly at one another.

Alice: Thomas is describing a common pastime in Elizabethan England there.

Anouska: Cruel sports, or blood sports, included bull-baiting, and bear-baiting. It’s illegal today.

Alice: So tell me Anouska, how do you relax after a busy day?

Anouska: I usually watch TV, or if I’m being really honest, scroll on my phone.

Alice: Well, you’re also a little like the Elizabethans then. They didn’t have TVs or phones, obviously, but they did have theatres. During Elizabeth’s reign, the theatre was one of the most popular forms of entertainment.

Anouska: In a previous episode we said that life was very different for the wealthiest and poorest members of society. There were drastic differences in their houses, their fashion, and their standards of living.

Alice: But every level of society would come to watch plays. It was universally popular.

Anouska: And one of the most beloved playwrights was William Shakespeare. Many of the stories in his plays were about English history and supported Queen Elizabeth and her family.

Alice: A great example of this is his play ‘Richard III’ which made Elizabeth’s grandfather Henry VII look pretty good, showing him to be the victor over King Richard.

Anouska: One play that Elizabeth is said to have inspired was ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’. In it, there’s reference to the Queen of the Fairies, which is supposed to be about her.

Alice: And what were theatres like? You might want to grab a pen and paper and make some notes here.

Anouska: Theatres had tiered seating with different prices, including cheap seats. Although the cheapest seats weren't actually seats, people paid to stand in the stalls.

Alice: But what this meant was that people from all ranks of society could come. And in 1595, historians estimate that 15,000 people were attending the theatre each week.

Anouska: Going to watch plays was an escape from everyday life, just like when I scroll through my phone or watch TV. But it also gave Elizabethans a chance to socialise and catch up on the latest news.

Alice: It became a social event, there really was something for everyone.

Anouska: Since people from all levels of society were coming to watch, Elizabeth and her advisors realised it could be a powerful tool.

Alice: The Master of the Revels could approve all plays before they were performed.

Anouska: In 1587, a play called ‘The Isle of Dogs’ written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson, was banned. We don’t actually know what was in the play as unfortunately no copies exist today, but it could have been that there were comments in there that were negative about the Queen.

Alice: And so you could say that the theatre was another form of propaganda.

Anouska: Elizabeth was a patron of the theatre, meaning she supported the arts financially, and by attending plays.

Alice: So in the same way we spoke about Elizabeth’s portraits, playwrights would be encouraged to create plays that she would like, otherwise she might take away the support.

Anouska: If you want a refresher on those portraits, pause this and listen to our earlier episode on Elizabeth’s image.

Alice: Good idea. But this theatre business was not new. Before Elizabeth’s reign, there were plays but they were mainly ‘morality plays’ which had religious themes. It was in the Elizabethan period that comedies became popular.

Anouska: Who doesn’t love a good giggle?

Alice: Well actually, not everyone liked the theatre. The Puritans, remember they’re the strict group of Protestants, felt that theatres were immoral. According to them, plays were spreading ideas which would encourage bad behaviour.

Anouska: The authorities weren’t fans of the theatre either. When Elizabeth became queen, there were no permanent theatres, so actors had to travel across the country to perform in inns - which is what we’d now call pubs.

Alice: And this attracted crowds that would sometimes get pretty drunk and behave badly. So the authorities were concerned about law and order.

Anouska: In 1572, the government passed an Act which said that actors needed to be supported by a nobleman or have a licence to perform, otherwise, they could be punished.

Actor: All common players who wander about and have not a license shall be taken, adjudged and deemed rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars.

Alice: That’s wording from the 1572 law. Clearly Elizabethan actors weren’t very well-respected.

Anouska: So, we mentioned noblemen supporting actors. They would became patrons of theatre companies, supporting select groups of actors.

Alice: The Earl of Leicester had his own theatre company called the Earl of Leicester's Men.

Anouska: And in 1583, Elizabeth established The Queen's Men. But why would they bother becoming patrons of the theatre?

Alice: Well, as we said earlier, the theatre was an important propaganda tool and patrons could control the types of plays that were published.

Anouska: It could also improve noblemen’s status. If the audience really liked a show, it would reflect well on the patron of that theatre company. It might also bring him fame and wealth.

Alice: If you didn’t have a wealthy patron to protect you, you could avoid being punished by performing in a permanent theatre.

Anouska: So more and more were built. By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, there were seven major theatres in London, which housed around 40 companies of actors.

Alice: Some of the famous theatres include The Rose, The Swan and The Globe Theatre.

Anouska: If you want to see what some of these theatres look like head to the GCSE History pages on the BBC Bitesize website, there are some really cool pictures there.

Alice: And now, why don’t we go back in time, and listen to another account from Thomas Platter. He’s the German tourist we heard from earlier and here he is speaking about a visit to the Globe in London just after it opened. This is voiced by an actor and the year was 1599.

Thomas: The playhouses are so constructed that they play on a raised platform, so that everyone has a good view. For whoever cares to stand below only pays one English penny, but if he wishes to sit he enters by another door, and pays another penny, while if he desires to sit in the most comfortable seats which are cushioned, where he not only sees everything well, but can also be seen, then he pays yet another English penny at another door. And during the performance food and drink are carried round the audience, so that for what one cares to pay one may also have refreshment.

Anouska: It kind of sounds like our version of going to the cinema.

Alice: It does! The Globe was built in 1599 and it was one of the largest in London at the time.

Anouska: It could fit up to 3,000 people and it was an open amphitheatre.

Alice: So that meant that there was no roof over the audience, and people could sit on both sides of the performance.

Anouska: If you need to hear any of that again, just rewind and listen as many times as you need.

Alice: Anouska, for the final time in this series, shall we end the episode with a quiz?

Anouska: Yes, let’s do it. Feel free to grab a pen to write down your answers.

Alice: OK, question number one, what cruel sports did the Elizabethans enjoy watching? The answer is bull-baiting, bear-baiting, and cock-fighting. Audiences would bet on which animals would win.

Anouska: Next question, what kinds of plays were popular before Queen Elizabeth’s reign?The answer is morality plays. These were mostly centred around religious themes. But during Elizabeth’s reign, audiences preferred non-religious plays, like comedies!

Alice: And finally, in 1572 an Act was passed in response to the rising popularity of travelling theatre performances. The question is what did this Act do? The answer, it proposed punishing actors who performed without a licence or the backing of a noble patron. Authorities were worried about people behaving badly at performances and wanted to encourage law and order. No bad behaviour here!

Anouska: Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bitesize History podcast.

Alice: We have loved diving into Elizabeth I and sharing some exam techniques to help you with your GCSE History exam.

Anouska: But don’t worry, you can always head to the BBC Sounds app and hit play on any of the episodes in this series. And remember, you’ll always be our Lizzie Legends!

Both: Bye!