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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Elizabeth I and Parliament

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My school taught us this module quickly, from September to Christmas, so that we could sit it in January and resit in the summer if necessary. I got an A - once you understand the way the exam works, it's fine. Hopefully I can be of some help! OK - four main topic areas:

What problems did Elizabeth face as a female ruler and how did she cope with them?

This covers her lack of marriage, (was it deliberate (Haigh) or circumstantial (Doran)) her succession (why didn't she name a successor? - assassination risk? reduction of power? conflict risk? selfish?) and her public image, (traditionalists think she was the incredibly popular, majestic Virgin Queen, revisionist tend to question how much of this was exaggeration due to her unpopular successors).

To what extent was Elizabeth able to control and manage her government and parliaments?

This covers the religious settlement (great for interpretations because there's the clear traditional view that she wanted and got a 'middle way' settlement, Neale's idea of the 'Puritan choir' influencing her, and the revisionist view that had Protestant wishes influenced by Catholics in the House of Lords. Also the Privy Council and factions - was she skilled at playing the factions off against each other (traditional) or lucky to avoid serious trouble? (revisionist) Then there are her later years, which question how much control she then wielded, and her relationship with parliament, which includes the idea of the Puritan choir again, or the question of whether the Puritan influence has been exaggerated.

Why and with what consequences did Puritans challenge the Elizabethan church?

Consider how strong Puritanism was, and how much of a threat it was to her. The traditionalist view says that she inherited a happy, Protestant country, but revisionists (although there's a lack of evidence) suggest that it was a minority.

How serious was the threat posed by Roman Catholics to church and state in the reign of Elizabeth?

Consider the plots, particularly the Northern Rebellion - was this a serious threat or an exaggerated one? Also the missionary priests - the traditionalist view says that Catholicism was always in decline and though they helped revive it they could never really be successful, while Bossy and Haigh have some clear views also.

Obviously you'll have to look into these areas in a lot more detail but hopefully that gives a bit of an overview. Just try and revise in a new way - don't cover topics in a narrative way, but think of the different interpretations available for each event. The religious settlement is a good place to start, I think, because the interpretations are very clear. Speak to your teacher to get the exam spec and that will give you a clear idea of the mark scheme - if they're unhelpful, look on the internet.

The exam is no worse than the document/essay papers from AS, you've just got to make sure that you understand where the marks come from. Good luck!

Comments

These notes are aimed at A Level history students.

Originally written by electric_egg on TSR Forums.