OCR UNIT 1 England 1547–1603: The Later Tudors TOPIC REVISION LIST
Topic Area: Edward VI and Mary I
The stability of the monarchy
Overview
Weaknesses of the Mid Tudor Monarchs
Marriage & securing the succession
Importance of Faction 1549-1558
Mid Tudor Economic, Social & Foreign Policy
Challenges
Key Issues
Overview of the Tudors, family tree, introduction to key aspects of the 16 th century
Timelines-Key events of Edward VI & Mary I’s reign
Issues of Edward VI’s minority and upbringing
Somerset vs Northumberland’s rise to power, style of government, achievements & failures
The Fall of Somerset & Rise of Northumberland-key events
The attempt to subvert the Tudor Dynasty, Edward’s Devise for the Succession 1553
The accession of Mary Tudor, the apprenticeship of Mary Tudor
Factors that might affect the success of Mary’s Reign e.g. Mary Tudor’s gender, religious piety etc.
What was Mary’s agenda?
How serious a threat to the power of the monarchy was a female ruler?
The Marriage Question-Mary and Philip II of Spain, The Marriage Treaty
Wyatt’s Rebellion-causes, aims, seriousness, consequences
Faction and its impact during the rule of Somerset and Northumberland; factional conflict between
Paget and Gardiner under Mary
Economy, Finance and the problem of Debasement in the Mid-Tudor years
Foreign Policy under Edward VI and Mary I, Successes AND Failures
Socio-Economic problems under Edward VI and Mary
Religious changes

Key figures Roles of Somerset & Northumberland, Edward VI’s beliefs, Protestant Reformers e.g. Cranmer
(Archbishop of Canterbury since Henry VIII’s reign)

Roles of Mary I, Cardinal Reginald Pole (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1556), Philip II, Bishop
Gardiner & Bishop Bonner

Religious & Ecclesiastical Policy 1547-1558 Edward’s Protestant legislation, including, Book of Homilies (1547), Royal Injunctions (1547),
Dissolution of the Chantries Act (1547), repeal of the Act of Six Articles (passed in 1539) (1547),
Series of Proclamations (1548), the Prayer Books of 1548 & 1552 (Black Rubric) and Acts of
Uniformity, 42 Articles (issued by the Government, based on Cranmer’s ideas, never became law)

Mary’s Catholic legislation, including First Act of Repeal (1553) which restored the Church to what it
had been in 1547, Royal Injunctions (1554), Second Act of Repeal (1554) restored papal authority,
Bishop Bonner’s Book of Homilies (1555), John Rogers became first Protestant martyr of the reign
(1555), Pole’s Synod issued the Twelve Decrees (1556), persecution of many more
Protestants (1556), including Cranmer

Reaction to Religious change
The extent and results of religious change under Edward and Mary
Support for the religious changes, opposition to the religious changes, including examples of
Parliamentary resistance, the religious changes at a local level, including unrest, upheaval and
rebellion connected to religion, popular attitudes to Marian policies including the Catholic
restoration and persecution of heretics

Rebellion and unrest


The rebellions of 1549 (Edward VI)
Rebellions against Mary Tudor
Topic Area: Elizabeth I
The nature of the Elizabethan Monarchy,
Government and Parliament
Gender, Marriage & the Succession
The role of the Court
The Tudor Court & the cult of Elizabeth I
The nature of Elizabeth’s relationship with her
Causes of Western Rising and Kett Rebellion; Religion, social and economic factors including
inflation, poverty, price rises and Enclosure and their link to the unrest
Nature of the rebellions and key events and consequences
Causes of the 1553 Lady Jane Grey affair, the roles of religion, Northumberland, Edward VI & the
succession, Mary’s response to the rebellion
1554 (Wyatt) the Spanish match, Protestantism as a factor
Nature of the rebellions and key events and consequences
Key Issues
What was the accepted role of women in the 16th century?
What were contemporary opinions regarding female rulers?
What were the attitudes of the Privy Council and Parliament towards the issue of marriage and the
succession? What was Elizabeth’s attitude to marriage?
What are the different interpretations of why Elizabeth did not marry?
Who were the potential marriage candidates? (English & foreign)
The issue of the succession
What were the main functions of the Court?
Who were the leading courtiers of the day and how great was their influence?
To what extent was the Court the centre of political life in Elizabethan England?
What were the differing/popular images of Elizabeth and her reign? E.g. ‘Gloriana’ & ‘Golden Age’
To what extent did Tudor propaganda help to create these images? E.g. ‘Manufactured Monarchy’ vs
‘Accidental Monarchy’
What were the functions of the Privy Council? Who were the leading councillors/ministers of the
day? How influential was William Cecil?
Privy Council To what extent was Elizabeth’s Council dominated by faction in the 1570s and 1590s? What issues
divided the Council? What tactics did Elizabeth employ to use/control faction? Was Elizabeth in
control of her Privy Council?
How effective was the Privy Council as an organ of government?

What were the functions of the House of Commons and Lords?

The nature of Elizabeth’s relationship with Parliament’s relationship with the Queen. What are the different interpretations regarding the
Parliament extent of Parliamentary opposition facing Elizabeth? (issues of marriage and succession)
How did Elizabeth’s Privy Council manage the Commons?
What tactics did Elizabeth employ to manage her critics in the Commons? (parliamentary privilege)

Elizabeth and Religion

What problems did the Religious Settlement of The religious situation in 1558-Elizabeth’s Religious inheritance? What choices did Elizabeth have?
1559-63 solve? (situation abroad) What sort of church did Elizabeth want? What form did the Religious Settlement
take? Religious developments 1559-63 -details

The Puritan Threat Definition and nature of Puritanism, Puritan aims

How influential were Puritan leaders? E.g. Thomas Cartwright, John Field,
How did the Puritans attempt to reform the Elizabethan Church? e.g. from within, through
Parliament, through local movements e.g. prophesyings in the 1570s & the Classical Movement in
the 1580s, the Separatists’ attempts to break away from the established church
How did the Elizabethan authorities deal with this threat?
The attitude of Elizabeth’s Archbishops
What was the extent of the Puritan threat? Evaluation and conclusions
The Catholic Threat

Elizabeth’s management of financial,
economic and social affairs
How did Elizabeth control the royal finances?
Poverty in the countryside and towns
Social Legislation
Elizabethan later years 1588–1603
Nature and extent of Catholic Survivalism-an overview
Who were the Catholics? Church Papists, Recusants, Missionary Priests-Seminary Priests and Jesuits
Why did the Catholic threat increase after 1568- Key events
How did the government react to the Catholic threat after 1568?
What was the impact of the legislation?
Historians views on the impact of the Catholic Mission
Conclusions: to what extent were the Catholics penalized?
How serious a threat was Mary, Queen of Scots?
Compare the dangers posed by the plots: Northern Rising, Ridolfi, Throckmorton & Babington
Details of the trial and execution of M Q of S
Conclusions: Was M Q of S a major threat to Elizabeth? Consider both sides of argument
What were the strengths of the financial and economic situation in 1558?
What were the weaknesses of the financial and economic situation in 1558?
How effectively did Elizabeth exploit her sources of income?
How serious a problem was inflation for Elizabeth and her governments?
How successfully was overseas trade developed?
How serious a problem was the issue of monopolies?
Overview of poverty in the 16th C. How were the poor divided up? Rogues and vagabonds
Extent of and causes of poverty
Poor Relief and social legislation
1563 Alms Act, 1563 The Statute of Artificers, 1572 Vagabonds Act, 1576 Act for the Relief of the
Poor, 1598 Act for the Relief of the Poor, 1598 Act for the Punishment of Rogues, Vagabonds &
Beggars, 1601 Act for the Relief of the Poor
How successful was Elizabeth in the last 15 years
of her reign?
To what extent did Elizabeth’s popularity decline
in her final years?
How successfully did Elizabeth defend the royal prerogative after 1588?
To what extent did relations with parliament decline after 1588?
How significant was the impact on England of the war with Spain?
How serious were the social and economic problems of the 1590s?
How much unrest was there in the 1590s? (England and Ireland)
How serious a threat to Elizabeth was the Essex Rebellion?
To what extent did Elizabeth’s popularity decline in the 1590s?