How serious a threat did the Puritans pose to Elizabeth I and her Church?
Top of Form How serious a threat did the Puritans pose to Elizabeth I and her Church? The rise of Puritan ideology in Elizabeth I's Church and Government was potentially an extremely dangerous threat to her power. However in practice, any attempts to promote Puritan ideas were crushed so quickly and effectively by Elizabeth that the movement never got the chance to develop into anything more serious. There was undoubtedly an increase in extreme Protestant views throughout her reign, an area of particular concern to Elizabeth being the Puritan tendencies of some of her most senior advisors. There were also some individuals from within the Church and within Elizabeth's government whose opposition to the Religious Settlement was influential to an extent, particularly during the 1570s, but all received a zero tolerance punishment and so never gained enough support to be a substantial threat to the Monarchy. Historians' views on the extent of the Puritan threat have been extremely varied, from J. E. Neale's argument for the rise of a Puritan parliamentary opposition, known as the 'Puritan Choir', to the less extreme views of those such as Michael Graves who agreed that 'the new generation of Presbyterian-Puritans did make concerted efforts to demolish the Religious Settlement', but that there was no evidence of a 'Puritan Choir'. John Guy agrees with Graves in that Neale based
The greatest obstacle to solving the Irish question in the years 1874 - 1886 was the issue of land: assess the validity of this view.
"THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO SOLVING THE IRISH QUESTION IN THE YEARS 1874 - 1886 WAS THE ISSUE OF LAND": ASSESS THE VALIDITY OF THIS VIEW There can be little doubt that question of land, with specific regards to tenant farmers and absentee landlords, was a major obstacle for the British government as they attempted to 'solve the Irish Question'. However, in addition to the fact that there were other issues within Ireland which also formed obstacles to resolution, such as Home Rule, one must also consider the actions of the Disraeli and Gladstone administrations in this period and assess whether they too acted as obstacles to their own attempts to deal with Ireland. The interpretation that the issue of land was the greatest obstacle has much to commend it. Some of the most serious crises in 19th Century Britain had come about as a result of 'knife and fork' issues (including the Chartist movement and the Plug Riots); the disastrous harvests of 1877-79 in Ireland which meant that many famers unable to pay the rent for their land and were subsequently evicted by the landowners resulted in similar 'knife and fork' issues and caused great Irish unrest. This unrest manifested itself in violence, most notably in Connaught and in Phoenix Park in 1882, as the immediate threat to Irish people's wellbeing sparked 'direct action' in such a way that issues such as a religion could. The
Explain why America became increasingly involved in the affairs of Vietnam
Explain why America became increasingly involved in the affairs of Vietnam Before the Second World War Vietnam had been a French colony. Vietnam consisted of mainly thick jungle and most of the people who lived their were farmers growing rice on the flat, fertile land by the coast. The Japanese during the war occupied Vietnam. A strong resistance movement, Vietminh (anti-Japanese resistance movement) emerged with a communist leader, Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh inspired the Vietnamese people to fight for an independent Vietnam. When the war ended the Vietminh controlled the north of Vietnam and were ready to take control of the rest of the country. The French wanted to regain control of Vietnam again. The Vietnamese people had not fought the Japanese only then to hand over power to the French. In 1946 war broke out between the French and the Vietminh. Ho Chi Minh cleverly did not mention that he was communist so that countries such as the USA would not get involved. The French asked President Eisenhower of the United States to send American troops to help. There was even mention of using nuclear weapons. Eisenhower said 'No' to both of these requests. The United States had just ended the war in Korea in which over 40,000 American's had died. They were in no mood to see anymore Americans die in Vietnam. In 1949, Ho Chi Minh declared himself communist. This date was cleverly
1832 reform act
Popular pressure is a key concept in which the general public aim is to seek change from any existing government. There are two types of popular pressure. The first type being 'moral' examples of this include: picketing and petitions. The second type being 'physical' and its direct example being violence. Popular pressure played a significant part and both types of popular pressure played a key element for the passing of the Great Reform Act. Some Historians agree that popular pressure was the main reason for the passing of the Act however some disagree and argue that other factors to the passing of the Great Reform Act. As well as understanding and knowing that popular pressure contributed to the passing of the Great Reform Act we can question and yet assess to what extent how effective it was to the passing of the Great Reform Act. Popular pressure was crucial to the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832. The involvement of the aristocrats was a key to the cause of popular pressure. However even though the aristocrats (Tories) were involved they were against any sort of reform, and believed that if Britain reformed revolution would come after. There is however evidence to suggest that Physical force contributed greatly to the passing of the Act. The French revolution played a key role in the people of Britain wanting a reform. The working class anticipated liberty and
"Parliament was of little importance in the government of England" - How valid is this view in the years 1525 to 1566?
"Parliament was of little importance in the government of England" How valid is this view in the years 1525 to 1566? Pre reformation parliaments had shown healthy institutional growth and had succeeded in achieving cooperation with the monarch. However during the middle reign of Henry viii was a period known as the parliaments of the reformation, although occasionally called upon they did prove to be of importance in the running of the country through government. The beginning of this phase was due to the annulment with Catherine of Aragon and his infatuation with Anne Boleyn. During this period of 1529-1536 the reformation parliament only met on seven occasions. Henry's relationship with parliament was of great significance to the achievements of the parliament. Henry ruthlessly increased the power of royal government, using parliament to sanction his actions. Henry ruled through powerful ministers who like his six wives were never safe in their positions. His greatest achievement was to initiate the protestant reformation in England. He rejected the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, confiscated church lands, and promoted religious reformers to power. Beginning in 1529, Henry used parliament to exert pressure on the pope. Claiming that they were correcting abuses, the reformation parliament voted to ban payments from English bishops to Rome and to end
Explain why Richard III was able to usurp the throne of England in June 1483
Explain why Richard III was able to usurp the throne of England in June 1483? Richard III grew up in the background of the war of the roses this was a turbulent time in which many members of the monarchy had been usurped and for whoever had the crown there was always the threat of usurpation. Monarchy at this time also caused p0roblems when they died and left young heirs of who could not rule so they had to have a regent which proves to be a problem. The attitude of people and especially the monarchy was to trust no one as anyone would try and usurp you for their shot at power, Even the great King Edward IV killed his own brother George Duke of Clarence because he threatened his sons claim to the throne by saying that they were illegitimate. When Edward died he left a young heir and with the history of the wars of the roses Edward V was not guaranteed a place on the throne. Richard III was a loyal brother to Edward IV he fought and won battles for him and in doing so he managed to achieve or be rewarded with a huge power base in the north and was trusted to rule over the north of the country and also to keep the Scottish under control. When Edward IV died, Richard felt that he should be regent for he was the king's brother but the young Edward was under the control of Earl Rivers his maternal uncle this meant that he was a Woodville. Richard did not like the Woodville's and
How successful were the economic and social reforms of the Peel ministry in the period 1841-1846?
HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REFORMS OF THE PEEL MINISTRY IN THE PERIOD 1841-1846? When the Conservatives under Peel attained power in 1841, they inherited a nation filled with unrest and discontent (i.e. due to 'knife and fork' issues, e.g. Chartism) and a huge budget deficit (estimated at £7.5 million). The Peel Ministry (although often Peel with his ministry in tow) therefore carried out major reforms concerning welfare and trade in order to solve the problems left by the preceding Whig administration. One interpretation of these reforms is that they were successful in developing Britain as a welfare state. In terms of economic policy, Peel's boldness was manifested in the 1842 budget, when he re-introduced the income tax for those earning more than £150 a year, arguing that the poor already had to spend a lot of their income on regressive taxes on many articles of consumption (e.g. sugar), and reduced import duties, in order to boost the economy and stabilise a discontented society. His aim was to make Britain a cheaper place to live, thereby silencing the discontent. The success of these measures can be seen in the fact that the aforementioned deficit which Peel inherited was into a £5 million surplus by 1845, and the fact that after Peel was forced to resign, there was a mid-Victorian boom, a golden age of prosperity, which can attributed to these
To what extent were humanitarian and missionary motives the most important reason for British expansion into Africa between 1868 and 1902?
To what extent were humanitarian and missionary motives the most important reason for British expansion into Africa between 1868 and 1902? Although there had been British presence in Africa from the start of the 19th Century, with British areas of control including Cape Colony, Orange Free State and areas along the West coast, prior to 1880 Britain had in reality very few possessions in Africa. Only when the 'Scramble for Africa' was triggered did Britain, along with many other European great powers, begin its campaign for territorial acquisition. The fundamental motives for British expansion into Africa were essentially the economic interest Africa held for Britain and its entrepreneurs, the rivalry Africa created between the Great European Powers, its strategic value and what was commonly presented to the British public as being the most important motive, humanitarian purposes. For many, including Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, it was believed that Britain had a moral obligation to bring civilization and Christianity to the native population who were considered to be 'uncivilized' and racially inferior. Moreover, the Church strongly promoted the idea of missionary work in Africa; the Church encouraged the notion that a fundamental element of imperial occupation was the extension of Christianity which therefore was a motive behind imperialism in Africa. Many
How successful was Wolsey's domestic administration of England 1515-1529?
How successful was Wolsey's domestic administration of England 1515-1529? Wolsey was born in Ipswich in 1472 to a working class family. He was a talented scholar who progressed from being the Rector of Limington in 1500 to being Henry VIII's highest advisor by 1514. Giustininani, the Venetian ambassador at the time, talks of Wolsey's "vast ability". Qwyn also says Wolsey, "combined both enormous ability and unstoppable determination." He progressed to Lord Chancellor, ruling the state and Legate, ruling the church enabling him to make many new policies. These included judicial and church policies, as well as social policies and finance. Wolsey felt that wrongdoing had to be punished wherever it was to be found, no matter who committed the crime. This meant that Wolsey's judicial policies affected both the rich and poor alike. This made Wolsey many enemies in high places due to his prosecution of nobles. An example of this is the prosecution of Sir William Bulmer for illegal retaining or Sir Robert Sheffield being fined £5330 for opprobrious words. Wolsey also got rid of Henry's closed friends, the minions as he felt they had more influence on Henry than he did. Wolsey replaced the minions with his own men but these reforms were abandoned, as Henry got bored of Wolsey's men. His attitude to nobles can also be seen in the execution of the Duke of Buckingham in 1521. Wolsey
How Successful Were the Religious Reforms of Somerset and Northumberland?
HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE RELIGIOUS REFORMS OF SOMERSET AND NORTHUMBERLAND? In the short period stretching from 1547 to 1553, England saw a time of uncertainty created by the speed of political and religious change during the time of underage monarch Edward VI. The fact that Edward was an underage monarch was only one of the small problems faced during his reign which was worsened by the problems left by his father Henry VIII. Religious developments and reforms during Edward's reign have often been seen as cautious and moderate reform under the Duke of Somerset and more radical changes under the Duke of Northumberland. There is some truth in this notion, though it is something of an over-simplification. Needless to say, there could be little doubt that in 1547 there would be some moves toward reforms, the question being how successful they actually were. From 1547 to 1549 the country was officially under the control of Edward Seymour (Edward VI's uncle, later known as the Duke of Somerset). Seymour was declared Protector and governor of the King's person by the Privy Council set up by Henry VIII in preparation for his death. Seymour quickly overcame many enemies on the council and assumed control of both council and control. He titled himself 'Lord Protector' during his two years in power, and rarely put the council into good use. During his time in power Somerset proved he
