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10 | <Metadata name="Source">eliz3.html</Metadata>
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12 | <Metadata name="Language">en</Metadata>
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13 | <Metadata name="Encoding">windows_1252</Metadata>
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14 | <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
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15 | <Metadata name="Content">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
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16 | <Metadata name="Page_topic">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana</Metadata>
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17 | <Metadata name="Title">Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
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18 | <Metadata name="FileFormat">HTML</Metadata>
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19 | <Metadata name="URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/eliz3.html</Metadata>
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31 | </Description>
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32 | <Content>
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33 |
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34 | <table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="667">
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35 | <tr>
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36 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
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37 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="29"><p align="center">&nbsp;</td>
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38 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
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39 | </tr>
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40 | <tr>
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41 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
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42 | <td width="50%" height="3">
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43 | <p align="center">
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44 | <IMG height=98 alt="Queen Elizabeth I"
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45 | src="_httpdocimg_/eliz1-queenuse.gif" width=422></td>
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46 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
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47 | </tr>
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48 | <tr>
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49 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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50 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
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51 | <p align="center">
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52 | <IMG height=476
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53 | alt="'The Sieve Portrait' of Elizabeth I by Quentin Metsys"
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54 | src="_httpdocimg_/eliz1-metsys.jpg" width=350 border=2><blockquote>
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55 | <p align="left">
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56 | &nbsp;</blockquote>
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57 | <DIV align=left>Visit
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58 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2feliz1-images.html">Elizabethan
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59 | Images</a> to view portraits of the queen and her courtiers, with
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60 | commentary.<BR>Read poems, letters, and speeches by the queen at <A
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61 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">Primary
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62 | Sources</A>.</DIV>
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63 | <DIV align=left>&nbsp;</DIV>
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64 | <DIV align=left>Read ES Beesly's 1892 biography of Queen
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65 | Elizabeth I at <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html">
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66 | Secondary Sources</a>.<BR><BR>Visit <A
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67 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html">the Anne
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68 | Boleyn website</A> to learn more about Elizabeth's mother.<BR>Visit <A
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69 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fmaryqos.html">the Mary,
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70 | queen of Scots website</A> to learn more about Elizabeth's
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71 | cousin.<BR><BR>Test your knowledge of Elizabeth's life and times at <A
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72 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ftudor1.html">Tudor
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73 | Quizzes</A>.</DIV>
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74 | <DIV align=left>&nbsp;</DIV>
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75 | <DIV align=left>Meet other Elizabethan enthusiasts at
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76 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.alassea.net%2ffl%2felizabeth">The Virgin Queen
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77 | fanlisting</a>.</DIV>
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78 | <DIV align=left>&nbsp;</DIV>
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79 | </td>
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80 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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81 | </tr>
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82 | </table>
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83 |
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84 | <blockquote>
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85 | <blockquote>
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86 | <blockquote>
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87 | <hr>
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88 | </blockquote>
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89 | </blockquote>
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90 | <p><font size="4">'And to me it shall be a full satisfaction, both for the memorial of my
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91 | Name, and for my Glory also, if when I shall let my last breath, it be
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92 | ingraven upon my Marble Tomb, Here lieth Elizabeth, which Reigned a
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93 | Virgin, and died a Virgin.'&nbsp;&nbsp; </font><I><FONT size=-1>Elizabeth I to
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94 | Parliament, 1559&nbsp;</FONT></I><font size="2"> </font></p>
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95 | <blockquote>
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96 | <blockquote>
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97 | <hr>
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98 |
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99 | <P>Elizabeth was content to ignore potential suitors; she considered
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100 | religion to be the most pressing and divisive issue in England.&nbsp;
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101 | Having lived through years of spiritual upheaval, she well understood her
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102 | subjects' need for peace.&nbsp; But it would not be easy to find. </P>
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103 | <P>Both Protestants and Catholics had suffered throughout the reigns of
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104 | Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I.&nbsp; Henry's religious policies had
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105 | been muddled and disarming; no one, even the king, knew the definition of
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106 | heresy.&nbsp; Or rather, they knew heresy was whatever the king commanded,
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107 | and that changed from year to year.&nbsp; Edward had been a devout
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108 | Protestant, as had his councilors.&nbsp; The six years of his rule
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109 | witnessed its political and social triumph, primarily through southern
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110 | England.&nbsp; The independent north remained conservative and
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111 | Catholic.&nbsp; Mary had been an equally devout Catholic, imbued with
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112 | genuine religious fervor.&nbsp; She brought papal privilege back to
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113 | England after a twenty-year absence.&nbsp; And now Elizabeth came to the
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114 | throne, having been Protestant and Catholic, for she had tacked to the
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115 | treacherous winds of her siblings' courts.&nbsp; </P>
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116 | <P>Each faith harbored grievances against the other.&nbsp; Her Protestant
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117 | councilors increasingly felt that Catholics were political traitors, as if
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118 | their very faith implied a lack of patriotism.&nbsp; They warned Elizabeth
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119 | that the pope commanded her Catholic subjects, not she; only a swift and
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120 | strong blow could ensure their fear and forced loyalty.&nbsp; But for the
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121 | queen, her Catholic subjects were also, quite simply, subjects.&nbsp; If
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122 | they recognized her rule, she had no qualms about their private
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123 | worship.&nbsp; Let them go publicly to Protestant services and then do as
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124 | they wished at home.&nbsp; So long as they did not rebel, she was content
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125 | not to pry. </P>
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126 | <P>This generosity, echoed in Mary Stuart's behavior in Scotland, was
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127 | considered a weakness by many.&nbsp; And many Catholics did not trust the
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128 | queen's promises. </P>
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129 | <P>Elizabeth's first parliament met from January to April 1559.&nbsp; The
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130 | new queen did not bother to revoke her illegitimacy, as Mary had.&nbsp;
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131 | This was indicative of Elizabeth's self-confidence and her ability to let
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132 | the past go.&nbsp; She even welcomed her former jailer Bedingfield to
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133 | court, though with a caustic wit.&nbsp; </P>
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134 | <P>Religious turmoil was soon the subject of impassioned debate.&nbsp; The
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135 | royal supremacy - the royal title of Supreme Head of the Church of England
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136 | - was reinstated, though altered to 'Supreme Governor'.&nbsp; In the House
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137 | of Lords, many bishops resisted the changes but they were quickly replaced
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138 | by others, led by Matthew Parker as archbishop of Canterbury.&nbsp;
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139 | Elizabeth pressed for a restoration of the 1549 Prayer Book, which she
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140 | felt would be acceptable to Protestants and most complacent
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141 | Catholics.&nbsp; But the new bishops preferred the 1552 Prayer Book; it
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142 | was rather vague about most controversial maters and thus less offensive
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143 | to Catholics.&nbsp; Elizabeth assented and the Act of Uniformity was
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144 | passed.&nbsp; She was particularly successful in making religious
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145 | dissension a political matter, rather than a troublesome question of
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146 | doctrine.&nbsp; In the Oath of Supremacy, in which her authority as
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147 | Supreme Governor was recognized, the queen's powers were explicitly
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148 | outlined.&nbsp; It was a simple matter to remove Marian stalwarts from
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149 | positions of authority, and about 300 clergy were dismissed.&nbsp; In
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150 | total, one third of parish clergy were replaced.&nbsp;</P>
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151 | <P>Most Englishmen were content with this settlement, though extremists on
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152 | both sides felt it inadequate.&nbsp; Elizabeth effectively placed the
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153 | church under control of the crown, thus merging religious and political
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154 | power in her person.</P>
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155 | <hr>
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156 | </blockquote>
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157 | </blockquote>
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158 | <p><font size="4">'From the very beginning&nbsp; of her reign she has treated all
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159 | religious questions with so much caution and incredible prudence that she
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160 | seems both to protect the Catholic religion and at the same time not
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161 | entirely to condemn or outwardly reject the new Reformation.... <BR>In my
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162 | opinion, a very prudent action, intended to keep the adherents of both
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163 | creeds in subjection, for the less she ruffles them at the beginning of
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164 | her reign the more easily she will enthrall them later on.'&nbsp; </font>&nbsp;<I><FONT
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165 | size=-1>the Imperial envoy Count con Helffstein, March 1559</FONT></I></p>
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166 | <blockquote>
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167 | <blockquote>
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168 | <hr>
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169 | <P>This balance was maintained successfully through most of her
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170 | reign.&nbsp; However, in later years, two great problems emerged.&nbsp;
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171 | The first was the growing popularity of the Puritan movement.&nbsp; This
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172 | extreme form of Protestantism was a direct attack upon the royal
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173 | supremacy.&nbsp; In England, the Puritans were directly influenced by
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174 | continental Presbyterians.&nbsp; They believed passionately in one rule
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175 | only, that of Holy Scripture.&nbsp; They also believed in a fellowship of
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176 | ministers; parishes would elect their own religious leaders, under the
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177 | supervision of a group of elders.&nbsp; In other words, the parishes would
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178 | usurp the power of the queen. </P>
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179 | <P>For the Puritans, it became distressingly clear that the Church of
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180 | England was more dedicated to England and its ruler than to God.&nbsp;
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181 | </P>
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182 | <P>Elizabeth's government was able to keep the Puritan movement
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183 | underground.&nbsp; John Whitgift, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in
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184 | 1583, attempted to neutralize their cause by adopting some needed
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185 | reforms.&nbsp; But he did not wish to create Puritan martyrs, as Mary I
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186 | had created Protestant ones.&nbsp; He was also more interested in
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187 | establishing a uniform clergy rather than debating doctrine.&nbsp; A few
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188 | Puritans were executed and many others banished under Whitgift; his use of
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189 | the church courts robbed the new doctrine of its momentum.&nbsp; It
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190 | remained troublesome to the queen, but never a real threat.&nbsp;
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191 | Elizabeth's rule was preferable to any other; she had become, however
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192 | unwillingly, the champion of the Protestant cause.&nbsp; Puritan attempts
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193 | to check the royal prerogative would only succeed in the next generation.
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194 | </P>
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195 | <P>The Catholics, however, became a genuine threat to the queen's very
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196 | life.&nbsp; While the Puritans used words against the queen, the Catholic
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197 | extremists were eventually prepared to kill her.&nbsp; </P>
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198 | <P>The first decade of Elizabeth's reign found the Catholics relatively
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199 | quiet and content.&nbsp; They were settled mainly in the north and west of
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200 | England, and accepted the 1559 religious settlement.&nbsp; They believed
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201 | Elizabeth to be illegitimate and thus ineligible to be queen, but neither
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202 | Pope Paul IV or his successor, Pius IV, seriously challenged her
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203 | title.&nbsp; She was not even excommunicated until 1570.&nbsp; The two
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204 | greatest European powers, Spain (the Hapsburg Empire) and France, were
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205 | cautious but friendly.&nbsp; England had long been a balance between their
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206 | competing interests.&nbsp; And as mentioned earlier, Philip II of Spain
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207 | had even sought to marry Elizabeth.&nbsp; For her part, the queen took
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208 | care not to disturb calm waters. </P>
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209 | <P>But calm can be deceptive and misleading.&nbsp; In 1568, ten years into
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210 | her reign, Elizabeth was forced to abandon her studied disinterest and
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211 | choose sides.</P>
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212 | <P>Europe was caught in bloody religious turmoil.&nbsp; There was a
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213 | Protestant rebellion in the Netherlands and Philip
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214 | <IMG height=216
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215 | alt="Elizabeth I's troublesome cousin, Mary queen of Scots, c1565"
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216 | src="_httpdocimg_/eliz3-maryqos1.jpg" width=160 border=2 align="left">II sent the duke of
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217 | Alva to crush it.&nbsp; There was now a massive military power directly
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218 | across the Channel from England.&nbsp; Elizabeth's council could only
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219 | wonder - once Alva's force completed its bloody business there, would he
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220 | then look to England?&nbsp; And that same year, <A
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221 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.ne%2ftudor%2frelative%2fmaryqos.html">Mary
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222 | Stuart</A> fled her disastrous reign in Scotland to seek Elizabeth's
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223 | help.&nbsp; She needed an army to recover her throne from Protestant
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224 | rebels who had forced her abdication and imprisoned her.&nbsp; Elizabeth
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225 | and her councilors were aghast.&nbsp; Mary was the true queen of England
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226 | in the eyes of Catholic Europe, as well as some Catholic Englishmen.&nbsp;
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227 | And she was now in England, on her way to becoming the greatest quandary
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228 | of Elizabeth's reign.&nbsp; Just as Elizabeth had been the inevitable
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229 | focus of conspiracies and plots against Mary I's rule, Mary queen of Scots
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230 | would be the focus of discontent against Elizabeth.&nbsp; And if Elizabeth
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231 | should die, naturally or otherwise, Mary had the strongest claim to the
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232 | English throne.&nbsp; All of the Protestant councilors were terrified;
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233 | what should they do with Mary Stuart? </P>
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234 | <P>Also, a Catholic missionary college was founded at Douai in Flanders by
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235 | the Englishman William Allen.&nbsp; He planned to take a proactive role in
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236 | reasserting his faith in England, and he attracted many dedicated
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237 | followers.&nbsp; Douai was soon a flourishing center for anti-Elizabethan
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238 | plots and propaganda. </P>
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239 | <P>For the queen, her cherished and precarious balance, successfully
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240 | maintained for a decade, was falling to pieces.&nbsp; She took the
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241 | precaution of imprisoning Mary queen of Scots in a variety of secure
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242 | castles.&nbsp; At first, this 'imprisonment' was little more than an
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243 | inconvenience since Mary wished to return home.&nbsp; She sincerely
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244 | believed Elizabeth would help her, as a fellow queen and cousin.&nbsp; She
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245 | never recognized the political danger she brought to bear upon her 'sweet
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246 | sister'.&nbsp; Elizabeth was told by the Protestant lords in Scotland that
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247 | Mary was unwelcome; she faced certain death if she returned.&nbsp; Her
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248 | infant son (whose birth caused Elizabeth to exclaim, 'Alack, the Queen of
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249 | Scots is lighter of a bonny son, and I am but of barren stock!') was now king.&nbsp; The
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250 | Scots also plied Elizabeth's council with
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251 | evidence of Mary's complicity in her second husband's murder.&nbsp; Would
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252 | the queen of England lend her support to such a woman?&nbsp; It was indeed
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253 | a vexing problem.&nbsp; Elizabeth settled upon appointing a commission to
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254 | investigate the charges against Mary. </P>
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255 | <P>And soon enough, she had even more pressing concerns.</P>
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256 | <hr>
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257 | </blockquote>
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258 | </blockquote>
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259 | <p align="center"><font size="4">'The common people are ignorant, superstitious, and altogether blinded
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260 | with the old popish doctrine.' <BR></font><I><FONT size=-1>Sir Ralph Sadler to
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261 | Sir William Cecil, 1569</FONT></I></p>
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262 | <blockquote>
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263 | <blockquote>
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264 | <hr>
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265 | <P>The conservative north had never been friendly to the Tudor
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266 | dynasty.&nbsp; The last Plantagenet king, Richard III, had been their
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267 | lord; they led rebellions against his killer and successor, Henry
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268 | VII.&nbsp; The first Tudor king succeeded in establishing nominal
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269 | authority over the fractious northern earls.&nbsp; His son, Henry VIII,
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270 | was equally troubled.&nbsp; His Reformation led to the great northern
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271 | rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.&nbsp; Henry dealt
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272 | brutally with the rebels and made only one northern progress
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273 | afterwards, taking his fifth queen, Catherine Howard, to York soon
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274 | after their marriage.&nbsp; Edward VI's Protestant council was also troubled by the
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275 | north while the Catholic Mary I gained her greatest support there.&nbsp; She rode north
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276 | after Dudley seized control of London and had Lady Jane Grey crowned
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277 | queen.&nbsp; Elizabeth had long recognized its intransigence.&nbsp; She
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278 | was never particularly close to the great northern lords of her reign, the
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279 | earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, and the only duke in England, her
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280 | Howard cousin Thomas, 4th duke of Norfolk.&nbsp; She showed Norfolk some
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281 | degree of personal affection, as she did all of her maternal
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282 | relatives.&nbsp; But she recognized his ambition and their religious
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283 | differences.&nbsp; As a duke, he was one of the wealthiest men in England
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284 | and thus had great influence.&nbsp; Yet he was never a close advisor to
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285 | the queen.&nbsp; </P>
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286 | <P>The arrival of Mary Stuart was the great topic at Elizabeth's court in
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287 | 1569.&nbsp; What would the queen do?&nbsp; Some of her councilors,
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288 | including Dudley and Throckmorton, thought Mary should wed the premier
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289 | peer in England.&nbsp; This was, of course, the queen's cousin
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290 | Norfolk.&nbsp; Cecil was vehemently opposed; he disliked Norfolk and his
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291 | opposition only strengthened Dudley's support.&nbsp; Two problems could
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292 | possibly be solved by the marriage - Mary Stuart would be safely settled
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293 | in England and the succession would be assured.&nbsp; Elizabeth recognized
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294 | this short-sighted solution for the mirage it was, for how long would she
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295 | live after the marriage?&nbsp; Her realm would be bitterly divided and
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296 | torn, with rival factions centered upon herself and Norfolk.&nbsp; As
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297 | future king of England, he might dare to rebel against her.&nbsp; And what
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298 | support would she gain, a 'Virgin Queen' with only her subjects' love to
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299 | sustain her?&nbsp; And despite her pragmatism, Elizabeth was Protestant
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300 | and the Norfolk marriage would be a Catholic triumph.&nbsp; </P>
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301 | <P>The queen soon let both Dudley and Norfolk know of her
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302 | displeasure.&nbsp; Dudley was roundly chastised and Norfolk left court for
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303 | his country estate Kenninghall.&nbsp; He refused a summons to appear
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304 | before Elizabeth at Windsor Castle.&nbsp; Her anger was further
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305 | roused.&nbsp; There were whispers of a rebellion, that&nbsp; Norfolk and
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306 | his supporters would free Mary and march on London.&nbsp; The northern
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307 | earls were less keen on the marriage; as Northumberland put it, he did not
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308 | plan 'to hazard myself for the marriage.'&nbsp; He and Westmorland and
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309 | Lord Dacre had local grievances against the queen, mainly religious but
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310 | also including the erosion of their local authority.&nbsp; As hereditary
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311 | nobles, they felt pushed aside at court and not given the proper respect.&nbsp;
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312 | This had been a common aristocratic complaint during her father's reign as
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313 | well.</P>
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314 | <P>But they had also heard stories of Mary Stuart's behavior in Scotland
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315 | and distrusted her character.&nbsp; It is also not certain they wished for
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316 | Norfolk to be king.&nbsp; Their primary purpose was to undo the 1559 Act
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317 | of Uniformity and crush the 'new found religion and heresy.'&nbsp; As
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318 | their proclamation asserted: </P>
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319 | <BLOCKQUOTE>
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320 | <p>Thomas, Earl of Northumberland, and Charles, Earl of
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321 | Westmorland, the queen's most true and lawful subjects and to all her
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322 | highness's people sendeth greeting:&nbsp; Whereas divers new set up
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323 | nobles about the Queen's Majesty have and do daily, not only go about to
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324 | overthrow and put down the ancient nobility of this realm but have also
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325 | misused the Queen's own person and have also by the space of twelve
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326 | years now past set up and maintained a new found religion and heresy
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327 | contrary to God's word.&nbsp; For the amending and redressing thereof
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328 | divers foreign powers do purpose shortly to invade this realm which will
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329 | be to our utter destruction if we do not speedily forfend the same
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330 | .....we will and require each and every of you as your duty to God for
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331 | the setting forth of his true and Catholic religion ....come and resort
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332 | unto us with all speed with all the armour and furniture as you or any
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333 | of you have.</p>
|
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334 | </BLOCKQUOTE>
|
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335 | <p>And throughout the north, they found ready
|
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336 | adherents for their cause.&nbsp; The rebellion made clear to Elizabeth
|
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337 | that a quiet decade had not eased religious change upon all her
|
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338 | subjects.&nbsp; The Catholic appeal was so strong that the earl of Sussex,
|
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339 | sent to crush the rebellion, did not fully trust his own forces.&nbsp; </p>
|
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340 | <P>It began in 1569, but the queen was fortunate in her enemies.&nbsp;
|
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341 | Norfolk was indecisive; should he risk his grand title and privileges for
|
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342 | the possibility of<IMG height=345 alt="portrait of Elizabeth I"
|
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343 | src="_httpdocimg_/elizfan.jpg" width=300 border=2 align="right"> becoming king?&nbsp; While he hesitated, the earl of
|
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344 | Sussex led his troops on a steady course north.&nbsp; The rebels
|
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345 | themselves were often conflicted in their duties to the queen and their
|
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346 | church.&nbsp; When faced with the queen's army, they returned home.&nbsp;
|
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347 | The noble leaders escaped abroad or bought their freedom by giving their
|
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348 | property to the crown.&nbsp; </P>
|
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349 | <P>The Northern Rebellion was a frightening experience, but it ended
|
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350 | satisfactorily enough.&nbsp; It was clear, however, that northern England
|
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351 | must be more carefully watched and controlled.&nbsp; And as a result of
|
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352 | the rebellion, <I>Regnans in excelsis</I> was issued by the papacy in
|
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353 | March 1570.&nbsp; This was the official excommunication of Queen Elizabeth
|
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354 | I; she was formally deposed and her Catholic subjects absolved of all
|
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355 | loyalty and obedience to her office.&nbsp; The Catholic powers of Europe
|
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356 | were also ordered to act against the unlawful queen.&nbsp; She was a
|
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357 | heretic and enemy of the true faith.&nbsp; This moment had been long
|
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358 | expected in England.&nbsp; And it brought fresh impetus to the Protestant
|
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359 | councilors to protect Elizabeth's life. </P>
|
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360 | <P>A papal bull could be a powerful document.&nbsp; It could be used by
|
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361 | any Catholic prince, though Elizabeth's mind turned immediately to her
|
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362 | former brother-in-law Philip II, to justify an invasion.&nbsp; In 1571,
|
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363 | parliament took action.&nbsp; It was now treason to declare Elizabeth a
|
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364 | heretic or impugn her claim to the throne.&nbsp; The fines for recusants,
|
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365 | those who did not attend Protestant church services, were increased
|
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366 | dramatically, from a shilling a week to 20 pds a month.&nbsp; Many noble
|
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367 | Catholic families would not compromise their faith and paid the fines;
|
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368 | they were driven into poverty.&nbsp; In later years, it would become
|
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369 | treason to convert to Catholicism and all Catholic priests were ordered to
|
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370 | leave England.&nbsp; This happened only after Catholic plots against
|
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371 | Elizabeth's life had been discovered.&nbsp; Many of these plots were led
|
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372 | by agents from Douai, dozens of whom had secretly returned to
|
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373 | England.&nbsp; </P>
|
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374 | <P>Elizabeth had reason to hope these measures would be successful.&nbsp;
|
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375 | Mary Stuart's son was growing up safely Protestant in Scotland and
|
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376 | Elizabeth was friendly with his ministers.&nbsp; English Catholics were
|
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377 | deprived of priests, unable to attend universities, and support from
|
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378 | European allies was slowly being cut off.&nbsp; This support was
|
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379 | particularly troubling; the first Catholic martyr of her reign, Cuthbert
|
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380 | Mayne, was executed in 1577, but only because he had committed political
|
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381 | treason.&nbsp; There was no need to make martyrs, the council thought, and
|
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382 | it should be remembered that the Catholic problem coincided with the rise
|
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383 | in Puritanism.&nbsp; Elizabeth often wondered aloud at her subjects'
|
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384 | ingratitude.&nbsp; She had kept them safe and secure at home, thought only
|
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385 | of their welfare, and yet it seemed plots against her abounded. </P>
|
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386 | <P>Perhaps the most confused subjects were those Catholics loyal to the
|
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387 | queen but now deemed traitors because of their faith.&nbsp; They were
|
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388 | condemned to political limbo because of extremist actions.&nbsp; </P>
|
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389 | <P>The insularity of Elizabeth's reign was thus broken in 1568, and she
|
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390 | was forced into continental affairs.&nbsp; This was not of her
|
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391 | choosing.&nbsp; But the papal bull could not be ignored, nor the brutal
|
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392 | actions of Alva in the Netherlands.&nbsp; Perhaps she didn't seek the
|
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393 | role, or relish it, but Elizabeth was regarded as the champion of
|
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394 | Protestantism in Europe.&nbsp; </P>
|
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395 | <P>At first, Spanish hostility was tempered by Philip's conflict with
|
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396 | France.&nbsp; He wanted Elizabeth's support and she encouraged him by
|
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397 | considering a possible marriage.&nbsp; Of course, she had no intention of
|
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398 | accepting his proposal but it was a useful diplomatic tool.&nbsp; But then
|
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399 | Alva's 50,000 troops arrived in the Netherlands, and began to
|
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400 | systematically attack its Protestant population.&nbsp; They in turn sought
|
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401 | Elizabeth's aid.&nbsp; Also, the Huguenots (French Protestants) were under
|
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402 | attack, most famously in the gruesome St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of
|
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403 | 1572. </P>
|
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404 | <P>Cecil urged support; after all, where would Alva's army go once it finished
|
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405 | with the Netherlands?&nbsp; They would have a secure base for either destroying
|
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406 | English trade or invasion.&nbsp; Dudley and Norfolk (tentatively pardoned
|
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407 | by the queen after he promised to never contact Mary Stuart) urged
|
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408 | caution.&nbsp; The queen must abandon the Dutch and the Huguenots, or she
|
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409 | faced wars with France and Spain.&nbsp; She would save her precious
|
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410 | treasury as well; Elizabeth had inherited an empty treasury and hence
|
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411 | loathed to part with money.&nbsp; </P>
|
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412 | <P>She prevaricated as much as possible.&nbsp; She allowed English ships
|
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413 | under Drake and Hawkins to harass and seize Spanish ships returning from
|
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414 | the New World; she did not officially approve of their actions but she
|
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415 | gladly accepted stolen Spanish bullion.&nbsp; She sent small contingents
|
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416 | of troops to the Netherlands, though the situation deteriorated steadily
|
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417 | over the next several years.&nbsp; Philip retaliated by supporting
|
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418 | insurrection in Ireland. </P>
|
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419 | <P>This conflict with Spain and the problem of Mary queen of Scots
|
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420 | continued to vex Elizabeth for many years.</P>
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421 | <P align="center">&nbsp;</P>
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422 | <P align="center"><B><A
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423 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2feliz4.html">CONTINUE
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424 | READING</A></B> <BR>&nbsp; </P>
|
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425 | <P align="center"><FONT size=-1><A
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426 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs.html">to Tudor
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427 | Monarchs</A><BR><A
|
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428 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2feliz2.html">back to Queen
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429 | Elizabeth I, part two</A></FONT></P>
|
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430 | </blockquote>
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431 | </blockquote>
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432 | </blockquote>
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433 |
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434 |
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435 |
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436 | <!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fhostingprod.com%2fjs%5fsource%2fgeov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;el=direct&amp;href=http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082753" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
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438 | </Content>
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439 | </Section>
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440 | </Archive>
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