Key term
AQA GCSE History 8145
America, 1840–1895: Expansion and ConsolidationPeriod study
Topic overviewThe geography of North AmericaWhy the early settlers went west and the challenges they facedDealing with a different cultureIncreasing conflict on the PlainsThe background to the American Civil WarComing to terms with the MormonsThe aftermath of the American Civil WarThe continued settlement of the westThe resolution of ‘the Indian problem’ after 1865
America, 1920–1973: Opportunity and InequalityPeriod study
Topic overviewThe ‘Boom’Social and cultural developmentsA divided society: prohibition, organised crime and racial tensionAmerican society during the DepressionThe effectiveness of the New Deal on different groups in societyThe impact of the Second World WarPost-war American society and economyRacial tension and developments in the Civil Rights campaigns in the 1950s and 1960sAmerica and the ‘Great Society'
Conflict and Tension Between East and West, 1945–1972Wider world depth
Topic overviewThe end of the Second World WarThe Iron Curtain and the evolution of East-West rivalryThe significance of events in Asia for superpower relationsMilitary rivalries: the arms race and the space raceThe ‘Thaw’The building of the Berlin WallTensions over CubaCzechoslovakia and the Prague SpringEasing of tension
Conflict and Tension in Asia, 1950–1975Wider world depth
Conflict and Tension in the Gulf and Afghanistan, 1990–2009Wider world depth
Conflict and Tension: The First World War, 1894–1918Wider world depth
Conflict and Tension: The Inter-War Years, 1918–1939Wider world depth
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603British depth
Topic overviewElizabeth I and her courtThe difficulties of a female rulerA ‘Golden Age’Poverty and the treatment of the poorEnglish sailors: Hawkins, Drake, Raleigh and circumnavigationReligious matters: Catholic plots and the threat to the settlementMary Queen of ScotsConflict with SpainThe historic environment of Elizabethan EnglandHistoric site: the Spanish Armada (2027)Historic site: Kenilworth Castle (2028)
Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and DictatorshipPeriod study
Topic overviewKaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling GermanyImpact of the First World WarWeimar democracyThe impact of the DepressionThe failure of Weimar democracyThe establishment of Hitler’s dictatorshipNazi economic changes and the impact of warNazi social policy: women, youth, education, churches and racial persecutionNazi control: propaganda, the police state, opposition and resistance
Health and the People in Britain, c1000 to the Present DayThematic study
Topic overviewThe factors that shape this studyMedieval medicineMedical progressPublic health in the Middle AgesThe impact of the Renaissance on BritainDealing with diseasePrevention of diseaseThe development of Germ Theory and its impact on the treatment of disease in BritainA revolution in surgeryImprovements in public healthModern treatment of diseaseThe impact of war and technology on surgeryModern public health
Medieval England: The Reign of Edward I, 1272–1307British depth
Topic overviewHenry III’s legacyDevelopment of government, rights and justiceTrade, towns and villagesEducation and learningThe development of the legal systemMedieval warfare, tactics and technologyThe invasion and colonisation of WalesRelations with ScotlandThe historic environment of Medieval EnglandHistoric site: the Battle of Stirling Bridge (2027)Historic site: Acton Burnell Castle (2028)
Migration, Empires and the People in Britain, c790 to the Present DayThematic study
Topic overviewThe factors that shape this studyInvasion: the Vikings, the Danelaw and the North Sea EmpireA Norman Kingdom and ‘Angevin’ EmpireThe birth of English identitySugar and the CaribbeanColonisation in North AmericaMigrants to and from BritainExpansion in IndiaExpansion in AfricaMigrants to, from and within BritainThe end of EmpireThe legacy of EmpireBritain’s relationship with Europe and its impact
Norman England, c1066–c1100British depth
Topic overviewCauses of Norman ConquestMilitary aspects: Stamford Bridge, Hastings and Norman tacticsEstablishing and maintaining controlFeudalism and governmentEconomic and social changes and their consequencesThe Norman Church and Archbishop LanfrancNorman monasticism, learning and educationThe historic environment of Norman EnglandHistoric site: the Battle of Hastings (2027)Historic site: the White Tower (2028)
Power and the People in Britain, c1170 to the Present DayThematic study
Topic overviewThe factors that shape this studyConstraints on kingshipThe origins of parliamentMedieval revolt and royal authorityPopular uprisings against the CrownDivine Right and parliamentary authorityRoyal authority and the right to representationThe extension of the franchiseProtest and changeWorkers’ movements and the growth of trade unionismWomen’s rightsWorkers’ rightsMinority rights
Restoration England, 1660–1685British depth
Topic overviewCrown and ParliamentThe Catholic questionCharles II’s courtCrisis: the Great Plague of 1665 and the Fire of LondonRestoration cultureLand: the East India Company and overseas possessionsTrade: mercantilism, the Navigation Acts and the slave tradeWar: sea power and conflict with the DutchThe historic environment of Restoration EnglandHistoric site: the Dutch Raid on the Medway (2027)Historic site: St Paul's Cathedral (2028)
Russia, 1894–1945: Tsardom and CommunismPeriod study
Topic overviewRussia’s economy and societyNicholas II’s autocracy and the courtThe First World War and the collapse of Tsarist governmentThe Provisional GovernmentThe impact of Lenin's dictatorshipWar Communism, the Kronstadt Rising and the New Economic PolicyStalin the dictatorStalin's modernisation of the USSRImpact of the Second World War
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- Paper 2 section B
- Paper 2 section B, one British depth study of four
What Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 covers
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 is examined in Paper 2, Shaping the nation. It covers Elizabeth I and her court, the difficulties of a female ruler, A ‘Golden Age’, poverty and the treatment of the poor, English sailors: Hawkins, Drake, Raleigh and circumnavigation, religious matters: Catholic plots and the threat to the settlement, Mary Queen of Scots, conflict with Spain and the historic environment of Elizabethan England.
Where it is assessed
Paper 2 section B
Shaping the nation: a British depth study, one of four.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Elizabeth I and her courtElizabeth's background, education and character, the royal court and patronage, the Privy Council, the roles of William Cecil, Francis Walsingham and Robert Dudley, and the royal progresses that showed the queen to her people.Open →
- The difficulties of a female rulerWhy a woman ruler was doubted, Parliament's pressure to marry and Peter Wentworth, how Elizabeth controlled Parliament, the monopolies and the Golden Speech, her suitors and why she never married, and Essex's rebellion.Open →
- A ‘Golden Age’Why the reign is called a Golden Age, the great rebuilding, fashion and the sumptuary laws, the rise of the gentry and who missed out on the prosperity, and the Elizabethan theatre, from Burbage's playhouse, Shakespeare and Marlowe to the groundlings and the Puritan and civic objections.Open →
- Poverty and the treatment of the poorPopulation growth, enclosure and rack-renting, the harvests of the 1590s and the lost monasteries, the deserving and idle poor, the Vagabonds Act, the Act of 1576, the Poor Law of 1601, and the towns' schemes.Open →
- English sailors: Hawkins, Drake, Raleigh and circumnavigationHawkins's slave-trading voyages and San Juan de Ulúa, the race-built galleon, Drake's voyage round the world in the Golden Hind, his knighthood and the raid on Cadiz, the new trading companies, and Raleigh's Virginia colony.Open →
- Religious matters: Catholic plots and the threat to the settlementThe middle way and the Act of Uniformity, recusants, the Northern Rebellion, the excommunication of 1570, seminary priests and Jesuits, the Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington plots, the laws of 1581 and 1585, and the Puritans.Open →
- Mary Queen of ScotsMary's claim to the English throne, her loss of the Scottish crown and flight to England in 1568, the problem she posed Elizabeth, the Casket Letters, her long custody, Parliament's demands and the Act for the Queen's Safety, the Babington plot, and her execution in 1587 and its effects.Open →
- Conflict with SpainReligion, privateering and the Netherlands as causes, Philip II's plan for the Armada, the commanders, the two kinds of galleon, the crescent formation, the fireships at Calais, Gravelines, the voyage home round Scotland, and Tilbury.Open →
- The historic environment of Elizabethan EnglandA site's location, function and use, its materials and layout, the people who paid for and occupied it, Elizabethan design features and what they say about values and religion, and links to the wider reign.Open →
- Historic site: the Spanish Armada (2027)The 2027 historic environment site: the Armada's voyage from the Lizard and its beacons, the fleet at Plymouth, the fireships at Calais and the Battle of Gravelines, the wrecks off Scotland and Ireland, and Elizabeth at Tilbury.Open →
- Historic site: Kenilworth Castle (2028)The 2028 historic environment site: the medieval fortress Elizabeth granted to Robert Dudley, his Leicester's Building and garden, the lavish 19-day royal visit of 1575, and the castle's slighting after the Civil War.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Where did political power lie in Elizabeth I's England, and how did the queen keep the loyalty of those around her?
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How was the Spanish Armada of 1588 fought in the Channel and off Calais?
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Why was a woman ruling alone seen as a problem in the sixteenth century?
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Why is Elizabeth's reign often called a Golden Age?
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How did Hawkins change English warships?
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What kind of Church did Elizabeth's religious settlement create?
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Why did Mary, Queen of Scots have a claim to the English throne?
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What should you be able to say about where your site stands?
Who and when
Who were the parents of Elizabeth I?
Who and when
What did Members of Parliament press Elizabeth to do, and why?
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What was the great rebuilding of this period?
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How did population change affect poverty in Elizabethan England?
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What did Francis Drake achieve between 1577 and 1580?
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What did the Act of Uniformity require of ordinary people?
Numbers
How did Mary, Queen of Scots lose the Scottish throne?
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How did religion push England and Spain towards war?
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Why does the position of a site help explain it?
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What was the royal court?
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How did Elizabeth normally control Parliament?
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What were sumptuary laws?
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How did enclosure add to poverty?
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What was Drake's ship called on his voyage round the world?
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What was a recusant?
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Why did Mary come to England in 1568?
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How did the Netherlands draw the two countries into open conflict?
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What is meant by the function of a site?
Process
Who commanded the Armada and the English fleet?
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What happened when the Armada anchored at Calais?
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How was the Armada's defeat commemorated?
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Which historic environment site is set for Elizabethan England in the 2028 exam?
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What happened during Elizabeth's visit to Kenilworth in 1575?
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How was the mere used in 1575?
Take Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Recusant vs Puritan
Recusant: Catholic who refused to attend Church of England services and was fined for staying away. Puritan: Protestant wanting a plainer Church stripped of vestments, images and ceremonies.
Seminary priests vs Jesuits
Seminary priests: men trained at Douai who slipped back into England from 1574 to keep Catholic worship alive. Jesuits: members of the Society of Jesus led into England in 1580 by Campion and Persons.
Ridolfi plot vs Babington plot
Ridolfi plot: 1571 scheme for a Spanish invasion and a marriage between Norfolk and Mary, Queen of Scots. Babington plot: 1586 conspiracy to murder Elizabeth whose letters passed through a channel Walsingham controlled.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Who were the parents of Elizabeth I?
Model answer
Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, who was executed when Elizabeth was a small child.
- 2
When did Elizabeth I become queen, and how old was she?
Model answer
In November 1558, at the age of twenty-five.
- 3
What was unusual about the education Elizabeth I received?
Model answer
She was taught by leading humanist scholars and could read and speak Latin, French, Italian and Greek.
- 4
What happened to Elizabeth during the reign of her half-sister Mary I?
Model answer
She was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1554 on suspicion of joining Wyatt's rebellion, and afterwards kept under guard in the countryside.
- 5
Give two qualities of character that helped Elizabeth I govern successfully.
Model answer
She was highly intelligent and a gifted public performer, and she was cautious, often delaying a decision until it suited her.
- 6
What was the royal court?
Model answer
The household of nobles, officials and servants that travelled with the queen, and the centre of political power, display and entertainment.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 revision questions
- What does Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 cover in AQA GCSE History?
- 11 subtopics: elizabeth i and her court, the difficulties of a female ruler, a ‘golden age’, poverty and the treatment of the poor, english sailors: hawkins, drake, raleigh and circumnavigation, religious matters: catholic plots and the threat to the settlement, mary queen of scots, conflict with spain, the historic environment of elizabethan england, historic site: the spanish armada (2027) and historic site: kenilworth castle (2028). Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 organised?
- By the AQA 8145 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
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