Whether or not an aging Elizabeth and a seventeen-year-old Earl of Essex enjoyed all-nighters playing cards is perhaps open to debate. However, what is not open to debate is the spectacular fall from grace that attended Essex, from one of Elizabeth’s favourite courtiers to traitor with his head on the block.
Was Elizabeth losing her grip or was Essex temperamentally unstable and overly ambitious?
This enquiry seeks to explain the causes of the Essex rebellion before setting it against the context of Elizabeth’s later years.
You students will decide which interpretation of the rebellion they most agree with. The enquiry then turns into summation of the unit and a study in change.
How much changed in England between 1558 and 1603?
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheet 1-4: PDF
