Breadth 1: Changes in governance at the centre - The key institutions of government Flashcards
What was the royal household?
Responsible for domestic needs - e.g kitchens, laundary, gardens. Controlled by high level officials - Board of the Green Cloth
How did the royal household change?
Mainly servants, but had high level officials known as the Green Cloth. The household could grow or shrink according to the personal needs of the monarch and his family, and sometimes criticised for being too large.It grew and shrank. 1526 - TW tried to reform it due to expense through the Eltham Ordinances - wanted only 20 in the household, unsuccessful as he did not have control over appointments or the desires and wishes of the king himself.
What was the privy chamber?
Served by the household. Monarch’s living arrangements structured so access was controlled. Rooms laid out so monarch had privacy. Where the monarch and family lived
What was the Great Hall and the watching chamber in the Privy Chamber?
A room for feastings, beyond it as private rooms. The watching chamber was where all visitors could pass
What was the Presence Chamber in the Privy Chamber?
Where the monarch would dine and where news and gossip would flow.
What happened to the importance of the Privy Chamber over time and how did Henry VII use it?
- Grew in political importance
- 1495 Henry VII feared betrayal
- Very restricted access - Yeoman of the Guard acted as bodyguards and guarded the entrance to his private rooms
What was the Privy Chamber used for under Henry VII?
- Used it to collect and store royal income
- Henry personally monitored it
- Chamber of finance collapsed after Henry VII
What changes were made to the Privy Chamber during and after Henry VII?
- Grew in political importance under H7 - used it to collect and store royal income
- It became a political hub in 1518 - staff employed as Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber.
- The most important of these was the Groom of the Stool - toilet worker, Henry’s most trusted friend, advised him (no one else had an influence)
- 1520-25 Henry sent Gentlemen on diplomatic missions to France and on military expedition against Scots as ‘formal’ members
How did control of the dry stamp enable individuals to influence the direction of government?
- Kept by Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
- Henry VIII disliked paper work so introduced it to sign docs quickly
- Control of the dry stamp = power
How did control of the dry stamp become factioned in 1540s?
Edmund Seymor (Earl of Hertford) and John Dudley (Viscount Lisle) gained control of DS using Sir Anthony Denny member of faction in Privy Chamber. This enabled them to make alterations to kings will in their favour in 1547, which brought increased power and influence. Under Edward, a young boy, access to him and to the dry stamp was again controlled through the Privy Chamber, which was filled with supporters of the king protectors, first Seymour, then Dudley
How did those under Henry VIII manipulate policy using the dry stamp?
Used it to make alterations to Henry’s will in 1547 - increased their power and influence
What impact did the dry stamp have in Edward’s reign?
Access to him and the dry stamp controlled by the king’s protectors Seymor and then Dudley, showed how they granted themselves power
How did female monarchs change the Privy Chamber?
- Women replaced men due to close physcial contact
- Women in the Privy Chamber still had political influence
Who did Mary’s Privy Chamber consist of?
Frances Waldegrave and Frances Jerningham - former servants who had Catholic sympathies, married to male members of her Royal Household, Edward Waldegrave, the Master of the Great Wardrobe and Henry Jerningham, the Captain of the Guard.
What concerns did Charles V, Holy Roman Emporer have about female monarchs and a female Privy Chamber?
Wrote to his ambassador to tell him about the ladies taking advantage of the monarch to gain patronage and favours
How did Mary approach the dry stamp?
Kept more control, dry stamp under lock and key. Only seemed never to have allowed its use by her administrators
When did the dry stamp decline in political importance?
Under Elizabeth
How did the Privy Chamber change under Elizabeth?
Continued to decline in political importance under Eliz Appointed the wives of her key councillors to her Privy Chamber e.g. the wife of Earl of Leicester, but reforms of 1559 meant her Privy Chamber were on her Royal council. From there on decisions determined through formal channels of her council, not informal chamber
Which perminant changes to the Privy Council occured after 1540?
- Changed considerably as part of the ‘Tudor revolution in government’ thesis
- After Cromwells fall there was a need to restructure government Henry 8ths.
- Privy council C became ‘chief minister’, meaning the members of newly formed council were collectively responsible for much of the work which had previusoley been performed by Wolsey and Cromwell.
- Took over work of TC and TW e.g Duke of Norfolk insisted that anyone wanting to do business with ‘chief minister’ (council) should address them as a group
- trend continued under Edward and Mary. Under Elizabeth, the man assumed this role was William Cecil, preferred to use his position as the queens secretary instead, and deleibreltey avoided ‘chief minister’ although he did act as such.
How did the fall of Cromwell and Wolsey link to the changes to the Privy Council after 1540?
- Henry needed to restructure gov so that he could work without Thomas Wolsey who had manipulated his position
- Didn’t want anyone to have too much power
- Chief minister no longer used as one individual person but the collective Privy Council
How did membership of the council change from 1540?
Membership reduced and was fixed to include just the most trusted advisors of the monarch. Contrasted council of Henry VII which has 227 members
Before 1536, Henry VIII’s council had included 120 members. From 1540, it reduced significantly to 19. Not really apparent that these changes were lasting under Edward and Mary, but continued under Eliz
