Breadth Study 1: Monarchy and Central government Flashcards
What were the functions of the King’s council (3)
-Advise the king over matters of the state
-Draft, pass and enforce laws
-Raise and administer the kingdom’s finances
How did Henry Vii increase the prominence of the Privy chamber (2)
-Created the Yeomen of the Guard (acted as his personal body guard/ guarded entrance of private rooms)
-Also used the chamber to store and collect Royal income
Why did the Privy chamber grow in political importance
-From 1495, Henry VII increasingly feared betrayal from those he trusted, the Chamber was used to restrict access to the monarch
Chamber used with money
Henry 7 used the Chamber to collect and store royal income, which he monitored personally
-Henry always had access to ready money BUT the system was reliant on a monarch’s interest and ability to handle money
-tudor monarchs after henry did not use this system
Staff of the Privy Chamber
from 1518 were known as the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
Example of the Gentlemen of the Privy chamber having power
-Between 1520 and 1525, Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were sent on diplomatic missions to France and on a military expedition against the Scots
What was the dry stamp
King’s signature stamp- could be stamped onto documents
-Position of the dry stamp could give the holder considerable power over aspects of government such as grants of land, offices and titles
How did Henry Vii increase the prominence of the Privy chamber (2)
-Created the Yeomen of the Guard (acted as his personal body guard/ guarded entrance of private rooms)
-Also used the chamber to store and collect Royal income
How was the Privy Chamber a route to power and an opportunity to influence the direction of government
the dry stamp
Example of the dry stamp giving people influence
-H8 aversion to paper work led to the introduction of the dry stamp
-e.g the faction led by Edward Seymore and John Dudley used the stamp to make alterations to Henry Viii’s will in 1547
How did the make up of the Privy Chamber change under Mary and Elizabth
Many roles were filled by women rather than men, as the role of the Chamber included close physical contact with the ruler
-Mary’s attendants such as Frances Waldergrave and Frances Jerningham had influence with the Queen
Mary’s use of the dry stamp
Kept under lock and key-
never allowed its use by her administrators
Privy Chamber under Elizabeth
Continued to decline in political importance
Who did Elizabeth appoint to her privy chamber
-The wives of key councillors-
e.g the wife of the earl of Leciester
What reforms did Elizabeth carry out in the Privy Chamber + when
1559-
-members of her Household were also members of the Council
-Meant that politics would be decided through the formal channels of her Council rather than the informal route of the Chamber
What was the role of the Royal council (3)
Formal body that advised the monarch
-helped the monarch with day-to-day running of the country
-Could act as a judicial court for high-profile cases (e.g the nobility)
Monarch’s control over the Royal council
-monarch chose who should be on the council
-and whether to take their advise
What was the royal council like for Henry 7
- Larger, more informal body than it would be under Henry Viii
How many attended royal council meetings from 1485-1509
-Over 200 men (though not all at the same time)
What did Henry 7 royal council consist of
Mixture of members from the nobility, churchmen royal officials and lawyers
Why did Henry 7 include men who served under his Yorkist predecessors
-Henry was a usurper with no experience of government
-such men were crucial in establishing him a secure position on the throne
How many men did H7 Royal council come from Yorkist councils (2)
-Included 22 men who served under Edward iV
-20 men who served under Richard III
e.g John Morton
How many men did Henry’s 7 Royal council come from Yorkist councils (2)
-Included 22 men who served under Edward iV
-20 men who served under Richard III
Why were Royal councils useful to Henry 7 (3)
-Didn’t hold regular parliaments
-Councils played an important part in gathering information about popular opinion and the mood of the country
-Advised him on the best policies to pursue
What were ‘Great Councils’
-special gatherings of all members of the nobility and his councillors
When did Henry use ‘Great Councils’
-When H7 needed to be seen consulting his nobility on important issues to do with war and taxation
-held 5 Great Councils between 1487 and 1502
Example of H7 tactfully using Great Councils
1492- wanted to end his invasion of France
-consulted all of his nobility and made them sign a document agreeing to the retreat
-tactic made it harder for the nobility to argue with his decisions
When H8 came to the throne who was in the Royal Council
Experienced administrators-
-Archbishop of Canterbury, William Warham and Bishop of Winchester Richard Fox
Why had William Warham and Richard Fox’s influence over Royal policy been undermined
-didn’t support Henry Viii’s policy in engaging in expensive foreign wars
-Replaced by Thomas Wolsey who gave Henry what he wanted- war
For how long did Wolsey remain in power
dominant force in politics until 1529
-first of the King’s chief ministers
What was Wolsey responsible for
-Running the day-to day of the country
Royal Council under Henry 8
-As a result of Wolsey’s dominance, the council retained its traditional functions
-Still a fairly large institution of around 40 members who would not meet on a regular basis
Wolsey’s plan to reform the Royal Council +date
1526 in the Eltham Ordinances
-reduce the Council to 20 men who would meet daily
-INITIALLY CAME TO NOTHING
-by 1540 a council as such came to be
Why did the Privy Council need restructuring
-After Cromwell’s fall, there was a need to restructure, so it could work without Cromwell
-The Privy Council turned itself into the King’s new ‘chief minister’
What main change was there to the Privy Council after 1540
-members of this new council were collectively responsible to work that was previously done by Wolsey and Cromwell
-e.g Thomas Howard DoN, insisted that people should write to the council as a collective, not a group
- even William Cecil called himself the “Queen’s Secretary”
What did the reforms of 1540 mean for the membership of the council
-Membership considerably reduced
-Only included the most trusted advisors of the monarch
Number of members in the Royal/ Privy Council
-H7 v H8
H7- 227 members
H8 (before 1546)- up to 120 members
by Elizabth, membership decreased further
Why did the number of counicllers grow under Edward
Edward was a child
-larger council was needed to govern the country as the king was too young to do it himself
How was the council undermined during the reign of Edward vi
Edward Seymore, Duke of Somerset undermined the council because he preferred to make decisions and rule using men from his own household
e.g Sir John Thynne (loyal to Sommerset)
Example of Sommerset influencing the king
Somerset’s brother-in-law Sir Michael Stanhope was made chief gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Groom of the Stool AND controlled dry stamp
-BUT wasnt part of the council
How was the council undermined during the reign of Edward vi
Edward Seymore, Duke of Somerset undermined the council because he preferred to make decisions and rule using men from his own household
e.g Sir John Thynne (loyal to Sommerset)q
How did the Privy Council reassert its dominance over the privy chamber during Edward vi
-In 1549, when rebellion broke out, it was the John Dudley Earl of Warwick who led the attack on the Earl of Somerset that brought him down
What was the average attendance of Privy Council meetings under Mary I
in 1555, average attendance was 12 members
-only 8 councillors attended over 50% of the meetings
How did the changes of 1540 give new powers to the Privy Council (4)
-Could now order collective proclamations in the monarch’s name
- had its own clerk who recorded meetings
-From Mary’s reign onwards; had its own seal
-day-to-day administration of government affairs
Evidence supporting that the council was under the monarch’s control (Elizabeth)
-Elizabeth’s council would meet wherever the queen was staying (often Whitehall and Hampton Court palace)
Privy council meetings through the ages (2)
1520-1560; around 3/4 times a week
by 1590 it was everyday, if not twice a day
When did the role of secretary first become important
1530s, when Thomas Cromwell was dominant
What did the role of secretary initially entail
-part of the royal household
-close personal access to the monarch
-control of the monarch’s personal seal
When did Cromwell become secretary
1534; was extremely influential even though he was never appointed Lord Chancellor
How did Cromwell use his position as secretary to be influential (3)
-Controlled council meetings
-had access to the King’s private correspondence
-had detailed knowledge of Henry’s day-to-day business
When did the role of Secretary decline in political importance
1540- after Cromwell’s fall
-Role of secretary was split between Thomas Wriothesely and Ralph Sadler
When did the role of Secretary become important again
under Elizabeth
-William Cecil appointed in 1558
Under Elizabeth why did the post of Secretary become important
The men appointed chose to use it to enhance their own power and to conduct day-to-day running of the government on the queen’s behalf
Example of secretaries using their position to be influential
From 1596, Robert Cecil built up a network of supporters
Had access to the queen’s correspondence
-able to ensure that patronage was awarded to his own clients
What was the system of Lord Lieutenants trying to do
Increase royal control in local regions
Example of extension of royal power in localities + improvement in military recruitment under Henry Viii
-In 1512 and 1545 gave commissions of members of the nobility to organise defence against France and Scotland
-1536 used commissions to deal with the PoG
Example of extension of royal power in localities + improvement in military recruitment under Edward Vi
In 1549, Duke of Northumberland
appointed members of the nobility as lieutenants to deal with the rebellion
-expected to have both a policing and military role at local level
Example of extension of royal power in localities + improvement in military recruitment under Mary I
In 1557-1558 divided the country into ten lieutenancies with each lieutenant being responsible for their region and military recruitment
-HOWEVER was a temporary arrangement due to the threat of French invasion
Example of extension of royal power in localities + improvement in military recruitment under Elizabeth I
post of Lord Lieutenant became a permanent one
-in response to the war with Spain began in 1585 and lasted till 1604
-Lord lieutenants were appointed to each county
