Changes made to the structure of the household

Question 1

What is the Royal Court?

Answer 1

• served the monarch
• important for display & entertainment
• those who wanted power came to the court for patronage - succeeded - remain dependent on access to the Court
• Display - emphasise power & wealth to important visitors - e.g tournaments and play

Question 2

What is the role of the Royal Household?

Answer 2

• responsible for the ruler’s domestic needs
• mostly menial servants controlled by high-level officials - Board of the Green Cloth
• could grow / shrink & sometimes criticised when it was too large and costly
• Occasional attempts at reform - reduce expenses e.g Wolsey Eltham Ordinances 1526 unsucessful due to insufficent control

Question 3

What is the role of the Privy Council / Chamber?

Answer 3

Monarch’s living arrangements structured

• series of rooms where the king and his family lived
• closely controlled and easily accessible

Question 4

Changes made: Privy Chamber

Henry VII
Henry VIII
Edward VI

Answer 4

Grew in importance

• In 1495 Henry VII feared betrayal used to restrict access to the monarch - created yeomen of Guard (personal bodyguards)
• collect and store royal income H always had access but it was reliant on the monarch’s ability and interest in controlling the royal income
• After Henry, no monarch follow the system - lapsed

Question 5

Privy Chamber under Henry VIII

Answer 5

Henry VIII - important political hub - own staff from 1518 ( Gentlemen of the Privy Council) Groom of the Stool (important) - filled by trusted friends usually from nobility and gentry so had an intimate relationship + advisers employed in ‘formal’ areas

e. g 1520-25 Gentlemen were sent on diplomatic missions to France and on a military expedition against the Scots
- access was 1 route to power & influence the direction of gov - control of the dry stamp (method of putting the king’s signature on docs) - give owner enormous powers - 1549 Seymour, Dudley, Hertford, and Lisle Faction made alterations to the king’s will

Question 6

Privy Chamber under Edward VI

Answer 6

-Under Edward, the dry stamp was again controlled through the Privy (filled with supporters 1st Seymour and then Dudley)

Question 7

Privy Chamber under Mary & Elizabeth

Answer 7

Changed - involved close physical contact w/ ruler under women positions were filled with women instead of men

Mary - female attendants e.g Frances Waldegrave & Feances Jerningham fomer servants w/ Catholic sympathies + married to make members of her household - undoubtable influence
Charles V wrote about the women taking advantage to gain patronage

Kept more control - dry stamp under lock & key

Elizabeth - decline in political importance - appoint wives of key councillsors e.g wife of Earl of Leicester -
reforms carried out (1559) means members of household = members of council

Politics and major decisions were determined through formal channnels of Councl than informal of Chamber

Question 8

What was the role of the Royal Council?

Answer 8

more formal body to advise the monarch - pick and chose and did not have to take their advice - helped w/ day-to-day running + act as judicial court
- dealt w/ legal cases to the nobility + political importance vareid on style of rule adopted
Role changed but into a more professional especially after 1540

Question 9

Role of Royal Council under Henry VII?

Answer 9

Larger, more informal
1485-1509 over 200 men attended meetings (not at the same time)
Consisted of members from the nobility, churchmen lawyers etc. - careful to inc. men who served under Yorkist predecessors

Council inc.: 22 men served Edward IV + 20 Richard III - Usurper w/ no gov experience they were crucial to establish and secure his position on the throne

Did not hold regular parliaments - Council gathered info abt popular opinion & mood of the country + advising him on best policies to pursue -

‘Great Councils’ - special gatherings of nobility & councilors - used when needed to consult on issues to do w/ war & taxation - held 5 (cunning tactic) he already made up his mind on what he was going to do e.g 1492 end invasion of France made sure to consult, sign a doc - made it harder to argue

Question 10

Royal Council under Henry VIII

Answer 10

18 when given title - left Council to help made up w/ experienced administrators e.g Archbishop of Canterbury & Bishop of Winchester - both senior members of Church hierarchy + supported H & policy of not engaging in expensive foreign wars - H8 disliked (trained and wanted to prove) - 2 years influence was undermined + replaced w/ Wolsey

W remained dominant influence till 1529 - first of cheif ministers & responsible for undertaking much of gov running ( H no interested) - large institution of 40 members (some not attend on a daily basis) - 1526 Eltham Ordinanced reduced to 20 daily - 1540 a council emerged ‘Privy Council’ by Elizabeth’s reign responsivle for daily running of the country

Question 11

Reform of Privy Council 1540

Answer 11

need to restructure H 8 gov after Cromwell’s fall (manipulated position as secretary to wield power and influence the king)
- turned itself into a ‘chief minister’ (members collectively responsible for much of the work previously performed by Wolsey & Cromwell) e.g D.O.N insisted anyone wishing to do business w/ Council should write as a group instead of an individual 12

• no ‘cheif minister’ = under Mary & Edward
• Elizabeth- William Cecil used his position as secretary and deliberately avoided the term