Chapter 19 - Elizabethan government, 1563-1603 Flashcards
what were the two main areas of the court?
the Presence chamber and the Privy chamber
what was the presence chamber?
a relatively open area to which anyone with the right status or connections might expect to have access
what was the privy chamber like in elizabeth’s reign?
- it was both private and more important than the presence chamber
- although it was considerably less important than it had been during the reigns of the tudor kings because the gentleman of the privy chamber no longer had the rights of access to the monarch which they had formerly enjoyed
who was the lord chamberlain always?
a member of the nobility, additionally three of her lord chamberlains were close relatives, e.g. Lord Hunsdon, her cousin
what did elizabeth increasingly do? (as argued by christopher haigh?
turn her politicians into courtiers (e.g. cecil) and her courtiers into politicians
how many members usually attended privy council meetings?
about 10
why should the importance of the privy council as a decision making body in the reign of elizabeth not be overestimated?
because elizabeth also often consulted with ministers on an individual basis
what were the key functions of the privy council?
- to adjudicate partly as a court of law when sitting as the star chamber and partly when sitting as a board for dealing with issues such as local maladministration
- to enforce the religious settlement of 1559
- to oversee arrangements for national defence
- to enforce a range of laws and regulations
- to administer the realm by instructing a range of officials
- to oversee the operation of, and receive appeals from, the regional councils
- to manage crown finances
- to discuss matters of state and offer policy advice arising from those discussions to the queen
what is important to understand in the relationship between elizabeth and her ministers?
she fully intended to rule as awell as to reign
who was established as elizabeth’s key minister at the beginning of the reign?
William Cecil
which close associates joined william cecil in the council?
Sir Nicholas Bacon, Francis russell earl of bedford and sir francis knollys
which conservatives were in the council?
Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, lord treasurer was the marquis of winchester
earls of sussex and shrewsbury
why was the political influence of the conservtive earls of sussex and Shrewsbury reduced?
the offices they held usually kept them away from court and reduced their direct political influence
when did robert dudley join the council?
1562
why was the influence of the traditional aristocracy reduced in the 1570s?
the downfall and execution of norfolk and the death of lord treasurer winchester
who was in the nucleus of firmly protestant councillors appointed in the 1570s?
Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir Walter Midmay, Sir Ralph Sadler, Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Henry Sidney and the earl of leicesters brother, the earl of warwick
how was the protestant nucleus in the 1570s balanced?
the promotion of more conservative figures such as Sir James Croft and Sir Christopher Hatton
what examples are there of disagreements between elizabeth and her council?
there were disputes over foreign policy and a breakdown in relations between Elizabeth and her privy council brought about by the execution of MQS
however, on the whole, ministers served the queen well
what problems weakened elizabeth’s council from the later 1580s?
- a number of ministers died in quick succession, by 1597 the council only had 11 members
- the queen made matters worse by failing to make immediate replacements and when she did, she tended to rely on the middle-aged sons of former councillors who often lacked their father’s skills
- there was an absence of senior noblemen, which suggested that elizabeth’s council no longer included england’s most important families
- elizabeth refused to allow burghley to retire. he appointed his son, robert cecil, to the council and he had to undertake an immense administrative burden on account of his father’s ill health
- the promotion of the younger robert cecil angered essex; essex was a temperamental man who made an enemy of cecil
why did the structure of government help to prevent factional rivalry getting out of hand?
- no single minister had complete control over patronage
- the various influential families at court and within the council balanced one another
why did the coherence of government begin to decline in the 1590s?
fierce clashes between robert cecil and the earl of essex made governance difficult
what was essex’s response to his declining influence?
- to plan an armed coup which would bring down cecil and his other enemies.
- however, cecil was well prepared and essex was forced to surrender
- he was quickly tried and executed in 1601
what did the attitudes of essex and his associates reflect?
the rule of elizabeth and cecil had become unpopular and it reflected a larger discontent, tied in with the queen’s diminishing authority
how did elizabeth view parliament?
- she tended to regard parliament as a necessary but occasional evil; something she had to put up with for its tasks of law making, granting of taxation and (as the MPs believed), giving advice
- so while it was occasionally important, it was largely a secondary feature of the elizabethan political system
why was the 1559 parliament called?
settlement of religion
what happened in the 1559 parliament?
settlement pushed through because of the efforts of strongly protestant councillors (cecil, knollys, cooke, bacon) in the face of conservative opposition in the HoL
what was the significance of the 1559 parliament?
legal status of the church and forms of worship were established for the whole of the reign
why was the 1563 (first session) and 1566/67 (second session) parliament called?
elizabeth wanted money
what happened at the 1563 (first session) and 1566/67 (second session) parliament?
- a large number of MPs urged elizabeth to marry, even though they wer infringing on the royal prerogative by doing so
- in 1563 members of the privy council openly pressed the issue, however in 1566 they were more subtle
- in 1566 elizabeth prevented the passage of bills for further religious reform which were favoured by cecil and many of the bishops
