Council Flashcards
Council?
Formal body that advised Monarchs.
What was the Privy Council?
Privy Council was the hub of the Tudor political system – an elite executive board; governed England under the Crown. It was the main permanent institution of government: Parliament was an intermittent institution (e.g. in Elizabeth’s reign Parliament sat only 5 per cent of the time)
Also helped the monarch with day-to-day running’s of the country, and could act as a judicial body dealing with legal cases regarding the nobility.
Privy Council under Henry VII:
Large, informal body, met infrequently, which consisted of over 200 nobility, churchmen, royal officials and lawyers.
Important role in gathering information about mood of the country - keeps it large to satisfy enemies.
‘Great Councils’ – important as seemed to consult nobility on important matters such as war and taxation, when he’d already made up his mind e.g. Invading France in 1492.
Privy Council under Henry VIII:
Henry wanted to go to war to prove himself – experienced administrators, Fox and Warham were replaced by Wolsey, who gave Henry what he wanted.
Wolsey was the first of the king’s chief ministers – responsible for day-to-day running’s of the country which Henry had no interest in.
Under Wolsey, despite failure of the Eltham Ordinances in 1526, the Council reduced from 40 to 20 men, who met daily – far more formal body, became the ‘Privy Council’
Reform of the Privy Council?
Council reformed after 1540, so government could continue to work without Cromwell, who alongside Wolsey, dominated Henry VIII’s reign and were resented by members of traditional nobility.
What were the changes of Privy Council from 1540?
Worked as corporate board – collectively responsible for work performed by Wolsey and Cromwell e.g. Duke of Norfolk insisted to write to Council as a collective; no room for an all-powerful ‘minister’ who would dominate the Councils proceedings… Privy Council turned itself into a ‘Chief minister’.
Fixed and restricted membership – following the reconstruction, the Privy Council usually had 19 or so members, compared to 227 under Henry VII’s reign.
Worked harder – in 1560s met 3/4 times per week, but by 1590s met everyday.
Issue proclamations and administrative orders in the name of the king
Realm by state paper – did not need to rely on writs of the privy seal or other exclusively judicial instruments; issue order in its own name, and for a time in Mary and Elizabeth’s reign it even had its own seal.
Public servants of the state – as opposed to private servants of the ruler; especially prominent under Elizabeth, Burghley and Walsingham invoked classical theory of the state, spoke of their public duty to serve and govern rather than their personal allegiance to Elizabeth, contrast to Henry’s council.
Functions of the Privy Council:
- Advised the ruler and administered the realm – appointed magistrates in the localities, Privy Councillors served as JPs, leaders of both the court and country.
- Management of national finance – managed finance in conjunction with the lord treasurer and the Court of exchequer.
- Managed national defence and fortifications – recruited armies in 1544, trained bands in 1573, post 1585 served as LLs.
- Management and deployment of Crown patronage – especially in Elizabeth’s reign when lack of money required innovative forms of patronage.
- Enforced the Reformation (especially 1559) – privy councillors enforced recusancy and penal laws.
- Legal role – sat in Star Chamber as court of law, vetted petitions and investigated crime e.g. crime against property, sedition and treason (before passing onto ordinary courts of law).
- Managed Parliament – key to crown-parliament relations under Elizabeth, clashes in Elizabeth’s parliaments were clashes between the ruler and the Privy Council, as PC used Parliament as a weapon against Elizabeth as Elizabeth did not allow her PC to discuss some matters (unlike Henry VIII) as a result of her royal prerogative e.g. marriage, succession to the Crown, religious settlement, foreign policy.
