Eliz Gov + Finance Flashcards
The Royal court and PC
Much smaller PC than Mary- intended to reduce opps for faction-fighting… around 10 membs attend regular meetings
Some of Mary’s membs… eliz also added her own choices… giving the PC a new dynamism
PC functions were;
Discuss + advise on state matters, helping to form policies
To manage crown finances
Manage parl
Oversee regional councils and local officials (e.g JPs and borough councils)
Oversee Nat defence
To enforce the 1559 relig settlement
To act as a court of law (when sitting as Star chamber)
Worked well w/ eliz over some articles over execution of MQS but overall pos
Royal ministers
Chief advisor= William Cecil (lord Burghley 1571 + Principal sec 1558-72 + Lord Treasurer 1572)
Other membs = sir Nicholas Bacon, Francis Russel and Knollys
More cons= D of Norfolk and the Marquis of Winchester, earls of Sussex + Shrewsbury… eliz fave = Dudley (E of Leicester)
Factional Rivalry
Factions between E of Leicester and Cecil… over Q’s marriage and frequently over pol matters
1570s infl of trad cons was reduced, bc of perceived disloyalty 1560s, Norfolk exec + WInchester died
More prot councillors emerged… Walshingham became principle sec 1573-90 acted as chief spy min… devised an effective spy network at the end of eliz reign… instrumental in MQS 1587
E of Leicester + E of Warwick + E of Bedford joined Walsingham and Burghley to form an ‘inner ring’ of strongly prot councillors
Worked well… not until the 1590s faction-fighting could be problematic as Robert Cecil clashed w/ E of Essex
Probs og govt in 1580s and 1590s
Sev key mins died in quick succession most notably E of Leicester 1588
Eliz was slow to replace deceased councillors and oft less capable men were promoted
The great noble families were no longer rep on the council
Clashes took place between Robert Cecil and E of Essex
Eliz wouldn’t allow Cecil to retire, despite ill-health; appointed his son Robert as PC, 1593 and as principal secretary 1596
Issues resulted in the Essex ‘rebellion’ tried to mount a coup against Cecil, failed… tried + executed
Parliament
Used less than PC, 13 session in 44 years
Was called to: grant taxation; 11/13 parls asked to grant rev
Make statute laws; 438 acts were passed by eliz’s parls, A of Supremacy and Uniformity in 1559 and the poor laws of 1597/8 and 1601
HoL more imp than HoC… all bills first discussed there
Cecil = active in prep bills, assisted by the crown reps in HoC
PC wld begin sessions by outlining the crowns priorities
Hoc was not supposed to hinder leg w/ undue debs
Queens assent needed b4 any leg became law… did not grant assent to over 60 bills
Pressure over marriage
1559 Parl raised the issue of marriage, Eliz deflected
1566 Parl enc by Cecil and Leicester, pressed Eliz to marry, Leicester banished
Action over small pox
1563 when thought eliz might doe of smallpox… didn’t name successor
Parl w/ issues of state
1571 eliz stated don’t meddle w/ issues of the state… Strickland tried to intro rad relig reform bills… he was forced to leave chamber
1585 speaker John Puckering delivered a message from eliz banning relig debate
Issues w/ speech
1572 + 76 commons took action against its own members for speeches which were felt to have gone too far against MQS
1576 Peter Wentworth made an appeal for freedom of speech and was com to tower by order of the house, readmitted but imprisoned again in 1587 and again in 1593 for defying eliz on freedom of speech concerning both relig and succession
Why did relations between crown and parliament deteriorate
1593 one of Burghley’s associates criticised John Whitgift, A of C, for enc the passing of an act punishing Sectaries (membs of prots sects who had rejected the CoE and the royal sup)
Q took as personal criticism and barred the pols advancement
1593 Peter Wentworth imprisoned w/ 3 colleagues for arguing for a named successor to Eliz- Q saw as attack on royal prerogative
1601 rel between eliz and parl bore down on debate over monopolies… compromise was achieved and the parl session ended w/ the queen’s golden speech to a crowded gathering of MPs
Pol condition of England by 1603
Royal auth and quality of admin declined during the 1590s, because of;
Diminishing talent following the death of Elz’s long standing mins (Leicester 1588, Burghley 1598)
Incr factional rivalry in gov as younger courtiers sought power ; the conflict between Essex and Cecil faction- involving the Essex rebellion of 1601- illustrated the probs
Probs of an aging q who could no longer control her courtiers as effectively as in the past
Anxieties over the suc
Econ probs
Economic conditions by 1603
Eng enjoyed econ growth during the 16th century w/ the expansion of trade and industry
By 1603 some of the structures that would contribute to eng’s commercial dom w/in Europe in the 17th century had been established e.g trading companies to challenge span/ Portuguese/ Dutch dom, beginnings of interest in americas
Domestic demand thrived. Cottage industry’s such as nail making, hosiery, soap manufacturing and brewing flourished, and total prod rose sub during eliz’s reign
Although inflation was a problem, the stab of the eliz era did much to aid commercial prosperity
Internal trade
Foreign trade grew significantly but surpassed in value by internal trade.
Shipping of coal to France increased but shipping of coal from the river Tyne to Thames was even greater
External trade involved
Flourishing cloth trade w/ the Netherlands… however in the 5080s main markets for eng wool moved from s’ern to n’ern neths… Cecil enc trade w/ prot Amsterdam rather that cath Antwerp (under span control)
A broadening of overseas markets… incr in links w/ the Ottoman Empire… trade links were established w/ India and trading routes extended into Russia… wider range of luxury foreign imports in return
