Elizabeth and Parliament Flashcards
how did parliament change under Elizabeth
parliament met 13 times in 44 years of Elizabeth’s reign
how long did each parliamentary session last and what were they used for
No session lasted for more than few months and in 11 out of those 13 sessions parliament was asked to supply taxation
how was parliament controlled
Elizabeth used speeches to control MPs for example the golden speech in 1601 drew many MPs to tears and parliament was under the control of councillors who introduced bills and sat on committees that gave detailed consideration to the content of parliamentary bills. For example, William Cecil prepared the crown’s legislative programme and often shaped bills together with Christopher Hatton
what happened as a result of control
Parliament was expected to not question Elizabeth’s policies and to pass them.
how many bills did Elizabeth withdraw royal assent on
Over 60 Bills
what type of monarchy did Elizabeth operate on
personal monarchy
what does that mean for parliament
They were her subjects and she was chosen by God, so parliament is meant to let her have her own way
what is John Guy’s interpretation of parliament under Elizabeth
‘legislative business was properly directed’
did the control of parliament always mean they were in consensus with the queen
No, despite these attempts at control conflict remained.
why was there still conflict
As Neale argues, the power of the House of Commons increased
how did parliament’s power increase
There was an increase in well-educated MPs who represented the Boroughs which led to parliament becoming increasingly radical, though those MPs were carefully vetoed by the council, parliament became noticeably assertive regardless.
There was a rise in puritan MPs, who formed a group of over 40MPs called the puritan choir and they constantly challenged the queen’s royal prerogative
what does an increase in Borough representation mean for conflict in parliament
They are well educated with adequate legal training and they represent their local constituents, meaning they would constantly clash with the queen by interpreting laws in parliament differently from her and they would uphold the views of their local people which may oppose that of the queen’s and the national agenda
example of the puritan choir opposing the queen
MP Peter Wentworth together with the Puritan Choir demanded freedom of speech and he was imprisoned twice
Examples of ways parliament rebelled against the queen
They postponed the Subsidy Bill 1566 until Elizabeth agreed to a succession, though they eventually backed down.
when did the relationship between Elizabeth and parliament break down completely?
In 1601
did ultimate power reside in the crown
Yes, Ultimate power rested with the crown. Elizabeth had the prerogative to summon, dismiss parliament and
halt any debate
why did the relationship between Elizabeth and parliament break down
It broke down over the issue of monopolies, members of the HoC felt that Elizabeth’s use of monopolies restricted them from gaining income from other forms of trade and there was no competition due to monopolies.
what did Elizabeth have to do as a result of the breakdown
She had to meet with the MPs and promise to deal with the issues and remove the licenses that had been issued so that they would pass bills
What are the different historical interpretations of conflict in the Elizabethan Parliament?
John Neale takes an Orthodox view
Geoffrey Elton takes a revisionist View
Modern View
what does Neale say about the conflict in parliament
He takes an Orthodox view and argues that the power of the House of Commons increased during Elizabeth’s reign due to the arrival of a legally educated gentry into Westminster who created the Puritan opposition choir, as a result, the number of conflicts increased which eventually led to the Civil war in 1642. They regularly confronted the queen over the issue of parliamentary privilege vs the Royal Prerogative.
examples to back Neale’s view
Subsidy Act 1566 and 1601 Issues over monopolies
Elton’s view
He takes an opposite revisionist view with his research being based on the legislative role of parliament. He argued that parliament mainly dealt with routine administration concerned with land ownership and local issues, this meant that there was little to no room for conflict as parliament simply went about its business. Though some sessions witnessed heated debates, it was part of the normal function of parliament and it did not prevent the passing of bills and sessions from closing harmoniously.
example to support Elton’s view
Subsidy Bill 1566 was still passed, and 434 acts passed without trouble except with the Subsidy Bill.
Modern View
Parliament was changing and showing opposition to specific issues like Religion but that doesn’t mean they were turning into a radical institution of opposition. Elizabeth still controlled parliament well by using speeches, her councillors and isolating extremists. All of which preserved her royal prerogative.
what areas was there mainly conflict
On religious issues
On financial issues, as the crown’s financial problems increased parliament’s influence. Elizabeth was forced to rely heavily on parliamentary subsidies during the years of war against Spain. This gave parliament financial leverage over the crown, but also lead to angry exchanges at the demands the government was making in times of economic hardship
Other Instances of Conflict
Over half of the MPs had a university education or were trained lawyers. This helped to create a more self-confident Parliament that was able to argue more strongly against the Crown.
Puritan Choir began to press for more radical religious reforms
Examples that there wasn’t conflict
Elizabeth ruled through the privy council and thus did not need parliamentary legislation
The puritan choir was a less united and powerful group than Neale suggested as religious opposition to the Elizabethan Settlement was not sustained throughout the reign
Although MP’s like Wentworth rallied around the limitation on their freedom of speech, there was no general support to win this right given Elizabeth’s opposition to it.
On nearly every occasion that Elizabeth summoned parliament to obtain money, she received the grant she asked for
what is the privy council
It was established as an advisory and coordinating body during the reign of Henry VIII
who did the composition and power of the privy council derive from
Its composition was decided by the monarch who its power also derived from
what did Elizabeth do with the privy council
She reduced the power and composition of the privy council to 20 members
why did she reduce the power of the PC
She did it to make it easier to manage, undermine its value as an advisory body and reduce the power of the traditional nobility
what happened as a result of her change to the PC
It provoked resentment from courtiers as it restricted their opportunities to advance in government.
were the traditional function of the PC maintained under Elizabeth
yes it was but the workload increased because of the need to administer the Religious Settlement and complex foreign policy
what were the 4 functions of the privy council
- It offered advice to the monarch, particularly on policy towards the Netherlands because there was no agreement on the best way to check Spain’s growth of power in the region.
- Administered public policy
- Co-ordinated the work of the different elements of government and according to John Guy, ‘manage parliament’
- Acting as a royal court of law
what were the most dramatic role of the privy council
The advisory role was the most dramatic as it brought councillors into direct confrontation with the Queen
what were the most important function of the privy council
The daily administrative role since these kept the whole machinery of the Elizabethan state operating
what is used to judge the significance of the Privy Council
The aspect of work being considered
how much influence did they have on the queen
This was an age of personal monarchy where the queen was expected to take important decisions and have the final say. In some areas that concerned the Queen personally or fell within the royal prerogative, she tended to guard her right to decide, meaning the council was unable to exert much pressure
what areas fell under her Royal Prerogative
Determining Sucession
Marriage
Issue of MQS
Taking action to support the revolt of the Netherlands
ways the PC had influence
She was not unreasonable and a well-argued case could sway her, and so could threats of resignation especially by her most trusted councillors e.g William Cecil used this tactic to pressure the Queen into military action against Scotland in 1560
