elizabeth court and parliament Flashcards
dates of her reign
1558 - 1603
why didn’t people want Elizabeth to be queen?
gender - people thought monarch should be a man, expecting her to be a figurehead without any actual power
illegitimacy - henry VIII divorced his first wife to marry anne boleyn (her mother), catholics thought divorce was forbidden and thought their marriage was not valid
why did Elizabeth not want to marry?
marrying would mean losing her power as queen
what was the royal court?
a large group of people who surrounded the monarch that all times
including, personal servants, members of the privy council, nobility, foreign visitors + elizabeths favourites
what was the importance of the royal court?
the centre of political power in england + wales
wealthy and ambitious would go there to try be noticed by the queen - anyone who wanted to increase political power had to have a place at court
who was robert dudley?
earl of leicester, elizabeth’s good friend made at the start of her reign
what where royal progresses?
where elizabeth would go around the country, joined by members of the court, and stay at houses of wealthy noblemen
who was the centre of the government and who had the greatest influence
elizabeth was centre, those closest to her had influence and power
what was patronage and why did elizabeth use it?
giving away gifts: titles, offices, monopolies that gave men a source of income
helped insure loyalty as people who recieved patronage became dependant
what was the role of the privy council?
to advise the queen + manage administration of government
who made up the privy council?
20 men - chosen by elizabeth who where the closest and most trusted advisors
did elizabeth have to follow the advice of the privy council?
no, they had to follow her instructions even if it went against their advice
what where the two chambers of parliament?
house of lords
house of commons
what was elizabeth expected to do?
marry and produce an heir
why and when did elizabeths court split into 2 groups?
in the 1590s, the earl of essex was made a member of the privy council
2 groups - for earle of essex
for william cecil
