Elizabeth Government/Parliament Flashcards
What are the 5 themes of the Elizabethan government and parliament chapter?
- Privy Council
- Gender
- Parliament
- Marriage and succession
- Faction
GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT
GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT
How often did the Privy Council meet?
Twice a week
Who advised QE early in her reign?
Dudley
How many of QE’s Privy Council also sat on Mary’s Privy Council?
7
When were Dudley and Norfolk both appointed as Privy Councillors?
1562
What religion was Robert Dudley?
Protestant
What religion was the Duke of Norfolk? (Thomas Howard)
Catholic
Who were the 2 Privy Councillors executed for treason in QE’s reign?
Norfolk and Essex
When was Norfolk executed?
2nd June 1572
When was Essex executed?
25th February 1601
What did the Privy Council discuss in an emergency meeting in 1562?
Succession - Elizabeth nearly died of smallpox in October 1562
What did the Privy Council discuss in 1566?
Possibility of the Queen’s marriage
What did the Privy Council introduce in reaction to the assassination of William of Orange in 1584?
The Bond of Association
What Privy Councillor did QE throw her slipper at?
Walsingham
What happened to William Cecil under Mary?
He was briefly imprisoned
What did Cecil believe about Europe that QE did not?
That the Catholic powers of Europe were conspiring to overthrow her
How did Cecil believe QE could prevent the powers of Europe overthrowing her?
By having an undisputed succession
Why did Cecil threaten to resign in 1560?
Threatened to resign unless QE agreed to help the Lords of the Congregation in Scotland
What treaty did Cecil negotiate in 1560?
The Treaty of Edinburgh
What book by Cecil was published in 1583?
‘The Execution of Justice in England’ - 1583
What did Cecil argue in his book ‘The Execution of Justice in England’?
That the punishments of Roman Catholics were for treason
What did Cecil make clear in his book ‘The Execution of Justice in England’?
His loyalty to QE and his hatred of the Church of Rome
FACTION
FACTION
What was the main faction in the Elizabethan government?
William Cecil and Robert Dudley
What did William Cecil and Robert Dudley disagree on?
Whether England should intervene in the wars in Europe - Dudley wanted to intervene, Cecil wanted to maintain peace for as long as possible
When was there a factional conflict between Dudley and the Howard Alliance of Norfolk and Sussex?
1565-66
What did Leicester (Dudley) accuse Sussex of?
Misconduct
In retaliation to Sussex being accused of misconduct, what did Norfolk accuse Leicester of?
Murdering his wife Amy Robsart in 1560
Why was the factional conflict between the Howards and Leicester a problem for QE?
QE was close to Leicester and was in danger of being drawn in
What did Dudley and Sussex threaten to fight?
A duel
How did QE end the factional conflict between Leicester and the Howards?
By saying that she would not marry Dudley
How did Elizabeth tend to deal with faction?
Procrastination
What did Walsingham say in 1575 about QE procrastinating?
‘Let not the cure of your diseased estate hang any longer in the balance’
What type of quarrelling was applauded by QE?
People quarrelling over their devotion to her
GENDER
GENDER
What book did John Knox write in 1558?
‘The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the monstrous Regiment of Women’
What did William Cecil say in regards to Knox?
‘Of all others, Knox’s name is most odious here’
Why did puritans oppose female rule?
None of Jesus’ disciples were female
What was there a lot of at court up to 1589?
Gossip and sexual indiscretions
Who danced his way into Elizabeth’s favour?
Sir Christopher Hatton
What was Christopher Hatton made after 15 years?
Lord Chancellor
What poem was written by Edmund Spenser about QE?
The Faerie Queene
What did the poem Faerie Queene compare Elizabethan England to?
Fairyland
What was QE described as in the poem Faerie Queene?
A ‘most virtuous and beautiful lady’
How did QE find out about Norfolk’s plan to marry MQoS in 1569?
Through her ladies-in-waiting
What did Accession Day become about after the 1570s?
Knights jousting to show their loyalty to the Queen
What name did QE have for Leicester?
Her ‘eyes’
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARLIAMENT
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARLIAMENT
How many times did QE call Pment during her reign?
13 times
What % of QE’s reign did Parliament sit?
6%
What did Parliament discuss in 1559?
The Religious Settlement
What did Parliaments from 1589 onwards talk about?
Funding the war with Spain
What was the attendance at Parliament in 1559?
Just over 50%
What % of MPs in any Parliament had sat in the previous one on average?
About 40%
What was the average attendance in the House of Lords?
2/3
How many Parliaments did QE summon in her 45 year reign?
13
How many Parliaments had met from 1528 to 1558?
28
What is evidence to suggest Parliament wanted religious reforms?
There was pre-session planning and an organised attempt by MPs to achieve religious reform
What did QE not allow Parliament to do?
Revise the religious settlement without her authority
What MP was suspended in 1571 for proposing religious reforms?
Walter Strickland
What MP proposed puritan reforms in 1586?
Anthony Cope
When did parliament demand that Mary and Norfolk be executed, with QE agreeing to execute Norfolk?
1572
Why did Parliament have an emergency meeting in 1586?
Mary Queen of Scots had been found guilty of treason
How did the 2 houses of Parliament work together to get Mary executed?
They joined together in presenting a petition to QE to carry out the legal penalty for treason
When did Paul Wentworth raise the matter of freedom of speech?
1566
When did Peter Wentworth raise the issue of freedom of speech?
1571,1576, 1587
Why did QE believe religion was not a matter for Parliament?
She believed it was a matter for her and her bishops
What did Peter Wentworth claim about the way QE controlled debates in 1576?
That QE controlled debates through ‘rumours and messages’
What happened to Peter Wentworth after he claimed that QE ruled through ‘rumours and messages’?
He was sent to the Tower
What did QE have the power to do in regards to Parliament?
QE could dissolve Parliament
What bill did QE veto in 1571?
A bill that would have introduced heavy fines for those who refused to take communion
What bill did QE veto in 1572?
A bill that would have declared that MQoS could never be Queen of England
What happened in October 1562 which raised the issue of succession?
QE nearly died of smallpox
What happened in 1566 that eased pressure on QE to name an heir?
Mary had a son - James
What did Cecil say in 1573 about QE not marrying or naming a successor?
That it increases ‘expenses and dangers’
Why could QE not marry Dudley?
His family had a poor reputation - Father executed for treason - rumour that he murdered his wife Amy Robsart in 1560
When did QE reject Philip’s offer for marriage?
1559
Why did QE claim she could not marry Philip?
She could not accept papal dispensation
What 2 Privy Councillors backed a marriage to Archduke Charles?
William Cecil and the Duke of Norfolk
When did QE end the prospect of a marriage with Archduke Charles?
1567
Who did the Earl of Leicester suggest as a marriage candidate?
Charles IX, French King, aged 15
When did the potential match with Charles IX end?
1571
When did Parliament present QE a petition that she should marry?
1559
When did Parliament urge QE to marry?
1563
What did the House of Lords want to avoid?
A disputed succession
What did a bill granting subsidy contain?
A promise that QE would marry as soon as possible
How long did John Stubbs spend in the tower after criticising a potential French marriage?
18 months
Why was Peter Wentworth sent to the tower?
For saying that QE would leave a name of ‘infamy throughout the world’ if she did not name a successor
What 2 MPs demanded in 1566 that QE get married?
Robert Molyneux and Ralph Sadler
When did John Stubbs get his hand cut off for criticising a potential French marriage in a pamphlet?
3rd November 1579
How did QE react to a bill that said she should marry as soon as possible?
She scorched it with her quill
What did QE equate naming a successor to?
Being ‘buried alive’
