Elizabeth's Court & Earl Of Essex Flashcards
How were courtiers selected?
Courtiers were personally selected by the Queen
Who were the courtiers?
Members of the court
How many courtiers worked and lived with Elizabeth?
About 500 courtiers
The Royal Court was not a ______ but a ______ group of people. They went wherever the ______ was.
The Royal Court was not a place but a mobile group of people. They went wherever the Queen was.
What system of power did Elizabeth use to maintain control.
Patronage.
This meant giving particular men important duties or privileges. People were not elected into their roles.
What negative effect and positive effect did patronage have?
Patronage caused competition and factional rivalry but ensured loyalty to the Queen,as her courtiers wanted to gain power by pleasing her
How was Elizabeth’s image glorified?
Propaganda
What happened in summer?
The Queen and her courtiers went on Royal progress (tour of England). They stayed with nobles and allowed Elizabeth to be seen, increasing her influence
What did courtiers not have?
Complete access to the Queen
What was the Privy Chamber?
The Queen’s own private space
Who was allowed in the Privy Chamber with the Queen?
Her own servants, ladies-in-waiting and her most trusted courtiers
Who was the Privy Council?
The Privy Council was a small group of ministers who helped the Queen run the country.
How many members where there on Elizabeth’s Privy Council?
19 members
This was far smaller than her elder sister Mary’s Privy Council, when she was Queen
What was the effect of having a small Privy Council?
Less people to oppose her views on how to run the country.
Who were Elizabeth’s Secretaries of State?
William Cecil (Lord Burghley)
Sir Francis Walsingham
When was William Cecil (Lord Burghley) the Secretary of State?
He was Secretary of State in 1558-1572 and he was Lord Treasurer in 1572-1590
When was Sir Francis Walsingham Secretary of State?
1572-1590
Name: William Cecil (Lord Burghley) Role: Religion: View on Catholics: Relationship with Elizabeth: Approach to his duties: Character:
Name: William Cecil (Lord Burghley)
Role: Queen’s main minister for 40 years
Religion: Moderate Protestant
View on Catholics: More willing to suppress the Catholics than the Queen
Relationship with Elizabeth: Prepared to challenge Elizabeth. Loyal but knew how to manage her
Approach to his duties: avoided foreign religious disputes, which could lead to costly wars
Character: Loyal, rational and clever
Name: Sir Francis Walsingham Role: Religion: View on Catholics: Relationship with Elizabeth: Approach to his duties: Character:
Name: Sir Francis Walsingham
Role: Responsible for foreign affairs
Religion: Strong Puritan
View on Catholics: Believed Catholics were a threat and should be repressed
Relationship with Elizabeth: Did not flatter the Queen. She once low patience with him and threw a slipper at him
Approach to his duties: Queen’s ‘spymaster’. Ran a network of informers uncovering plots against Elizabeth
Character: Cold and distant
Why was the 1590s such a challenging decade for Elizabeth?
- Both Cecil and Walsingham died.
- England experiences bad harvests, famine, the Plague and rising poverty.
- Expensive war against Spain continued.
- Queen had no heir and was becoming less popular
Who was the Earl of Essex?
Essex was much younger than Elizabeth but was one of her favourite courtiers
How did Essex defy Elizabeth?
- He joined Drake’s failed attack against Lisbon in 1589. She had told him to stay in England
- He married without her permission in 1590
Why was Essex jealous?
When William Cecil died, the queen made his son, Robert Cecil, Secretary of State. Essex wanted this job.
What did Essex do in 1599, which angered the queen?
Elizabeth sent Essex to defeat the Catholic rebellion, in Ireland, led by the Earl of Tyrone. Essex made a truce instead.
How did the queen punish Essex in 1600?
She banned him from Court and took away his government job. He was financially ruined.
What did Essex do in 1601?
He led a short-lived rebellion, alongside a small group of people, who did not support the queen. He underestimated how much support there was for Elizabeth
What happened to Essex after the rebellion?
He was arrested and executed for treason in 1601
