Elizabeth's Court & Earl Of Essex

Question 1

How were courtiers selected?

Answer 1

Courtiers were personally selected by the Queen

Question 2

Who were the courtiers?

Answer 2

Members of the court

Question 3

How many courtiers worked and lived with Elizabeth?

Answer 3

About 500 courtiers

Question 4

The Royal Court was not a ______ but a ______ group of people. They went wherever the ______ was.

Answer 4

The Royal Court was not a place but a mobile group of people. They went wherever the Queen was.

Question 5

What system of power did Elizabeth use to maintain control.

Answer 5

Patronage.

This meant giving particular men important duties or privileges. People were not elected into their roles.

Question 6

What negative effect and positive effect did patronage have?

Answer 6

Patronage caused competition and factional rivalry but ensured loyalty to the Queen,as her courtiers wanted to gain power by pleasing her

Question 7

How was Elizabeth’s image glorified?

Answer 7

Propaganda

Question 8

What happened in summer?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What did courtiers not have?

Answer 9

Complete access to the Queen

Question 10

What was the Privy Chamber?

Answer 10

The Queen’s own private space

Question 11

Who was allowed in the Privy Chamber with the Queen?

Answer 11

Her own servants, ladies-in-waiting and her most trusted courtiers

Question 12

Who was the Privy Council?

Answer 12

The Privy Council was a small group of ministers who helped the Queen run the country.

Question 13

How many members where there on Elizabeth’s Privy Council?

Answer 13

19 members

This was far smaller than her elder sister Mary’s Privy Council, when she was Queen

Question 14

What was the effect of having a small Privy Council?

Answer 14

Less people to oppose her views on how to run the country.

Question 15

Who were Elizabeth’s Secretaries of State?

Answer 15

William Cecil (Lord Burghley)

Sir Francis Walsingham

Question 16

When was William Cecil (Lord Burghley) the Secretary of State?

Answer 16

He was Secretary of State in 1558-1572 and he was Lord Treasurer in 1572-1590

Question 17

When was Sir Francis Walsingham Secretary of State?

Answer 17

1572-1590

Question 18

Name: William Cecil (Lord Burghley)
Role:
Religion:
View on Catholics:
Relationship with Elizabeth:
Approach to his duties:
Character:

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Name: Sir Francis Walsingham 
Role:
Religion:
View on Catholics:
Relationship with Elizabeth:
Approach to his duties:
Character:

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Why was the 1590s such a challenging decade for Elizabeth?

Answer 20

1. Both Cecil and Walsingham died.
2. England experiences bad harvests, famine, the Plague and rising poverty.
3. Expensive war against Spain continued.
4. Queen had no heir and was becoming less popular

Question 21

Who was the Earl of Essex?

Answer 21

Essex was much younger than Elizabeth but was one of her favourite courtiers

Question 22

How did Essex defy Elizabeth?

Answer 22

1. He joined Drake’s failed attack against Lisbon in 1589. She had told him to stay in England
2. He married without her permission in 1590

Question 23

Why was Essex jealous?

Answer 23

When William Cecil died, the queen made his son, Robert Cecil, Secretary of State. Essex wanted this job.

Question 24

What did Essex do in 1599, which angered the queen?

Answer 24

Elizabeth sent Essex to defeat the Catholic rebellion, in Ireland, led by the Earl of Tyrone. Essex made a truce instead.

Question 25

How did the queen punish Essex in 1600?

Answer 25

She banned him from Court and took away his government job. He was financially ruined.

Question 26

What did Essex do in 1601?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

What happened to Essex after the rebellion?

Answer 27

He was arrested and executed for treason in 1601