Elizabeth's Royal Court Flashcards
Role of the Royal Court
It was a hub of social and political life as it had been throughout the Tudor period.
Where the Royal Court exist
Wherever the queen was at that time
Who was it run by
It was run by the Lord Chamberlain who was always part of the nobility and three of them were members of her family.
Example of a Lord Chamberlain
Lord Hudson who was her cousin, appointed in 1585
What are the main areas of the Royal Court
The presence chamber and the Privy Chamber
what was the presence chamber
This was an open area to which anyone with the right status and connections might have access
how did Elizabeth control the royal court
Through patronage
why did she need to control the nobility
Elizabeth aimed to bind nobility to the crown so that they would be loyal and unlikely to rebel
Examples of patronage
The right to hold office, a large proportion of the politically active class held office and they also used secondary patronage meaning those who acquired office had the right to make various appointments.
Elizabeth granted pensions and land
She granted monopolies
did she give out many land
no
why didn’t she give out many land
she kept as much as possible to extend control
what are monopolies
A form of royal charter licensed to a particular group which gave them the sole right to import certain commodities like soap or sugar
were monopolies unpopular?
yes
who were monopolies unpopular with?
The MPs in the House of Commons
why were monopolies unpopular with that group?
because it prevented competition and prohibited others from gaining wealth in other aspects of trade
did elizabeth give many titles
no she didn’t
why did Elizabeth not give many titles
It made titles more valued this can be evidenced by the fact that she granted only 18 peerages during her reign and in 1603 there were fewer nobles than there had been in 1558
what was the patronage system based on
According to Keith Randell qualification and ability played little part in the patronage system as she only believed in granting titles to the nobility especially to those who charmed her.
who was the only exception to her patronage system
William Cecil as he had a lot of skill
why did Elizabeth feel the need to control the nobility
She felt the need to control the nobility as some believed that she could not be the head of the church since there was no scriptural authority for women to take doctrinal decisions.
Some also objected to the notion of a female ruler
what other ways did she control the nobility
Elizabeth used charms as well as intellect to dominate and control life in court
what is factionalism
This refers to infighting between the groups at court to try to influence the monarch over certain issues
was there factionalism in the first part of Elizabeth’s reign?
During the first part of Elizabeth’s reign between 1560s and 70s there was generally cooperation among courtiers, it was relatively peaceful due to varying factors
what were the factors that maintained peace and kept factionalism at bay
Cecil had the most control of patronage and the court in general which kept the government balanced.
Noble families like the Boleyns and Parrs helped keep the peace as family connections could overcome religious differences
Leicester was a key favourite of Elizabeth and considered marrying him which pacified him.
How did Elizabeth keep the peace at court
Elizabeth’s charm and her promotion of men who flattered her like Christopher Hatton and Walter Raleigh made them loyal.
She would never pick a side in discussions and formally agree even though she participated.
She maintained a close relationship with Cecil and Leicester
why would she never pick a side in discussions
She would never in other to prevent accusations that a certain courtier was her favourite, though she had obvious favourites not making it known by picking sides would prevent courtiers from resenting one another
what were the two main factions or rivals in court
The doves and the hawks
Who were their various leaders
Cecil was the leader of the doves and Dudley was the leader of the hawks
why were the two key people at court at peace with one another before the 1580s
They both had relatively large followings and favour with the queen. Cecil was made Lord Burghley in 1571 and due to his access to patronage and the ear of the queen he had a considerable following at court. Dudley also had a large following mainly due to his religious beliefs and friendly relations with the queen.
when did the peace at court breakdown
in 1578 there was a division between the hawks and the doves
what was the disagreement over - 1578
The two main rivals disagreed over whether to help the protestant rebels in Netherlands.
why did Dudley and Cecil disagree over intervention in Netherlands
Dudley was anti-catholic and supported active policies to defeat catholicism and wanted intervention, while Burghley was a cautious conservative and a stabiliser who attacked religious extremism from both Catholics and Protestants, so he didn’t want to intervene.
what were the other instances of factional rivalry post 1580s - Love Interest
There was also rivalry between men who had an interest in Elizabeth, for example, Leicester resented Hatton’s close relationship with Elizabeth as he wanted to marry her. Hatton was also resentful of the attention that Elizabeth devoted to Raleigh.
instances of breakdown at court - death
The stability at the court declined at the end of the 1580s as the main people who held the balance in court died and as a result court politics changed.
when did Leicester die
1588
when did Walsingham die
1590
when did Hatton die
1591
when did Cecil die
Though he lived until 1598, he was ill from 1592 and thus had little influence
how did Elizabeth’s influence at court decline
she was ill and couldn’t control court as much
what courtiers were in the later part of Elizabeths reign
Earl of Essex and Robert Cecil
Earl of Essex
he captivated the queen and gained huge influence over patronage as well as politics
what was Essex appointed as
commander of the army in Ireland
how did he lose his stance in court
He was arrogant and threw away the opportunity of being commander of the army
what did his fall from grace lead to
It allowed Robert Cecil to emerge as a rising star of the court
what impact did Cecil’s rise have on Essex
he became jealous and attempted to raise a revolt against the crown in the Essex Rebellion
Motives for the Essex rebellion
He sought to gain greater control of the privy council by seizing strategic places in London as a way of getting rid of Cecil
Aftermath of the Essex Rebellion
He was executed
what do the last years of Elizabeth’s court suggest
The disintegration of the court and the privy council in the last years of Elizabeth’s reign has led some historians - Neale - to suggest that this marked the beginning of the breakdown in government consensus which led to civil war in 1642
Leading Courtiers
William Cecil
Christopher Hatton
Rober Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Francis Walsingham
Walter Raileigh
William Cecil
Arguably the greatest of Elizabeth’s ministers.
what was Cecil’s titles throughout the reign
He worked for the queen for most of her reign.
He was first the secretary of state, chief adviser and counsellor then Lord Treasurer from 1572 until he died in 1598
what was his nickname
The man who does everything
What areas of Elizabeth’s government did Cecil manage
- He was an effective administrator for the Privy Council
- He dealt with Foreign Policy ambassadors
- Managed the business of the HoC and HoL
- Dealt with financial issues, particularly those caused by the war with Spain
- He created a network of spies at home and abroad to get wind of opposition to the crown
- He created a propaganda system which allowed Elizabeth’s political regime and religious settlement to be widely accepted
- Much of his later career continued to be associated with financial management.
how much influence did Cecil have
He exercised great influence to the extent that his numerous threat of resignation forced the queen to act on things she disagreed on.
what was Cecil’s political stance
He was a conservative and a stabiliser who promoted policies that attacked religious extremism and he wanted a careful path between Spain and France as he sought to preserve England’s independence abroad.
who did Cecil’s political stance bring him into conflict with
Earl of Leicester as Dudley favoured a more openly anti-Spanish and anti-catholic policy
Christopher Hatton
An influential and trusted adviser, he was the son of a country gentleman, charming and loyal.
how loyal was Christopher Hatton
He defended Elizabeth in parliament by arguing and voting against those who opposed her religious settlement. He was essentially a spokesperson for her in parliament as he echoed her views that the church was a matter for her royal prerogative alone. He played a prominent role in finding out the various catholic plotters against the queen.
what was Hatton’s relationship with Elizabeth like
They had a peaceful relationship and Elizabeth seemed to favour him as a courtier mainly because of his charming nature and his genuine interest in serving the monarch rather than himself.
how did they come into conflict
They developed a hostile relationship over the death of MQS, though Elizabeth signed the death warrant she didn’t order her execution to be done swiftly Hatton and other courtiers went ahead it with.
Hattons titles
He had various titles, notably that of Lord chancellor in 1587
Robert Dudley
Son of the Late Earl of Northumberland and Earl of Leicester 1564. A capable and trustworthy minister who controlled large areas of land and used patronage at court to promote the careers of men with similar views.
Dudley’s relationship with Elizabeth
Elizabeth’s interest in him stemmed from the close relationship the two enjoyed which sparked rumours that Dudley was her personal choice of husband
Dudley’s position, title and responsibilities
He gained so many promotions quickly as he entered the privy council at the age of 30.
He became the Earl of Leicester in 1564
Master of the Horse in 1559
Appointed as Lieutenant general of the royal army against the Spanish Armada in 1588
Advocated Military Intervention in France to assist the Huguenots in 1562
Conflict between Dudley and Elizabeth
Their relationship was somewhat peaceful, however, he disagreed with her sharply and voiced his concerns openly. He was a leader of the hawkish faction which was a group of radical politicians in court and they supported active policies to defeat catholicism at home and abroad which saw opposition from the queen and Cecil.
how did Dudley lose the queen’s favour
He was sent to command a force to aid the dutch rebels but he proved to be an incompetent commander and failed in this political role by violating Elizabeth’s commands. He was so arrogant that he alienated the dutch which resulted in his recall to England in 1587
Walter Raleigh
A leading explorer who became a special favourite of Elizabeth in the 1580s when he openly criticised the way English policy was being implemented in Ireland, in 1582 he then began to acquire lucrative monopolies, properties and influential positions.
what was the result of Raleigh gaining the queen’s favour
She secured him a lease of Durham House in Strand, London where he had a monopoly of wine licenses in 1583 and the export of broadcloth in 1585. He also had a leading part to play in the exploration of North America
how did Raliegh come into conflict with the queen
He married her lady-in-waiting and impregnated her without her knowledge as she was a jealous queen which made the conflict a lot worse. He was put in the tower of London in 1592 when she found out.
Ways Elizabeth displayed anger towards the courtiers
Like her grandfather, she practised calculated mercy, though she was short-tempered. Exclusion from court - Leicester was excluded due to being involved in the Northern Earls Rebellion and so was Walsingham over the execution of MQS
House Arrest - Arundel was catholic and refused to convert
Imprisonment - Davison over the death warrant of MQS
Executed - Norfolk due to the Northern Earls Rebellion and he wanted to marry MQS. Essex - over the Essex Rebellion 1601
