Elizabethan government 1563-1603

Question 1

What was the court and why was it important to E?

Answer 1

It existed wherever the Queen happened to be a particular time (resident of palace or visiting nobility etc) - it had two main areas; Privy Chamber and Presence chamber
Important to E’s decision making process, as she could seek advice on an individual basis
Court was part theatre and partly a place for patronage

Question 2

What was the presence chamber?

Answer 2

A relatively open area to which anyone with the right status or connections might have access to

Question 3

What was the Privy chamber and was it still as important?

Answer 3

Both more private and more important, though considerably less influential then it had been during the reigns of the Tudor kings because the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber no longer had the right of access to the monarch which they had formally enjoyed
Admission to the Privy Chamber was carefully guarded

Question 4

Who did the operation of the court come under?

Answer 4

The Lord Chamberlain - E always appointed a member of the nobility to the post (three of her Lord Chamberlains were also close relatives)

Question 5

What aspect of court became much more important and what else changed?

Answer 5

The ceremonial aspects of courtly life became much more important as the reign progressed
Increasingly E turned her politicians (such as Cecil) into courtiers and her courtiers (such as the earl of Leicester) into politicians

Question 6

Define factionalism?

Answer 6

Factionalism refers to fragmentation of the political system into separate groups competing against eachother for patronage and advancement and, in the process, reducing government effectiveness

Question 7

What is patronage?

Answer 7

The system by which the crown distributed favours to those that were seen as loyal

Question 8

What was the main formal body in which the Queen’s principle ministers came together and what was it responsible for?

Answer 8

The Privy Council - responsible for policy advice and administration, it met regularly with most meetings having an attendance of about 10 men

Question 9

What about the Privy Council should not be overestimated and why?

Answer 9

Its importance as a decision making body as E often consulted with ministers on a individual basis

Question 10

What were three of the functions of the Privy Council?

Answer 10

To discuss matters of State and offer policy advice arising from those discussions to the queen
To manage crown finances with the Lord Treasurer and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
To oversee the operation of, and receive appeals from, the regional councils such as the Council of the North

Question 11

What were three of the other functions of the Privy Council?

Answer 11

To enforce a range of laws and regulations regarding issues such as law and order, vagrancy, prices and wages
To administer the realm by instructing a range of officials; lord lieutenant, sheriffs, JPs etc (increasingly in E’s reign councillors involved themselves in the details of local administration and built networks of influence in the counties - councillors had considerable influence on the appointment of JPs
To oversee arrangements for national defence by supervising the operation of trained bands in individual counties and serving as lords lieutenant with militia responsibilities in individual counties

Question 12

What were three of the other functions of the Privy Council?

Answer 12

To enforce the religious settlement of 1559 by requiring JPs to investigate compliance in individual counties e.g. overseeing laws against Catholics
To adjudicate partly as a court when sitting at the Star chamber and partly when sitting as a Board when dealing with issues such as local maladministration
According to John Guy to manage Parliament (not clear if this was the whole body or individual councillors) as often clashes parliament were a reflection of the tensions that arose between E and her Privy Council

Question 13

In understanding the relationship between E and ministers what is it important to remember about E?

Answer 13

She fully intended to rule as well ad reign and as an intelligent woman who had developed political skills due to a traumatic adolescence, that ensured her survival in difficult times
She was also conscious of the importance of her royal prerogative which she was not prepared to restrict

Question 14

Who was William Cecil and was he important / when was he important?

Answer 14

He was established as E’s key minister at the beginning of the reign and came to dominate the council
He had already anticipated his rise to power before Mary’s death
Within a month he was described by the Spanish Ambassador as ‘the man who does everything’

Question 15

Who was Cecil joined on the council by?

Answer 15

A number of close associates including Sir Nicholas Bacon, Francis Russel Earl of Bedford and Sir Francis Knollys
The Council also contained some ministers of more conservative views - these were usually drawn from the traditional aristocracy and included the premier peer of the realm, young and impetuous Thomas Hoard (4th Duke of Norfolk)
Steadier conservatives included the Lord Treasurer the Marquis of Winchester and the earls of Sussex and Shrewsbury (offices held by the two earls usually kept them away from court - reducing their political influence)

Question 16

Who was E’s favourite and when did he join the council?

Answer 16

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, joined the council in 1562

Question 17

What took place in the 1570’s regarding the Privy Council?

Answer 17

Some reshaping - the influence of the traditional conservative aristocracy was reduced with the downfall and execution of Norfolk and the death of Lord Treasurer Winchester
A nucleus of firmly Protestant councillors were appointed; Sir Francis Walsingham , Sir Walter Mildmay, Sir Ralph Sadler, Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Henry Sidney and the Earl of Leicester’s brother, the Earl of Warwick

Question 18

What was the advancement of the Protestant councillors balanced by?

Answer 18

The promotion of more conservative figures such as Sir James Croft and Sir Christopher Hatton
According to Guy, these changes resulted in an ‘inner ring’ of about 8 councillors - some were militant protestants e.g. Walsingham, Leicester, Mildmay + Burghley (Cecil’s title when he was ennobled in 1571) - the only relative conservative figures = Hatton and Sussex

Question 19

Despite the changes in personnel was the Privy Council effective?

Answer 19

The Council offered cohesive decision making - while there were disputes over FP and a breakdown in relation between E and her Privy Council brought about by the execution of Mary QoS in 1587, but E’s ministers, on the whole, served their Queen well

Question 20

What are three of the problems that weakened Elizabeth’s council from the later 1580’s?

Answer 20

A number of ministers died in quick succession (the death of the Earl of Leicester in Sept 1588 was a blow E took very personally) - she also lost a number of other administratively able ministers and by 1597 the council only had 11 members
E made matters worse by failing to make immediate replacements, but when she did she tended to rely on middle-aged sons of former councillors who often lacked their father’s skills
There was an absence of senior noblemen on the Council - significant as it suggested that E’s council no longer included the countries most important families

Question 21

What are two of the problems that weakened Elizabeth’s council from the later 1580’s?

Answer 21

E refused to allow Burghley to retire, although his effectiveness diminished in the 1590’s - he appointed sin son Robert Cecil to the Privy Council and Robert had to undertake an immense administrative burden on account of his father’s ill health
The promotion of the younger Robert Cecil angered the Earl of Essex (stepson of Earl of Leicester and a favourite of the queen). Essex was a temperamental man who made an enemy of Cecil

Question 22

What has it always been thought that conciliar government was affected throughout E’s reign and how did the structure help prevent this?

Answer 22

Factional rivalries - the structure, at least in the early stages in the reign, helped to prevent factional rivalry from getting out of hand
No single minister (even Cecil) had complete control over patronage

Question 23

What did the various influential families at court and in the Council do and were there disagreements?

Answer 23

Balanced one another - therefore relatives of the Boleyn’s featured in the senior ranks of crown service in substantial numbers, while E’s late step-mother’s family, the Parrs, and their close connections also featured strongly, certainly in early stages
Family connections could overcome religious differences
Although the Earl of Leicester and Cecil disagreed over E’s potential marriage, they tended to cooperate over other issues, being able to work together most of the time because they needed eachother

Question 24

What are the two main views on factional rivalries?

Answer 24

1) There were clear divisions between Cecil and his allies, who favoured moderate and pragmatic policies and Protestant ideologues led by Robert Dudley
2) People disagree with this who see Cecil as a more radical figure in religious than has previously been acknowledged and because disputed between Cecil and Leicester tended to be occasional and focused on particular policy issues

Question 25

What began decline during the 1590’s and why?

Answer 25

The coherence of government which had been evident for much of E’s reign - as fierce clashes between Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex made governance difficult - these problems came to a head in the Essex ‘rebellion’ of 1601

Question 26

Why did the influence of the Earl of Essex decline?

Answer 26

Essex (once a bright young star in E’s court) lost his influence, political judgement and eventually his head
His career suffered from a number of related problems - he had largely been frozen out of court by Robert Cecil and his allies so had consequently lost his power as a faction leader, he was in financial trouble made worse by E’s refusal to renew his monopoly on the import of sweet wines , he had also failed as a military leader in Ireland and brought shame upon himself by bursting into the Queen’s bedchamber upon his return

Question 27

What was Essex’s response to his declining influence and what was the outcome?

Answer 27

To plan an armed coup which would bring down Robert Cecil and his other enemies
His plans were rumbled - Cecil was well prepared and Essex was finally forced to surrender, he was quickly tried and executed in 1601

Question 28

Despite Essex appearing an incompetent political figure lacking in judgement what was clear at the time of his attempted rebellion?

Answer 28

The rule of Elizabeth and Cecil had become unpopular and the attitudes of Essex and his associated reflected a larger discontent, tied in with the Queen’s diminishing authority

Question 29

Was Parliament important under E and what was her view of it?

Answer 29

Less important under E than it would become in the 17th century and possibly less important than it had been under Henry VIII
E tended to regard parliament as a necessary but occasional evil - something she had to put up with for its tasks of law making, granting taxation and (and the MPs believed) giving advice
While occasionally important for legislative and revenue-raising purposes, it was largely a secondary feature of the Elizabethan political system

Question 30

How significant was Elizabethan parliament in terms of law-making?

Answer 30

483 acts were passed by E’s parliaments - probably the most important related to religion and social policy

Question 31

To Elizabeth. as with the two previous monarchs what was the most important function of parliament?

Answer 31

To grant extraordinary revenue to the Crown - of the 13 Parliamentary sessions in E’s reign, all but two were asked to grant revenue

Question 32

What had the distinctions between been lost in Henry VIII’s reign and what did E frequently have to resort to?

Answer 32

Between extraordinary and ordinary revenue - despite E’s attempts to economise she was frequently forced to resort to levying ‘extraordinary’ revenue to pay for the Crown’s ‘normal’ expenditure because the level of her ordinary revenue had fallen in real terms

Question 33

What did persistent failure to reform the system of direct taxation mean?

Answer 33

That the yield of extraordinary revenue through the subsidy declined also in real terms

Question 34

What was E not interested in listening to most of the time?

Answer 34

The advice of MPs - particularly irritated when MPs ventured into areas that she considered fell within the prerogative rights

Question 35

What did Parliament provide useful opportunities for?

Answer 35

Members of the Privy Council and other senior figures to gauge opinion amongst members of the ‘political nation’ so therefore Parliament served as a useful means of communication and a clear point of contact between councillors and those who administered localities on their behalf

Question 36

What were some of the most important things Parliament did in E’s reign?

Answer 36

Jan-May 1559 - religious settlement pushed through due to efforts of strongly Protestant councillors in the face of conservative opposition in HoL
May-Jun 1572 - Parliament called for the execution of the Duke of Norfolk and Mary QoS following exposure of Ridolfi plot - E refused to back Mary’s execution . MP Peter Wentworth later imprisoned for infringement of the royal prerogative
Feb-Marc 1589 - Parliament called so revenue could be raised for war against Spain - Parliament voted a double subsidy
Oct 1597-Feb 1598 - Elizabeth short of money at a time of economic and social crisis - introduction of a comprehensive poor law and Parliament granted a triple subsidy
1601 - E demonstrated her political skill for last time with Golden Speech, gaining a quadruple subsidy admits much moaning about monopolies

Question 37

Despite Parliament’s limited functions, what was important to E’s ministers and who played an important role?

Answer 37

That sessions were carefully managed - William Cecil played an important role in preparing the crown’s legislative programme - in such activities he was assisted by the Council’s ‘floor managers’ in the HoC, at first sir Francis Knollys and from 1576 Sir Christopher Hatton - he used his own men of business to help him manage the commons - typically these were MPs, lawyers and experts on parliamentary procedure who could promote measures which Cecil considered important

Question 38

How did Privy councillors often begin parliamentary sessions and what else did they do?

Answer 38

By setting the tone and outlining the Crown’s priorities
Privy Councillors also frequently introduced bills and sat on the committees that gave detailed consideration to the content of parliamentary bills

Question 39

Despite attempts at control, what still happened at times + examples?

Answer 39

Parliament irritated the queen - particularly if they challenged what she considered to be her prerogative.
She had outbursts of irritation at 1563 and 1566 at the Hoc when they (at the urging of the members of the Privy Council), sought to debate the issues of marriage and succession

Question 40

How else did E demonstrate her prerogative in parliament?

Answer 40

By intervening to prevent the passage of bills of which she disapproved and refused the royal assent to some bills that had passed through both houses (refusing the royal assent to over 60 bills in her reign with 15 in 1585 alone)

Question 41

By 1593 what had happened to many of the traditional methods of parliamentary management and what’s an example?

Answer 41

They began to have less success - Elizabeth tried to use both charm and flattery and but there were differences about how to deal with religion
The Crown, encouraged by Archbishop Whitgift, sought the passing of an act against sectaries, even though this was openly opposed by such MPs as Walter Raleigh with close links to the crown. One of Burghley’s associated made a Commons speech criticising Whitgift and the Queen took this as personal criticism - barring the politician’s advancement

Question 42

What is another feature of the 1593 parliament?

Answer 42

The imprisonment of Peter Wentworth for arguing for a named successor to Elizabeth
She was infuriated by the attack on her royal prerogative and E had Wentworth and three colleagues imprisoned in the tower - her actions weren’t unconstitutional but highlighted how the Queen’s temper had worsened with age
(he had already been imprisoned in 1576 on the orders of the HoC for asserting the right of Parliament to discuss matters which E saw as her prerogative powers, but was quickly released on E’s orders but the second time he was imprisoned until his death) but he wasn’t an opponent of the crown - saw himself as a loyal and truthful friend of the monarch

Question 43

What was the Golden Speech of 1601?

Answer 43

Delivered by E to a number of MPs as the final parliamentary session of her reign drew to a close
E was probably aware this was likely her to be the final parliament of her reign so the speech took the form of a farewell
She masterly drew a discreet veil over the poor relations which had blighted this parliamentary session
Many MPs reportedly left the chamber in tears as E claimed ‘ though you may have had, and may have, many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, yet you never had or shall have, any that will love you better’

Question 44

What did the relationship between E and her parliaments break down completely over at the end of her reign and why?

Answer 44

The issue of monopolies in 1601 - the debate over monopolies was the one occasion when the Crown’s officers lost control over the HoC, not helped by the problems faced by Robert Cecil who lacked skill as a parliamentary manager and had considerably fewer resources to undertake this task than had been available to his father

Question 45

How did the 1601 Parliament end?

Answer 45

A compromise was achieved and the session ended with the Queen presenting her golden speech to a crowded gathering if around 140 MPs in the Council chamber at Whitehall

Question 46

When did many of Elizabeth’s important councillors die?

Answer 46

Sir Ralph Sadler died in 1587, the long serving Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Walter Mildmay in 1589, Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir James Croft, Leicester’s brother the Earl of Warwick and the Earl of Shrewsbury all in 1590 and Sir Christopher Hatton prematurely in 1591

Question 47

What used to argued about Parliament and the patronage system and how has this now been disputed?

Answer 47

Used to be thought the crown devoted much energy into ensuring the HoC was packed with its own supporters (this claim supported by the fact that E’s reign saw no fewer than 62 new borough seats - the assumption being they were created to ensure the return of the crowns own direct supporters
Now been disputed - most of the energy from the creation of new seats came from aristocrats. badgered by local gentry who wanted the prestige conferred by the HoC - creation of borough seats therefore enabled the crown to oblige its aristocrat servants who were in turn able to reward their local supporters - perfect example of the patronage system of Elizabethan England in operation