Government and administration 1485–1603 Flashcards
Privy Chamber
Served by the household where the monarch and family lived
Structured so access was controlled to ensure privacy for the monarch
Privy Chamber - political important through the years
grew in political importance, then declined - Henry feared betrayal
How did Henry VII use the privy chamber?
Used it to collect and store royal income - personally monitored by Henry
How did Henry VII use the privy chamber to restrict access to him?
created the Yeomen of the Guard (personal bodyguards that guarded entrance to his private rooms)
How did Henry VIII use the privy chamber?
Chamber of finance collapsed after Henry VII
Important political hub in 1518 - Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber had intimate and physical contact e.g. Groom of the Stool (William Compton)
Attempt to reform the size of the privy chamber
Eltham Ordinances in 1526 by Wolsey to restrict access to the monarch to 20 ministers
not implemented until after his death
Dry stamp
stamp with the monarch’s signature that allowed the holder to grant lands, offices and titles
Who first used the dry stamp and why was it created?
Gentlemen of the Chamber
introduced because of Henry’s aversion to paperwork
The power of the dry stamp
Edward Seymour and John Dudley gained access,
enabled them to make alterations to the king’s will in their favour in 1547, bringing them increased power in government
Privy chamber under Edward VI
dominated by nobility
Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland governed on behalf boy king and filled chamber with supporters
Dry stamp under Edward VI
controlled by the king’s protectors Seymor and then Dudley - granted themselves power through patronage
The importance of the privy chamber under female monarchs
Role declined in importance as filled by women due to close physcial contact
How did the privy chamber still have influence under female monarchs
women had Catholic sympathies and were married to male members of the Household
The role of dry stamp under Mary
Mary kept more control of the Chamber – access to Dry Stamp kept under lock and key
The role of the privy chamber under Elizabeth
political decisions made through formal body of the Council, rather than an informal Chamber
Role of the council
Formal body that advised the monarch and with day to day running but the monarch did not have to take their advice
Staffed by nobility and gentry that the monarch appointed
Councils under Henry VII
Royal Council: large, informal body, met infrequently, which consisted of over 200
Included 42 men who had served under his Yorkist predecessors
Held 5 ‘Great Councils’ between 1487-1509
Importance of councils under Henry VII
important as seemed to consult nobility (make them feel valued) on important matters such as and taxation even if Henry had already made up his mind
Change made to the council by Henry VIII
Replaced – experienced administrators, Fox and Warham (left by father) replaced by Wolsey, who gave Henry what he wanted - going to war
How Wolsey impacted the council
under the Eltham ordinances, the household reduced from 40 to 20 men to include most trusted advisors who met daily - became a much formal body known as the ‘privy council’
Why was there a reform of the Privy Council 1540
reformed after 1540, so government could continue to work without Cromwell/Wolsey (chief ministers)
What happened after the reform of the Privy Council 1540
Privy Council turned itself into a ‘Chief minister’ - worked as a collective with no all-powerful’ that dominated council proceedings
How did the reform of the Privy Council increase the power of the council
Gave new powers to the council; it could issue collective proclamations and orders in the monarch’s name without waiting for explicit instructions from the monarch
Importance of the council under Edward VI
became more important as it governed the country in the absence of an adult monarch
undermined by Somerset who prefered to make decisions himself
Size of the council under Edward VI
number of councillors grew to 31 under Edward VI because he was a child
Size of the council under Mary
Had 50 Councillors - appointed a large number of men to her council to be inclusive due to her being a woman but only a small core group of 12 were active regularly
Council meetings held under Mary
run by experienced administrators such as William Paget
How the council’s role increased in importance under Mary
Council now had it’s own seal however this did not override the dry stamp
Mary did not override council - seen as a body that served the state rather than monarch
Why did council’s role increase in importance under Elizabeth
As tudor government expanded into the localities, volume of admin work increased so council met everyday by 1590s
Elizabeth’s council
Could meet wherever she was staying, would travel with her when she went on progress.
met everyday by 1590s
Cecil’s role in Elizabeth’s council
preferred to use his position as the queen’s secretary and avoided the term ‘chief minister’ although he acted as such
Role of secretary
Dealt with the monarch’s correspondence and general paperwork - part of the household so had immense power through access
Role of secretary - political importance
First became politically important in 1534 under T.Cromwell
Personal access to the monarch with control of the privy seal; very influential - used to authenticate documents
Cromwell as secretary
TC manipulated his position to become most powerful man in the country – controlled council meetings, detailed knowledge of Henry’s day-to-day business
The impact of the fall of Cromwell 1540 on the role of the secretary
Growth in importance wasn’t sustained after TC’s fall so the role declined in political importance
Who was the position of secretary split between after Cromwell
Thomas Wriothesely
Ralph Sadler
Why as the position of secretary split between after Cromwell
ensured no man could gain too much power or exploit position to his own advantage
as government became larger and more complex, the duties of the secretary increased
The importance of secretary under Elizabeth
Important again under Liz as William Cecil was appointed 1558-1572
Cecil as secretary
used his position to build up a network of support - ensured that patronage was distributed to his own clients, and no to his rival’s e.g. the Earl of Essex
The role of secretary under Elizabeth
Ensure Council meetings and government were well run
controlled all written communication to and from the Queen
closest thing in Elizabethan government to a chief minister
Secretaries under Elizabeth
William Cecil - 14 years - role became permanent/influential part of government
Francis Walsingham - 17 years - left post vacant after death until replaced by RC
Robert Cecil - remainder of her reign
Why was the post of lord lieutenant created
developed due to resolve problems of a corrupt local gov, used to help recruit royal armies for war and increase the control of the regions
How was local government carried out before the 16th century
carried out by gentry and nobility as JPs
JPs collected taxation, upholded law and order, and raised armies
Role of LLs under Henry VIII
Temporary military post responsible for mustering and training troops
Way for the crown to extend its power into the localities
When were the first LLs appointed?
appointed by Henry VIII as a response to war with France and Scotland in 1512-13 and threat of domestic rebellion
Who were the first LLs
members of the nobility appointed to organise defence for foreign war then issued commissions to deal with the PoG
Role of LLs under Edward VI
Duke of Northumberland, Protector of Edward VI, appointed appointed LLs to deal with Ketts uprising in 1547
How did Mary formalise the role of LLs
War with France caused her to divide the country into ten lieutenancies, with each Lieutenant being responsible for defence of their region and recruitment of armies
temporary as system ended after the invasion of France did
Rebellions dealt with by LLs
Pog - Henry
Kett 1547 - Edward
Northern Earls - 1569-70
all commissioned on a temporary basis
When did the post of LL became permanent and why?
Post of LL became permanent, as a response to war in Spain 1585 - organised war effort
Role of LLs under Elizabeth
LLs appointed to each county with a deputy, responsible for recruiting, organising and disciplining armies.
Why were LLs effective under Elizabeth
meant the most powerful men were serving the crown and were directly answerable to the monarch raising national, not private armies.
When were LLs less effective
when local communities refused to cooperate with LLs – happened in Suffolk and Wiltshire in 1590s
