Key Question 1: Elizabeth I’s Significance of Government and Politics (1558-1603) Flashcards
1
Q
What is the background to Elizabeth I (1558-1603)?
A
- mother is Anne Boleyn and she was raised by Catherine Parr
- she chose not to marry even after all the pressure from her privy council
- privy council are subject to bullying, but she didn’t wrestle control away fully
- created a public image exploiting the fact she was a woman and saying that she was in God’s favour as she was the queen
2
Q
What was Elizabeth I’s religious upbringing?
A
- the addition of mother’s marriage was hand-to-hand with the break of Rome
- education was protestant as her family were very interested in Luther’s ideas on the church reforms
- Matthew Parker was in charge of her welfare and later became her archbishop of Canterbury
- she was cousins with Mary Queen of Scots who was later executed
3
Q
How did Elizabeth gain power?
A
- she spoke of her being of divine right as she is in the great chain of being like her father and grandfather
- brought pro council‘s power back
- dealt with prerogative issues such as her marriage, finance and religion
- controlled her ability by ensuring their loyalty and providing patronage to elite
- gave title and land to those such as William Cecil and made him Lord of Burghley in 1571
- right deal in particular products and controlled areas with zero competition
- local government, she enforced JPs in the council of the northern Wales
4
Q
How is central government in control of local government?
A
- loyalty to Elizabeth the circulation has specifically chosen images to show that she was powerful
- appointed local men that were cooperative and took advantage of local knowledge
- she set up patronage and commands as a way to gain loyalty and keep it
- local issues so so speaker House of Commons would know what went on in Parliament
5
Q
What were the effects of Elizabeth’s government?
A
- they were trouble mainly such as the rising of the northern ills in 1569, the Essex rebellion in 1601 and the food riots in 1586 and 1596
- however on the most part worked very well together however the system was not perfect but Elizabeth and her privy council can be crowded with the best with what they had
6
Q
What was Elizabeth’s effect on Wales?
A
- JPs slowly spreading acts of union such as the second act of 1542 set up by the Kings Great session
- council of Wales and marches had a president, deputy and 20 officials, however jurisdiction was to English borders and enforcing English law
- Elizabeth government was a Trinity of monarch, privy council, Parliament forming central government
7
Q
How did Elizabeth Central government work?
A
- firstly there were the members of a court including those such as William Cecil and Robert Dudley
- the Queen‘s household
- the Queen and nobility
8
Q
What was the Queens household?
A
- often did feast days to keep mood happy
- Elizabeth amused herself with card games, chess tables
- this was a sphere of influence and privy chamber was mainly staffed with women. Many were wives and daughters of politicians
9
Q
How did the Queen and her nobility get along?
A
- Elizabeth kept an eye on them as they would spend more time at court
- Elizabeth’s policy was to use power of the nobility to appoint Lord Lieutenant
- Thomas Howard was offered a lot of patronage, including a seat in the house of commons. He was essential as he controlled Norfolk and was one of the most powerful nobles.
10
Q
How did Elizabeth Court work?
A
- also had a serve influence it was central of government and resourceful with all political power
- it allowed the monarch to call leading subjects to council her
- displayed power and magnificent of monarch to impress foreign observers
- used to entertain foreign ambassadors, they held tournaments, plays and meetings
11
Q
Who is William Cecil (1520-1598)?
A
- Elizabeth chief advisor and appointed Lord treasure in 1572
- very traditional thought she should marry tried setting her up
- hard-working public servant
- became part of the privy council and Duke of Northumberland in 1550
- convinced Elizabeth to conclude treaty of Berwick with the Scots and to send an army to them keeping France away
- Cecil had good politics and preserving independence by trading a careful path of France and Spain
12
Q
What was Elizabeth Parliament like?
A
- regularly used to an act religious change Elizabeth uses personality as a weapon as well as speeches and her charm to make threats to the MPs - she would imprison awkward members who didn’t agree with her
- their main function was to pass law and raise taxes
- Parliament did not regulate meet it was only for short periods
- 13 sessions and 44 years
- she pressurised parliament and gave strong speeches of resistance to preserve a prerogative
- over half MPs were university educated or lawyers
13
Q
What is J.E Neale’s Theory (Orthodox view) on Elizabeth government?
A
- the power of the house of comments increases, equal status with the House of Lords
- Stuarts faced with Parliament over next century
- they gained self-confidence for example the gentry class
- dependent on a monarch who determined when a session was summoned and dissolved
- Elizabeth gave house of comments less free speech than her father which led to the impressment of Peter Wentworth after he called for freedom of speech
14
Q
What were the key events of parliament in Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- 1566 succession was a matter of state affairs which could only be discussed by the Queen
- 1553 puritan choir pressing for religious reforms
- 1586 Commons asserted to write to settle a dispute over results of election - role of Lord Chancellor
- 1593 built to reform church using free speech
- 1601 issue of monopolies, parliament clashed with Elizabeth, MPs refused to grant extra taxation for war
15
Q
What were the key events of the privy Council in Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- 1562 Elizabeth wanted to meet with Mary Queen of Scots but the council didn’t agree so therefore she didn’t go
- 1567 the split over Elizabeth’s decision to marry the catholic archduke trials of Austria but she rejected
- 1569-1570 the privy council met regularly to talk about the apprising such as Mary Queen of Scots, English Catholic, France and Spain
- 1578 discussed whether to provide Protestant rebels in Netherlands divided into two groups and took them seven years to provide
- 1579-1581 discussed the marriage between Elizabeth and French Duke Alencon council refused to give opinion
- 1586 council pushed Elizabeth to call Parliament to issue death warrant against Mary Queen of Scots although she didn’t want to
- 1590 new generation of politicians such as Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex however his uprising led to the execution in 1601
16
Q
How did Elizabeth control her privy council?
A
- Elizabeth chose the composition of her council removal of Aristocats showing her confidence
- and in a group of administrators were responsible for day-to-day admin and advising the Queen such as Cecil
- not always united the greatest divide was over succession in foreign policy
- she maintain control using her power of appointment and ultimately decisions would lay with her
17
Q
What are the support arguments that the power of parliament was increasing over Elizabeth‘s reign?
A
- freedom of speech
- half of MPs were university educated
- crown dependent on Parliamentary finance as it had financial muscle
- crown dependent on parliamentary ability to act laws as they drew up local rules and regulations to manage their roles - 438 act in Elizabeth reign
- rolling ability of MPs in parliament or members of powerful privy council will also in the commons of lords and they became more specialised experts
18
Q
What are the against arguments that the power of parliament was increasing over Elizabeth‘s reign?
A
- 10% of MPs discussed and only 47% voted half of them wouldn’t give their opinion
- only met 13 times in 44 years
- power of veto as the Queen intervened all the time
- mPs never fully developed the methods necessary to take control of government. It can be argued that majority of MPs didn’t play a significant role in government as well as they thought they did
- the Queen preserve pro as she refused over 60 bills which means she remained most powerful
19
Q
What was Geoffrey Eton’s theory of Parliament?
A
- Parliament was keen to represent the local grievances of members
- they had harmony with the rest of government
- Parliament normally functional and didn’t prevent the session from ending harmoniously having paused required legislation
- Parliament was summon 13 times in 44 years and only sat for 10 weeks
- training ground for further privy council, political fortunes could be made by catching attention of Queen
- Elizabeth constantly resisting talk of succession
- Elizabeth always asked for grants and she always got them
20
Q
What was the changing relationship between Wales and England like during Elizabeth’s reign?
A
- the negative impact was changed during her reign when she translated the scriptures which brought wales in England closer as Wales could now read the Scriptures
- 1563 Elizabeth in introduced legislation which required all churches in Wales by 1567 to have Welsh translations of book of common prayers and Bible
- whales had always been a back door for invasion so spreading the protestant word among the Welsh in their own language was politically excellent and kept them from providing a threat
- William Salesbury published a Welsh translation of the main text of the prayer book which was produced in 1567
- full Bible translated by William Morgan in 1588
