knowledge organiser 2 Flashcards
what was the royal court?
the group of nobles and privy councillors that surrounded the queen
what did courtiers do?
they travelled with the Elizabeth as she toured
what did entertainment at court project?
projected an imaged of extravagance and wealth
what entertainment was shown at court?
jousting tournaments, dances and plays
how did Elizabeth control the royal court?
she used a system of patronage to control the royal court
did Elizabeth grant positions of power?
yes such as a place at royal court or on the privy council to wealthy and her favourites
why did Elizabeth use patronage in her court?
to ensure loyalty and courtiers owed all their power to Elizabeth
what did the system of patronage meant?
meant that power was based on personal relationships with the queen
who were Elizabeths most trusted courtiers?
her privy councillors
what did her privy council do?
they met everyday to offer Elizabeth advice on important issues such as going to war
who lead the privy council?
Elizabeths chief advisor the secretary of state william cecil
how did Elizabeth control the privy council?
by appointing privy councillors with different viewpoints leaving her free to choose between them
who did she appoint as secretary of state?
the loyal and trusted William Cecil for most of her reign her nickname for him was spirit
did Elizabeth ever have complete control?
she never had complete control
what happened in 1587?
Cecil manipulated Elizabeth into executing Mary Queen of Scots
what happened by 1590s?
rivalry
William Cecil was too old to control the privy council leading to the factional rivalry between his son Robert Cecil and other councillors such as the Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux?
the Earl of Essex and was the rising star of court at 18 years old he was Elizabeths favourite his success as a military commander won him a place on the privy council
what did Robert Devereux’s egotistical and rash behaviour lead him?
to be executed
1598 what happened (the Essex rebellion)?
reached for his sword during an argument with Elizabeth
1599 what happened (the Essex rebellion)?
led a failed military expedition in Ireland
1600 what happened (the Essex rebellion)?
abandoned his soldiers in Ireland and forced his way into Elizabeths bedchambers
1601 what happened (the Essex rebellion)?
plotted an armed rebellion to remove Elizabeth and make James of Scotland king
what did the Essex rebellion reveal in 1590s?
revealed Elizabeths weakness
what did the death of Cecil lead to?
dangerous factional rivalry in the privy council and Essex struggled to respect Elizabeths authority because she was a woman
did Elizabeth and her privy council run the government of England?
yes but they needed a system of local government to control the different areas of the country
what was each county controlled by?
a lord lieutenant appointed by the queen (a form of patronage) usually the most powerful noble in the county kept the queen and her privy council informed of what is going on, organised local armies to deal with rebellions
what were justices of the peace (JPs) responsible for?
law and order
how many JPs in each county
about 40
who were the JPs appointed by?
the queen a form of patronage
what were the JPs responsible for?
collecting taxes and fines, enforcing the poor law, judging court cases
were the JPs paid?
no which often lead to corruption and bribery
was parliament a part of Elizabeths government?
yes which MPs voted to give their consent for new laws and taxes
did parliament pose a threat to Elizabeth authority?
yes they posed a serious threat to Elizabeths authority
did Elizabeth need parliaments consent?
yes she needed consent before raising taxes which gave the MPs power to push changes they wanted to see
what did puritan MPs do?
used their positions to make speeches pushing for Elizabeth to marry a protestant and have a protestant heir, remove archbishops and bishops and allow elected committees to control churches, stop priests from wearing vestments, give MPs free speech so they could discus whatever they wanted in parliament
did Elizabeth use various methods to control parliament?
yes Elizabeth only called parliament to meet when she needed it, privy councillors such as William Cecil sat in parliament and controlled debate, she limited MPs freedom of speech by banning discussion of religion, her marriage and she used harsh punishments to control puritan MPs
how many times did parliament meet in her 45 year reign?
13 times
what happened in 1593 at parliament?
Elizabeth imprisoned Peter Wentworth in the tower of London after he demanded she name a protestant heir
what happened to John Stubbs?
the puritan MP had his hand chopped off in 1579 for criticising Elizabeths proposed marriage to the catholic Duke of Anjou
did Elizabeth use properganda?
yes she used it to project an image of her as a powerful and popular monarch
what did portraits of Elizabeth do?
emphasised her power and hid any signs of weakness
did Elizabeth go on regular progress’?
yes so she could be seen by ordinary people
what was a progress?
was a royal tour that took place each summer. Elizabeth toured the country staying with rich nobles who put on spectacular entertainment
what did Elizabeth do on her progress?
showed off her wealth and splendour, spoke with ordinary people as she passed
did Elizabeth ever visit the North and West?
no Elizabeths progresses never extended beyond loyal protestant areas in the South and East
