Queen Elizabeth and her court

Question 1

who were Elizabeth’s father and mother?

Answer 1

Anne boleyn and Henry VIII

Question 2

what happened to Elizabeth’s mother when she was young?

Answer 2

she was executed for treason on the orders of Henry VIII

Question 3

why was Elizabeth unlikely to become Queen?

Answer 3

she was the middle of three children and both her younger brother and older sister came before her in the line of succession

Question 4

how old was Elizabeth when she became Queen?

Answer 4

25 years old- she needed to establish her authority quickly

Question 5

who were privy councillors?

Answer 5

trusted individuals in Elizabeth’s court supported through patronage

Question 6

what was patronage?

Answer 6

an important way of ensuring loyalty from courtiers. Elizabeth would award titles, land, monopolies, and other powerful positions and money making opportunities in exchange for obedience and support

Question 7

what was the court?

Answer 7

the centre of power and also the source of the latest trends and fashions. It included the privy council, but justices of the peace and parliament were not part of it

Question 8

who was the court made up of?

Answer 8

officials, servants, and advisors that surrounded Elizabeth

Question 9

who was the government made up of?

Answer 9

the queen and her closest advisors, usually privy councillors but always men who she trusted

Question 10

what 4 sections had power?

Answer 10

-Justice’s of the peace
-privy council
-parliament
-lord lietenants

Question 11

key points of justices of the peace:

Answer 11

-several in every country
-responsible for maintaining order and enforcing law

Question 12

key points of the lord lieutenants:

Answer 12

-appointed by the Queen
-responsible for running a particular area of the country
-responsibly for raising a militia to fight for the Queen if needed
-many served on the privy council

Question 13

key points of the parliament:

Answer 13

-made up of the house of lords and house of commons
-had influence over tax and responsible for passing laws
-the Queen could choose when to call parliament and was free to ignore their advice

Question 14

Key points of the privy council:

Answer 14

-responsible for day to day running of the country and dealing with all policy areas

-queen could technically appoint whoever she wished but in reality she had to appoint the most powerful landowners in the country in order to prevent rebellion

-if the council was united, it was almost impossible for elizabeth to go against their wishes. (however unity was rare in a group filled with ambitious rivals)

-william cecil and francis walsignham were two significant and powerful figures who served the secretary of state. both had a huge influence on Elizabeth

Question 15

who led the privy council?

Answer 15

the secretary of state

Question 16

who were two significant figures who were in the privy council?

Answer 16

-francis walsignham
william cecil

Question 17

what was Liz’s education like?

Answer 17

she had a difficult childhood and had to use her intelligence in order to survive during the reign of her catholic half-sister. Liz spoke French. Flemish, Italian and spanish

she was one of the most educated women of her generation

Question 18

what languages did Elizabeth speak?

Answer 18

French, Flemish, Italian, Spanish

Question 19

was Liz popular?

Answer 19

she was popular amongst many people in England and her reign was seen as a fresh start

Question 20

who were three key figures in Liz’s life?

Answer 20

-william cecil
-sir francis walsignham
-robert dudley

Question 21

who was william cecil?

Answer 21

secretary of state- most important advisor

Question 22

who was sir francis walsignham?

Answer 22

the spymaster

Question 23

who was robert dudley?

Answer 23

earl of lecister and advisor (rumours that he was Liz’s lover)