Queen Elizabeth I and government Flashcards
what was the use of patronage
During Elizabethan times power came from the top down by a system of patronage. God had chosen the king or, in Elizabeth’s case, the queen and as such she had the right to appoint whoever she wished to help her rule the country. She usually chose from the nobility and could take their power away if they offended her. The nobility would then appoint men from the gentry to official jobs. The gentry was made up of knights, lawyers and rich merchants. The gentry were responsible for controlling their own locality rather like local councils do today. Power was not based on ability as it is today but it was based on friendship and favour.
what were the Court and courtiers
The court was the centre of royal power and consisted of nobles and higher gentry who enjoyed the queen’s favour. The court met wherever Elizabeth was staying but her main palace was at Whitehall in London. Elizabeth had over sixty residences in total and the palaces she visited most frequently were Whitehall, Windsor, Nonsuch, Greenwich and Richmond. (The court did not stay more than six weeks in any one place as the drains could not cope with long visits!). Elizabeth surrounded herself with her most favoured courtiers and these were given rooms in the palaces. Other courtiers were told to find lodgings near the palace and there were those who had displeased the queen who were simply sent away from court.
How did Elizabeth use the court to rule?
Elizabeth used the court to show her power and when it met it was a glamorous affair. There would be dancing, plays, pageants, feasts and jousting tournaments not to mention sermons in the open air courtyard and hunting in St James’ Park. Court life was not simply about leisure as Elizabeth used all these events to impress her nobles with her wealth and power. It was her stage where she performed the business of her rule and she was the star of the show. She liked to demonstrate her fierce intellect and was happy to be heard speaking in Latin and other foreign languages with foreign ambassadors. She was also a keen dancer and enjoyed riding and hunting.
Elizabeth needed her nobles to control their lands and to inform her of the mood of the people. They needed her more as their power came directly from her therefore attendance at court was important in that it brought them into contact with the queen. A chance remark or good performance in a dance or in a tournament could bring them to her attention and thus increase the likelihood of Elizabeth bestowing further favour on them. It was important for a nobleman to retain the favour of the queen as he would then be able to build a network of loyal supporters with which to control his own lands.
If he lost favour, then he would find it more difficult to find gentry to support him. Elizabeth did not limit her favour to the biggest noble families rather she preferred to offer her favour more widely thereby increasing her control and limiting the power of greater nobles. In the past, Tudor monarchs had struggled to control different groups at court and this had affected the stability of their reign. Elizabeth used favour and firmness to keep control of the nobility. She even allowed some Catholics to attend court despite the fact that she was a Protestant and in this way she was able to keep their loyalty.
who was the privy council
they were a group of her trusted adviser
what were the roles of the privy council
Role of the Privy Council
The Privy Council were a group of powerful noblemen appointed by Elizabeth. They advised Elizabeth but did not control her.
Elizabeth chose a small group of 19 men to minimise conflict between them.
The council met every day and was the most powerful part of the machinery of the government.
They advised on domestic and foreign issues such as how to handle challenges and threats, when to go to war, relations with foreign ambassadors, and supervising the enforcement of the Religious Settlement.
how did Elizabeth try to control the privy council
she limited the council to 19 members and of these only eight or nine met regularly
she appointed councillors with different viewpoints
she used flattery and played the councillors off against each other
she used rewards and the threat of removing those rewards in order to maintain control
she also discussed policies and the business of state with courtiers who were not members of the Privy Council
who was William Cecil
Elizabeth appointed Cecil as the Secretary of State in 1558. He was her most important minister and guided her wisely for 40 years. In 1571, he received the title Lord Burghley. Cecil was a moderate Protestant and was concerned about the threat of English Catholics. Whilst he shared her caution as he did not want to see England embroiled in expensive foreign wars he was very much his own man. He was clear on the fact that he was an advisor to the queen and as such he would challenge her by using parliament and her courtiers to encourage her to change her mind about various issues. After the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587 Elizabeth refused to see Cecil. She was angry with him and blamed him.
who was Sir Francis Walsingham
he was in charge of Elizabeth’s secret service and advised on foreign affairs. Walsingham like Cecil was also worried about the Catholic threat and advised Elizabeth. Walsingham was a cold and calculating man and whilst Elizabeth admired his straight talking nature she could be angered by him. In the 1580s when Walsingham wanted to repress the Catholics she was angry with him and even threw a slipper at him! In 1586, he uncovered the plot that led to Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution. When Walsingham died Cecil took back the role of Secretary of State.
what was the cause of the rebellion of the earl of Essex
Elizabeth promoted Robert Cecil as Secretary of State in 1596 as his father, William Cecil was too crippled to continue the role. Essex had wanted to influence her decision thereby gaining influence over royal patronage. His failure to do this made him look weak and made him angry with the queen.
Cecil and Essex each began to build up rival factions at court. This was something Elizabeth had sought to avoid for most of her reign.
Essex was sent to Ireland to defeat a rebellion, but instead made peace with the rebels against Elizabeth’s orders. Upon his return from Ireland Essex broke into Elizabeth’s bedchamber hoping to explain his actions which alarmed and angered her.
As punishment he was banned from court and financially ruined. He was fortunate to avoid a charge of treason for his actions.
what happened in the rebellion of the earl of Essex
Rather than accept his punishment Essex turned to desperate measures and set out to seize power.
He gathered his allies such as the Duke of Southampton, another noble who was out of favour and heavily in debt.
Key Catholics and Puritans also joined him along with former soldiers who were impressed by his military skill.
Essex wanted to get rid of the influence of Cecil at court and to make Elizabeth declare James VI of Scotland as her successor.
The rebellion failed as the Privy Council heard of the impending attack and offered to be merciful to those who had initially supported Essex as long as they deserted him.
Essex was executed for treason on 25 February 1601.
Even though the rebellion was the greatest crisis of Elizabeth’s final years the Privy Council stood with the queen and made sure that Essex was not successful. Essex was the victim of his own stupidity as he believed that he could get his own way by a show of force. He was arrogant enough to believe that Elizabeth would forgive him for anything.
how was the Elizabethan parliament different from the modern parliament
The Elizabethan Parliament was very different to the Parliament of today, it was much less powerful or representative. There was no Prime Minister, no political parties, Members of Parliament (MPs) were all men, and they were all voted in by wealthy landowners.
how did Elizabeth tightly control the parliament
Elizabeth tightly controlled Parliament
Parliament could only meet if Elizabeth called it, and she set the agenda.
Parliament could only talk about what Elizabeth allowed it to discuss.
Elizabeth mainly used Parliament to grant her taxes - this was her main income.
Elizabeth could close (prorogue) Parliament at any time.
Parliament only met 13 times in her 45 year reign for an average of three weeks per year.
Elizabeth made sure her Privy Councillors sat in Parliament to help control proceedings.
Both Walsingham and Cecil used Parliament to introduce key issues such as marriage, the succession. and religion. Elizabeth fought back by stating that these were issues for her to decide just like any other monarch.
what was the Puritan threat to Elizabeth
Puritans were strict Protestants who wanted to ‘purify’ the Church and get rid of all traces of the Catholic faith. Many had fled abroad when Mary I, a Catholic, was queen, but had started to return when Elizabeth, a Protestant, came to the throne. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement meant that the country was now officially Protestant, but allowed some traditions of Catholic worship. At first many Puritans seemed to accept the Settlement, but they soon started organising campaigns to make it more Protestant.
How much of a threat were the Puritans?
They raised their points in Parliament, but did not on the whole get involved in plots to overthrow Elizabeth or destabilise the country and were therefore were seen as less of a threat than the Catholics.
Some of Elizabeth’s most trusted Privy Councillors and MPs, notably Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and Sir Francis Walsingham, were Puritans and tried to pressure her into taking harsher steps against Catholics.
Even if they weren’t a great threat, Elizabeth still did not welcome the Puritans’ challenge to her authority.
when was the Puritan threat from Walter Strickland
- Walter Strickland, leader of the Puritan group in Parliament, wanted to reform Elizabeth’s new Prayer Book and ban clergy vestments (this was known as the Vestarian Controversy). Elizabeth silenced him by closing Parliament so his ideas could not be discussed.
