The reform of the Privy Council, 1540 Flashcards
Geoffrey Elton:
Argues that the changes to the Privy Council actually occurred in 1536-37 and it was part of Thomas Cromwell’s attempt to modernise and reform the government of England
John Guy: (2)
- Argued that the changes that occurred in 1536 were a temporary response to the Pilgrimage of Grace
- The smaller Council that met in 1536-7 was an emergency body, with many political enemies of Cromwell such as the Duke of Norfolk. Therefore if Cromwell had really instigated these changes, he would not have filled the Council with the men who had resented him the most
Why did Henry VIII need to restructure his government?
So it could continue to work without Cromwell
Henry VIII’s Chief Ministers:
- Thomas Wolsey
- Thomas Cromwell
Role of the Privy Council under Henry VIII:
Privy Council turned itself into a ‘chief minister’ and were collectively responsible for much of the work which had previously been performed by Wolsey and Cromwell
Name someone who was in Henry VIII’s Privy Council:
Duke of Norfolk
Advantage of the Privy Council over Wolsey and Cromwell:
Meant that no one individual was able to wield the amount of power on their own that Wolsey and Cromwell had
The role of ‘Chief Minister’ under Edward and Mary:
No ‘Chief Minister’
The role of ‘Chief Minister’ under Elizabeth:
Taken by William Cecil, but under the name ‘Queen’s Secretary’
Who was Elizabeth’s ‘Queen’s Secretary’?
William Cecil
Henry VII Council membership:
227 members, many who attended only infrequently
Before 1536, Henry VIII’s Council membership:
120 members
1536 - 1540, Henry VIII’s Council membership:
19 members
Edward’s Council:
Grew as he was only a child and needed a larger Council in order to govern the country
Who was under control of Edward:
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, Edward’s uncle
Why was the role of the Council undermined during the reign of Edward?
Somerset preferred to make decisions and rule using men from his own household
How did Somerset manipulate his role:
Somerset gave his men key roles in the king’s household and chamber, giving him and others more influence
Sir Michael Stanhope:
- Somerset’s brother-in-law
- Made chief gentlemen of the Privy Chamber and groom of the stool
- Controlled the dry stamp
Where had a rebellion broken out in 1549?
West Country and East Anglia
What was achieved in the 1549 rebellion?
The Earl of Warwick (later the Duke of Northumberland) who led the attack on Somerset which brought him down
Who replaced Somerset as Edward’s protector?
Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland and the Council in 1552:
Governed through the Council and thus membership increased to 31 in 1552
Did the Council have the most power?
Power still remained with the monarchy
Membership of the Council under Mary:
A large number of men were appointed to the Council in an attempt by the queen to be inclusive.
Council under Mary:
Returned to the pattern seen in 1540
Average attendance at Council meetings in 1555:
12
How many councillors attended over 50% of meetings?
8 councillors
Council under Elizabeth:
Council had returned to a permanent, small group of trusted advisers as it was like in the 1540s
1540 Council new powers:
- Issue collective proclamations and orders in the monarch’s name and did not have to wait for explicit instructions from the Monarch
- Had its own clerk who recorded meetings
Council’s new power from Mary’s reign:
Had its own seal
Seal
Tudor documents were made official by the use of a wax seal
How was the inclusion the seal an indicator of increasing importance of the Council?
The fact that the Council had it’s own seal suggests that it was becoming an important institution of government in its own right
Elizabeth and travelling with her Royal Council:
Elizabeth’s Council would meet wherever the Queen was staying as well as on progresses
Why did the volume of work for the Council increase?
As the Tudor government expanded into the localities
From 1520s to the 1560s how many meeting did the Council usually have per week?
3 or 4 times a week
By the 1590s, how many meetings did the Council have per day?
A meeting per day, sometimes twice a day
