Chapter 19 Flashcards
Function of the royal court under Elizabeth
The royal court was important to the Elizabethan decision-making processes as here, Elizabeth could seek advice on an individual basis. The court was part theatre and partly a place for patronage. It existed wherever the queen happened to be at a particular time, whether she was resident at one of her palaces or visiting members of the nobility on one of her royal progresses.
Two main areas of the court
The court had two main areas: the Presence Chamber and the Privy Chamber.
The Presence Chamber was a relatively open area to which anyone with the right status or connections might expect to have access. The Privy Chamber was both more private and more important, though considerably less influential than it had been during the reigns of the Tudor kings because the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber no longer had the rights of access to the monarch which they had formerly enjoyed. Admission to the Privy Chamber was carefully guarded.
The operation of the court came under the jurisdiction of the Lord Chamberlain. Elizabeth always appointed a member of the nobility to the post. (Three of her Lords Chamberlain were, in addition, close relatives, for example her cousin Lord Hunsdon, appointed in 1585.)
Moreover, the ceremonial aspects of courtly life became much more important as the reign progressed. Increasingly, as Christopher Haigh has argued, Elizabeth turned her politicians (such as Cecil) into courtiers and her courtiers (such as the Earl of Leicester and Sir Christopher Hatton) into politicians.
What was the Privy council and how important was it?
The main formal body in which the queen’s principal ministers came together was the Privy Council, which was responsible for policy advice and administration. It met regularly, with most meetings attracting an attendance of about ten members. Its importance as a decision-making body should not be overestimated, however, as Elizabeth often consulted with ministers on an individual basis.
Key functions of the privy council
To adjudicate partly as a
court of law when sitting as the Star
Chamber and partly when sitting as a Board when dealing with issues such as local maladministration
According to John Guy, to manage Parliament, although it can be debated whether this was a function of the Council as a whole rather than individual councilors. (Often clashes in Elizabeth’s parliaments were reflections of the tensions that arose between Elizabeth and her Privy Council, especially when the latter was treading on issues that were the preserve of the royal prerogative)
To enforce the religious
settlement of 1559, by requiring justices of the peace to investigate compliance in individual counties, for example, by overseeing the laws against Catholics
To discuss matters
of State and offer policy advice. arising from those discussions to the queen
To oversee arrangements for
national defence by supervising the operation of trained bands in individual counties and serving as lords lieutenant with militia responsibilities in individual counties
To manage Crown finances with the Lord
Treasurer and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
To oversee the operation of, and receive appeals from, the regional councils such as the Council of the North and the Council of Wales and the Marches
To enforce a range of laws and regulations regarding issues such as law and order, vagrancy, prices and wages
To administer the realm by instructing a range of officials: lords lieutenant, sheriffs, justices of the peace (Ps), subsidy (tax commissioners, borough councils. Increasingly during Elizabeth’s reign, councillors involved themselves in the details of local administration and built networks of influence in the counties. Councilors had a considerable influence on the appointment of JPs, the linchpins of local administration, in individual shires
Council makeup in early reign
William Cecil was established as Elizabeths key minister at the beginning or the reign, and he came to dominate the Council. He had already anticipated his rise to power even before Marys death, Within a month of this event he was described by the spanish ambassador as the man who does everything He was joined in the Council by a number of close associates including Sir Nicholas
Bacon , Francis Russell Earl of Bedford and Sir Francis Knollys. The Council did contain some ministers of more conservative views. These were usually drawn from the traditional aristocracy and included the premier peer of the realm, the young and impetuous Thomas Howard, fourth Duke of Norfolk. Steadier conservatives included the Lord Treasurer the Marquis of Winchester and the earls of Sussex and Shrewsbury. However, the offices held by the latter pair isually kept them away from court and reduced their direct political influence. hitabethis favourite, Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, joined the Council in 1562.
Was factional rivalry a problem earlier on in the reign?
It has often been thought that conciliar government was affected by factional rivalries throughout Elizabeth’s reign. However, the structure of Elizabethan government, at least in the early stages of the reign, helped to prevent ictional rivalry from getting out of hand. No single minister, not even Cecil, had complete control over patronage. The various influential families at court and within the Council balanced one another. Thus, relatives of the Boleyns featured in the senior ranks of Crown service in substantial numbers, while Elizabeths late stepmother’s family, the Parrs, along with their close connections, also featured strongly, certainly early in the reign.
Family connections could overcome religious differences. Although the Earl of Leicester and Cecil disagreed over the queen’s potential marriage, they tended to cooperate over other issues, being able to work together most of the time because they needed each other.
Rivalry between Cecil and Leicester - differing interpretations
It has been asserted that there were clear divisions between Cecil and his allies, who favoured moderate and pragmatic policies, and Protestant ideologues led by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. In recent years, however, historians such as Stephen Alford and John Guy have challenged this argument. This is partly because they see Cecil as a more radical figure in religious terms than has sometimes been acknowledged and partly because disputes between Cecil and Leicester tended to be occasional and focused on specific policy issues.
How important was parliament under Elizabeth?
Parliament was less important under Elizabeth than it would become in the seventeenth century. Possibly, it was also less important under Elizabeth than it had been under Henry VIII. Elizabeth tended to regard Parliament as a necessary but occasional evil; something she had to put up with for its tasks of law making, granting of taxation and (as the Members of Parliament believed), giving advice.
So, while occasionally important for legislative and revenue-raising purposes, it was largely a secondary feature of the Elizabethan political system.
Elizabeth first and second parliaments
Jan-May 1559 Settlement of Religion
Settlement pushed through because of the efforts of strongly Protestant councillors (Cecil, Knollys, Cooke, Bacon] in the face of conservative opposition in the House of Lords.
Legal status of the Church and forms or worship were established for the whole of the reign.
Jan-April 1563 (first session)
September 1556-Jan 1557 (second session)
A large number of MPs urged Elizabeth to marry, even though they were infringing the royal prerogative by doing so. In 1563 members of the Privy Council openly pressed the issue; in 1566 they were more subtle, prompting MPs to do their bidding. In 1566
Elizabeth prevented the passage of bills for further religious reform which were favoured by Cecil and many of the bishops.
This parliament saw the first difference of opinion between Members of Parliament and the queen on an issue which she considered to be part of the royal prerogative.
Elizabeth third parliament
April-May 1571
Elizabeth wanted money to pay for the suppression of the 1569 rebellion and the Council also sought a tightening of the treason law and laws against
Catholics.
Parliament granted Elizabeth a subsidy and was happy to support the tightening of laws against Catholics. William Strickland proposed a bill to reform the Book of Common Prayer, which upset the queen.
Strickland annoyed the Council, which was trying to secure further religious reform by more subtle means, and it was the Council which took the initiative in removing him from attendance at the Commons.
How many laws passed and what for?
Altogether, 438 Acts were passed by Elizabeths parliaments. Probably the most important related to religion (the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformitv in 1559 and the penal laws against Catholics) and social policy (especially the Acts of 1598 and 1601 which addressed poor relief).
Most important function of parliament under Elizabeth and why did it become more important?
To Elizabeth, as to the previous Tudor monarchs, the most important function of Parliament was to grant extraordinary revenue to the Crown Of the 13 parliamentary sessions in Elizabeth’s reign, all but 2 were asked to grant revenue. The distinction between Ordinary and ‘extraordinary revenue had been lost during the reign of Henry VIII and, despite her attempts to economise, Elizabeth was frequently forced to resort to levying
‘extraordinary’ revenue to pay for the Crown’s normal expenditure because the level of her ordinary revenue had fallen in real terms.
However, persistent failure to reform the system of direct taxation meant that the yield of extraordinary revenue through the subsidy declined also in real terms.
Did Elizabeth listen to parliament’s advice?
Most of the time Elizabeth was not at all interested in listening to the advice of MPs. Indeed, she became particularly irritated when MPs ventured into areas that she considered fell within the royal prerogative. On the other hand, meetings of Parliament gave useful opportunities to members of the Privy Council and other senior figures to gauge opinion amongst members of the political nation. As such, Parliament served as a useful means of communication and a clear point of contact between councillors and those who administered the localities on their behalf.
The historiography of Elizabeth and her parliaments
For many years the interpretation of Elizabeth and her partiaments which held sway was that of John Neale. Conscious of the importance of the narliamentary challenge to royal authority which culminated in civil war Pa he 16405, Neale traced the roots of that challenge back to what he sat in the Unergence of oppositionist elements in elzaletisresen, particulary as the men choir of around 40 MPs who challenged Elizabethan religious legislation (see Chapter 18). His arguments were altacked by Geofrey Elon and, later, Michael Graves.
Parliament and the patronage system
It used to be thought that the Crown devoted much energy into ensuring that the House of Commons was packed with its own supporters. (To support the claim it was pointed out that Elizabeth’s reign saw the creation of no fewer than 62 new borough seats - the assumption being that these were created to ensure the return of the Crown’s own direct supporters.) This view has now been disputed - most of the impetus for the creation of such seats came from aristocrats, badgered by local gentry who wanted the prestige conferred by membership of the House of Commons. The creation of borough seats thereby enabled the Crown to oblige its aristocratic servants who were, in turn, able to reward their local supporters, a perfect example of the patronage system of Elizabethan England in operation.
