Elizabeth's Government

Question 1

How did the privy council change under Elizabeth?

Answer 1

• reduced to under 20 members so it was easier to manage and to reduce the power of the nobility
• kept people who enjoyed her leadership so served for longer periods –> therefore improved unity and effectiveness of control
• Haigh believed through excluding nobility and the church the council was “unrepresentative” and E was “undermining its value”

Question 2

What were the functions of the Privy Council?

Answer 2

• advise the monarch
• administer public policy
• co-ordinate the work of different elements of the government
• acted as a royal court of law –> e.g. during war with Spain and economic crisis, they could meet up to 6 days a week

Question 3

What was the significance of the privy council?

Answer 3

• still an age of personal monarchy: she was unlikely to be pressurised by the council on areas such as Mary, succession and the Netherlands
• guarded her right on issues that fell within the royal prerogative
• well argued cases could sway her and also threats of resignation –> William Cecil used the tactic during military action against Scotland

Question 4

Who were the justices of peace and what did they do?

Answer 4

• appointed from ranks of the gentry or from wealthy families and merchant elite
• responsible for maintaining rule by settling disputes, punishing offenders and administering policies such as the poor laws
• average of 50 per county by 1600
• had to live in counties administered –> could be accused of ignoring policies that would be unpopular

Question 5

What were Lord Lieutenants?

Answer 5

• responsible for raising local military but now also to supervise the work of JPs and report local events to the Privy Council
• one appointed in nearly every county
• carried lots of prestige
• beneath them were parish officials –> shows the government system was very complex

Question 6

Who was William Cecil?

Answer 6

• first Secretary of State, then Lord Treasurer
• associated with financial management but was very influential
• conservative and a stabiliser –> attacked religious extremism from both sides
• sought to preserve England’s independence abroad through being cautious with Spain and France

Question 7

What was the function of parliament?

Answer 7

• instrument to support royal policy
• summoned and dismissed in accordance with monarch’s needs and had little power to initiate policies

Question 8

What provides evidence that there was growing conflict between Elizabeth and parliament?

Answer 8

• E tried to control spending by increasing traditional sources of revenue, but she was forced to rely on parliamentary subsidies –> this gave parliament financial leverage over the Crown and provoked angry exchanges over Crown demands
• by the end of the reign, over half of MPs were either trained lawyers or had attended university –> made them more self confident and inclined to argue back
• 1566: Elizabeth was angered by MPs discussing succession issues –> she saw it as a matter of the royal prerogative
• 1563-66: ‘Puritan Choir’ (Neale) emerged of at least 40 MPs who pressed for more religious reforms
• 1601: MPs refused to grant additional taxes unless E withdrew licenses that had been issued

Question 9

What provides evidence that there wasn’t growing conflict between Elizabeth and parliament?

Answer 9

• only 13 Parliaments during reign and during short periods –> E mainly reigned through the Privy Council
• E did veto bills but usually on the grounds that they had defects –> when ministers redrafted they were easily passed
• the ‘Puritan choir’ less united than Neale suggested –> religious opposition only flared up in response to particular events but wasn’t sustained
• E summoned most parliaments to obtain money and on nearly every occasion she received the grant she asked for