SEC AND LIEUT Flashcards
(18 cards)
How was local government carried out pre mid 16th Century
*Before mid 16th century, local government was carried out by the nobility and gentry (and increasingly the yeomen and aritisans)
*The roles carried out by these groups included presiding over legal cases as Justices of Peace (JP’S) and collecting taxation.
*In the absence of the army or police force, members of the local gentry and nobility were responsible for maintaining law and order and raising armies to fight for the king in communities
what were the negatives of the local government system pre mid 16th century
role gave power to land owners so the monarch had to trust them (it was possible for those in power locally to abuse their position; during the Wars of the Roses local nobility had raised armies against their own king. They could also manipulate the legal system to protect their own families and friends)
*The system was reliant upon local officials, who were unpaid and not necessarily suited to their job.
*In response- the system of Lord Lieutenants developed over the period. This role especially involved recruitment for royal armies and aimed to increase royal control over regions.
how did the role of Lord Lieutenant develop under Henry VIII
*First extension of royal power in localities and military recruitment began under Henry VIII as a response to the demands of foreign war and threat of domestic rebellion
*In 1512 and 1545 he gave commissions to nobility to organise defence against threat from France and Scotland, who were at war with England.
*In 1536 he issued commissions to deal with the threat of the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion
what was the role of lord lieutenant under Edward IV
*In 1549, The duke of Northumberland, Edwards protector at the time, appointed members of the nobility as Lieutenants to deal with trouble caused by serious rebellions in that year.
*Northumberland’s Lieutenants were expected to have both a policing and military role at a local level
what was the role of Lord Lieutenant under Mary i?
*Under Mary, there was a further attempt to formalise Northumberland’s Lieutenant system, in response to demands of war with France.
*In 1557-58, Mary’s nobility and gentry found it difficult to to recruit troops
*In response- Mary divided the country into 10 Lieutenancies, with each lieutenant responsible for the defence of their region and military recruitment (this was temporary and didn’t survive once the threat of French invasion diminished in 1558)
what was the role of Lord Lieutenant under Elizabeth I
*Under Elizabeth 1st the post of lord lieutenant became a PERMENANT one (this was a response to the war with Spain from 1585-1604)
*With the beginnings of the war, Lord Lieutenants were appointed to each county, with a deputy (Many of these appointments were for life due to the length of the war)
*Initially their work was organisation of the war effort and they were responsible for organising the army (with training and getting the army together)
*All local officials were expected to obey the Lieutenants
*This system was effective- it harnessed the most powerful men in the country, the nobility, in the service of the Crown. The lieutenants were directly answerable to the monarch (they organised armies for the crown, not their own private armies like before 1585)
*It was common for members of the council to act as lord lieutenants, enhancing links between the government and localities
*Lord lieutenants were able to gather info about localities, making military organisation smoother.
HOW WAS ELIZABETHS LORD LIEUTENANT SYSTEM EFFECTIVE
*This system was effective- it harnessed the most powerful men in the country, the nobility, in the service of the Crown. The lieutenants were directly answerable to the monarch (they organised armies for the crown, not their own private armies like before 1585)
who acted as llieutenants under Elizabeth
*It was common for members of the council to act as lord lieutenants, enhancing links between the government and localities
what was the role of the secretary under Henry VII
*originally the role of the secretary was part of the Royal house. (This meant the secretary could be very influential)
*Holding the position meant close access to the monarch and control of the monarchs personal/ privy seal (which made royal documents official)
what was the role of the secretary under Henry VIII (PRE 1540)
*The role of the secretary first became politically important in the 1530’s, when Thomas Cromwell was secretary (BECAME SECRETARY IN 1534)
*In the hands of Thomas Cromwell the position grew in importance but this importance was not sustained after Cromwell’s fall.
*Cromwell used his position to control council meetings and his access to the kings private correspondence meant he had detailed knowledge of the kings day to day business
*Although Cromwell was never appointed to the most important role, Lord Chancellor, he was able to manipulate his position as Henry Viii’s secretary to make himself the most powerful man in the country, next to the king.
what was the role of the secretary under Henry VIII (POST 1540)
*After Cromwell’s fall in 1540 the role of secretary declined in political importance again
*The post was split between two men for the first time, Thomas Wriothesely and Ralph Sadler, neither of whom were as powerful as Cromwell
*Appointing two secretaries was partly in response to the increased amount of work which the secretary undertook. It was ALSO an attempt to ensure that no man could exploit the position to their own advantage
who was the role of secretary appointed to post 1540 after cromwells fall
Thomas Wriothesely and Ralph Sadler, neither of whom were as powerful as Cromwell
who held the positions of secretary under Elizabeth 1?
*The role of secretary only became more important again when Elizabeth’s most trusted adviser, William Cecil, was appointed to the role in 1558. (William Cecil continued this role until 1576)
*Later secretaries were equally influential : Francis Walsingham (elizabeths spymaster) held office from 1573-1590.
*Walsingham was followed by Cecil’s son, Robert after his death. She refused to fill this post for 6 years
*Robert Cecil used his secretary position to build up a network of supporters. He had access to the Queens correspondence (that included info about offices and positions available and requests for them)
*Cecil was able to ensure that patronage was distributed to his own clients not his rival, the earl of essex’s clients.
*In this period there were still two secretaries, but one was more dominant.
when was Francis Walsingham secretary
1573-1590.
when was william Cecil secretary
appointed to the role in 1558.
continued this role until 1576
what was the function of secretary under Elizabeth I?
*During Elizabeth’s reign, the post of secretary became permanently important as the men appointed conducted day to day running of the government on the queens behalf (enhancement of power)
*The secretaries needed to deal with the queen, organise meetings and go through enormous amounts of info that was sent to them
*In this period there were still two secretaries, but one was more dominant.
how was the role of secretary dangerous under Elizabeth
William Davidson, who became one of the secretaries in 1586, had the responsibility of keeping the death warrant which had been issued for Mary Queen Of Scots, Elizabeth’s catholic rival for the throne.
Davidson had to get the queens signature but she didn’t want it to be sent off. When she found out the council sent it off she blamed Davidson.
He was imprisoned and forced to pay a fine of 10,000 marks.
