Lesson 1

• Courtiers?

  usually members of the nobility who spent much of their time with the monarch at church
• Crown?

  the monarch and their government
• Divine right?

  belief that the monarch‘s right to rule came from God
• Extraordinary taxation?

  additional taxation to pay for unexpected expenses, such as war
• Militia?

  military force of ordinary people, ordinary people, not soldiers, raised in emergencies
• Patron?

  someone who gives financial support of an individual cause
• What was the structure of Elizabeeth in society?

  nobility, gentry,yeoman,tenant farmers, landless labourers, vagrants
• Nobility?

  people with titles linked to land. eg: dukes + earls
• Gentry?

  landowners without titles
• Yeoman?

  smaller land owners (lower gentry)
• Tentant farmers?

  small holders who rented land from the gentry or yeoman
• Landless labourers?

  sold their labour to land owners
• Vagrants?

  unemployed + homeless
• What was the structure in Elizabethan towns?

  Merchants, professionals, business owners, skilled craftsmen, unskilled workers and unemployed
• Merchants?

  Traders of goods who owned large amounts of property
• Professionals?

  lawyers, clergy, doctors, teachers
• Business owners?

  silversmiths, glovers, carpenters, tailors and others who organised themselves into guides(trade associations) to monitor standards, working conditions + tradesmen
• Skilled craftsmen?

  skilled employees + apprentices
• Unskilled workers + unemployed?

  manual workers paid low wage
• What was the structure of the famillies?

  families were essentially mini-societies. Husband/father was the heal of the household. Obedience given to the head of the household by wife, children, servants
• How did the different parts of society interact?

  respect and obedience was owed to those higher up the hierarch. However, a duty of care was owed, particularly by landowners during hardship
• What were the features of the Elizabethan government?

  monarch, Secretary of State, court, privy council, Parliament, Lords Lieutenant, Justice of the peace
• Monarch —> what?

  decided government policy on the advice of the privy council
• Monarch —> composition?

  A divinely anointed ruler of England
• Monarch—> Powers?

  Declare war/make peace, call + dismiss parliament, have their Veiw on voted laws, rule in legal cases where the law was unclear or people appealed, provide patronage by granting titles, lands, money + jobs
• Monarch—> restrictions?


  needed parliamentary approval for extraordinary taxation
• Secretary of state —> what?

  the most important privy counciler
• Secretary of state—> composition?

  held by one person, with the most notable being sir William Cecil
• Court—> what?

  a body of people who House as the monarch
• Court—> composition?

  mostly members of the nobility who acted as key servants, advisers
• Court—> powers?

  entertain and advice the monarch, display their own wealth + power
• Court—> restrictions?

  exercised influence instead of power
• Privy council—> what

  a group who met three times a week; the monarch often attending the meetings
• Privy council —> composition?

  19 members chosen by the monarch out of leading courtiers, advisers, nobles and very senior government figures.
• Privy council—> powers?

  debate current issues, advise the monarch on policy, enforce the monarchs decisions, upholding law and order, local government and security
• Privy council —> restrictions?

  dependant upon the monarchs approval
• Parliamentiment —> what?

  a body of elected representatives, initially approved by the Privy council, voted for by the electorate composed of wealthy men.
• Parliament—> composition?

  House of lords including bishops plus House of Commons
• Parliament—> powers?

  Grant extra ordinary taxation, if requested by the Monarch of sudden expenses emerged passed laws acts of Parliament which were enforceable in court offered advice to the Monarch
• Parliament—> restrictions?

  Royal prerogative if issues which the Queen had restricted from being discussed were raised MPs could be sent to the Tower of London Elizabeth code plus dismissed parliament on ten occasion.