Privy Council

    avatar
    Created by
    Halina Suchecka

    Cards (6)

    • Elizabeths most trusted courtiers were her privy council
    • The privy council met on a daily basis to offer Elizabeth advice on important issues such as going to war
    • The privy council was led by Elizabeth's cheif advisor, the secretary of state
    • She controlled the privy council by:
      • Appointing councillors with different viewpoints, leaving her free to choose between them
      • Appointing the trusted William Cecil as secretary of state for most of her reign
    • However Elizabeth never had complete control:
      • in 1587, Cecil manipulated Elizabeth into executing Mary Queen of Scots
    • By the 1590s, William Cecil was too old to control the Privy council, leading to factional rivalry between his son- Robert Cecil - and other councillors such as the Earl of Essex