Privy Council

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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