regional/local government

• During the period from 1485 to 1603, the Royal/Privy Council saw several changes in politics and government.
• Henry VII, who knew as a usurper, only called the Royal/Privy Council occasionally to discuss major policies, such as finances.
• Henry VII reformed the government by making it more specialised and selecting ministers based on intelligence not rank.
• Reginald Bray was selected for his financial expertise.
• Henry VIII made up the Royal/Privy Council of professionally trained individuals not the nobility.
• Bureaucrats and lawyers in the Royal/Privy Council came from humble origins and depended on the king.
• Henry VIII used the Royal/Privy Council to conduct business in government and daily workings, turning the council into a more formal body.
• Henry VIII continued the formalisation of government similar to his father, Henry VII.
• Henry VIII made few changes to the government.
• Cromwell used Parliament to its potential and made changes that lasted into Elizabeth's reign.
• Cromwell created the Privy Council, a significant contribution to the development of government.
• Cromwell formalised the running of government, making it less informal and less large.
• Elizabeth I valued the advice of the Privy Council but was keen to reinforce the primacy of the monarch.
• Elizabeth I encouraged factionalism but also sought advice from outsiders to assert control.
• Elizabeth I lost control of factionalism, leading to the Essex Rebellion in 1601.
• Elizabeth I punished those who challenged royal prerogative, for example, Bishop Rudd in 1596.