1 - Elizabethan Government

• Elizabeth

  Queen of England and Wales, became Queen at age 25 in November 1558
• Problems facing Elizabeth at the start of her reign

  • Divided between Protestant and Catholic religion
  • Prejudiced ideas about the role and limitations of women undermining her authority
  • Economic difficulties including decline of cloth industry, inflation, unemployment, poverty and vagrancy
  • Threats from other countries, need to increase England's power and prosperity
• Constables

  People who helped enforce the law
• Coronation

  The crowning of a monarch
• Councillors

  Members of the Privy Council who helped run the country
• Gloriana

  Strong, successful and popular queen
• Monopolies

  Royal licence giving sole right to sell/make goods
• Parliament

  Helped the Queen run the country by passing laws
• Patronage

  Using wealth and power to help people
• Progresses

  Royal tours
• Propaganda Material

  Used to influence peoples' thinking
• Succession

  The issue of who would succeed Elizabeth as monarch
• The Coronation and popularity of Elizabeth 1

  1. Took place on 15th January 1559 in London

  2. Processions - barge on Thames

  3. Ceremony - Westminster Abbey

  4. Banquet for nobles and foreign visitors

  5. Celebrations lasted 10 days

  6. Cost approx. £16,000
• Elizabeth tried to win popular support by

  • Royal Progresses - Summer tour, Queen + advisers, officials, servants, guards
  • stayed with nobles for free
  • never went to Wales, North or SW England
• Royal portraits show Elizabeth as

  • A legitimate ruler
  • Pure
  • Successful
  • Wise
  • Wealthy
  • Strong
  • Powerful
  • Ageless
• The Royal Court

  • Centre of political power
  • Whitehall Palace, London
  • Advisers, officials, servants
  • Nobles went to court to try to get her patronage, she would keep them loyal by granting important positions of power in government
  • Nobles were rivals
• Local Government

  • Justices of the Peace - often landowners, approx. 40 in each county, like a 'Police force', part time & unpaid
  • Punish robbers, thieves and idle vagabonds, deal with complaints, violence and unlawful behaviour, implement laws set by Parliament
  • Each county had a Sheriff, helped by Constables and Night-Watchmen
• Parliament

  • A lot less powerful than today
  • Met when called by monarch
  • Elizabeth called Parliament to help pass Acts of Parliament and set taxes
  • Queen appointed speaker who chose topics for discussion
  • Monarch could close Parliament whenever
  • Not allowed to discuss personal affairs (marriage), religion or foreign policy
  • 1586 Anthony Cope tried to push changes to prayer book Elizabeth had him imprisoned
  • Between 1558 and 1603 Parliament met 13 times - 9 dissolved; 4 prorogued
• Function of the Privy Council

  • Manage day to day government of the country
  • Advise the Queen
  • Consider petitions for individuals
• Main offices of the Privy Council

  • Secretary of State
  • Lord Treasurer
  • Keeper of the Great Seal
  • Comptroller of the household
  • Lord High Admiral
  • Lord Chamberlain
• The Privy Council and Councillors

  • Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520 -98) Appointed: 1558. Served Elizabeth for over 40 years as Secretary of State and later Lord Treasurer
  • Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1533 -88) Appointed:1562. Very close friends with Elizabeth, rumours of affair
  • Sir Christopher Hatton (1540 -91) Appointed:1577. Responsible for the Royal progresses, Lord Chancellor in 1587
  • Sir Francis Walsingham (1532 -90) Appointed:1573. Led Elizabeth's secret service –controlled a network of spies trying to uncover plots against Elizabeth
  • Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (1567 -1601) Appointed:1593 In charge of organising attacks against Spain, executed in 1601 for plot against Queen's councillors
  • Robert Cecil (1563 -1612) son of William Cecil. Appointed:1591 Took over as spymaster after Walsingham died
• Taxes

  Queen Elizabeth had to call Parliament to pass laws allowing her to collect taxes, normally to pay for wars
• Taxation and the Poor

  • Taxes collected to help with poor relief (Poor Law 1601)
  • JPs had to make sure everyone in the local area paid towards this or they would be imprisoned, mostly rich who paid
  • Taxes were unpopular and could only be asked for in an emergency
• Monopolies

  Elizabeth made money by selling monopolies which gave individual nobles and merchants the right to manufacture/sell certain goods, unpopular and caused inflation
• Patronage

  • System used by Elizabeth to make sure people were loyal
  • Queen gave special awards and privileges
  • upper class and Privy Councillors gave land and rewards to knights who would then be loyal to them
  • knights, yeoman and merchants then protected the people the rest of the population if they framed the land for them.
• Freedom of Speech

  • Elizabeth could call and dismiss Parliament when she wanted.
  • Parliament wanted to discuss things she believed they had no right to discuss e.g. religion, marriage and succession
  • Parliament tried to put pressure on her by refusing to grant laws about taxation.
• • Elizabeth was successful because her coronation, portraits and progresses ensured she was seen as a wealthy and powerful monarch
  • Her popularity generated loyalty and obedience from officials.
  • Patronage helped her popularity
  • She had tight control of Privy Council and Parliament
  • Her temper ensured few nobles challenged her
• • Elizabeth was unsuccessful because she was unpopular for refusing to allow Parliament freedom of speech
  • Success and implementation of laws depended on loyalty of unpaid officials in roles such as Lord Lieutenant and JPs.
• Richard Onslow:


  Speaker of the House of Commons at times during Elizabeth’s reign. Was expected to choose the topics that Parliament will discuss and which MPs will be involved in the discussion.
• 1559 MPs asked Elizabeth to marry, she gave a vague reply and then closed Parliament 
• 1576 MP Peter Wentworth (a Puritan) complained that MPs were not being allowed to discuss their concerns. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and Parliament was dismissed. 
• 1586 -87 Puritan MP, Anthony Cope tried to introduce a Bill to get rid of Bishops and introduce a new Prayer book –Elizabeth sent him to the Tower. Peter Wentworth defended freedom of speech – he was sent to the Tower. Puritan John Throckmorton criticised the war against France – he was sent to the tower. Elizabeth closed Parliament.
• 1601 MPs refused to grant taxes for war against Spain and sending an army to Ireland unless Elizabeth cancels monopolies. Elizabeth agrees to cancel some; flatters parliament in a long ‘Golden Speech’ then closes Parliament.