Elizabethans

• Patronage


  Power to give someone an important job or advantages in exchange for help or support
• Advantages of patronage


  • Loyalty can be exchanged for rewards
  • Elizabeth gave positions of power to the people who supported her
  • The personal relationships caused be patronage ensured that Elizabeth was the centre of attention
• Disadvantages of patronage


  • As quickly as rewards could be given they could be taken away
  • Many MPs owed their seats to Elizabeth so their independence and behaviour was restricted
  • The Queen took away politicians' seats if they upset her
• Court and Courtiers


  The court was the centre of royal power and consisted of nobles and higher gentry who enjoyed the queen's favour
• How Elizabeth used the court

  1. Surrounded herself with her most favoured courtiers and gave them rooms in the palaces

  2. Other courtiers were told to find lodgings near the palace

  3. Those who had displeased the queen were simply sent away from court

  4. Used the court to show her power

  5. Court was a glamorous affair with dancing, plays, pageants, feasts and jousting tournaments
• Privy Council

  A group of powerful noblemen appointed by Elizabeth to advise her, but they did not control her
• Role of the Privy Council

  1. Advised on domestic and foreign issues

  2. Handled challenges and threats

  3. Decided when to go to war

  4. Dealt with relations with foreign ambassadors

  5. Supervised the enforcement of the Religious Settlement
• How Elizabeth controlled the Privy Council

  • Limited the council to 19 members and only 8-9 met regularly
  • Appointed councillors with different viewpoints
  • Used flattery and played the councillors off against each other
  • Used rewards and the threat of removing those rewards to maintain control
  • Discussed policies and business with courtiers not on the Privy Council
• William Cecil

  • Elizabeth appointed him as Secretary of State in 1558
  • He was a moderate protestant who favoured Puritans more than Elizabeth did and hated Catholics more than she did
  • He was hardworking and wanted to unite the country
  • Was trusted more than any other advisor
• Francis Walsingham

  • Was in charge of Elizabeth's secret service and advised on foreign affairs
  • Like Cecil, he was worried about the Catholic threat and advised Elizabeth
  • He was cold and calculating, and whilst Elizabeth admired his straight talking nature, she could be angered by him
• Causes of the Earl of Essex's rebellion

  • Elizabeth promoted Robert Cecil as Secretary of State in 1596, which angered Essex as he had wanted to influence that decision
  • Cecil and Essex built up rival factions at court, which Elizabeth had sought to avoid
  • Essex was sent to Ireland to defeat a rebellion, but instead made peace with the rebels against Elizabeth's orders
  • Upon his return, Essex broke into Elizabeth's bedchamber hoping to explain his actions, which alarmed and angered her
• The Earl of Essex's rebellion

  1. Rather than accept his punishment, Essex turned to desperate measures and set out to seize power

  2. He gathered allies such as the Duke of Southampton

  3. Key Catholics and Puritans also joined him, along with former soldiers

  4. Essex wanted to get rid of Cecil's influence and make Elizabeth declare James VI of Scotland as her successor

  5. The rebellion failed as the Privy Council offered mercy to those who deserted Essex

  6. Essex was executed for treason on 25 February 1601
• Elizabeth tightly controlled Parliament
• How Elizabeth controlled Parliament

  • Parliament could only meet if Elizabeth called it, and she set the agenda
  • Parliament could only talk about what Elizabeth allowed it to discuss
  • Elizabeth mainly used Parliament to grant her taxes
  • Elizabeth could close (prorogue) Parliament at any time
  • Parliament only met 13 times in her 45 year reign for an average of three weeks per year
  • Elizabeth made sure her Privy Councillors sat in Parliament to help control proceedings
• Both Walsingham and Cecil used Parliament to introduce key issues such as marriage and succession, and religion. Elizabeth fought back by stating that these were issues for her to decide just like any other monarch.
• Puritan Threat


  • 1571 - The Vestiarian Controversy: Walter Strickland, Leader of the Puritan group in Parliament, wanted to reform Elizabeth's new prayer book and ban clergy vestment
  • 1575-83 - Some puritan clergy started organising prayer meetings known as "prophesying" which displeased Elizabeth
  • 1583 - The puritan, John stubbs, published a pamphlet criticising Elizabeth's on-going marriage negotiations with the brother of the catholic french king
• Elizabeth's actions against the Puritan Threat

  1. 1571 - Elizabeth silenced Strickland by closing parliament so his ideas couldn't be discussed

  2. 1575-83 - Elizabeth ordered her new Archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund Grindal, to ban the "prophesying" meetings, but he protested, so she suspended him and suggested he resign, and 200 Puritan priests were expelled from their roles

  3. 1583 - Stubbs was found guilty of stirring up trouble and sentenced to have had his right hand cut off
• Progresses and Pageants

  • Elizabeth went on royal tours, staying in the country houses of noblemen, to be seen by as many people as possible and leave an impression of majesty and affection
  • Nobles tried to gain patronage during the pageants by showing off their skills to her
  • Nobles knew the Queen liked plays so they would show her performances that often showed how kings and queens gave society prosperity
• Censorship


  • Elizabeth looked at advanced plans for plays and pageants and cut out anything that might criticise her
  • There were never more that 60 printing presses in England during her reign; Privy council censored publications they disapproved of, punishing the writers and printers severely
  • Allowed favourable plays to spread, but shut down London's theatres in 1597 when a play seemed to criticise the queen
• How Elizabeth controlled her image and propaganda

  1. Privy council encouraged others to spread favourable views of the Queen

  2. Elizabeth helped Edmund Spenser's epic poem "The Faerie Queene" to become popular as it praised a queen very like her

  3. Controlled the number and quality of portraits that could be seen

  4. Considered giving just 2 artists the sole rights to make miniature and large portraits of her

  5. Ordered that portraits of the queen that caused her "great offence" should be burned

  6. Created a new pattern of Elizabeth's face to make her look far younger than she was
• Symbols used in portraits of Elizabeth

  • Tudor roses, crown; orb, sceptre, sword - Elizabeth's rightful place as queen
  • White clothing, pearls, thornless roses - Purity and strength, like the Virgin Mary
  • Goddesses and women from bible stories - God-given strength to rule
  • Sunshine and rainbows - Peace and stability
  • Ermine, pelican - Self-sacrifice and commitment to her people
• Law required everyone to use the same prayer book, said a prayer for the queen's majesty to reinforce their duty of loyalty and gratitude to her
• Thanksgiving service held in every church each year on Accession day - the queen chose church leaders (all preachers must have a licence) who wrote special sermons and prayers to thank god for providing a strong protestant queen and protecting her against catholic threats
• Key events related to the Catholic threat

  • 1570 - Papal Bull of excommunication: Pope pronounced Elizabeth was executed from the catholic church and ordered catholics not to obey her
  • 1571 - Treason act: made it an offence to deny Elizabeth was the queen of England
  • 1571 - Ridolfi plot
  • 1581 - Recusants act v2: Parliament passed a new law against catholics
  • 1584 - Bond of association: Parliament stated that if Elizabeth was murdered, they would punish the murderers and anyone who benefitted
  • 1585 - War broke out against Spain, parliament ordered all catholic priests to leave the country within 40 days
  • 1587 - Another Recusancy act was passed allowing the government to take 2/3 of the land owned by any recusant falling behind on paying fines
  • 1593 - Act restraining recusants: government added to catholic's social isolation by requiring them to stay within 5 miles of their home
• Spy network


  • Sir Francis Walsingham was the Queen's spymaster
  • He intercepted letters from Mary Queen of Scots for some time
  • Had a network of spies across Europe and used them to protect Elizabeth from the Catholic threat
  • Walsingham realised training was important and set up a school to educate the spies, who needed to learn how to decipher code
• Catholic links abroad


  • Jesuits were disguise and smuggled into England in June 1580
  • Catholic priests were seen as traitors serving the pope and challenged Elizabeth's rule
  • Priests usually stayed at the country houses of wealthy gentry families, celebrating mass and catholics
  • Over 100 new priests arrived from Europe by 1580, their work meant recusancy was increasing
  • William Allen and the pope ordered them to concentrate on wealthy gentry Catholics
  • Priests were disguised under false names and helped by Catholic tradesmen and servants, and gentry families created hiding spaces called priests holes
• Mary Queen of Scots

  • Catholics believed she had a more legitimate claim to the throne than Elizabeth, as she was Catholic, had an heir, and her 2nd husband also had a claim
  • Elizabeth viewed her as illegitimate, Protestant, single, and without an heir
  • MQoS was forced to abdicate and was imprisoned as she was implicated in her 2nd husband's murder
  • She fled to England and sought refuge from Elizabeth in 1568
• Priests


  Seen as traitors serving the pope and challenged Elizabeth's rule
• Priests' work


  1. Stayed at country houses of wealthy gentry families

  2. Celebrated mass

  3. Helped by Catholic tradesmen and servants

  4. Gentry families created hiding spaces called priests holes
• Over 100 new priests arrived from Europe by 1580, their work meant recusancy was increasing
• William Allen and the pope

  Ordered priests to concentrate on wealthy gentry Catholics
• Important people


  • Edmund Campion
  • William Allen
• Catholics believed Mary Queen of Scots had a more legitimate claim to the throne than Elizabeth, as she was Catholic, had an heir and her 2nd husband also had a claim
• Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate and was imprisoned as she was implicated in her 2nd husband's murder. She fled to England and sought refuge from Elizabeth in 1568
• Mary Queen of Scots was in England


  She became an immediate threat
• Elizabeth's dilemma with Mary Queen of Scots


  • Letting her leave the country could allow her to gain more supporters to challenge Elizabeth
  • Keeping her imprisoned reduced the risk of gaining supporters but may still provoke international outcry and attacks
  • Executing her may remove the figurehead for Catholic challengers, but could provoke international attacks
• MPs wanted Mary Queen of Scots executed to keep England secure
• Mary Queen of Scots was put on trial, found guilty of treason and executed


  Feb 8th 1587
• Elizabeth hesitated to sign the death warrant, she signed it but didn't submit however her secretary took it. She was furious and put him in the tower for 18 months
• Consequences of Mary's death: France kept their alliance as they were afraid of Spain, Spain was already at war with England due to the Sea dogs' actions and supporting rebellions in the Netherlands, Scotland did nothing, and English Catholics remained loyal to Elizabeth