Privy Council

• The Privy Council was the core group of English nobles that acted as Elizabeth’s main advisors and key members of the government; often clashed with ‘personal monarchy’
• The main function of the Privy Council was to provide opinions on the matters at hand and to help the Queen make decisions
• When the Queen had made a decision, it was the responsibility of the Privy Council to carry out the wishes of the Queen
• Many decisions of the government were made by the Council, without Elizabeth being present; however, she could overturn any decision that the Council had made
• During the early part of the reign of Elizabeth the Council met around once a week, however by the end of her reign it met almost every day
• Membership of the Privy Council was decided by Elizabeth and, as with the Court, was a great honour 50=19=11 (fluctuating size)
• One key role was the Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil, who was favoured by Elizabeth and trusted above all others
• Main offices of the Privy Council; Secretary of State, Keeper of the Great Seal, Comptroller of the Household, Lord Chamberlain, Lord High Admiral, and Lord Treasurer
• 1559-60: Debate focused on the question of intervention in scotland; Cecil was in favour but had to win over many of the others by arguing a french presence north of the border would be undesirable, if it could be permanently ended, that sending troops would be worthwhile
• 1562a: Elizabeth and her council disagreed over her wish to meet Mary, Queen of Scots - in the end she did not go
• 1562b: Council met in emergency when the Queen fell ill to smallpox, amid fears of her death, to discuss the succession; failed to reach a decision between two claimants, Robert Dudley and the archduke Charles of Austria
• 1566: Possibility of Queen’s marriage was discussed - Leicester and Sir Francis Knollys led opposition to the match with Archduke Charles, to the annoyance of the Earl of Sussex who had carried out much of the negotiation
• 1567: Elizabeth considered marrying Archduke Charles of Austria, but was worried about whether or not he would be able to restrict Catholicism to private services, council was split over Elizabeth’s decision, her advisors thought it was their role to speak their minds; Leicester worked to prevent this marriage, and eventually Elizabeth hesitated before rejecting Charles
• 1568: Mary Queen of Scots arrived in England and council was adamant she could not leaved nor be restored to the Scottish throne without a trial; eventually Elizabeth agreed
• 1569-70: Council met frequently discussing the dangers of Mary Queen of Scots, the English Catholics and the threat from France and Spain; they were divided between Cecil and bacon who wanted foreign alliances with other protestant countries; Leicester and Arundell, favoured an agreement with Mary and France
• 1572: Discovered news of the Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day, Lord Burghley confirmed this was a Catholic plot to wipe out Protestantism, Invasion was feared; guard increased around Mary Queen of Scots and provision sent to defend south coast
• 1573: Francis Walsingham becomes a member of the council as principal secretary, the the 1570s the council worked largely unified, their main disagreement were with the queen herself, rather than within the membership
• 1578: Disagreement over to give military aid for Protestant rebels in Netherlands against Spain; Leicester, Walsingham urged intervention, Burghley was against it but Leicester gained the most support and became a contest for political power between two distinct groups with genuine policy divisions, and Elizabeth played for time for a long as possible and only agreeing to in 1585 when Spanish conquest seemed likely
• 1579-81: Negotiations over marriage between Elizabeth and French Duke of Alençon, day long meeting with 12 present councillors, 7 opposed also great public hostility to the match; Leicester and Walsingham drummed this up; Elizabeth threatens to create four new Catholic Councillors; Sussex, Burghley and Hudson refused to oppose the marriage - eventually she refused Alençon telling him her people were against the marriage
• 1584: Council reacted sharpy to William of Orange, the Dutch leader, Burghley and Walsingham drew up the Bond of Association (aimed at deterring Roman Catholic conspirators with vengeance threat); all leading advisors signed
• 1586: Council pushed Elizabeth to call parliament, to sanction a death warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots, Walsingham claimed to have heard of a plot to blow Elizabeth up and convinced her she was in danger while Mary lived; Elizabeth reluctantly signed the warrant (1587) and Secretary William Davidson dispatched it without permission - so he was sent to the tower
• 1590s: New generation of politicians matured; led by Sir Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex, each had a party of local supporters - council was polarised into two factions and Elizabeth was aware of Essex’s huge ambitions so political vacancies went to Cecil and his followers; Essex execution, after his uprising in 1601 left Cecil supreme
• 1593: Essex was admitted to the council where he championed an aggressive foreign policy, he secretly negotiated with James VI of Scotland to revive idea of protestant coalition against forces of catholicism; he was contested by a faction which was led by Robert Cecil and Lord Cobham (also included Walter Raleigh), they wanted a primarily maritime war policy
• 1596: Essex tried to have his friend Sir Robert Sidney appointed as Lord Chamberlain and then Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, both jobs were given to the Cobham family, then he stakes his reputation trying to gain the office of Attorney-General for Sir Francis Bacon and was devastated by the Queen’s refusal, also he continued to oppose Cecil who wanted to negotiate the end of war with Spain
• 1598: Debate on who should be sent to Ireland as Lord Deputy; Essex thought they wanted him to go so they could increase their political standing in his absence, he turned his back on the queen - she slapped him for the insult
• 1601: After his disastrous military campaign in Ireland and the Queen’s failure to renew his sweet wine patent he began openly plotting rebellion supported by Earls of Southampton, Bedford and Rutland; however, members of his faction (e.g. Lord Mountjoy, Robert Sidney and Lord Henry Howard) remained loyal to the Queen, Essex’s execution followed the failure of his rebellion - left Robert Cecil supreme