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What was the importance of the court and ministers in elizabethan government notes

What was the importance of the court and ministers in elizabethan government notes

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What was the importance of the court and ministers in Elizabethan government? Notes

Intro

Also consider the success of each institution

The royal court were members of the gentry and the mobility who would see Elizabeth each day

✓ Historian Williams estimates there were around 200 important positions within it

✓ In the monarch’s presence, there would be plays, masks, tournaments, entertainment

✓ Foreign ambassadors would be entertained while the business of government took place

and Privy Council meetings were held

✓ The court allowed Elizabeth to see and control her leading subjects, to employ and reward

them

✓ It reflected her power and magnificence

✓ It is notable that Elizabeth did not build any new palaces during her reign but her courtiers

did

✓ Cecil with Hatfield House and, and Dudley with Kenilworth, therefore the grandness of the

courtiers reflected the grandness of the Queen herself

✓ The image of the Queen was celebrated, such as the accession tilts, some competed for the

Queens honour

✓ Historian Hague described the court as “major public exercises”

✓ Source for political power

✓ Its importance for courtiers is best shown by the use of exclusion in court as a punishment as

with Leicester and Walsingham

Ministers

✓ One of the most important of her ministers was William Cecil

✓ His cunningness lead him to victories, for instance when he borrowed money from Spanish

ships en route to the Netherland in 1568

✓ His persuasive nature was shown through his push for Scottish intervention in 1560

✓ Most importantly, he could not of had victories without the trust of Elizabeth

✓ She made him Lord Burghley in 1571 and appointed him Lord Treasurer, replacing Lord

Winchester in 1572

✓ He was certainly a “dynamo,” as historian MccAffrey described him as he kept Elizabethean

government running smoothly and effectively

✓ However, he was not the only important minister, Robert Dudley

KQ2: What was the importance of the court and ministers in government?

The role of the Privy Council in the system of government.

Ministers.

Factions.

Court and The Patronage System.

Briefly mention Local Government (as context only).

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✓ 1564 he was made Earl of Leister, which signifies his importance

✓ 1585 she allowed him to lead an expedititionry force to the Netherlands

✓ Although he was a favourite, he was not that effective –

✓ Sir Francis Walsingham worked for 20 years as Elizabeth’s principle secretary, in that time he

showed strong protestant convictions and controlled an extensive spy network, protecting

the Queen and her security to ensure that if there were any threats apparent she would be

informed

The change in recruits at the end of Elizabeth’s reign… Dudley died in 1588, Walsingham in

1590 and Cecili 1598

They were replaced by a younger generation such as Robert Cecil, Robert Devourer

dominated the 1590s

Privy Council

✓ They advised the Queen and implemented her decisions on matters to do with religion,

finance, her security and foreign policy

✓ Sloan says “there was no aspect of life beyond the Council”, meaning everything that had to

do with the Queen, the Privy Council would know

✓ Under Mary’s reign there were 50 members, but Elizabeth reduced it to 19 because she

wanted to keep the Council small, so matters would be solved more effectively and concisely

by avoiding discord and confusion; by 1601, there were only 13 left

✓ Instead of important magnates were the likes of Norfolk of Winchester, Elizabeth appointed

Cecil, Bacon, Thomas Smith and Thomas Wilson who were considered more self-made men

✓ The council met 3/4 times a week in the 1560s, and every day by the end of her reign

✓ By the end of her reign, many were being replaced by councillors sons and it became weaker

Local Government (small paragraph)

✓ they were local volunteers who wished to service the Queen out of their own time

✓ The Lords and Deputy Lieutenants also supervised actions of the Justice of Peace to ensure

they were following instructions

✓ The roles of the people who decided to help the Queen out meant that she could save

money = important as money became an issue during her reign.

✓ The local government had duties which would aid the country in a positive light which was

important in reference to sustain the monarch and the country’s image.

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What was the importance of the court and ministers in Elizabethan government? Notes KQ2: What was the importance of the court and ministers in government? The role of the Privy Council in the system of government. Ministers. Factions. Court and The Patronage System. Briefly mention Local Government (as context only). / / / / / Intro Also consider the success of each institution The royal court were members of the gentry and the mobility who would see Elizabeth each day ✓ Historian Williams estimates there were around 200 important positions within it ✓ In the monarch’s presence, there would be plays, masks, tournaments, entertainment ✓ Foreign ambassadors would be entertained while the business of government took place and Privy Council meetings were held ✓ The court allowed Elizabeth to see and control her leading subjects, to employ and reward them ✓ It reflected her pow ...
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