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Elizabethan England - Elizabeth's court and Parliament - Coggle Diagram
Elizabethan England - Elizabeth's court and Parliament
Elizabeth's background
Family
Her mother Anne Boleyn had been executed for treason
Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. so there were doubts about her right to rule
Elizabeth was Protestant while many of her subjects were Catholic
Characteristics
Well educated
She understood politics very well
Was able to use her powers of patronage effectively
Reinventing the role
She argued she didn't need to marry and could govern England on her own
Portrayed herself as strong, legitimate, and popular, which reflected in her portraits
Court life
Patronage - where the monarch rewarded her supporters by granting them lands, jobs and titles
Positions
The court
Made up of noblemen
Advised the Queen and helped display her wealth and power
Privy Council
Members of nobility who helped govern the country
Monitored Parliament
Parliament
Passed laws
Advised Elizabeth's government
Justices of the Peace
Large landowners
Kept law and order and heard court cases
Lord Lieutenants
Noblemen appointed by the Government
Governed English counties
Meeting
Court met at Palaces
Moved around the country, Noblemen would house the Queen
Ministers
William Cecil
Lord Burghley
Acted as Lord Treasurer, so was responsible for the government's money
Had considerable influence over Elizabeth and government policy
Robert Dudley
Earl of Leicester
Received estates from the Queen and became and influential figure on the Privy Council
Has scandalous affaris
Francis Walsingham
Became the Queen's private secretary in 1573
Involved in the Queen's security
Ran a network of spies, agents provocateurs
Agent provocateurs - people employed by Walsingham to encourage those who were against the Queen and plotted against her
Why were ministers important?
Elizabeth trusted them to shape government policy
Cecil and Walsingham, could persuade MPs to turn government policy into law
Desire to influence the Queen led to rivalries at court
Relations with parliament
Importance
Parliament could act as a pressure group, like demanding Elizabeth got married in the 1560s and 70s
Mps and members of the House of Lords could use the Parliament to criticise the government
Managing Parliament
Privy councillors persuaded MPs to pass the laws the Queen required
In the House of Commons, MPs needed to be persuaded using threats or bribes
Elizabeth sometimes attended key parliamentary committees to help persuade MPs to pass laws
Issues
Successions - many MPs wanted Elizabeth to find a husband, so she could have children and resolve the issue of who would inherit the throne
Poor - especially vagrants, were seen as an increasing threat
Taxes - how much taxes should be raised by
Religions - There was tension between Catholics and Protestants
Limits
Most MPs were businessmen who were busy, less likely to confront the government
MPs saw confronting the government as risky, they could be punished for diong so, Peter Wentworth was locked in the tower for two years
Parliament didn't meet very often, 10 parliaments between 1558 and 1603
Marriage and successions
Importance
A male heir would strengthen the monarchy
Unmarried women without an heir were seen as vunerable and weak
There was a wide range of sucessors if Elizabeth didn't have a childn, some of them were from different empires
Why Elizabeth didn't marry
She couldn't marry a Catholic, like Philip II of Spain
She couldnt't marry someone people disliked, like Dudley
She couldn't marry a foreign King, could lead to expensive wars,
Any marriage would deepen divisions at court and lead to a civil war
Parliament and marriage
Many in parliament were keen for the Queen to marry
Puritans opposed the idea of a Catholic being so close to there throne, due to the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572, French Protestans(Huguenots) were killed
Marriage could strengthen the monarchy
Parliament and succession
A named successor would reduce her authority
Naming a successor would create rivalries
James VI of Scotalnd became Jame I of England in 1603
Authority
Strengths at the end of her reign 1590-1603
Essex's rebellion had been defeated, showing she was stillin charge
Authority reinforced by military successes
She remained in good health
Death of Mary Queen of Scots meant there were no rival threats to her throne
Why was she losing authority
She was getting older and more bad-tempered, less clear in her judgement.
Her key advisors were dying, Walsingham in 1590, Cecil in 1598, this weakened her control
Courtiers began challenging her authority
She was losing financial independence
Bad harvests in 1590s led to food shortages and discontent
Essed Rebeliion 1601
Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux
in 1598, he feel out of favour with the Queen after distributing gold he captured at Cadiz rather than passing it to the govt
He was banished fron court
Made Lord lieutenant of Ireland and told to crush the Irish rebellion
Why did it take place
Rivalry between Cecil and Essex - both competed for attention
Finance - He wasn't a wealthy man, a rebeliion would strengthen his finances
Humiliation - He had been slapped in the face in 1598, a rebeliion would restore his status
Military failure - He'd failed to put down a Rebellion in Ireland, he was placed inder house arrest
Rebellion
Essex gathered 300 of his supporters at Essex house
He imprisoned the Lord Chancellor, who was visiting him
Essex rode into London to gather support, this failed as the Mayor of London ordered people to stay in their houses
He returned to Essex, where he was arrested and trialed
Why did it fail
Essex over estimated his support, many were afraid to challenge the Queen
Government spies in Essex's camp like Ferdinado Gorges undermined the rebellion, he released prisoners, Essex had no hostages to negotiate over
Consequences
Support for Essex collapsed
Essex was exectud for treason
Cecil domianted the court