PARLIAMENT

How long did the parliaments sit for?

for about 3 of the 45 years

What was Elizabeth’s power in Parliament?

she could decide when to summon/dismiss parliament, she could veto any laws

What ar the two primary functions of parliament?

legislation and taxation

How many peers were then Liz succeeded?

57 male peers along with 26/27 Bishops (depending if count sodor)

What was attendance at sessions like?

never good and declined according to their length, with procedures being introduced to punish non attenders (eg fines)

What sessions did Liz aim for?

short ones that granted money quickly but individual MPS tended to raise issues that helped gov businesses (eg local issues)

What did parliaments allow for?

extraordinary taxation and new laws to be approved, called to debate and advise upon gov bills and its control over taxation gave it the opportunity to air its grievances (usually local) to the Queen

What are examples of Liz using the royal veto?

Wentowrth in 1576, alphabet bills 1563 and marriage

What are individual MPs bills called?

private members bills

Who started the idea of punishing non attenders?

Cromwell but expanded hugely under Liz

Why does Liz dislike Parl?

they discuss marriage and free speech

How many times was Parl called?

10 times, for 13 different sessions

Who controls how often parliament will meet?

Liz

How often was parl asked to supply taxation?

(subsidy) in 11 of the 13 sessions held

How many public and private acts were passed?

434

Why does Liz raise so many subsidies?

threat of war with Spain, helping Henry of Navarre (eg the 1601 quadruple subsidy)

What is an example of Liz occasionally going into Parl?

1576 Wentworth

How do councillors control Parl?

they use councillors to establish what they want, they appoint them so they are loyal to the councillors, means they are dependant on the councillors, creates unofficial factions, that should in theory follow the Queens wishes but if the councillors disagree with the Queen they are loyal to them

What is an example of councillors MPs disagreeing with Liz?

eg Marriage

What is under the royal prerogative?

foreign policy, marriage, 1576 and Wentworth

How Many MPs was Cecil responsible for in 1584?

26

What happened to free speech by the later 16th century?

regarded as an ancient and undoubted privilege, although Liz tried to limit its application to exclude it as a ‘matter of state’

How many weeks did parliament meet for per year?

3 weeks per year (6% of the reign)

What is some evidence for low attendance in Parl?

only 10% of MPs spoke in debates and on average only 47% of Mps voted

What is an example of parliament operating as a pressure group?

Mary Queen of Scots in 1587

What were the clients of Privy councillors in Parl called?

men of business

What does it mean by Liz being able to ‘prorogue’ parliament?

put it into recess, sometimes for years, but the same Parl was recalled next time

How many bills did Liz veto?

over 60

What could Liz do to statutes or acts of parliament?

dispense with or suspend them BUT she can’t repeal an act of parliament (have to do this through parliament)

How many sessions did the 1563-7 parls have?

2

How many sessions did the 1572-81 parls have?

3 sessions

What member of Parl does Liz often use?

Hatton

What were matters of commonwealth?

local affairs, non prerogative economic matters, the commons can freely discuss these

What were matters of state?

the queens marriage, succession, religion, royal supremacy, conduct of foreign policy, administration and regulation of trade, not to be discussed unless invited.

Who discusses matters of state?

Liz and her Privy council

What is an example of matters of state being discussed?

the settlement

What matter of state was less contentious and often discussed?

trade (until the monopolies, eg 1601 parl)

How many peers were there at Liz’s death (roughly the same)?

53 at her death, with one marquis, 16 earls, 2 viscounts and 36 barons

Who made up the 57 peers at Liz’s accession?

one duke (Norfolk and none after him), one marquis, 15 earls, 2 viscounts and 38 Barons

What happened to noble families under liz?

14 noble families died out due to lack of a male heir, 6 nobles were attainted, but Liz did create a few new titles (eg Essex)

What were the House of Lords like in relation to Liz?

generally pliable, occasionally they took a stand (eg 1563 and 1566 the Lords spearheaded debates over marriage and succession)

What were bishops like in the House of Lords?

Bishops were royally appointed so they tended to vote the way of the Queen, but there were occasional exceptions (eg 1566-7, Liz was infuriated by the protest of two archbishops and 13 bishops when she ordered a church ref bill that stopped at the lords

What was the only real attempt by Liz to influence the commons (bar this there were no direct attempts)?

crown created borough seats to obtain places for the royal servants

How many court candidates were there?

about 60 in her first parl and 90 in her last

What was the turnover like in the commons?

it was considerable, sixty percent of the members In the 1586 parl had not sat in 1584

What did procedure did the commons establish?

an ‘institutional memory’ (crom began this with the rev in gov as he put procedures and privileges in place, eg a bill having 3 readings before occurring which is standard by now)

What wa education now like in the commons?

of the 420 Mps in 1563, 139 (33%) had attended uni and/or the inns of court), by 1584 this was 219 of 460 (47%) and in 1593 this increased to 252 (55%)

What belief was coming widespread regarding Parl and tax?

crown should finance ordinary expenses from permanent revenue sources (eg rents) and direct tax should be seen as an emergency measure.

How did Liz and her council control parl?

isolating extremists, using men of business, managing Parls time, summoning,proguing and dissolving, imprisoning awkward MPs, making strong speeches and arranging business at the committee stage

What does Elton say about parliament?

worked in harmony with Liz, parl mostly dealt with the routine administration required to vote subsidies, debate and pass public bills, which usually concerned land ownership and local grievances

What does Neale say about parliament?

power of the commons increased, number of conflicts increased (puritan choir), which later created many of the problems the stuarts faced.

What illegal methods did Liz use to increase revenue?

licensing privateers, leaving bishoprics vacant

How many attempts did it take to get the settlemt through?

three times

What happened in 1593 and 1598 regarding subsidies?

double subsidies went through

What unusual move did Liz make in 1587?

sought Parls advise over MQS

What is the Lotherington quote about Parl?

Subordinate to the crown in its medieval youth, it grew to become the dominant institution in English politics

What happened with the 1568 Norfolk issue?

Parl didn’t push its demand to end the dispute and the Lord Chancellor sorted it in the end

What happened in 1584 with Whitgift?

HOC attacked his Ex Officio oath so he had to back down

What happened in the Jan-May 1559 Parl (settlement of religion)?

settlement pushed through due to help of Prot councillors (Cecil, knolls, Cooke, Bacon) in the face of opposioon in the Lords, but took 3 attempts to get through

What happened in the Jan-april 1563, first session and the sep 1566-Jan 1567 (second session) parliament (money)?

for war with Scotland and France, large number of MPs urged Liz to marry, even though they were infringing on the royal prerogative for both. In 1563 members of the council openly pressed the issue, in 1566 they were more subtle. In 1566 liz prevented the passage of bills for further religious reform which were favoured by Cecil and bishops. Los passed the 1563 poor law and oath of supremacy

What happened in the April-May 1571 parl (wanted to pay for N’ern earls)?

3x treason laws passed, alphabet bills, Strickland, 71 admonition to Partl, lots of opposition

What happened in the May-Jun 1571 parl (first session)?

no request for money, parl worried about security following Ridolfi, 1572 Poor law, exclusion bill, bill of attainder, Liz refused to back calls for the execution of MQS, also for the execution of Norfolk (goes ahead)

What happened in the Feb-March 1576 April (second session)?

parliament recalled, Wentworth and Free speech, 1576 poor law

What was the jan-March 1581 parl (third session)?

parliament recalled, granted a subsidy and tightened anti-cat laws, act to retain majesty’s subjects in due obedience

What happened in the Nov 1584- March 1585 parl?

called at a difficult time (assissination of WofO), Cope (repeat of Turners bill) vetoed, debate over execution of MQS, some presbyterians look for religious reform

What was discussed in the Feb-march 1589?

revenue for Spain needed, double subsidy, positive atmosphere of Armada

What happened in the Feb-march 1593 parl?

legs against recusants, triple subsidy passed, 1593 act against sectarian groups and separatists , Wentworth imprisoned a second time (royal succession0

What was discussed in the Oct 1497- feb 1598 parl?

short of cash, triple subsidy, 1598 poor law, issue of monopolies raised

What was raised in the oct 1601 - Dec 1601 parl?

1601 poor law (national system), golden speech, triple subsidy