Her background & consolidation of power & marriage & court

Her relationship with her father

Henry was responsible for killing her mother, making her illegitimate & virtually out casting her until she was restored to the succession. However he did provide her with a governess and her own household and she was occasionally invited to court for important events such as Edward’s coronation. Elizabeth viewed her father as a powerful but distant figure.

Her relationship with Catherine Parr

She acted as the only true mother figure Elizabeth had & persuaded Henry to bring her and Mary back to court and legitimise them as heirs to the throne. She oversaw Elizabeth’s religious instruction & general education & brought her up in her household after Henry’s death. Despite Elizabeth having to be sent away to protect her from Thomas Seymour, she remained friendly with Catherine up until Parr;s death.

Her relationship with Thomas Seymour

He married Catherine Parr after Henry’s death and begun flirting with 14 year old Elizabeth while she lived with them - resulting in Catherine being forced to send her away. Despite this he created a plan to marry her so that he could become king after Catherine died. He attempted to bypass the authority of the Privy Council to do this as it had previously denied this marriage & ended up being executed for attempting to threaten the king & replace Edward with his sister. This also caused Elizabeth to be heavily interrogated to find out whether she was involved & put her in danger.

Her relationship with Edward

They were close as children but once he became king he saw Elizabeth less frequently as Seymour & Northumberland dominated his actions. Elizabeth continued to write to him regularly but after the incident with Thomas Seymour Edward didn’t receive her at court for 6 months. When Northumberland took over he ensured they didn’t meet & that her letters never reached Edward.

Her relationship with Mary

They had little in common growing up as Mary hated her for taking away everything she had & viewed her only as the bastard daughter of the woman who had replaced the rightful queen. Elizabeth was sent to the Tower in 1554 on suspicion of her involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion & she was kept under house arrest after she was released. Mary refused to name her as her heir even on her death bed.

Her education

Roger Ascham was her tutor from 1548-50 & returned in 1555 to focus on her studies of Greek. Her described her as the ‘brightest star’ as by 14 she was able to speak French, Latin & Italian fluently, read Greek and enjoyed music. She also had Kat Ashley with her from 1536 who supervised her education in maths, languages, geography, sewing, dancing, deportment & riding. Elizabeth loved her & remained closely attached to her - fiercely resisting both Edward & Mary’s attempts to replace her. Elizabeth appointed her Lady of the Bedchamber when she became queen.

Her changes to the administration of government

She made any changes with caution & decisiveness & knew she had to reduce the number of members of the previous privy council under Mary. She kept only those who had shown loyalty to the Tudor dynasty & was able to build up a core of professional men who admired her confidence & served her for long periods. 11 out of 30 of Mary’s councillors were reappointed & she appointed 9 new ones, including William Cecil as her Principal Secretary.

Her coronation

Elizabeth spent £16000 on her coronation, despite having inherited £300000 of debt when she became queen, in order to assert her power & authority. It occurred in January 1559 & the people rejoiced to see her be crowned queen which was a contrast to Mary’s. Elizabeth was welcomed wholeheartedly in a procession through the city & was crowned & anointed in Westminster Abbey from which she emerged to the sound of drums.

Why her marriage was considered urgent

The need for heirs & for an alliance paired with an attitude of misogyny caused the topic of her marriage to become considered an urgent issue. Her experiences of men like her father, Thomas Seymour & Philip II are considered to have heavily influenced her decision not to marry but many remained sexist by stating that she could not rule alone and needed to find a husband.

Factors she had to consider when finding a husband

She would have to ensure she maintained England’s independence & her personal power, didn’t destabilise the factions at court & didn’t make enemies abroad. She also had to be careful to not upset the religious settlement that had just been stabilised meaning she couldn’t marry a puritan or an extreme catholic & therefore struggled to find a candidate that would please everyone.

The Crisis of 1562

In October 1562 at Hampton Court Palace Elizabeth was taken ill with smallpox which was a serious epidemic at the time with a substantial proportion of sufferers dying. She later recovered, but it emphasised to everyone the importance of agreeing her marriage & succession as if she had died, England could easily have descended into civil war. In 1563 the House of Commons petitioned her to marry but she lost her temper & forbade them from ever again discussing her marriage or succession.

Possible suitors 1559-62 - Philip II

Philip naively assumed Elizabeth would be pleased to gain political continuity by marrying him & he wanted England to work with Spain against France & ensure it didn’t gain influence in England through Mary Queen of Scots. However Elizabeth was evasive & he quickly realised marriage was unlikely.

Possible suitors 1559-62 - other European candidates

Two Austrian archdukes Ferdinand & Charles (Philip’s cousins) were also possibilities but Ferdinand was a strong Catholic & Elizabeth had no intention of marrying Charles. However she kept the diplomatic channels with him open for nearly a decade to ensure Hapsburg loyalty. Prince Eric of Sweden was another possibility as Elizabeth & the court benefitted from his friendship. However he was a strong Protestant & she had no intention to marry him as it had no benefits for European diplomacy.

Possible suitors 1559-62 - William Pickering

He spent many hours with Elizabeth in 1559 however it was nothing more than a friendship & he was merely a member of the gentry which she would earn no benefits from marrying into.

Possible suitors 1559-62 - Robert Dudley

Was the only serious contender to Elizabeth & it was clear they shared a serious romance by 1560. However he already had a wife & when she was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in 1560 rumours spread that he was responsible for it & that Elizabeth was involved - meaning there was no longer any possibility of marriage between them.

Key ministers - William Cecil

Was a lawyer & a moderate Protestant & had past experience as a member of Edward’s court. He was a stabiliser like Elizabeth & disliked being rushed into rash decisions - he wished to unite the nation through moderate policies & avoid war. Elizabeth admired that he spoke his mind when he disagreed & relied heavily on him. He was replaced by his son Robert when he died in 1598. He was the best available agent to fulfil Elizabeth’s wishes.

Key ministers - Francis Walsingham

He was a lawyer & a severe Puritan who had fled into exile during Mary’s reign. He was fiercely loyal to Elizabeth & his ability at languages & foreign contacts made him useful - was ambassador in Paris in 1570s. He was a great organiser & in charge of the secret service through which he controlled informers abroad & at home & uncovered many plots against the queen. He was blunt however & often clashed with Cecil but was an ally of Dudley.

Key ministers - Robert Dudley

He was the son of the Duke of Northumberland & spent some of Mary’s reign in the tower. He was a childhood friend & favourite of Elizabeth & there were many rumours of romance between them. He was made Master of the Horse which made him personally responsible for Elizabeth’s safety. He was highly ambitious but a radical Puritan & frequently argued with Cecil about religion, succession & foreign policy.

Key ministers - Christopher Hatton

Was a lawyer & a moderate Protestant who hated Puritans & sympathised with Catholics. Elizabeth promoted him to Captain of the Queen’s Bodyguard because she liked his dancing at court. He helped organise many of Elizabeth’s famous progresses & control the support of the MPs in Parliament. He became Lord Chancellor in 1587.

The Royal Court

Elizabeth used it heavily to project her image and keep control over England. Around 500 nobles, advisors, officials & servants made up her household & vied for her influence. In an age of personal monarchy the court was a political nerve centre & access to Elizabeth was crucial to any politician. She used patronage to bolster her authority.

How she used the court to strengthen her authority - charity, clothing & expenditure.

She displayed charity by giving 5p every day to 13 poor men at the palace gates & giving to the needy continued year round. She indulged in expensive silks & satins for her clothing which gave an air of magnificence. However she also toned down the extravagance at court to save money & show herself as careful & more likely to spend money on public needs than new palaces.

How she used the court to strengthen her authority - factions, patronage & propaganda

She maintained stability among the factions in court & they were generally not disloyal to her. She also appreciated the the need to gain loyalty from the nobility & gentry & used patronage widely to do this. She was presented as the ‘Virgin Queen’ & female icons were borrowed from popular Renaissance culture to flatter her. All paintings had to be modelled on portraits supplied by her seargent painter & production of unauthorised images was prohibited. Despite her aging over time, a standard image of her appeared in all paintings.

How she used the court to strengthen her authority - ritual & royal progresses

Courtly rituals were emphasised & there were elaborate rituals surrounding Elizabeth processing to church. Elizabeth travelled the country in royal progresses & stayed in the homes of leading families with much spectacle like fireworks & a royal procession. At least 25 occurred during her reign but they were confined to the South East.

Overview of the Privy Council

It had evolved since the beginning of the Tudor period & was immediately reduced in size to under 20 by Elizabeth when she became queen. She built up a core of professional men around her to run government who were middle ranking & from the gentry, much like her her grandfather. However, it can be argued she over relied on the privy council at times.

The functions of the Pricy Council

It’s workload expanded greatly under Elizabeth & by the end of her reign it was meeting 6 days a week compared to 3 half ones at the start of her reign. It’s roles were to offer advice to the monarch, act as a royal court of law, coordinate different elements of government & to administer public policy. It’s advisory role often brought into direct confrontation with Elizabeth & while ministers could persuade her she always had the final say.

The influence of the Privy Council

Elizabeth was careful to control it & showed affection & rewarded her ministers but she also showed displeasure by excluding them from court, imprisoning them & even executing them if she needed. She forced rival factions to work together causing the men to compete for her affection. They gave her contrasting advice which allowed her to make measured decisions & have support with whatever action she took.

Factionalism in the Privy Council

Cecil held the most sway & the rivalries in the 1560s centred on him & Dudley. There was more cooperation in the 1570s & 80s but the factions remained divided on personal & religious grounds & her personal favouritism often created tension. However her ‘divide & rule’ strategy ensured they were all loyal to her.

The role of Parliament under Elizabeth

She summoned it 15 times during her reign & largely used it to quickly gain money. It passed 484 acts, mainly on religion & social policy. She saw it’s most important function as granting taxation & 11 of the 13 parliaments were asked to grant revenue. The councillors controlled the parliaments & often used them to pressure the queen into agreeing with policies, however she largely dismissed this. Members of the Privy Council often attended parliamentary sessions but on average only 47% MPs voted & only 10% spoke in debates.

Local government under Elizabeth

She used the justices of the peace & lord lieutenants to maintain stability locally. The Jps maintained law & administered government policies & Elizabeth appointed more during her reign. The lord lieutenants were appointed permanently in every county under Elizabeth & had to supervise the jps & reports local events to the Privy Council.