Elizabethan Politics and Court Structure

Study Notes

Elizabeth's Control

Elizabeth was unmarried in 1580 and unlikely to marry due to her advanced age.
England was divided religiously between Catholics and Protestants by 1580.
Elizabeth was in charge of England by 1580 but was advised by Parliament and other advisors.
The Queen's household where nobles and gentry spent time was called the Court.
The political nation in England was composed of the Queen, nobles, and gentry.
Patronage was a system of gifts like money and land offered by the monarch.
Elizabeth granted smaller amounts of patronage to many people to prevent powerful nobles.
The Queen's personal chamber was called the Privy Chamber.
Activities taking place in the Privy Chamber included gossip, reading, games, and playing with animals.
The Privy Council was a group of men who advised Elizabeth on governing the country.
The Privy Council provided guidance and advice to Elizabeth.
Cecil and Walsingham were Elizabeth's most trusted Privy Councillors.
The Earl of Essex's rebellion suggests that Elizabeth did not have full control of the Privy Council.
Elizabeth controlled Parliament by placing Privy Councillors within it and banning certain topics from discussion.
Privy Councillors and Puritans sometimes used Parliament to exert pressure on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and Parliament compromised on issues like monopolies.
JPs (Justices of the Peace) and Lord Lieutenants were the two government officials who assisted Elizabeth in governing localities.
Elizabeth's tours of England were known as Royal Progresses.
Elizabeth controlled public perception by implementing Royal Progresses, restricting images, controlling the paintings permitted, and implementing censorship.

Religion under Elizabeth

In 1558, England had several million Catholics and a few hundred thousand Protestants.
Recusancy was the refusal to attend church.
The penalty for recusancy after 1559 was 12d per week.
The Elizabethan Settlement was Elizabeth's solution to the religious divide.
By 1580, England had over a million Catholics and over a million Protestants.
Church papists were Catholics who attended Protestant services.
Conformers were Catholics who followed orders and became Protestants.
Plotters were the Catholics who aimed to remove Elizabeth.
Excommunication was the act of being removed from the Catholic Church.
Seminaries were priest training schools.
Jesuit priests were those who converted Protestants to Catholicism.
A pursuivant was someone who hunted for Catholic priests.
William Allen was significant during Elizabeth's reign because he trained seminary priests to support existing Catholics.
Robert Persons and Edmund Campion were Jesuit priests seeking to convert Protestants.
Priest hides were secret places used by Catholic families for hiding priests.
Walsingham used spies to gather information about Catholics.
The Act of Persuasions tightened the restrictions on Catholics in 1581, increasing the fines for recusancy to £20 a week.
The Bloody Question and the Law Against Priests were used to identify and expose Catholics.
Elizabeth's policies towards Catholics sought to strip them of status and wealth.
Mary Queen of Scots posed a threat to Elizabeth because she was a Catholic figure who could rally support.
Mary's threat grew after 1580 when the pope declared it permissible to kill Elizabeth.
Mary Queen of Scots was ultimately executed for her involvement in the Babington Plot.
Elizabeth provoked war with Spain in the 1580s by supporting Dutch Protestants.
Philip II of Spain wanted to kill Elizabeth because she was a Protestant.
The Spanish Armada was completely unsuccessful.

Description

Explore the complex political landscape of England in 1580 under Queen Elizabeth I. This quiz covers her governance, the role of the Privy Council, and the dynamics of patronage within the royal court. Test your knowledge on Elizabeth's strategies to maintain control amid religious divisions and noble influence.