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William Cecil’s influence touched on just about all aspects of policy that occurred during Elizabeth’s long reign. In the Royal Court he brought order and stability. Cecil was also highly influential in foreign policy. He saw France and Spain as threats to. It has also been argued that Cecil was not just the provider of advice and executor of the Queens wishes but also that he could have been the power behind the throne. Plenty of evidence has come to light that suggests that the Secretary regularly attempted to manipulate Elizabeth however it would be inaccurate to assume that all of Cecil’s personal agendas were fruitful, Elizabeth could make her own mind up and often did so. Although Cecil was a prominent figure during this time, Elizabeth was still the person who ruled the country and had her own ideas on how to run the country. Elizabeth was firmly in control of major policies and on many occasions obstinately ignored the Councils advice. The Council conscientiously carried out the Queens wishes even when it had advised otherwise. There is general agreement that, until its decline in the 1590s central government under Elizabeth was successful and that the Queen provided firm direction. According to Neale Parliament was another aspect that had influence over decision making in Elizabeth government He argues that the power of the House of Commons increased throughout Elizabeth’s reign. The number of conflicts Elizabeth had with individual MPs and the problems which the Stuarts experienced with Parliament are evidence for this. These developments were brought by the “Puritan Choir “who deliberately planned confrontations to force the issue of parliamentary privilege versus the royal prerogative. It is therefore necessary to investigate not only to what extent Cecil was involved in the decision making process but also the influence of the Parliament on Elizabeth and ultimately the decisions that were taken through this time of how many were Elizabeth’s own ideas.…
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Although the issue of illegitimacy threatened to remove Elizabeth from the throne, I believe finance was a bigger problem as it affected the entire population of England, no matter which religion they followed, unlike the illegitimacy problem, which primarily affected Catholics only. Gender was another large issue because of marriage and the threat of foreign royalty getting joint power over England and pulling England into their countries affairs and problems, which could lead to war. Similarly, the problem Elizabeth faced with Parliament not backing her was the prospect of a civil war breaking out. War seems to be a large factor which runs through most problems Elizabeth faced and it seems war was primarily a problem because of England’s failing finances. All these points ultimately make finance the major problem which Elizabeth faced on her succession in…
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Charles V of Spain wanted to marry Mary to his child Philip II of Spain, who was also a Catholic, but before Philip travelled to England, it was a rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt against Mary. He had the intention to kill Mary and then crown Elizabeth. By this time Elizabeth was ordered to go to London fearing that she would be implicated in the rebellion, but despite the order, she did not go. There were rumours of Elizabeth supporting the revolt. Mary wanted to believe Elizabeth was guilty because, according to Abigail Archer, for Mary, Elizabeth represented a continuing threat.…
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All substantial threats to Elizabeth’s position as Queen were symptoms of the tension between Catholicism and Protestantism. The threats posed by Mary Queen of Scots, as well as those of the Spanish Armada of 1588 and the war with Spain (which dominated the last twenty years of Elizabeth’s reign), were consequences of a Catholic desire to gain supremacy in England. However, the extent to which the Catholic threat was centred on Mary Queen of Scots is debateable. Whilst she was undoubtedly a figurehead for Catholic opposition to Elizabeth’s rule and was the monarchical figure around whom several treasonous plots were designed, there is much evidence for the view that Mary became a focal point for a Catholic threat that would have existed even if she had been absent. The extent to which the structure given to the Catholic cause by Mary’s presence strengthened the Catholic threat is also debateable. There were others who could have become the rallying point for Catholic opposition (as Philip II of Spain did after Mary’s death), although none had as good a claim to the throne as Mary. A great threat was presented by Catholic opposition to Elizabeth’s rule, but Mary’s influence over this, and therefore the threat that she posed as an individual, may be called into question.…
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During her time as the queen of England, Elizabeth Tudor had to make many decisions on matters both political and personal, such as new religious policies, whether she would marry, whom she would name her heir and also how much power and privilege to delegate to her parliament. The House of Commons and the House of Lords made up Elizabeth’s parliament; the Commons consisted of citizens elected by their constituency, and in the Lords there were around 100 hereditary peers and bishops. At the time, the reigning monarch got a lot more input as to what laws could be passed, and so when decisions had to be made Elizabeth was often very involved in the process. However, this occasionally led to disputes between her and her parliament, as they did not always agree on every matter. Overall, most of the disputes between the queen and her parliament were easily solved – mostly, when such an issue occurred, the queen exercised her prerogative powers to overrule the parliament, and through various methods such as banning topics of discussion, arresting any opposition and occasionally using her power of veto, she prevented any major parliamentary disagreements throughout her reign. In reality, she exercised her power of veto only a few times, and this shows that for the most part she managed to get her parliament to cooperate with her during her reign.…
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James and Charles were considerably different in their beliefs and attitudes. James was a confident and extravagant king and Charles was ill at ease and lacked confidence.…
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When Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, there were violent clashes throughout Europe between Protestant and Catholic leaders and their followers. Though Elizabeth honored many of the Protestant edicts of her late father, King Henry VIII, she made significant concessions to Catholic sympathizers, which kept them from attempting rebellion. But when compromise was not possible, she was an exacting and determined leader who did not shy away from conflict. With the naval defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England was firmly established as a leading military and commercial power in the Western world. Elizabeth supported and later knighted Sir Francis Drake, the first sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She also funded Sir Walter Raleigh's…
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Although CharlesⅡ never went to the extremes of his predecessors, he still was a believer in the Divine Right of Kings, giving him, in his mind, full power over England. All in all, though CharlesⅡ was not a bad ruler to fix much of Englands problems, he still kept the beliefs of his father. As said by Judge Blackstone, The constitution of England had arrived to its full vigour, and the true balance between liberty and prerogative was happily established by law, in the reign of King Charles the SecondJamesⅡ, unlike his brother CharlesⅡ, was just like his father. JamesⅡ believed, to the extreme, in the Divine right of Kings. Along with his previously stated belief, JamesⅡ also believed in Absolute Monarchy and was a devote Catholic. These three beliefs caused JamesⅡ to be very much disliked by parliament, and therefore, the people. After putting up with two years of his reign, Parliament finally called in Mary, JamesⅡprotestant daughter, and William of Orange, her husband, to come and force JamesⅡ to abdicate the throne. This change was welcome. Although JamesⅡ and his descendants, who are known as the Jacobites, tried to reclaim the throne they never…
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The events and sentiments that ran through 17th century England were perhaps as paradoxical as Charles the 1st’s head being sewn back to his body after his execution. This era saw a polarization of thought, action and outcome in regards to several events, people and institutions. The height of this polarization existed between the monarchy and the parliament, as questions arose in regards to the extent of power the king could wield, and the extent of power Parliament was willing to allow the king to wield. The two ends of the power spectrum were absolute monarchy , which gave the king unlimited powers, or “royal prerogatives” according to the Stuarts due to their “divine right” to exercise it, and the other a constitutional monarchy , where…
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Queen Elizabeth I is argued to be one of the best rulers of England. She was different from many of the rulers before her in many ways. Elizabeth was able to show the world that a woman was more than capable of ruling over a country; she was capable of changing one. Queen Elizabeth was intellectual, witty, and used her feminine beauty to get her way. Using her developed talents, Elizabeth was able to overcome many obstacles in her life, making her an extraordinary powerhouse.…
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People who disagreed with Elizabeth were primarily worried about how she wouldn’t have the capacity to manage a nation like a man could, and were backed up by the bible. Admirers had a go at spreading their convictions by talking about how rousing and supportive she was to the nation of England and its kin to pick up the acknowledgment of being the ruler. Elizabeth realized that she was being oppressed, and as opposed to sitting back and putting up with it, she voiced her opinions and proved she could be a just and loyal queen. She suppressed her oppositions that didn’t support her as a result of her sex and made an assembled nation that was more grounded than when she entered her rule. She enabled women to have confidence and to not be treated like dirt and promoted equality by being a steadfast queen and demonstrating to the nation that she was pretty much as effective as any…
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By 1603, Elizabeth was ultimately successful with many of her aims in regard to foreign policy. Despite this, the monarch faced various set backs and failures in such affairs. The problems arose as she ruled an isolated protestant kingdom surrounded by catholic superpowers. She managed these difficulties with great pragmatism and opportunism, reducing the threat of invasion. Her aggressive stance on some issues led to further problems such as those faced in Ireland. Yet, her passive stance on some issues, such as intervention via proxy in the Netherlands, largely ended in failure.…
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One reason that Queen Elizabeth I is considered influential is because from birth she was faced with struggle. When Elizabeth was born into the Tudor family on September 7th, 1553, her parents thought she was a disappointment. “The son she had hoped so confidently to bear the man child, who would save England from a threatened civil war, this child had somehow withdrawn among the shadows and in his place there emerged this little girl Elizabeth.” Her parents, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn wanted a son who could take the throne and rule England but to their dismay they got a daughter. Growing up Elizabeth had to deal with not having a female role model in her life.…
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The three absolute monarchs that are being compared are Philip II of Spain, Queen Elizabeth I of England, and Louis XIV of France. There are many things that are similar and many that are different in their rules. It is valuable to find parallels in their rules and compare mistakes and successes made every one of these monarchs in the three most important areas of government. The three areas of rule that are being specifically looked at are their foreign policy, their religious policy, and the economic concerns and decisions of their respective rules. Each one of these areas are intertwined and effect each other largely so looking for similarities is imperative for learning.…
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Elizabethan government has its similarities and differences with the US government now. First, the courts of the Elizabethan era are very different from the US branches today. Secondly, crime and punishment was not as enforced in the Elizabethan era as it is today in the US. Third, the branches of the US government contradict the ideas of the Elizabethan monarchy.…
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