Explain the importance of the privy council in Elizabethan England (8 marks)
The privy council had a very important role in Elizabethan England. One way this was shown
was that they had lots of influence when it came to making decisions in what was best for
the country, and it was their opinions and arguments during debates that formed Queen
Elizabeth’s final decision, and it is because of this that they were important during her time
on the throne. For example, when it came to making a decision about what the country
should do about Mary Queen of Scots coming to England following the Scottish rebellion, it
was the duty of the privy council to make sure that the protestant rule of England was
maintained. Because Mary posed as a threat it was important that they dealt with her
appropriately, since they did not want a rebellion of the Catholics either and so they had to
try and avoid conflict with them. It was Lord Burghley that suggested Elizabeth should
execute her and following much debate the Queen agreed. However, she did this
reluctantly, and so we can see that even though the Queen may not have been entirely
pleased with what they proposed, sometimes she had to believe that what they were
proposing was what was best for the country and so she could be persuaded by them. This
shows the power and authority that the privy council had in the major decisions queen
Elizabeth had to make, especially during her early rule in the 1560’s due to her lack of
experience.
Another way in which the privy council was a vital part of Elizabethan England was the way
in which they played a major role in foreign policy. During Elizabethan England times the
privy council was in charge of debating what to do when dealing with other countries and
what the best way to keep the right allies was. One such situation was when the Dutch
protestants were rebelling against the Catholic Spanish and required military support. This
caused chaos within the privy council with many divided opinions. On one side Dudley and
Walsingham wanted to send help however on the other hand Lord Cecil was more cautious
of creating enemies with Spain and was against the idea. Eventually the queen sided with
lord Dudley and after 7 indecisive years the queen decided to send help. Later the privy
council was required to make a decision when it came to the Spanish armada, and so we can
see that throughout her reign Elizabeth generally took their advice into consideration when
it came to foreign policy. As a result, it was often the privy council who either made or broke
relations with other countries, even though Elizabeth technically had the final say on
decisions. However, because the privy council consisted of high-in-status nobles it was often
in Elizabeth’s and England’s best interest if she listened to them and kept them happy. Due
to this, she often had to do things without truly understanding the consequences and
relying on her privy council. This shows just how much she had to trust them and just how
much power they held.
The privy council had a very important role in Elizabethan England. One way this was shown
was that they had lots of influence when it came to making decisions in what was best for
the country, and it was their opinions and arguments during debates that formed Queen
Elizabeth’s final decision, and it is because of this that they were important during her time
on the throne. For example, when it came to making a decision about what the country
should do about Mary Queen of Scots coming to England following the Scottish rebellion, it
was the duty of the privy council to make sure that the protestant rule of England was
maintained. Because Mary posed as a threat it was important that they dealt with her
appropriately, since they did not want a rebellion of the Catholics either and so they had to
try and avoid conflict with them. It was Lord Burghley that suggested Elizabeth should
execute her and following much debate the Queen agreed. However, she did this
reluctantly, and so we can see that even though the Queen may not have been entirely
pleased with what they proposed, sometimes she had to believe that what they were
proposing was what was best for the country and so she could be persuaded by them. This
shows the power and authority that the privy council had in the major decisions queen
Elizabeth had to make, especially during her early rule in the 1560’s due to her lack of
experience.
Another way in which the privy council was a vital part of Elizabethan England was the way
in which they played a major role in foreign policy. During Elizabethan England times the
privy council was in charge of debating what to do when dealing with other countries and
what the best way to keep the right allies was. One such situation was when the Dutch
protestants were rebelling against the Catholic Spanish and required military support. This
caused chaos within the privy council with many divided opinions. On one side Dudley and
Walsingham wanted to send help however on the other hand Lord Cecil was more cautious
of creating enemies with Spain and was against the idea. Eventually the queen sided with
lord Dudley and after 7 indecisive years the queen decided to send help. Later the privy
council was required to make a decision when it came to the Spanish armada, and so we can
see that throughout her reign Elizabeth generally took their advice into consideration when
it came to foreign policy. As a result, it was often the privy council who either made or broke
relations with other countries, even though Elizabeth technically had the final say on
decisions. However, because the privy council consisted of high-in-status nobles it was often
in Elizabeth’s and England’s best interest if she listened to them and kept them happy. Due
to this, she often had to do things without truly understanding the consequences and
relying on her privy council. This shows just how much she had to trust them and just how
much power they held.
