Court Factions

Elizabeth I and her Court

The court was the centre of political and social life for England’s ruling classes. The queen used it to build a network of loyal supporters dependent on her for their status.

Patronage

Patronage means being given gifts such as lands, office, monopolies (having the sole right to produce or sell a good) and titles in return for loyalty.
The Queen and key ministers, such as Cecil, bestowed patronage.
Being given an office was the most valued gift from the monarch. Offices might be in the Church, central government, the law or the Royal Household.
Elizabeth only gave 18 titles (making people peers) during her reign. By the end of her reign in 1603, there were fewer nobles than at the start of her reign in 1558.

The Household and the Privy Chamber

The Household was the monarch’s domestic staff.
Headed by the Lord Chamberlain, it employed 1500 people.
It was divided into departments according to its work. For example:
- Robe.
- Bakehouse.
The Privy Chamber fulfilled the same domestic function as before but was becoming less important.

Government and court

The monarch was the centre of government and the court was wherever the monarch was.
Officials had to attend court to get royal permission for their actions.
Nobles had to attend to get noticed and be rewarded with patronage. They might hope to become a favourite with the queen.
Elizabeth promoted loyal, competent men at court to posts in the Privy Council or her Household.
She also promoted favourites, who then became the target of jealousy and court politics.

Key courtiers from the gentry

Sir William Cecil - Lord Burghley from 1573. He was Elizabeth’s most important and trusted adviser. His son, Robert Cecil took his place in 1596.
Sir Christopher Hatton - his close friendship with Elizabeth was especially resented by the nobility.
Sir Walter Raleigh - a favourite from the 1580s. Hatton was jealous of him.
Sir Francis Walsingham - a staunch Protestant. He developed an extensive spy network and was instrumental in Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution.

Key courtiers from the nobility

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester from 1564.
The Earl of Sussex was from the old nobility.
The Earl of Essex was Elizabeth’s last great favourite, but it ended disastrously.

Factional Rivalries in Elizabeth's Court

Elizabeth's court was filled with factions (groups with a common interest). These groups all had rivalries with each other. The members of a faction could change depending on the issue at hand.

Conservative Court factions

A conservative faction at Court included:
- The Duke of Norfolk, the Earls of Sussex and Shrewsbury, Sir James Croft and Sir Christopher Hatton.
- Conservative influence (except for Hatton’s) waned in the 1570s after the Northern Rebellion (a rebellion in 1569 where Catholic nobles tried to overthrow Elizabeth I and put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne) and Ridolfi Plot (a plot to assassinate Elizabeth I and put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne).

Protestant Court factions

The Protestant faction at Court included:
- Sir William Cecil, Sir Walter Mildmay, Sir Francis Walsingham, the Earls of Leicester, Warwick and Bedford.
- These men formed an ‘inner ring’ around Elizabeth from the 1570s.

Early Privy Council Factions

Cecil and Leicester had their own followings at court and often disagreed on political issues. They conflicted over Elizabeth’s potential marriage in the 1560s.
In the 1570s and the 1580s, factional rivalry was limited. Courtiers co-operated and Elizabeth managed any rivalries effectively.

Late Privy Council Factions

By the 1590s, a new generation of courtiers dominated. Factional rivalry grew after the deaths of Leicester (1588), Walsingham (1590) and Hatton (1592).
Cecil’s ill health diminished his influence after 1592. His son, Robert, eventually replaced him.
In the late 1590s factions formed around Robert Cecil and the young Earl of Essex. Essex lost Elizabeth I’s favour and was executed for treason in 1601.

Significance of Burghley’s Death

Up to the 1590s, Elizabeth had harnessed court factions to her advantage. However, by the 1590s she began to lose her most trusted advisors, most importantly, William Cecil. As a result, court politics became unstable.

Death of key advisors

In 1588, the Earl of Leicester died.
In 1590, Francis Walsingham died.
In 1591, Christopher Hatton died.
From 1592, Burghley was an invalid. His influence waned until he passed away in 1598.

Polarised factions

The Earl of Essex emerged as a charismatic, yet divisive, courtier.
He gained significant influence and patronage at court.
Similarly, Lord Burghley’s son, Robert Cecil was proving his political acumen.
In 1597, Cecil became Chief Secretary.

Impact of these new courtiers

Burghley’s demise brought about the end of court stability.
Guy (1997): Elizabeth’s reign can be split into two. The ‘second reign’ in the 1590s was characterised by a crisis in government.
Some historians argue that the disintegration of court stability and the Privy Council signalled the end of consensus (which came to a head in the civil war).
This viewpoint has been challenged. Some argue it is an over exaggeration and that the 1590s were a ‘blip’ where court factionalism was particularly prominent.

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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