How did Elizabeth I establish and run her court and government after 1558?
Elizabeth's character and aims as queen, the structure of her court and government (the Privy Council, ministers such as William Cecil and Robert Dudley, Parliament and the role of patronage), and the problems she faced as a new and female monarch in 1558.
A focused answer to Elizabeth's court and government in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering her character and aims, the Privy Council and ministers such as Cecil and Dudley, the role of patronage and Parliament, and the problems she faced as a new female monarch in 1558.
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What this dot point is asking
This is the opening of Eduqas's Component 1 British study in depth, The Elizabethan Age 1558 to 1603. You need to explain who Elizabeth was, what she wanted as queen, how her court and government worked (the Privy Council, her ministers, patronage and Parliament), and the problems she inherited as a new and female monarch in 1558. Because the depth study uses source and interpretation questions, learn this in enough detail to evaluate evidence about how she ruled.
Elizabeth's character and aims
The court and patronage
The Privy Council and ministers
Parliament and the limits of royal power
Try this
Q1. Who was Elizabeth's most trusted minister, and what was his main role? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. William Cecil (later Lord Burghley), Secretary of State, who advised her and ran the government for forty years.
Q2. Explain why patronage was important to Elizabeth's control of the nobility. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Granting jobs, land, titles and monopolies rewarded loyalty and tied the most powerful men to the Crown, reducing the risk of rebellion, though competition for favour also created factions she had to manage.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20194 marksDescribe two features of Elizabeth I's Privy Council.Show worked answer →
The depth-study opener (4 marks, two features, 2 marks each). Reward two distinct, developed features. Do not write an essay.
Feature one. The Privy Council was a small group of around nineteen leading advisers, chosen by the queen, who ran the day-to-day government, advised her and carried out her decisions.
Feature two. It was dominated by trusted ministers such as William Cecil (Secretary of State), and rivalry between councillors, for example Cecil and Robert Dudley, was something Elizabeth managed to keep control.
Top marks. Two separate features, each with a precise supporting detail. Identification alone earns 1 mark per feature; the second mark needs development.
Eduqas C100 20208 marksExplain why Elizabeth I faced problems as a new monarch in 1558.Show worked answer →
The depth-study "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each with precise support, not a description.
Reason one. She was a woman in a society that doubted women could rule; many believed a queen needed a husband to govern, which threatened her independence.
Reason two. The country was religiously divided after the swings of Edward VI and Mary I, so any settlement risked angering Catholics or Puritans.
Reason three. The Crown was in debt, England was at war with France and had lost Calais, and Elizabeth's legitimacy was questioned by Catholics who backed Mary Queen of Scots.
Top band. Connect each reason explicitly to the difficulty it created, and finish with the most serious problem.
Related dot points
- The religious situation Elizabeth inherited in 1558, the terms of the 1559 Religious Settlement (the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity), the via media or 'middle way', and how far the settlement satisfied Catholics and Puritans.
A focused answer to the 1559 Religious Settlement in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the divided inheritance of 1558, the Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity, Elizabeth's via media or middle way, and how far the settlement satisfied Catholics and Puritans.
- The growth of the Catholic threat after the excommunication of 1570, the recusants, missionary priests and the Jesuits, the government's response, and the nature of the Puritan challenge to the religious settlement.
A focused answer to the Catholic and Puritan challenges to Elizabeth's Church in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the 1570 excommunication, recusants, seminary priests and Jesuits, the government's response, and the Puritan demands for further reform.
- Why Mary Queen of Scots threatened Elizabeth, her flight to England in 1568, the major Catholic plots (Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington), the role of Walsingham's spy network, and the reasons for and consequences of Mary's execution in 1587.
A focused answer to Mary Queen of Scots and the Catholic plots in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering why Mary threatened Elizabeth, her 1568 flight to England, the Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington plots, Walsingham's spy network, and Mary's execution in 1587.
- Everyday life in Elizabethan England including the gap between rich and poor, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the flourishing of the theatre, and the voyages of exploration that made the age a 'golden age'.
A focused answer to everyday life and the golden age in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the gap between rich and poor, Elizabethan poverty and the Poor Laws, the rise of the theatre, and the great voyages of exploration.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)