Tudors and Stuarts Government and Politics The Crown

The monarchy was the oldest political institution in England The monarch had authority from: religion, Roman Law and the Great Chain of Being It was an hereditary position (Edward, Mary, Elizabeth) Elizabeth had great powers as monarch:  head of government  appointed state officers  appoint and dismiss judges  foreign policy was hers  ability to make war and peace  commander-in –chief of armed forces  had great control over parliament  supreme Governor  head of the Church in England  owned large estates  could create knights and peers

The Crown The Royal Prerogative existed in two parts: 1.The ordinary prerogative applied to all of the functions in the previous slide and were established in law to enable the monarch to rule effectively 2.The emergency prerogative was not defined and was applied to emergencies as they arose

Elizabeth the Queen Elizabeth turned the ideal of an adult male monarch to her advantage She encouraged the Cult of Gloriana and used her single status as a political tool She often took her court on progresses to show her power and to defray the cost of the court onto her richer subjects

Elizabeth the Queen Elizabeth has well honed PR skills and knew when to make gracious and conciliatory remarks both to Parliament and to commoners.

Elizabeth the Queen Elizabeth was a good judge of character and appointed good advisors She did not allow factions to develop greatly

Elizabeth the Queen Elizabeth was a good administrator She took an active interest in the detail She was moderate in her religious outlook and a conservative monarch

Elizabeth the Queen However: Elizabeth could be indecisive She often took credit for others success She often let others be blamed for her faults She could be accused of being meddlesome in the detail Her failure to stop power accruing in the same people led to the Essex Rebellion

Bibliography History volume 2, Britain , by Robin Silcock, Longman Paul, Auckland,

REVISION: When you have completed the PowerPoints and related worksheets get students to mind-map the ‘Government and Politics’ topics covered: The Crown The Privy Council Courts of Law Local Government Parliament’ If you are unfamiliar with the basic concepts of mind-mapping then check the ‘Mind mapping with Tony Buzan’ video found on the site and showMind mapping with Tony Buzanwww.schoolhistory.co.nz