Research Paper On Elizabethan England Government

Elizabethan England Government

In the late 1500s, there came period in time where the country of England had gone through an era called Elizabethan England. During this time, the ruler of England was Queen Elizabeth I. She's considered to be have been England's best monarch. During her reign, the government was described as a personal monarch. This is because Queen Elizabeth's personality played a role in determining the style, intensity, and efficiency of the government. The government of Elizabethan England was centralized, well organized, and very efficient.

The government, during this time, was known to be centralized. Being a monarchy, England was under one ruler, their monarch Queen Elizabeth I. Although she couldn't do everything

on her own, Queen Elizabeth was still a very powerful woman. "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes," a quote from Queen Elizabeth when she was throned. She was in control of many different decisions dealing with her country. This included the country's religion, when parliament came to sit and what they discussed, if and when they went into war, education, their welfare, and even what food the people could eat and the clothes they could wear. Another one of her responsibilities was to choose the men who would help her govern. When it came to passing laws, no law could be passed without the consent of Queen Elizabeth. If anyone were to break these laws or disobey the Queen, they would be punished. It was against the law to disobey the Queen's orders, and the penalty was death. Even though Queen Elizabeth was the overall ruler of England, she governed her country with the help of two very important groups of people: the Privy Council and Parliament.

The laws held in Elizabethan England were only able to with the approval and consent of the Queen. The Queen had the ability to make laws, such as the Royal Proclamations, but when passing other laws, she couldn't do it alone. To pass other laws, the Queen would have to create a bill and send it to Parliament. Parliament had consisted of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, or the Upper and Lower classes. In total, 438 laws had been passed. Out of all the laws, some considered the 1559 Queen Elizabeth's Second Act of Supremacy was the most important. It took away royal policy that was approved during Queen Mary's reign.

Although the government was well centralized, it was also quite organized.

The Privy Council was a group of advisers for the Queen. Their main priority was to give numerous opinions to Queen Elizabeth, and she would decide on the situation at hand. They also were in charge of taking care of routine administrations, such as matters of religion, military, the Queen's security, economics, and the people's welfare. The Council had to deal with national and individual interests, issue proclamations in Queen Elizabeth's name, and supervise law and enforcement. While there was the Privy Council, there was also Parliament to help govern. Parliament was a group of representatives whose main purpose was to deal with financial matters, such as taxation and giving the Queen money. Parliament was also used for passing laws both private and public. Public laws applied to everyone while private laws only applied to certain individuals. Parliament could undo laws only if both houses, the Upper House and the Lower House, agreed with them three times and the Queen had also agreed. Parliament could also advise the Queen, though, she was never interested in hearing their advice. The Queen once said to Parliament, "Was I not born in this realm? Were my parents born in any foreign country? Is there any cause I should alienate myself from being careful over this country? Is not my kingdom

here?"

The efficiency of the government was quite incredible.

The Elizabethan England's judicial system, for instance, is made up of many different courts. The Great Session Courts, or the Assizes, and the Quarter Session Courts were the most important courts. The Great Session Courts were held twice a year for each county while the Quarter Session Courts were held four times a year. The Quarter Session Courts had dealt with most of the crimes, whereas, the Great Session Courts were known to give very harsh punishments. Other courts, such as Petty Session Courts, Manor Court, and town courts, took care of unimportant crimes. Civil cases were handled by many courts depending on the person's financial status. The wealthy was dealt with by the Star Chamber, one of the highest profile courts. The Court of Chancery handled criminal cases, and the Exchequer of Pleas took care of financial suits. The poor were dealt with by the Court of Requests, and religious and moral cases dealt with the Church Courts. Whoever committed high treasons or any other dangerous crimes were sentenced to death, which was usually issued to the

Queen.

Apart from the government as a whole, there were also small local governments. These local governments were very important to the citizens in Elizabethan England. Royal representatives, such as Justices of Peace, Sheriffs, and Lords Lieutenant, were in every county. They made sure that the Queen's commands and laws were being enforced and obeyed. Other governments were responsible for many other issues. Regional governments were to oversee the parts of England that the Privy Council couldn't supervise. The Council of North was in charge of Northern England, and the Council of the Marches was in charge of Wales and some border counties. Owning land made a person powerful, causing them to have a major influence. It was a responsibility for them to govern their own land so they could aid the monarchy. In every city and town, there was its own government that was run by a mayor.

Elizabethan England had a very well structured and well efficient government. Though the government system is quite complicated, it was well centralized. Queen Elizabeth I was a major contribution to the government, along with the Privy Council and Parliament. The organization and efficiency was a major responsibility for many working in the government. Having all the resources that she did, the Queen was able to make an incredible system that works very efficiently. "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too!" , a quote by Queen Elizabeth.