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1. Monarch

The government of England in the age of Elizabeth I was very different to what it is today. Queen Elizabeth was very much a ruler, unlike the monarchs today who are largely figureheads, and had to make all the major decisions of government herself. But Elizabeth could not do everything herself, and so she had various councillors and officials to help her govern the country justly and wisely.

The Queen was not above the law, but had to act in accordance with it, but Elizabeth was still a very powerful woman. No law could be passed without her consent. She could decide the religion of the country, decide when parliament was going to sit and what they could discuss, decide when and if the country was going to go to war, make decisions about education, the welfare of her people, even what food her people could eat and the clothes they were to wear. She also was responsible for choosing the men to help her govern, and had the power to send men or women to prison and order executions. Everyone in the country had to obey her. Not to obey her was against the law, and could be treason, for which the penalty was death.

The most powerful men in the land were those that Elizabeth chose to have around her. These were largely courtiers. Powerful men did not have to hold positions of power in the land. For some years Robert Dudley did not hold an important office, but was very powerful because of his close relationship with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth governed the country with the help of two very important institutions. The Privy Council, and it's daughter bodies the Council of the Marches and the Council of the North, and Parliament.

2. Privy Council

The Privy Council was responsible for the general administration of the country. Who was on the Council depended on who Elizabeth wanted on it, but as some of the nobles of her realm had a lot of money and influence in the places that they lived, Elizabeth had to make sure that the most powerful men in her country had their interests represented. If she did not, they could rebel against her. In the reign of Queen Mary, the Council had been rather large, but Elizabeth did not want this, believing that too many people with different ideas would only cause more problems than solve them. Her first Council only had nineteen members, compared to about fifty members under her predecessor, and by her death in 1603, this had been reduced to thirteen.

The Privy Councillors were involved in an array of governmental areas, including religion, military matters, the Queen's security, economics, and the welfare of the people. They could be called on to deal with matters of national interest, and also, surprisingly, very mundane issues that effected individuals rather than the country. The Council issued proclamations in the Queen's name, and supervised the enforcement of statutes. One of the Council's principal roles was to advise Elizabeth when she needed advice. The Councillors did not always agree on matters, however, and Elizabeth would have to listen to all sides of the argument, and then make up her own mind what to do. This increased her power to a degree, as it meant that she was never faced with a united Privy Council. If, for example, the Privy Council had agreed upon a husband for her, it would have been rather difficult and awkward for Elizabeth to disagree with them. They were all agreed that she should marry, but could not decide who she should marry.

In the early years of the reign, the Council met only three times a week, but by the end of the reign, it was meeting almost everyday. The Council did not do all the work themselves, however, but delegated a lot of it to secretaries. William Cecil, who as Secretary of State was effectively the leader of the Council, had his own personal secretaries, and his son, Robert Cecil, had four secretaries helping him with his duties as Secretary of State and Master of the Wards. The secretary of State was effectively Elizabeth's personal secretary, and a very influential man. The most famous of the secretaries was William Cecil, and his great administrative ability has earned him the reputation of one of the greatest statesmen in English history. He was wise and cautious, and worked well with Elizabeth. She trusted him above all men, and he was her chief advisor until he died in 1598. So well did they work together, that some historians have debated whether the success of the Elizabethan regime was due to Elizabeth herself, or whether it was down to Cecil. Cecil's son, robert, also became Secretary of State late in the Queen's reign.

The role of the secretary was mainly advising the Queen, overseeing the preservation of law and order, defending the realm against plots, and general security. Sir Francis Walsingham, William Cecil's successor, and mastermind of the great Elizabethan spy network, began as William Cecil's servant in 1568, and was responsible for giving him information on spies in London. In 1570 he was nominated ambassador to France. In 1573 he was recalled and made secretary. He was a gifted, able man, and his spy-network defended Elizabeth against foreign powers. Once he had 53 agents in foreign courts and 18 other spies. The practical defence of the country, however, was done by the Army and the Navy.

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