Elizabeth and her court
The use of patronage
During Elizabethan times power came from the top down by a system of patronage. God had chosen the king or, in Elizabeth鈥檚 case, the queen and as such she had the right to appoint whoever she wished to help her rule the country. She usually chose from the Someone of high rank with a title. and could take their power away if they offended her. The nobility would then appoint men from the People who belong to the class below the nobility. to official jobs. The gentry was made up of knights, lawyers and rich merchants. The gentry were responsible for controlling their own locality rather like local councils do today. Power was not based on ability as it is today but it was based on friendship and favour.
The court
Court and courtiers
The court was the centre of royal power and consisted of nobles and higher gentry who enjoyed the queen鈥檚 favour. The court met wherever Elizabeth was staying but her main palace was at Whitehall in London. Elizabeth had over sixty residences in total and the palaces she visited most frequently were Whitehall, Windsor, Nonsuch, Greenwich and Richmond. (The court did not stay more than six weeks in any one place as the drains could not cope with long visits!). Elizabeth surrounded herself with her most favoured courtiers and these were given rooms in the palaces. Other courtiers were told to find lodgings near the palace and there were those who had displeased the queen who were simply sent away from court.
How did Elizabeth use the court to rule?
Elizabeth used the court to show her power and when it met it was a glamorous affair. There would be dancing, plays, pageants, feasts and jousting tournaments not to mention sermons in the open air courtyard and hunting in St James鈥 Park. Court life was not simply about leisure as Elizabeth used all these events to impress her nobles with her wealth and power. It was her stage where she performed the business of her rule and she was the star of the show. She liked to demonstrate her fierce intellect and was happy to be heard speaking in Latin and other foreign languages with foreign ambassadors. She was also a keen dancer and enjoyed riding and hunting.
Elizabeth needed her nobles to control their lands and to inform her of the mood of the people. They needed her more as their power came directly from her therefore attendance at court was important in that it brought them into contact with the queen. A chance remark or good performance in a dance or in a tournament could bring them to her attention and thus increase the likelihood of Elizabeth bestowing further favour on them. It was important for a nobleman to retain the favour of the queen as he would then be able to build a network of loyal supporters with which to control his own lands.
If he lost favour, then he would find it more difficult to find gentry to support him. Elizabeth did not limit her favour to the biggest noble families rather she preferred to offer her favour more widely thereby increasing her control and limiting the power of greater nobles. In the past, Tudor monarchs had struggled to control different groups at court and this had affected the stability of their reign. Elizabeth used favour and firmness to keep control of the nobility. She even allowed some The Church in Western Europe before the Reformation. The Pope was head of the Church. A member of the Roman Catholic Church. to attend court despite the fact that she was a Christians who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They believe in the teachings of the Bible but reject the authority of the Pope. and in this way she was able to keep their loyalty.