The Privy Council - Elizabeth I

• Established during the reign of Henry VIII as an advisory and co-ordinating body, and its composition was determined by the monarch
• Elizabeth reducd the council to 19 men who had shown loyalty to the Tudor dynasty
• few of the pro-Catholic members of Mary`s council survived her death as Elizabeth preferred a smaller, more loyal council. this council was a core of professional men such as Burghley who served for long periods - improving the effetiveness and unity of the council
• by largely excluding the nobility and church, Elizabeth made council unrepresentative of the leading elite as a whole and causing resentment among courtiers

Functions:

• traditional functions were maintained although the workload was expanded due to the need to administer the Eizabethan Church and complex foreign policy
• the council had 4 main roles: 1) offer advice to the monarch - one key area of debate was policy towards the Netherlands - most dramatic role as it sometimes caused direct confrontation with the Queen; 2) administered public policy (most important role of the council); 3…