Roles of the Crown and Parliament, 1589-1603 (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes
Roles of the Crown and Parliament, 1589-1603
Traditional roles of Crown and Parliament
By the late sixteenth century, both the Crown and Parliament had clearly established roles in English government. Understanding these roles is essential for grasping the tensions that emerged during the 1590s.
The relationship between Crown and Parliament was based on a careful balance of powers. Neither institution could function effectively without the other, creating a system of mutual dependence that would become increasingly strained during the 1590s.
The Crown's powers
As monarch, Elizabeth I possessed several important prerogative powers—rights that belonged exclusively to the Crown. These included:
-
The right to summon and dismiss parliament: Elizabeth alone decided when Parliament met and when it was dissolved. This gave her significant control over when MPs could voice concerns or complaints.
-
The power to veto laws: Even if both Houses of Parliament agreed on a bill, Elizabeth could reject it. This meant that no law could be passed without her consent.
-
Protection of the royal prerogative: Elizabeth was extremely protective of her prerogative rights and viewed any parliamentary attempts to limit them with deep suspicion. She saw these powers as fundamental to royal authority.
Parliament's powers and rights
Parliament, particularly the House of Commons, also held important powers that created a balance with the Crown:
-
Exclusive right to grant taxation: Parliament was the only body that could legally approve new taxes. Without parliamentary consent, the Crown could not raise additional revenue beyond its ordinary income.
-
Right to introduce taxation bills: The House of Commons believed it had the sole authority to introduce bills concerning taxation into Parliament. This was significant because MPs saw themselves as representatives of their voters and local communities—the very people who would have to pay these taxes.
-
Sense of accountability: Although MPs' private interests sometimes outweighed their sense of duty to constituents, they generally remained uneasy if they felt the queen or her Privy Council were trying to dictate to them on taxation matters. This was particularly evident during the 1593 parliament.
Parliament's functions beyond taxation
Parliament served several other crucial functions in Elizabethan government:
Offering advice: Parliament provided a formal setting where the political nation could advise the monarch on important matters of state. This allowed Elizabeth to gauge opinion among the gentry and nobility.
Linking Crown and localities: Parliament acted as a vital communication channel between Elizabeth's government and the local communities across England. Through their MPs, localities could make their concerns known to the central government.
Passing legislation: While many assume Parliament primarily dealt with government business, most bills were actually private bills—legislation introduced by individual MPs on behalf of particular communities or trades rather than by Elizabeth's government. For example, Acts were passed to address the growing problems of poverty and vagrancy in 1597 and 1601, responding to social pressures in local communities.
Communicating grievances: MPs could voice concerns when government policies were causing resentment or hardship in their localities. This function became particularly important in the 1590s.
Elizabethan parliaments, 1589-1601
Between 1589 and 1601, Elizabeth summoned Parliament four times:
- 1589: 4 February–29 March
- 1593: 19 February–10 April
- 1597-98: 24 October–9 February
- 1601: 27 October–19 December
Why was Parliament summoned?
Each of these parliaments was called primarily because Elizabeth needed money to fund her wars—particularly the conflicts with Spain and the campaign in Ireland. The cost of warfare placed enormous financial strain on the Crown, forcing Elizabeth to turn repeatedly to Parliament for taxation grants.
The frequency of these parliamentary sessions was unusual for Elizabeth's reign. Earlier in her rule, she had summoned Parliament infrequently. The cluster of four parliaments in just twelve years reflects the desperate financial situation created by prolonged warfare.
However, the war created pressures beyond just taxation. Local communities faced additional financial burdens including:
- Payments for the trained bands (local militia forces)
- Costs of local defence measures
- The general economic strain of wartime conditions
These pressures made MPs increasingly willing to voice their constituents' complaints when Parliament met, particularly regarding the queen's use of her prerogative powers.
Key areas of conflict: purveyance and monopolies
By 1589, the traditional parliamentary concerns of the 1560s-1580s—Elizabeth's marriage, the succession, and religious matters—had largely subsided. However, new complaints took their place, centring on what Parliament saw as abuses of the royal prerogative.
Purveyance
Purveyance was an ancient royal right that had become increasingly controversial by the 1590s.
What was purveyance?
Purveyance was traditionally used to supply the royal household with provisions. Royal officials had the right to purchase food and other goods from local farmers and merchants at between half and one-third of their actual market price. This was part of the royal prerogative—subjects were legally obliged to accept these reduced payments.
Why did it cause resentment?
Purveyance undermined the livelihoods of farmers and merchants who were forced to sell their goods far below market value. Local communities complained bitterly about this practice, seeing it as an unfair exploitation of royal power.
How valuable was purveyance to Elizabeth?
The system was worth approximately $37,000 per year to Elizabeth—a substantial sum that made her reluctant to surrender or significantly reform this right despite the complaints.
Purveyance created a fundamental conflict between royal prerogative and parliamentary representation. MPs had to balance their duty to the Crown with their responsibility to constituents who were directly harmed by the practice. This tension would appear repeatedly in the parliaments of the 1590s.
Elizabeth's response:
When faced with complaints in the 1589 parliament, Elizabeth showed some willingness to compromise on purveyance abuses, though she refused to abandon the practice entirely. This demonstrated her attempt to balance protecting her prerogative with responding to genuine grievances.
Monopolies
The issue of monopolies proved even more contentious and would create serious tension in the 1597 and 1601 parliaments.
What were monopolies?
Monopolies were exclusive rights granted by the Crown to individuals to control the production, sale, or licensing of particular goods or services. The holder of a monopoly had no competition in that area, allowing them to set prices as they wished.
Why did Elizabeth grant monopolies?
As the demands of war increased, Elizabeth had less spare money available for patronage—rewarding her courtiers and officials for their service. Granting monopolies provided an easy alternative because:
- Courtiers would pay the Crown for the privilege of holding a monopoly
- It cost Elizabeth nothing directly
- It allowed her to reward loyal servants without draining the royal treasury
Types of monopolies:
Some monopolies were relatively uncontroversial. These functioned like modern patents, protecting traders and merchants from competition while they developed new products or techniques. The monopolies that caused serious complaints were those granted purely for profit.
Examples of controversial monopolies:
Walter Raleigh, one of Elizabeth's favourite courtiers, held monopolies in:
- Tin
- Playing cards
- Licensing of taverns
In her desperation to raise more money, Elizabeth granted monopolies on an increasingly wide range of goods—some luxury items, but others more basic necessities.
Why did monopolies cause such resentment?
The system appeared deeply corrupt for several reasons:
- Greedy courtiers were creating huge profits for themselves by exploiting their monopolies
- Because monopoly holders faced no competition, they could raise prices as high as they wished
- The price rises affected ordinary people during a time of social and economic hardship
- Even basic commodities were affected: the price of steel had doubled, while salt was 11 times more expensive
These dramatic price increases hit communities already struggling with the economic pressures of wartime, making the monopolies issue particularly explosive politically. The combination of war costs, purveyance abuses, and now monopoly-driven price rises created a perfect storm of grievances that threatened to overwhelm the traditional compromise between Crown and Parliament.
The 1589 parliament
The 1589 parliament revealed growing tensions between the Commons and the Crown, though these were ultimately resolved through compromise.
The taxation dispute
Elizabeth's councillors were eager for the Commons to agree to taxation to fund the defence of the realm against Spain. However, the Commons refused to grant the money until their grievances had been heard and addressed.
This tactic—withholding taxation as leverage to force the monarch to address parliamentary complaints—was actually an old parliamentary strategy, not a new development. What concerned Elizabeth and her councillors in the House of Lords was not the tactic itself, but the specific issue the Commons was raising.
The purveyance bill
The Commons was planning to introduce a parliamentary bill to limit abuses of purveyance by royal officers. This was significant because:
- It represented a direct challenge to the royal prerogative
- It would legally restrict how Elizabeth's officials could exercise a traditional Crown right
- It showed Parliament attempting to use legislation to control the prerogative
What is a parliamentary bill?
A bill could be introduced in either the House of Lords or the House of Commons. It would then be discussed and debated in both Houses. If both Houses agreed to the bill, and if the queen gave her consent, it would become an Act of Parliament—a law of the land. Bills could be introduced by the government, but could also be introduced as 'private bills' by any member of parliament.
Resolution
Despite the initial tensions, the issues in 1589 were ultimately resolved through negotiation and compromise, with Elizabeth showing some willingness to address purveyance abuses while protecting the core of her prerogative rights.
The 1593 parliament
The 1593 parliament saw similar disagreements between the Commons, the queen, and her councillors over the royal prerogative and parliamentary attempts to control it.
Once again, the Commons was concerned about:
- Taxation demands from the Crown
- Abuses of prerogative powers, particularly purveyance
- The Crown's attempts to dictate to Parliament on matters of taxation
As in 1589, however, these issues were mostly resolved through negotiation. The fact that these early 1590s parliaments managed to resolve their disputes would make the growing crisis in the 1597 and 1601 parliaments all the more significant—suggesting that the problems were intensifying rather than improving.
A pattern was emerging in these early 1590s parliaments: the Commons would use its control over taxation to pressure the Crown on grievances, particularly purveyance, and after negotiation both sides would reach a compromise. This pattern would not hold in the later parliaments, indicating that the underlying tensions were becoming more difficult to manage.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
-
Elizabeth controlled when Parliament met (through her power to summon and dismiss) and could veto any law, but only Parliament could grant taxation—creating a balance of power between Crown and Parliament.
-
Parliament was summoned four times between 1589 and 1601, primarily because Elizabeth needed money to fund her wars, but it also passed important social legislation and numerous private bills.
-
Purveyance (the right to buy goods at reduced prices for the royal household) was worth $37,000 annually to Elizabeth, making her reluctant to reform it despite growing complaints from MPs representing affected communities.
-
Monopolies became increasingly controversial as Elizabeth granted more of them to raise money and reward courtiers without spending from her treasury, resulting in dramatic price rises (steel doubled, salt increased elevenfold) that hurt ordinary people.
-
The 1589 and 1593 parliaments saw tensions over taxation and prerogative rights, particularly purveyance, but these disputes were resolved through compromise—unlike the more serious conflicts that would emerge in 1597 and 1601.