Select three major problems faced by either the Elizabethan or Stuart Government. Show how they were tackled. How effective, in each example was the government, in achieving it’s aims.

During the Stuart period in England, it was a time of great change and conflict, largely due to influential members of the governing class. Charles I’s rule from 1625 – 29 was epitomised this perfectly. As a monarch was often influenced by conflicting members of parliament who thought that ‘they knew best’. As quoted by historian M.G.R Graves,

“the difficulties with the commons were due to a few ‘turbulent and ill-affected spirits’ who ‘mask and disguise their wicked intentions, dangerous to the State’. ‘Some few vipers were upsetting the good intentions of the wise and moderate men of that house’.”

Such vipers were namely members of Parliament like, Earl of Bristol (Buckingham’s enemy) who tried to take a seat in parliament, Thomas Wentworth, whose intentions were to promote ‘good’ government , when in actual fact, he turned out to be one of those little ‘niggling backstabbers’ who played all friendly but in actual fact just wanted to wrig...