Expert: Joseph Logue - 11/5/2005

Question
What exactly were the Queen's Prests at the time of Elizabeth I? References to follow up would be handy too, but not vital.

thanks

Alison Wrobel

Answer
Hello Alison,

Not being immediately familiar with the term, I had to do a little research myself.  Priests usually attended the monarch from early days.  They often functioned as links to the Church in Rome, sometimes as ambassadors or bureaucrats.  As they were often some of the most learned men in the kingdom, they were indispensible as tutors and advisors.  There is also the ineffable quality of surrounding yourself with clerics to enhance the position that one is chosen by God to rule.

In Elizabeth's time, remember, there was massive upheaval in the religious life of the nation (a subject too broad to discuss here).  Keeping priests close by gave the appearance of godliness and sanctity to the throne.  Elizabeth, who reigned for 45 years (1558-1603), oversaw a tumultuous era and the use of priests near her person probably (this is my theory) kept the anxiety of her subjects at bay.  While they may have wanted to break with Rome, they did not want to become Godless.

I had no luck finding books or monographs on the subject at my library.  Here are some Web sites I found that discuss the queen's priests, noting that sites with domains such as ".gov[.uk]" or ".edu" are usually more authoritative:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=3096

http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/shortstories/TheValetsTragedyan...

The last is a prose account of the subject.

Remember also to cite your sources properly if preparing to write about this matter for school.  

I hope that helps you, Alison.  Let me know if I can be of further help, and thanks for visiting AllExperts.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue