ABSTRACT
Elizabeth is generally seen as one of the most popular monarchs in the whole of English history. From the time that she ascended the throne she was always far more accessible to the people than were other rulers. Elizabeth did possess a number of serious defects which at times impeded the process of effective government. She frequently became involved in minor issues, finding it hard to delegate. In the absence of the modern system of party politics and prime minister, government was in a very real sense conducted by the Queen herself. The Queen’s servants presided over and operated institutions which had existed for centuries. As with her predecessors, Elizabeth maintained it as the single most important institution in decision-making and the formation of policy. Elizabethan financial administration saw virtually no changes. Elizabeth’s policy was the strictest possible budgeting rather than the extension of the range of financial administration or the scope of its institutions.
