# List of ministers to Elizabeth I

This is a list of the principal government ministers during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, 1558 to 1603. From the outset of her reign, her chief minister was Sir William Cecil, later Lord Burghley. He died in 1598 and was succeeded by his son Sir Robert Cecil.
| Office | Name | Date | Notes |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | Sir Nicholas Bacon | 1558 | |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | Sir Thomas Bromley | 1579 | |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | Sir Christopher Hatton | 1587 | |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | in commission | 1591 | |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | Sir John Puckering | 1592 | |
| Lord Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal | Sir Thomas Egerton | 1596 | |
| Lord Treasurer | The Marquess of Winchester | continued in office | |
| Lord Treasurer | The Lord Burghley | 1572 | |
| Lord Treasurer | The Lord Buckhurst | 1599 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | Sir Nicholas Bacon | 1558 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Burghley | 1571 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Howard of Effingham | 1572 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | Sir Thomas Smith | 1573 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | Francis Walsingham | 1576 | knighted in 1577 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Burghley | 1590 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | Sir Robert Cecil | 1598 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir William Cecil | 1558 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Thomas Smith | 1572 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Thomas Smith Francis Walsingham | 1573 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Francis Walsingham Thomas Wilson | 1577 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Francis Walsingham | 1581 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Francis Walsingham William Davison | 1586 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Francis Walsingham | 1587 | |
| Secretary of State | vacant | 1590 | |
| Secretary of State | Sir Robert Cecil | 1596 | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir Richard Sackville | | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir Walter Mildmay | 1566 | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir John Fortescue | 1589 | |
| Lord High Admiral | The Lord Clinton | 1558 | created Earl of Lincoln in 1572 |
| Lord High Admiral | The Lord Howard of Effingham | 1585 | created Earl of Nottingham in 1596 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Sir Richard Southwell | continued in office | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Earl of Warwick | 1560 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Earl of Warwick Sir Philip Sidney | 1585 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Earl of Warwick | 1586 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | vacant | 1590 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Sir Robert Cecil | 1598 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | The Earl of Essex | 1597 | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | vacant | 1601 | |
| Lord Steward | The Earl of Arundel | continued in office | |
| Lord Steward | The Earl of Pembroke | 1568 | |
| Lord Steward | vacant | 1570 | |
| Lord Steward | The Earl of Leicester | 1587 | |
| Lord Steward | Lord St John of Basing | 1588 | |
| Lord Chamberlain | The Lord Howard of Effingham | continued in office | |
| Lord Chamberlain | The Earl of Sussex | 1572 | |
| Lord Chamberlain | The 1st Lord Hunsdon | 1585 | |
| Lord Chamberlain | The 2nd Lord Cobham | 1596 | |
| Lord Chamberlain | The 2nd Lord Hunsdon | 1597 | |
| Cofferer of the Household | Sir Henry Cocke | by 1572 | |
| Cofferer of the Household | John Habington | 1580-81 |
| Master of the Horse | Lord Robert Dudley | 1558 | created Earl of Leicester in 1564 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Essex | 1588 | |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Worcester | 1602 | |
Other important ministers were Sir Francis Knollys and James Windebank.

## Sources

* Haydn's Book of Dignities, 1894